UNDERSTANDING NEWSChapter 1

WHAT IS NEWS?What do you think? Write it down.

Via DeviantArt

Before the definition

Before the definitionPoints to remember when defining news...

Before the definitionPoints to remember when defining news...

News must be facts, but facts don’t equal news

Before the definitionPoints to remember when defining news...

News must be facts, but facts don’t equal news

Opinions may be used - as long as they are those of someone prominent, not that of the reporter

Before the definitionPoints to remember when defining news...

News must be facts, but facts don’t equal news

Opinions may be used - as long as they are those of someone prominent, not that of the reporter

News is about people

Before the definitionPoints to remember when defining news...

News must be facts, but facts don’t equal news

Opinions may be used - as long as they are those of someone prominent, not that of the reporter

News is about people

What might be important to one community might not be important to another... and what is important for one community might be important for all communities.

Before the definitionPoints to remember when defining news...

News must be facts, but facts don’t equal news

Opinions may be used - as long as they are those of someone prominent, not that of the reporter

News is about people

What might be important to one community might not be important to another... and what is important for one community might be important for all communities.

News is timely

Before the definitionPoints to remember when defining news...

News must be facts, but facts don’t equal news

Opinions may be used - as long as they are those of someone prominent, not that of the reporter

News is about people

What might be important to one community might not be important to another... and what is important for one community might be important for all communities.

News is timely

Interest and importance might not always work together.

Types of News

Types of News

Hard News: About timely events that have significance for relatively large numbers of readers, listeners, and viewers - government, politics, foreign affairs, religion

Types of News

Hard News: About timely events that have significance for relatively large numbers of readers, listeners, and viewers - government, politics, foreign affairs, religion

Soft News: Written to entertain. Stories that deal with human interest and appeal more to emotions than the intellect and the desire to be informed.

Audience

AudienceNews reporters must remember that they write for an audience.

AudienceNews reporters must remember that they write for an audience.

Reporters must make facts interesting to a particular audience

AudienceNews reporters must remember that they write for an audience.

Reporters must make facts interesting to a particular audience

Reporters need to write stories in ways that will appeal to the largest numbers of their audience.

AudienceNews reporters must remember that they write for an audience.

Reporters must make facts interesting to a particular audience

Reporters need to write stories in ways that will appeal to the largest numbers of their audience.

Example: How would a story about the new iPod be written for the following outlets?

AudienceNews reporters must remember that they write for an audience.

Reporters must make facts interesting to a particular audience

Reporters need to write stories in ways that will appeal to the largest numbers of their audience.

Example: How would a story about the new iPod be written for the following outlets?

A business newspaper (The Wall Street Journal)

AudienceNews reporters must remember that they write for an audience.

Reporters must make facts interesting to a particular audience

Reporters need to write stories in ways that will appeal to the largest numbers of their audience.

Example: How would a story about the new iPod be written for the following outlets?

A business newspaper (The Wall Street Journal)

A regional newspaper (LA Times)

AudienceNews reporters must remember that they write for an audience.

Reporters must make facts interesting to a particular audience

Reporters need to write stories in ways that will appeal to the largest numbers of their audience.

Example: How would a story about the new iPod be written for the following outlets?

A business newspaper (The Wall Street Journal)

A regional newspaper (LA Times)

The Lance

AudienceNews reporters must remember that they write for an audience.

Reporters must make facts interesting to a particular audience

Reporters need to write stories in ways that will appeal to the largest numbers of their audience.

Example: How would a story about the new iPod be written for the following outlets?

A business newspaper (The Wall Street Journal)

A regional newspaper (LA Times)

The Lance

So what is news?

So what is news?There are 10 factors:

So what is news?There are 10 factors:

Immediacy, or “timeliness”

So what is news?There are 10 factors:

Immediacy, or “timeliness”

Proximity and nearness

So what is news?There are 10 factors:

Immediacy, or “timeliness”

Proximity and nearness

Consequence - the impact a decision will have

So what is news?There are 10 factors:

Immediacy, or “timeliness”

Proximity and nearness

Consequence - the impact a decision will have

Prominence

So what is news?There are 10 factors:

Immediacy, or “timeliness”

Proximity and nearness

Consequence - the impact a decision will have

Prominence

Drama

So what is news?There are 10 factors:

Immediacy, or “timeliness”

Proximity and nearness

Consequence - the impact a decision will have

Prominence

Drama

Oddity or unusualness

So what is news?There are 10 factors:

Immediacy, or “timeliness”

Proximity and nearness

Consequence - the impact a decision will have

Prominence

Drama

Oddity or unusualness

Conflict

So what is news?There are 10 factors:

Immediacy, or “timeliness”

Proximity and nearness

Consequence - the impact a decision will have

Prominence

Drama

Oddity or unusualness

Conflict

Sex

So what is news?There are 10 factors:

Immediacy, or “timeliness”

Proximity and nearness

Consequence - the impact a decision will have

Prominence

Drama

Oddity or unusualness

Conflict

Sex

Emotions and Instincts

So what is news?There are 10 factors:

Immediacy, or “timeliness”

Proximity and nearness

Consequence - the impact a decision will have

Prominence

Drama

Oddity or unusualness

Conflict

Sex

Emotions and Instincts

Progress

Bringing it all together

Bringing it all togetherOn the second page of your sheet, you’ll see room for three stories.

Bringing it all togetherOn the second page of your sheet, you’ll see room for three stories. Choose a story from a Web site in each one of the following categories:

Bringing it all togetherOn the second page of your sheet, you’ll see room for three stories. Choose a story from a Web site in each one of the following categories:

National News: wsj.com, washingtonpost.com, nytimes.com, usatoday.com

Bringing it all togetherOn the second page of your sheet, you’ll see room for three stories. Choose a story from a Web site in each one of the following categories:

National News: wsj.com, washingtonpost.com, nytimes.com, usatoday.comRegional News: latimes.com, ocregister.com, nydailynews.com

Bringing it all togetherOn the second page of your sheet, you’ll see room for three stories. Choose a story from a Web site in each one of the following categories:

National News: wsj.com, washingtonpost.com, nytimes.com, usatoday.comRegional News: latimes.com, ocregister.com, nydailynews.comSchool News: dailytrojan.com, dailybruin.com, dailytitan.com