What Is News? Lets Keep It Simple... News = Whats New News value the criteria editors and reporters use to decide what news is fit to print or broadcast Professor Villarosas son catches huge fish on Labor Day 2014! How to Judge News Value Relevance (Does it matter?) Usefulness (Is it important that people know this?) Interest (Who cares?) Journalists look for these elements, when selecting news stories: Timeliness Impact Conflict Novelty Prominence Proximity Engagement Solutions Timeliness News is supposed to be new. These days that means instantaneous. Another journalist beheaded on video posted Tuesday Weather Channel Boasts Record Ratings, Thanks to Hurricane Sandy; 300 million page views! Impact How many people are affected? The greater the impact, the better the story. Hurricane Sandy Pummels East Coast Another journalist beheaded on video posted Tuesday Conflict U.S. Military Strikes Iraq NYC Mayoral Candidates Spar in Final Debate Novak Djokovic Defeats Andy Murray to Reach U.S. Open Semifinals Whats the conflict? Novelty Some events are newsworthy just because they are unusual. Cat Survives 26 Story Fall Prominence The bigger the name, the bigger the news Royal Baby! Proximity People care about what happens close to home. Laundry Lounge Opens in Harlem! West Indian Day Parade Engagement Sometimes a news report marks the beginning of a conversationthat keeps going. Police shoot unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri Strikes a chord, sparks national conversation Solutions Many news stories discuss problems; the best ones also offer solutions. College Debt Reaches All-Time High 7 Ways to Reduce College Debt Experts discuss solutions for the College Debt Crisis How to save money on college expenses To recapJournalists look for these elements, when selecting news stories: Timeliness Impact Conflict Novelty Prominence Proximity Engagement Solutions Assignment due next Tuesday Write 300 words about a news event that affected your life. What was it? When was it? Why was it important to you? How did you first find outTV, social media, word of mouth? Print it out, double space, pay attention to grammar.