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Defining News & News Values

The document discusses the key elements and sources of news. It defines news as timely information about events that have occurred, are occurring, or will occur. News provides people with accurate information to function in society. Good reporters develop strong observation and listening skills to find news everywhere by noticing impactful, controversial, or novel events. News comes from many sources, so reporters must cultivate relationships to gather a variety of perspectives on issues. Following the five Ws and one H helps structure compelling news stories.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
97 views11 pages

Defining News & News Values

The document discusses the key elements and sources of news. It defines news as timely information about events that have occurred, are occurring, or will occur. News provides people with accurate information to function in society. Good reporters develop strong observation and listening skills to find news everywhere by noticing impactful, controversial, or novel events. News comes from many sources, so reporters must cultivate relationships to gather a variety of perspectives on issues. Following the five Ws and one H helps structure compelling news stories.

Uploaded by

Kathros D
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Elements and Sources of News

Academic Script

WHAT IS NEWS?

News is what makes readers and viewers sit up as they get to know
something they did not know.

News is about something that has just happened, is happening or


about to happen. It could be of a train accident that happened five
minutes ago. If could be of how heavy rains have flooded the city. If
could be about a weather department forecast predicting heavy
rain in the next week. All these three situations of what happened,
what is happening and what will happen is therefore news. To put it
simply, news tracks events as they happen or are going to happen.

The main purpose of journalism is to provide people with accurate


and reliable information. That is why news must be carefully handled.

The information you provide by giving out news helps people


function in a free society. That is why news has a very important role
in spreading information and making people aware of how the
world around them is faring or changing.

WHERE DO WE FIND NEWS?

There is a simple answer to this question. News is everywhere. You just


need to have the eyes to see it, the insight to spot the news story
and the ability to make it current and relevant. That is why good
reporters work hard on developing their observation skills and their
listening skills.
How do we determine what is news?

To understand what determines news, let us look at some of the


typical news values.

One of them is Timeliness.

TIMELINESS

News has to be timely. It is timeliness that gives it immediacy. Only


then can it become newsworthy. Both TV and Online news are
constantly updated so as to ensure timeliness. A well known journalist
once said that news is dead after you have read it. That is why
television channels and newspapers constantly work on tracking a
developing story so that it stays alive all through the day.

Even editorial writers do pieces that hug the news as it is the only
way to ensure that it is read.

The second value is impact.

IMPACT

„ If it impacts many people, it is news. The more people it


impacts, the greater the story.
„ Are many affected or just a few?
„ What is the impact of the story? Ask these questions and you
will figure out if it is newsworthy.

Impact is important to determine what is news.

The next news value is proximity.

PROXIMITY

Proximity basically means distance. Is the news item too distant for
you to connect? Or it is close enough to make you sit up and take
notice.
„ Did the incident happen nearby or is it too far for it to impact
your audience?
„ An air crash in Sydney is unlikely to make viewers or readers
interested who stay at Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh.
„ It is just too distant for readers or viewers to connect. But if there
are Indians or some Telugu speaking NRI’s who are the victims,
it will become news as they would be interested in knowing
about their fate.

Another prominent news value is

CONTROVERSY

„ It is human nature to be interested in stories that involve:


„ CONFLICT
„ TENSION
„ PUBLIC DEBATE.

Where ever there is any type of conflict, tension and public debate,
it would be of interest to the reader or viewer. Controversy is always
interesting…It can go on for days and you will still keep following it.

The next news value is

PROMINENCE

Any prominent or well known person will always make news. Suppose
your teacher tripped and fell while leaving the class after the lecture
breaking his right arm, it will not be headline news. But instead, if it
was Aiswariya Rai Bachchan who took your lecture today and she
fell and broke her right arm, it would be front page news tomorrow.
Though the incident is the same, it is Aishwariya who will make it to
the news. The reason is simple. She is a prominent person. Apart from
that is the fact that Bollywood would lose crores of rupees if she
cannot shoot for a month as there would be numerous projects that
she is presently handling.

The next news value is Novelty.


NOVELTY

Anything that is novel, will always make news. For example, a person
who stays buried in the ground for ten hours. Or some one who stays
in a room full of snakes slithering all over him.

„ If it is odd, it is news.
„ People love odd stuff.
„ It excites their imagination.

Our next news value is Entertainment

ENTERTAINMENT

Anything entertaining makes news. Everyone loves entertainment.


Films, theatre, rock bands, singing and dancing contests-all make
news.

The next news value is Good News.

GOOD NEWS

People are interested in stories that give them good news. It could
be a win at a cricket match, the sensex going up, good rains
bringing in a bountiful crop, the employment market opening up or
salaries rising.

Positive stories are a big draw as people are desperate for hope. All
of us look for something to clutch on to in a degrading world.

You might have guessed it right. The next news value is Bad News.

BAD NEWS

While good news is a big draw, bad news also has a huge
viewership.

„ Negative stories too have a powerful pull as human nature is


such. That is why crime is such a big magnet to the reader.
Tragic stories of lovers who have been killed by the community
The next news value is Surprise.

SURPRISE

„ Stories that surprise holds the attention of the reader as it is not


what he expected. It could be a story of how one of the
biggest and prosperous business families in India were actually
bankrupt for the last one year.

The next news value is very powerful. It is called Human Interest.

HUMAN INTEREST

What it basically means is that any story that tugs at your heart strings
will be read or viewed as it kindles human emotions. It could be of a
father who had lost his son many years ago and suddenly finds him.
These stories live long after they are written. These stories are not
easy to do as you need to develop empathy with the character you
are writing about.

WHERE DOES NEWS COME FROM?

„ The best stories come from the reporter’s enterprise.

„ The best stories come from sources or contacts.

„ The best stories come from looking around and listening to


what people are talking about.

A newsperson has to learn to

BE IMPARTIAL AND FAIR

„ Do not take sides.


„ Just tell the story as it is.
„ Do not tell one sided stories.
„ Present a honest picture to the audience.

Now, let us look at some alternate news values.

ALTERNATE NEWS VALUES

„ Consider human dignity. Do not trample over feelings.


„ Provide sufficient background on the social, cultural, economic
and environmental contexts.
„ Highlight what people are doing for themselves.
„ Provide accounts by the people concerned rather than
interpretations by a third party.
„ Provide more frequent and more positive images of women.
„ Avoid all forms of generalization, stereotyping and
discrimination.

JOURNALISM WITH VALUES

„ It is values of sticking to the truth and reporting fairly that


distinguish good journalism from the bad one we see so often.
Actually, we see bad journalism everyday.

„ Journalists face pressure almost everyday to compromise. But


do not give in.

„ We need to do what we are here for: Supplying information


and bringing in news as it happens.

NEWS COLLECTION

„ News collection is a painstaking process that involves collecting


facts and checking them carefully for accuracy.

While writing news, a reporter has to weave in these elements very


gently. Let us call it the

FIVE W’s AND ONE H

What are the five W’s? Let us talk about them one by one.
WHO

A news story should talk about

„ Who is involved
„ Who is affected
„ Who is in conflict in this story

WHAT

The news story should deal with

„ What happened?
„ What does the reader, viewer or listener need to know to
understand the story?
„ What happens next?
„ What can be done?
„ What are their motives?

The next W deals with

WHERE

„ Where did this happen?


„ Where do I go to get the full story?
„ Where is this story going?

Now, we come to looking at the next W:

WHEN

„ When did this happen?


„ When did the turning points occur in this story?
„ When did this happen?
„ When did the turning points occur in this story?
And the last W is:

WHY?

„ Why is this happening?


„ Why are people behaving the way they are?
„ Why does this story matter?
„ Why should anyone watch it or listen to it?

We have dealt with all the W’s and now let us look at the one H that
we need:

HOW

„ How did this happen?


„ How will things be different because of what happened?
„ How will this story help the reader, listener or viewer?
„ How is it likely to end?
„ How can I best narrate the story?

It is really quite simple. Now that we know what the five W’s and one
H is and how to integrate them into a news story, let us look at how a
reporter excels in collecting information and perspective. One of the
key techniques is :

OBSERVATION

„ Good reporters use all their senses while reporting on the scene
of action.
„ On the scene observation is one of the fundamentals of good
reporting.
„ If you accurately observe, you can report it accurately.
„ Good reporters look, listen, smell, taste and feel the story so that
the audience can also experience it.

As we discussed right in the beginning, news is actually everywhere.


But reporters need to zero in to get news everyday. Where do they
find the news? How do they manage to fill the newspapers and
television bulletins everyday? Good reporters survive because they
have numerous sources.

News comes from various sources

It could be from just about anyone. If your maidservant gives you


information of how the city administration has stopped water supply
to the slum that she lives in, she becomes the source of your
information. That is why it is extremely important for any good
journalist to develop as many sources as possible. The more contacts
you have, the more news stories you will have.

CULTIVATE SOURCES

Reporters work very hard cultivating sources. It could be the beat


policeman, the sub-inspector at the police station, a local politician,
a social activist, a classical singer, an actor or just about anyone
who has information on what is happening in their field.

DEVELOP CONTACTS

You will always find that a good newsperson has many contacts or
sources. That is why they are able to get reliable information fast.
While contacts are the main source for exclusive news, there are
many other sources too. A local newspaper or a national magazine
could give you dozens of leads that you can pick up to investigate
further. I once read a two para news item saying that seven villagers
had died in Jodhpur district due to hunger. I took the cue from there
and went to Jodhpur to investigate the story. When it was finally
done, it turned out to be a massive story as villagers had died in
numerous districts during the peak of summer.

A good newsperson does diligent research to get to the news.

ORGANIZATIONS

Organizations could be a great source as they have so much of


material to give out as stories.
EXPERTS

Experts are another rich source of information. They can help


journalists with analysis and perspective on various issues.

REPORTS

News agency reports and other reports if read carefully can give you
ideas on which stories can be followed up or done differently.

PARLIAMENT PROCEEDINGS

Parliament proceedings and reports are full of excellent


opportunities for news stories to emerge. Many reporters just report
proceedings without going into depth about what it could mean. It is
upto the reporter to dig out the potential of a news story when he
gets a tip or a lead.

COURTS

Courts serve as sources of news everyday with judgments coming in


that have far reaching implications.

CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS

Conferences, seminars and symposiums provide a lot of material for


journalists to ponder on, understand the subject and then dig out
numerous news stories. I once saw a poster announcing a meeting
of cancer survivors in Delhi. I thought it would be a wonderful idea to
attend it. I met a lot of very spirited cancer survivors there and it
turned out to be a wonderful story.

LIBRARIES

Libraries have a fund of information stored in its books and files. An


enterprising reporter uses the library to beef up his information and
also get new ideas.
COMPUTER ASSISTED REPORTING

The internet has emerged as a great tool for collecting information,


understanding a subject and getting the background and history of
a subject. Reporters and editors of today have a wealth of
information available at their fingertips. To access it, they must have
the right equipment and software and they must become
comfortable with using computers. In addition to making raw data
available, computers help reporters organize and analyse
information. Computers help to track trends and spot patterns in a
story. The internet is the new information superhighway that
journalists can use.

You could try out some of the guidelines and tips we discussed today
on news writing. It is quite simple and after you master it, it will be
quite enjoyable to try out different styles of presentation and writing.

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