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Elements of the News
Timeliness: Timeliness relates to the newsiness of the fact. The more recent the event or a situation, the more likely it is to be newsworthy. Without timeliness, a publication will lose readership. US journalist Carl Bernstein said "the greatest felony in the news business today is to be behind or to miss a big story".
Proximity: Proximity simply refers to the neearness of the event. If it happens nearby it is usually of more interest ie newsworthy than if it happens elsewhere. What happened in German Bakery is read with more interest than eruption of volcano in Indonesia.
Prominence: When it comes to news, people are not equal. Some make more news than others. The famous, infamous and the eccentric have a special appeal for the public. This explains why the press follows movie stars, interviews cricketers and is happy to print scandals about them. US press ran story after story on President Bill Clintons infidelities with White House intern Monica Lewinstky who became a household word in 1998.
Human Interest: Human interest stories cause the reader to laugh, cry or become emotional. They tickle the funny bone, cause feelings of sorrow or pity or amazement. They deal with qualities of love, hate compassion, curiosity, anger and grief. They are stories about people and events which the readers can identify. When a small boy had fallen in the deep well TV viewers all over India watched the ordeal and cheered when he was rescued.
Conflict: Conflict involves tension, surprise, suspense and opposing force. This is why strike, wars, even sports makes news. They all have the element of conflict. For example, the Gujarat riots. It started with the killing of 57 passengers most of them kar sevaks who were returning from Ayodhya in Sabarmati Express were killed by unidentified persons. This snowballed into a major conflict between the Hindus and the Muslims which triggered a massive riot in Gujarat in which several people were killed.
Number and size: An accident or disaster in which a large number of people have died makes news. The importance of the news is proportional to the number of people affected by it. The destruction of the World Trade centre of New York by the Al Qaida terrorists made international headlines because of the sheer magnitude of destruction and terror. Similarly, Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods make news because of the sheer magnitude of destruction.
Other elements that can be dominant in a news story can be crime, scam, corruption, sex. scandals and humour.
Timeliness: Timeliness relates to the newsiness of the fact. The more recent the event or a situation, the more likely it is to be newsworthy. Without timeliness, a publication will lose readership. US journalist Carl Bernstein said "the greatest felony in the news business today is to be behind or to miss a big story".
Proximity: Proximity simply refers to the neearness of the event. If it happens nearby it is usually of more interest ie newsworthy than if it happens elsewhere. What happened in German Bakery is read with more interest than eruption of volcano in Indonesia.
Prominence: When it comes to news, people are not equal. Some make more news than others. The famous, infamous and the eccentric have a special appeal for the public. This explains why the press follows movie stars, interviews cricketers and is happy to print scandals about them. US press ran story after story on President Bill Clintons infidelities with White House intern Monica Lewinstky who became a household word in 1998.
Human Interest: Human interest stories cause the reader to laugh, cry or become emotional. They tickle the funny bone, cause feelings of sorrow or pity or amazement. They deal with qualities of love, hate compassion, curiosity, anger and grief. They are stories about people and events which the readers can identify. When a small boy had fallen in the deep well TV viewers all over India watched the ordeal and cheered when he was rescued.
Conflict: Conflict involves tension, surprise, suspense and opposing force. This is why strike, wars, even sports makes news. They all have the element of conflict. For example, the Gujarat riots. It started with the killing of 57 passengers most of them kar sevaks who were returning from Ayodhya in Sabarmati Express were killed by unidentified persons. This snowballed into a major conflict between the Hindus and the Muslims which triggered a massive riot in Gujarat in which several people were killed.
Number and size: An accident or disaster in which a large number of people have died makes news. The importance of the news is proportional to the number of people affected by it. The destruction of the World Trade centre of New York by the Al Qaida terrorists made international headlines because of the sheer magnitude of destruction and terror. Similarly, Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods make news because of the sheer magnitude of destruction.
Other elements that can be dominant in a news story can be crime, scam, corruption, sex. scandals and humour.