3:3 The News Elements

The News Elements

• Proximity– Events that happen

NEARBY, in a LOCAL area are of more interest to those who live in that area

– Events in or near our town

The News Elements

• Proximity– Journalists in schools

must ask this question often.

– Does this event have anything to do with our school or community?

The News Elements

• Prominence– How well known are

the people involved in a story or event?

• A person who has just become incredibly rich has newly acquired prominence

The News Elements

• Prominence– Presidents,

Governors, Senators, Principals, Mayors are people of prominence

• Every thing they do has news value because of their prominence

The News Elements

• Timeliness– Events that are

happening at this time are news worthy

– Things that happen NOW are more interesting

The News Elements

• Timeliness– This is a constant

problem for school publications

– School editors must ask themselves, will this still be news by the time our paper comes out?

The News Elements

• Consequence– This element is all

about NUMBERS– How many people will

CARE?– How many people are

affected by the event?

The News Elements

• Consequence– This is a crucial news

element that can help school journalists make good decisions about what to include in a newspaper or broadcast

The News Elements

• Human Interest– Situations of conflict

and drama provoke strong emotions

– Situations that provoke strong feelings have human interest

The News Elements

• Human Interest– Stories that touch our

emotions– Stories about pets and

our relationship with them provoke strong feelings in readers

The News Elements

• Human Interest– From the highest joy to

the depths of grief, human interest stories touch the reality of life