Newsworthiness
News, whether obtained from television, newspaper, or the internet, keeps citizens informed and up-to-date on local and world conditions and occurrences. Thousands of incidents occur everyday that have the potential to be reported on the news. However, not every story that may seem newsworthy is reported on.
Every potential news story that finds its way to the headquarters or offices of a news station or newspaper must compete with thousands of other stories that have the potential to be released on the news. A story must be considered newsworthy before it can be considered worth reporting on or publishing.
The editor of a newspaper or producer of a news show must ultimately decide which stories to publish or air and which to drop. Some stories can be relegated to a different news day, but news that is not current is not newsworthy. The editor or producer will consider several factors and apply them to a story before deciding if it is newsworthy.
What attributes makes a story newsworthy?
1. The story is current.
News occurs and travels so quickly, a story that was timely yesterday can easily become today's old news. The purpose of the news is to report stories that are, appropriately enough, new. Current stories that deal with relevant, timely issues are newsworthy.
2. The story is significant.
Events, catastrophes, or occurrences with significant outcomes are newsworthy. For example, a story relating the large death toll of a serious accident is considered more noteworthy than an occurrence where few people were affected.
3. The story has a local impact.
A news story is considered more noteworthy to a person when it occurs in close proximity to their neighborhood, city, and state, or within their country. Viewers and readers are personally impacted by news that occurs in close proximity to their home or country, and will seek out news that discusses these locations. A news station in Indiana reporting a local catastrophe will have more significance to the people of that state than a story of a catastrophe in Florida, because it occurred close to home.
4. The story involves controversy or conflict.
A story that involves a tense or controversial subject or that involves physical or ethical conflict increases its interest or appeal and engages viewers and readers. However, such stories must be handled tactfully.
5. The story's subject is prominent.
Actors, actresses, politicians, royalty, and corporate executives are all prominent and well-known figures which, when involved in a story, make it more newsworthy. An actress with a sprained ankle may make the news, but the average citizen with a similar affliction never would. Additionally, a story that occurs in a prominent or well recognized location is more apt to be reported on than one which occurs in an average city.
6. The story involves human-interest.
Human-interest stories are intended to provoke emotion, sympathy, humor, or hope. They are usually exempt from other requirements of newsworthiness, and often portray people or events that will appeal to a viewer's or reader's emotions. The people a human-interest story involves are usually not prominent and have a personal account that may defy odds or be tragic. Some human interest stories are humorous or eccentric, and end a news program or article on a positive note.
A newsworthy story will, ideally, have all of these attributes, but may be deemed acceptable of they meet at least two of the above criteria well.
Additionally, newspapers or news magazines may need to determine the newsworthiness of a photograph associated with a story. Typically, photographs that portray the people or place involved in the story, exhibit action, set a mood, or in some way help illustrate a piece of news well, may be considered newsworthy photojournalism.
