2.1 Identifying Newsworthy Stories and Angles

Identifying newsworthy stories is a crucial skill for journalists. It's about spotting what matters most to your audience and why. From breaking news to human interest pieces, reporters must weigh factors like timeliness, impact, and relevance.

Finding unique angles is equally important. It's not just about what happened, but how to tell the story in a fresh, compelling way. By considering different perspectives and digging deeper, journalists can uncover hidden gems that captivate readers and listeners.

Newsworthiness Elements

Factors Determining Newsworthiness

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• Newsworthiness is determined by a combination of factors including timeliness, proximity, impact, prominence, novelty, conflict, and human interest
• The more of these factors a story has, the higher its newsworthiness and the more likely it will be selected for coverage
• Each factor contributes to the overall news value of a story and can be evaluated independently or in relation to the others

Definitions and Examples of Newsworthiness Factors

• Timeliness refers to events that are immediate, current, or recent (breaking news about a plane crash that just happened)
• Proximity is how geographically, culturally, or emotionally close the story is to the audience (local city council election results)
• Impact is the significance and importance of the event's effects or consequences on the audience (a major company announcing massive layoffs in the area)
• Prominence relates to the public figures, celebrities, influencers, or entities involved in the story (a well-known actor getting arrested for drunk driving)
• Novelty refers to how unusual, rare, surprising, or unexpected the story is (a dog that can ride a skateboard and do tricks)
• Conflict involves stories with controversy, tension, disputes, or differing viewpoints between people or groups (a heated debate over a proposed law)
• Human interest stories have emotional appeal by focusing on people and their challenges, achievements, or experiences that resonate with the audience on a personal level (a child overcoming cancer and achieving their dream)

Unique Story Angles

Defining and Identifying Angles

• Angles are the specific perspectives, frames, or hooks used to tell the broader story
• A newsworthy story can often be told through multiple angles that emphasize different facts, people, emotions, or implications
• Identifying angles requires thinking critically and creatively about all the different ways the essential facts and key points of the story can be combined, emphasized, downplayed, or juxtaposed

Characteristics of Compelling Angles

• Compelling angles are unique, fresh perspectives on the story that grab attention by being memorable, moving, relatable, inspiring, shocking, or thought-provoking for the audience
• Human angles focus on the emotions, motivations, stakes, and consequences for different people involved in the story (a mother's anguish over losing her child in an accident)
• Analytical angles look for contrasts, contradictions, ironies, and exceptions to patterns or expectations within the story facts (a wealthy businessman who secretly donated millions to charity his whole life)
• Big picture angles evaluate the historical context, causes and effects, future implications, and broader themes or issues that the story touches on (how a new scientific discovery could revolutionize an industry)

Timeliness, Proximity, and Impact

Prioritizing Stories Based on Key Factors

• Timeliness, proximity, and impact are typically the most important newsworthy factors for selecting which stories to cover and prioritize
• Timely stories that are happening now are more valuable and get priority over stories about older events because the audience expects the latest information
• Proximate stories that are closest to the audience are prioritized because they are the most relevant and directly affect the viewers, making them care more
• Impactful stories with significant consequences are prioritized because audiences need to know about the events that will have the greatest effect on their lives and society

Balancing Factors and Making Exceptions

• Balancing these three factors and considering the relative timeliness, proximity, and impact of different stories is key to deciding which to select and pursue
• Sorting potential stories from most to least newsworthy based on these three factors provides a framework for making coverage decisions and allocating resources
• Exceptions to prioritizing these three factors are made for stories that are so highly newsworthy in prominence, novelty, conflict, or human interest that they warrant coverage (a celebrity scandal or a record-breaking scientific achievement)

Audience Interest and Relevance

Understanding the Target Audience

• The target audience is the specific group of viewers, listeners, or readers that the news organization aims to reach and serve with its coverage
• Evaluating potential audience interest requires understanding the demographics, psychographics, and geographics of who makes up the target audience
  • Demographics include statistical factors like age, gender, race, income, education level, occupation, and family status
  • Psychographics include internal factors like personality, attitudes, values, interests, and lifestyle
  • Geographics include physical location factors like region, market size, population density, and climate

Selecting Relevant Stories

• Assessing the relevance of the story to the audience requires considering how the story impacts them and relates to their wants, needs, and experiences
• Selecting stories that provide practical value to the audience by affecting their daily lives, answering their questions, or helping them make decisions shows relevance (a consumer report on the best and worst cell phone plans)
• Pursuing stories that resonate with the audience's values, interests, and tastes also demonstrates relevance and helps maintain trust and loyalty (an investigative series on corruption in local government)
• Evaluating stories through the lens of the target audience is vital because they are the customers that the news organization serves and relies on for its success