Defining News & News Values
Defining News & News Values
Academic Script
WHAT IS NEWS?
News is what makes readers and viewers sit up as they get to know
something they did not know.
TIMELINESS
Even editorial writers do pieces that hug the news as it is the only
way to ensure that it is read.
IMPACT
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.
CONTROVERSY
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.
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.
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.
ENTERTAINMENT
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.
SURPRISE
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.
NEWS COLLECTION
What are the five W’s? Let us talk about them one by one.
WHO
Who is involved
Who is affected
Who is in conflict in this story
WHAT
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?
WHERE
WHEN
WHY?
We have dealt with all the W’s and now let us look at the one H that
we need:
HOW
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.
CULTIVATE SOURCES
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.
ORGANIZATIONS
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
COURTS
LIBRARIES
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.