WHAT IS “NEWS”?
Intro to Journalism
3 News Stories
Divide into groups of 3-4
•Share your stories—tell what each story is
about in 1 sentence
•As a group, decide why each story is “news”
•Make a list of all your reasons (“characteristics”)
•
So, What Is “News”?
Your definition?
Other Voices
Throughout the years, journalists have tried to
answer the question: “What is news?”
David Brinkley
1960s-1970s NBC News anchorman

Editorial
Judgment
News is …
“what I say it is.”
Stanley Walker
1930s New York Herald Tribune editor
Sensationalism
News is …
“women, wampum
and wrongdoing”
(sex, money &
crime)

John B. Bogart
19th Century editor, New York Sun

Unusualness
“When a dog
bites man, it isn’t
news. But when
a man bites a
dog, it’s news.”
ABC executive producer

Personal Impact
“People are interested
in stories about how
safe the world is,
how safe their
families are, and
how safe their money
is.”
So, What Is “News”?
News is information that is not
previously known and has some
impact on audience.
Characteristics of News
What elements must a story have to
make it “newsworthy”?
Timeliness

A characteristic of a
news story that is
reported as soon as it
happens
 The
closer to the event,
the better
 Anniversaries
Timeliness examples
Prominence

A characteristic of
a news story
about someone
whose name or
job is well known
& easily
recognized by the
public.
 Audience
determines who is
prominent
Prominence examples
Proximity

A characteristic of a
news story that happens
close to home.
 The
closer to home, the
more newsworthy
 Local angles give
proximity to more
universal stories
Proximity examples
Conflict

A characteristic of a
news story that
involves two sides
engaged in a “battle”
from which one will
emerge the victor.
 Winners
and losers
easy to report
 Same appeal as fiction
Conflict examples
Impact

A characteristic of a news
story based on the effect or
consequence the story will
have on the audience.
 Greater
the impact, the more
newsworthy
 More local or wide-spread the
impact, the more newsworthy
Impact examples
Human Interest

A characteristic of a news
story about people, usually
those involved in some
emotional struggle.
 Unusualness
or other
characteristics determine
newsworthiness
Human Interest
example
Look at your news stories
In your small groups, label the news
characteristics in each story.