News is anything that is unusual; information that will interest a large number of people. For news to have value, it must be relevant to the target audience. For instance, an increase of Delhi Metro fares has no relevance to a person living in Kochi. But an increase in bus fares by Kerala bus operators has great news value for him.
Over the years, journalists have developed several yardsticks to judge the news value of an event. These are:
# Impact, consequence, magnitude
The most important news reports are those that either affect a large number of people or which a large number of people want to know about.
This is why natural disasters like earthquakes or floods that kill scores of people make it to the front page of newspapers across the world. Similarly, accidents involving aircraft, trains or ships in which several people die make big news.
People also consume news reports related to acts of terror such as suicide bombings, blowing up of buses, train bombings etc However, it is the scale that is important. A blast in which one person is injured may not make big news in comparison to a blast that kills or injures 20 or 30 or 50 people. (Read also: How journalists get news)
# Prominence
The common man is consumed by a desire to know what the rich and the famous are doing. That is why any incident involving top politicians, film stars, cricketers, singers, business tycoons, etc makes news. The news reports need not be related to the field in which an individual has attained cult status. Even an incident like falling from a horse or being caught overspeeding makes a nice news report.
# Conflict
Any event that pits man against man has news value. Its value goes up if you are directly involved in the conflict. For instance, the Indo-Pakistan war saw the whole nation unite behind the Indian soldiers. Similarly political and economic conflicts like bandhs, dharnas, strikes etc make news. The news value of the conflict depends on its scale, and its impact on people.
# Proximity
Any event that concerns people directly or happens in an area where they live is news for them. It may be as minor as a bus stop being moved to another street; a murder in their city; a theft in their locality; the unexpected closure of the school where their child is studying. In each case, people want to know what has happened, and why. This is why every newspaper focuses on local news reports. (Read also: What is a news beat)
# Timeliness
The news must be current if it has to have any value. A killing that took place three years ago is likely to evoke far less interest than a murder that occurred before an individual’s eyes. The news must be current to be relevant. It must affect the people now.
# Currency
There are news reports that are not based on a single event. But show a pattern or reveal a concern that is shared by a large number of people. These issues may be related to subjects like healthcare, education, taxation or transportation. They hold the attention of the readers for some time before fading away. For instance, the drinking of milk by Lord Ganesha. This report created mass frenzy, and almost every day you had new reports pouring in. After some time, people forgot about it.
# Unusual
The most read news reports are those that are unexpected, which take people by surprise. For instance, news reports about snow in Chennai or flooding in Thar desert will always catch people’s attention.
# Human spirit
Finally, we as human beings love to celebrate the scaling of each new peak. This may be the landing of man on Moon, the swimming across Palk Straits, the circling of the globe in a hot air balloon; the scoring of the fastest one-day hundred, or the breaking of the nine-second barrier in the 100 metre sprint. Each feat is an achievement. The bigger the challenge, the bigger is the news value.
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