This document discusses news values and what makes a story newsworthy. It identifies several common news values that help drive story selection and presentation, including negativity, timeliness, conflict, proximity, prominent people/nations, human interest, and simplification. Stories that involve these news values, especially those related to the economy, politics, or conflict, will be prioritized by media outlets. It provides tips for understanding media in commercial terms and helping the media "win ratings battles" through proactively identifying story opportunities and angles that fit the news values.

1. Media Skills 2014!
Week 4: News values
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Dr Kane Hopkins

2. What is News?
News stops people in their tracks, it is arresting,
happening and action. It is local, affects
people’s lives, shocks, informs, entertains,
saddens, angers, surprises and feeds people’s
curiosity… if a dog bites a man it may not rate a
mention but a man biting a dog is national
news.
Hudson (1994)

3. Newsworthiness
• Every day, millions of events occur throughout the world…
only some of them become “news”
• To be selected as news, an event or issue must be judged
“newsworthy” by a journalist, and enter into the news cycle
• What makes an event or issue “newsworthy”? A journalist
has an instinct or “nose” for news; attempts to codify this
have led to the identification of “news values” (or factors
driving the selection and presentation of news)

4. News Values
Professional codes used in the selection,
construction and presentation of news stories in
corporately produced mainstream press and
broadcasting
O’Sullivan (1983, p. 153)

5. News Values
• News stories usually include a range of criteria or ‘news
values’ (Johnston, 2007, p.45)
• When seeking publicity, it’s important you share
newsworkers’ understandings of what is and what is not
news – allowing you to be proactive and relevant (but note
there are still no guarantees of coverage!)
• Remember the commercial imperative that drives news, and
that the media have no obligation to report about you or your
organisation

6. News Values
• Journalists acquire their news sense through learning on the
job. They learn that there is an unwritten kind of news ‘style’
of the publication or program they work for. Thus, they need
to fit into this style.
• Reporters develop a sense of their own organisation’s market
pitch, competitors, and audience.

7. News Values
• News values are an informal code. Nowhere is there a
manual for newsworthiness
- Partly because it is unique to each publication
- Partly because the ‘rules’ are not supposed to exist
• News is supposed to be reported on public interest merit—
much of it is, it’s the defining of ‘public interest’ where it gets
tricky

8. NEGATIVITY
Is the news bad or undesirable?

9. TIMELINESS
Is the news new?

10. CONFLICT
Is there any controversy?

11. PROXIMITY
How close to home is the story?

12. ELITE PEOPLE
Do we already know the person?

13. ELITE NATIONS
Is the country one that is familiar?

14. PROMINENCE
Are the people involved famous?

15. HUMAN INTEREST
Does the story play on our emotions?

16. SIMPLIFICATION
Is the story unambiguous?

17. Impact of News Values
• The institutional nature of news and newsgathering means
stories about the economy, government/politics, industry,
foreign and domestic affairs (especially those involving
conflict, human interest, disasters, sport) will be prioritised
• Within these above arenas, personalisation, conflict,
violence, reference to elite people and nations, and negativity
will be prioritised (and often will be emphasised in
presentation).

18. Your ability to understand the media in
commercial terms and help them win the ratings
and circulations battles with your news is crucial
to gaining publicity
Hudson (1994)

19. Tips + Tactics (1)
• Monitor the media, taking notes of which outlets and
sections (e.g. arts, property) cover similar organisations and
topics (or your competitors!); capitalise on the current news
agenda too
• Keep records of news coverage gained
• Identify opportunities and train/prepare relevant staff for
these
• Cover all potential angles to maximise opportunities and limit
damaging situations but don’t alter facts, mislead or
exaggerate details.

20. Tips + Tactics (2)
• Be aware of what different formats exist within different
media of television, radio, internet, magazines …but also…
• Think creatively about objectives rather than always getting
caught up with content
• Don’t alienate media with mediocre ideas; save your
approaches for genuine solid offerings and you will get a
good reputation as someone to listen to

21. Tips + Tactics (3)
• News does not always take the form of a straight report;
more publicity can sometimes be gained by adapting news
to different styles of presentation
• Don’t forget the light hearted or quirky news opportunities
• Check Hudson (pages 22-24) for numerous ideas for news
opportunities, from new equipment to awards to community
assistance projects and research
• Or consider creating news through making predictions,
offering analysis, undertaking polls, etc. (pp.27-30)