News Values (1) PDF

News Values (1) lecturer: Dr.Hany M. Ali What is news? How do journalists decide what is news and what is not? How do they distinguish between a big news story and a small one? The answer is that they do it in exactly the same way as everybody else. Everybody makes those same judgments wh...

News Values (1) lecturer: Dr.Hany M. Ali What is news? How do journalists decide what is news and what is not? How do they distinguish between a big news story and a small one? The answer is that they do it in exactly the same way as everybody else. Everybody makes those same judgments whenever they decide to talk about one event rather than another. For example, which do you think is more interesting: A girl going to primary school, to high school, or to university? A man aged 25 marrying a girl aged 20, or a man aged 55 marrying a girl aged 15? A car killing a chicken or a child? Every one of these events might be news for the community in which it happens, but some are more newsworthy than others. newsworthy refers to the qualities that make a story worthy of being reported as news.  You very likely answered that the most interesting things were a girl going to university, a man aged 55 marrying a girl aged 15, and a car killing a child. If your answer was different, though, it does not mean that you were wrong.  The same event can have different levels of interest in different societies, and will be talked about in different ways. If a farm wall has collapsed, killing a cow and a Sheep, which is more important? Clearly, the answer will vary from one society to another, depending on the relative importance of cows and Sheep. For this reason, the content of the news can be different in different societies. The way in which the news is judged, though, is the same everywhere.  News values are general guidelines or criteria which determine how much prominence a media outlet gives a news story. They explain why a story interests its audience; and how editors and other journalists decide that one piece of information is news while another is not.  Media outlets include newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet. News values are also called news criteria or news factors. Journalists are looking out for news stories that attract a significant audience or readership. They must discover which information is newsworthy and filter out that which is of little interest.  By applying a set of guidelines or criteria, they can identify what material will make the best stories. We call these guidelines “news values” Each news value describes a different quality. Criteria of news The criteria by which news is judged are: Is it new? Is it unusual? Is it interesting or significant? Is it about people? These elements make up what we call the "news value" of information. The stronger the elements are, the higher the news value.  Is it New???! Time Did something happen recently or did we just learn about it? If so, that could make it newsworthy.  The meaning of “recently” varies depending on the medium, of course For a weekly news magazine, anything that happened since the previous edition the week before may be considered timely.  For a 24-hour news channel, the news in time may be “breaking news or something that is happening this very minute and can be covered by a reporter live at the scene. (Emphasize what is new) If it is not new, it cannot be news. The assassination of Gandhi is unusual, interesting, significant and about people, but it cannot possibly be reported in tomorrow's papers, because it is not new.  If some facts about that assassination became known for the first time, however, that would be news. The assassination would not be new, but the information would be.  Events which happened days or even weeks earlier can still be news, as long as they have not been reported before. If you are telling a story for the first time, it is new to your readers and therefore it can be news.  News of the death of Mao Tse-tung, for instance, was not released to the world by the Chinese government for several days; when they did release it, however, it was still very definitely news.  Types of recent News Immediate Events Breaking News Natural disasters as they happen - Major accidents or incidents - Political announcements - Emergency situations - Live developments Real-Time Coverage Live updates - Social media feeds - Minute-by- minute reporting - On-the-ground reporting - Instant digital updates  Recent Developments Last 24 Hours Yesterday's events - Overnight developments - Morning updates - Evening summaries - Late- breaking stories Current Week Weekly trends - Developing stories - Follow-up coverage - Event progression - Weekly summaries  Future Events Follow-up Coverage Future Implications Upcoming elections - Expected outcomes - Projected impacts - Future scenarios - Long-term effects - Anticipated changes - Planned events & meetings Predictive Coverage Weather forecasts - Economic predictions - Trend analysis - Future impacts - Potential outcomes  Time-Sensitive Information Deadlines Tax filing dates - Registration periods - Application deadlines - Voting plans- Event registrations Seasonal Content Holiday preparations - Weather-related news - School calendars - Sports seasons - Cultural festivals  Time-Sensitive Categories Financial News Market updates - Stock prices - Economic indicators - Trading hours - Financial deadlines Sports Coverage Live scores - Game plans- Match results - Season tracking Weather News Current conditions - Forecast updates - Severe weather alerts - Climate tracking - Seasonal changes  Is it unusual? Odd or unusual things: things that are out of the ordinary. Things are happening all the time, but not all of them are news, even when they are new. A man wakes up, eats breakfast and goes to work on a bus; it has only just happened, but nobody wants to read about it because it is not unusual. Ordinary and everyday things do not make news.  Of course, if that same man was 90 years old and was still catching the bus to work every day, it would be unusual! The classic definition of news is this: "Dog bites man" is not news; "Man bites dog" is news.  This definition, though, is not universal. If dogs are eaten in your society (at feasts, for instance) then it will not be news when a man bites a dog - so long as it has been cooked.  What is usual in one society may be unusual in another. Again, we will expect the content of the news to vary from society to society. In every society, though, whatever is unusual is likely to be news.  Types of Unusualness Unexpected Events Natural Phenomena Rare weather events - Unusual animal behavior - Strange natural occurrences - Unexpected discoveries - Unique environmental changes Human Activities Amazing achievements - Unusual behaviors - Unexpected decisions - Strange coincidences - Remarkable accidents  Breaking Norms Social Patterns Unconventional lifestyles - Unique cultural practices - Unexpected social trends - Breaking traditions - Novel social movements Institutional Changes Unprecedented policies - Unique legal cases - Unusual political moves - Surprising organizational changes - Exceptional business practices  First-Time Occurrences Historical Firsts Breakthrough achievements - Pioneer accomplishments - New records - Groundbreaking events Technological Innovations New inventions - Revolutionary discoveries - Unique applications - Novel solutions - Unprecedented developments  Human Interest Oddities Unusual talents - Strange hobbies - Unique experiences - Exceptional abilities - Remarkable life stories Odd habits - Strange customs - Unique routines - Unusual lifestyles - Exceptional behaviors  Scientific Anomalies Research Findings Unexpected results - Strange phenomena - Unusual discoveries - Unique observations - Remarkable breakthroughs Medical Oddities Rare conditions - Unusual treatments - Strange symptoms - Unique cases - Exceptional recoveries  Market Unusualness Business Anomalies Unusual trends - Strange market behavior - Unique business models - Unexpected success stories - Remarkable failures Consumer Behavior Strange purchasing patterns - Unusual preferences - Unique consumer trends - Exceptional demand - Remarkable market shifts Is it interesting? Events which are new and unusual may still not be of general interest. Scientists may report that an insect has just been found living on a plant which it did not previously inhabit. The discovery is new, and the event is unusual, but it is unlikely to interest anybody other than a specialist. In a specialist publication this could be big news, but in a general news broadcast or paper it would merit at most a few words. Is it significant? However, if that same insect was one which had a huge appetite, and which had previously lived on and eaten bush grass and if the new plant on which it had been found was rice, then the story becomes news, because it is significant. People may not be interested in bugs, but they are interested in food. If this insect is now threatening their crops, it becomes a matter of concern to them. It is news because it is significant.  Once again, what is interesting or significant in one society may not be interesting or significant in another. The content of the news may be different, therefore, in different societies, but the way it is identified will be the same.  Is it about people? Most news is about people, because it is the things people do to change the world which makes news. However, news can also be made by non- human sources, such as a cyclone, a bush fire, a drought, a volcanic eruption or an earthquake. it is important when reporting these stories to make sure that the story is centered on people.  The cyclone would not matter if it blew itself out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, away from any inhabited islands; The fire could burn for as long as it likes in bush where nobody lives; The Sahara Desert has a near-permanent drought, but in most of it nobody is there to rely on rains; A volcanic eruption or an earthquake which damages nobody's property and injures nobody is really not news. All these natural disasters only become news when they affect people's lives. Every story can be told in terms of people. Always start by asking yourself the question: "How does this affect my readers', listeners' or viewers’ lives?" Whenever you have a story which tells of how something has happened which affects both people and property, always put the people first RIGHT: WRONG: More than 100 Seventeen houses people were left were flattened homeless after when Cyclone Cyclone Victor Victor struck Suva struck Suva yesterday. yesterday.