News is an event, fact or circumstance which is of interest to a newspaper readership and/or a news website audience. It is usually reported as having happened recently and has a potential impact on the community. News stories can range from current national and international affairs to celebrity gossip, local sporting events and a host of other topics.
The criteria for what is deemed newsworthy will vary between societies, but there are some general rules which are generally followed. In the first instance, news must be new – it must have happened recently and not been reported previously (although some events such as the death of a politician might break into the public domain much earlier). News should also be unusual and interesting and, in most cases, it should be about people. It is important to note, however, that an event occurring in another country can be of as much interest – if not more – to a local audience than the same event happening in their own country.
Secondly, news should be significant or have a strong influence on society. This may seem obvious, but it is often overlooked. It is easy to see why a coup in the next door neighbouring country would be of interest to the readers of a daily newspaper, but less clear why a fire in a neighbouring town could be as significant.
Finally, the nature of the event will be determined by its magnitude. Generally speaking, larger events will be given more prominence in the media and have greater news value than smaller ones. This is particularly true when it comes to stories involving war, natural disasters or terrorist activities.
Some of the other criteria which is considered when judging the newsworthiness of an event include the degree to which it affects or changes the lives of people – this can be a matter of personal safety, convenience or pleasure. For example, a sudden change in the weather might disrupt people’s daily routines while an earthquake will directly and immediately impact their lives.
It is the journalist’s job to inform the public of what is going on around them. This is a responsibility which should not be taken lightly, and the aim of most journalists is to provide the facts about an event rather than their own opinions. That is not to say that opinion pieces cannot be included within a piece of news but it should be clearly identified as such and the article should contain enough information to allow the reader, listener or viewer to form their own opinion.
The role of the audience is now a key element in the process of news selection and dissemination, as discussed by Galtung and Ruge (1988). In addition to the traditional influences on journalists such as access issues and deadlines, competition for exclusives and their belief systems as a result of their social environment (Caple and Bednarek, 2007; Schultz, 2007), audience recommendations or “shares” have a growing influence on what is considered to be a worthy news story.