Elements of News

Top ten elements that make a story newsworthy.

Timeliness

How recent a story is.

Not all of the story needs to be timely.

Proximity

How near to you a story is.

People are generally more interested in stories that are geographically close to them.

Consequence

How many people are impacted by the story.

Examples: new laws, taxes, etc.

ProminenceThe more famous a

person is, the more likely they are to make the news.

If you and the president both went to lunch, only the president would make the news.

DramaThe more movie-

like a story is, the more newsworthy it is.

Whenever life and death hang in the balance, it is news

Oddity

Whenever strange things happen, it will make the news.

It can also occur with events that only happen once every great while.

Conflict

Whenever there are two opposing side to an issue.

This can also be taken literally… a fight or argument.

Emotions

People love reading stories that play on emotion.

“Awwwwww” factor

SexShould always be

reported in a mature manner.

Deals with marriage, divorce, dating, etc.

ProgressAny new discovery

or helpful invention can make the news.

This can also be a timely update on a long-standing project.

Don’t forget!

The more of these elements you combine, the more newsworthy a story is.

Rarely will a story just have one element if it is on the front page.