Make the News

News is information people need to make good decisions about their lives in a democracy. It’s a break from the normal flow of events, something new!

Reporters personalize and dramatize their stories to catch readers’ interest and to capture the feeling of being there. What is newsworthy is often determined by factors called “news value”. Here are some examples:

Impact – events that affect many people e.g. airline strike or major storm.

Timeliness – events that are immediate; for example: election results.

High profile people/organizations – events with well-known persons or institutions will draw media attention because the media knows others will be interested.

Conflict – events reflecting clashes between people or institutions e.g. fist-waving protesters on the steps of parliament hill.

The Unusual – events that deviate sharply from everyday life; an example is an unemployed worker who wins a million dollar lottery.

Keep it current – events and situations being talked about e.g. on-going cutbacks and changes to health care.