Part+I+-+What+is+News?

 ** Part I – What is News **

=//“Journalism is the first rough draft of history.”// = **[|Philip Graham]** Publisher, The Washington Post 

** 1. What makes a story newsworthy? ** For over 100 years, the slogan of the New York Times has been “All the news that’s fit to print.” But how does a news organization determine what stories actually are news?

For something to be [|newsworthy], it must meet the following 5 criteria:

> How close is the news report to the actual event? > How many people are affected by the subject of the story? > How close did the event happen to the audience? OR > Is this story something that the audience can appreciate and understand? > Are any prominent or important people connected to this event? > Does this story appeal to the audience’s emotions? > Does it “tug at the heartstrings?” >    
 * **__Timing__**
 * **__Significance__**
 * **__Proximity__**
 * **__Prominence__**
 * **__Human Interest__**

** 2. What are the different types of news? ** > Hard news refers to stories on important, serious subjects. Typical hard news stories include stories on war, crime, disasters, disease, financial issues, politics, law, etc. > Soft news stories, also known as features, are more focused on entertaining the audience. These stories can be about sports, arts, culture, lifestyles, etc.
 * **__Hard News__**
 * **__Soft News__**

** 3. What information is needed for a news report? ** = //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“I keep six honest serving men // = = //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They taught me all I knew; // = = //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Their names are What and Why and When // = = //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And How and Where and Who.” // = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Rudyard Kipling** Author

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The **__[|Inverted Pyramid]__** describes how information should be presented in a news story, regardless of the medium. In literature, stories build tension over time, culminating in the climax at or near the end. In a news story, all the important, essential details should be presented at the top of the story, with additional details below. This allows an individual to only watch or read the beginning of the story, and still get all the facts they need.
 * 4. How should information be presented in a news report? **

Also, any good story should have an **__angle__**. The angle is a unique perspective on an event or story, especially a perspective that is interesting an accessible to your audience. For example, we have heard seemingly countless stories about the current financial crisis in the United States. One angle for this story is how high school students are having a hard time finding part-time jobs because most are taken by adults who have been laid off of other jobs.

Angle is not **__spin__**. Spin is manipulating information to mislead your audience. Though not illegal, spin can be an unprofessional and unethical practice.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Our lives are virtually saturated with information from print sources, radio, TV, and the Internet. It is sometimes difficult to find good, reliable information amid all the noise. For a news story to be credible, the sources of information must be clearly identified to the audience. This process of identifying sources is called **attribution**. Attribution assures the audience they are getting accurate information from an expert, or someone who has a direct connection to the story or event.
 * 5. What makes a news story credible? **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rule #1 – A good story is only as good as the facts in it.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rule #2 – The facts in a story are only as good as the people they come from.

=<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> =
 * Essential Terms **
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Newsworthy
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Timing
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Significance
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Proximity
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Prominence
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Human Interest
 * 7) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hard News
 * 8) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Soft News
 * 9) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Inverted Pyramid
 * 10) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Angle
 * 11) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Spin
 * 12) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Attribution

Return to Broadcast Journalism - Class Resources.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
 * __ Information on this page adapted from: __**

Kalbfeld, Brad. __Broadcast News Handbook: A Manual of Techniques & Practices__. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Weston, Edward, and Griffith John. __Programmed Newswriting__. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1992.

"What makes a story newsworthy?". Wavelength Media. 09/01/09 <[|www.mediacollege.com]>.