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Media Skills 2014: Week 4

Kane Hopkins
Kane Hopkins

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.

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Media Skills 2014! Week 4: News values ! ! Dr Kane Hopkins
What is News? News stops people in their tracks, it is arresting, happening and action. It is local, a鍖ects peoples lives, shocks, informs, entertains, saddens, angers, surprises and feeds peoples curiosity if a dog bites a man it may not rate a mention but a man biting a dog is national news. Hudson (1994)
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 identi鍖cation of news values (or factors driving the selection and presentation of news)
News Values Professional codes used in the selection, construction and presentation of news stories in corporately produced mainstream press and broadcasting OSullivan (1983, p. 153)
News Values News stories usually include a range of criteria or news values (Johnston, 2007, p.45) When seeking publicity, its 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
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 鍖t into this style. Reporters develop a sense of their own organisations market pitch, competitors, and audience.
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, its the de鍖ning of public interest where it gets tricky
NEGATIVITY Is the news bad or undesirable?
TIMELINESS Is the news new?
CONFLICT Is there any controversy?
PROXIMITY How close to home is the story?
ELITE PEOPLE Do we already know the person?
ELITE NATIONS Is the country one that is familiar?
PROMINENCE Are the people involved famous?
HUMAN INTEREST Does the story play on our emotions?
SIMPLIFICATION Is the story unambiguous?
Impact of News Values The institutional nature of news and newsgathering means stories about the economy, government/politics, industry, foreign and domestic a鍖airs (especially those involving con鍖ict, human interest, disasters, sport) will be prioritised Within these above arenas, personalisation, con鍖ict, violence, reference to elite people and nations, and negativity will be prioritised (and often will be emphasised in presentation).
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)
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 sta鍖 for these Cover all potential angles to maximise opportunities and limit damaging situations but dont alter facts, mislead or exaggerate details.
Tips + Tactics (2) Be aware of what di鍖erent formats exist within di鍖erent media of television, radio, internet, magazines but also Think creatively about objectives rather than always getting caught up with content Dont alienate media with mediocre ideas; save your approaches for genuine solid o鍖erings and you will get a good reputation as someone to listen to
Tips + Tactics (3) News does not always take the form of a straight report; more publicity can sometimes be gained by adapting news to di鍖erent styles of presentation Dont 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, o鍖ering analysis, undertaking polls, etc. (pp.27-30)

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Media Skills 2014: Week 4

  • 1. Media Skills 2014! Week 4: News values ! ! Dr Kane Hopkins
  • 2. What is News? News stops people in their tracks, it is arresting, happening and action. It is local, a鍖ects peoples lives, shocks, informs, entertains, saddens, angers, surprises and feeds peoples 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 identi鍖cation 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 OSullivan (1983, p. 153)
  • 5. News Values News stories usually include a range of criteria or news values (Johnston, 2007, p.45) When seeking publicity, its 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 鍖t into this style. Reporters develop a sense of their own organisations 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, its the de鍖ning of public interest where it gets tricky
  • 8. NEGATIVITY Is the news bad or undesirable?
  • 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?
  • 17. Impact of News Values The institutional nature of news and newsgathering means stories about the economy, government/politics, industry, foreign and domestic a鍖airs (especially those involving con鍖ict, human interest, disasters, sport) will be prioritised Within these above arenas, personalisation, con鍖ict, 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 sta鍖 for these Cover all potential angles to maximise opportunities and limit damaging situations but dont alter facts, mislead or exaggerate details.
  • 20. Tips + Tactics (2) Be aware of what di鍖erent formats exist within di鍖erent media of television, radio, internet, magazines but also Think creatively about objectives rather than always getting caught up with content Dont alienate media with mediocre ideas; save your approaches for genuine solid o鍖erings 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 di鍖erent styles of presentation Dont 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, o鍖ering analysis, undertaking polls, etc. (pp.27-30)