What Is News?

What is “news?”

There’s no good way to define what news is. That’s because news is defined so differently by so many different entities, groups or organizations, for so many different groups of people. Communication schools, organizations, and think tanks all over the country still fight about this very issue.

Is news simply what people want to see or hear or read? Or should media have the ability (or responsibility) to tell people what the news is?

But, we can certainly try to determine something’s newsworthiness based on generally accepted criteria.

News criteria

There are always variations of what should be covered as news. In general, these are criteria often used:

• The first part of “news” is “new.” Is this potential story new?
• Is it unusual?
• Is it interesting or significant?
• Is it about people?

Obviously, the more of these that apply, the better chance something will be considered news.

Is it new?

The first three letters of “news” is “new.”

If it is not new, it’s not news.

If a professor is simply in the middle of research, it’s not going to make the front page (or any page) of The Daily Evergreen, let alone the New York Times. Why not? Because it’s not new.

However, if some new facts about the research become known for the first time, then there’s a component that is now new.

Note: Events which occur days, weeks, or months before can still possibly be considered news if they haven’t been reported before, because for those listeners or viewers, it is new.

A common example is that the death of Mao Tse-tung. The Chinese government held onto the news for several days. When they finally released the information, it was news.

Is it unusual?

If our dean wakes up, goes for a walk, goes to work, works, goes home, and catches a Gonzaga basketball game on TV while doing some more work, then it’s not news, because it’s what may happen on any given day.

Just because something happens and it’s new doesn’t mean it’s news. Usually, ordinary stuff isn’t news.

A professor just published an article in a journal. Not unusual.

Another common example: “Dog bites man” is not news; “Man bites dog” is news.

Is it interesting?

Events can be new and unusual, but might not be of interest to the general public. However, it might be interesting to a select group of individuals with similar areas of expertise.

In a peer-reviewed journal about kinesiology, something about athletic training might be interesting. The same news might not be as interesting in a counseling psychology publication.

Is it significant?

Therefore what? That’s the question that needs to be answered about any potential news story. You have something that is new, unique, interesting. But if there’s nothing that changes or progresses, then it might not be significant.

What’s the effect?

Is it about people (or animals)?

A fire burns down an apartment complex. Why do people connect with this story? It’s usually because they’re actually connecting with the people it affects. If the first was in the middle of nowhere, didn’t harm anything, and was quickly put out, there’d be little chance anyone would care because there’s no human element.

A journalist who is a good storyteller will always ask how something affects her readers, viewers or listeners’ lives or livelihoods.

A mudslide in small Oso, Washington was a story, not because of the mudslide itself, but because of the devastating effect on the people in that town.

Oh, and animals are like people. If Fido is affected by something, it will have the same effect on the viewer.