A quick discussion about news values and news judgment

1. WHAT ISvalues & news
NEWS?
A look at news
judgment
Colin Donohue
Jan. 30, 2014

2. WHAT IS NEWS?
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How to pitch a news story?
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http://youtu.be/Vut4gPPzEac
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But how do you get to that point?

3. WHAT IS NEWS?
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“Whenever you find yourself laughing at a situation, shaking
your head or saying to someone, 'Listen to this,' you've
probably got a story.” -- Ken Fuson, Des Moines Register

4. WHAT IS NEWS?
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News Judgment
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Several ways to define elements of a newsworthy story.
Here are seven:
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Impact
Immediacy
Proximity
Prominence
Novelty
Conflict
Emotions

5. PROXIMITY

6. PROXIMITY

7. PROXIMITY

8. CONFLICT
Kansas students express concern
over profanity tickets issued by police:
http://www.splc.org/news/newsflash.asp?id=2651
http://www.cdonohue.com/incarcerationiname
rica

9. CONFLICT
http://youtu.be/a8ecUF9vWGk

10. EMOTIONS
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“The charge in the courtroom was manslaughter, brought by
the Commonwealth of Virginia. No significant facts were in
dispute. Miles Harrison, 49, was an amiable person, a diligent
businessman and a doting, conscientious father until the day
last summer -- beset by problems at work, making call after
call on his cellphone -- he forgot to drop his son, Chase, at
day care. The toddler slowly sweltered to death, strapped
into a car seat for nearly nine hours in an office parking lot
in Herndon in the blistering heat of July.
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It was an inexplicable, inexcusable mistake, but was it a
crime? That was the question for a judge to decide.”

11. EMOTIONS
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“Fatal Distraction: Forgetting a child in the
backseat of a car is a horrifying mistake. Is it a
crime?”
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by Gene Weingarten
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Pulitzer Prize winner for Feature Writing in
2010: http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2010Feature-Writing

12. THAT’S NICE, BUT …
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How do we find stories? What should we write about it?
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Be curious.
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Ask why.
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And five more tips ...

13. DEVELOPING STORY IDEAS
1. Regularly ask, “Am I writing a story that reflects the entire
community?”
2. Brainstorm around a single topic.
3. Ask yourself what the people in your community are
talking about.
4. On a Monday, ask people what they did over the weekend.
5. Look at the big picture and the small picture.

14. EVERGREEN TOPICS
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Consider “evergreen” topics
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Cars, licenses, license plates, car taxes, gas prices, parking
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Profiles about famous alumni/community members
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Fitness of local fire department and ability to respond
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Health scores of dining halls
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Student mental health
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Concerns of living in a digital age
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How tuition money is spent
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Internet connectivity in rural areas
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Sexual assault on college campuses

15. EVERGREEN TOPICS
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Let’s take a look at health scores of dining halls.
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If we wanted to create a story map of that idea, what stories
would come from it?

16. IS YOUR IDEA ANY GOOD?
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Where did the idea come from?
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Is the idea original?
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Does the idea surprise you?
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Is there tension?

17. •
WHERE TO GO?
Looking for story ideas? Where can you go?
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Area, regional and national news sources
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Internet
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PR people
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Community members
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The landscape/environment
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Community calendars
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National news outlets to localize stories
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Your friends
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http://www.collegemediamatters.com/2013/11/15/1-million-story-ideasfor-student-journalists/

18. WHAT IS NEWS?
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David Brinkley said, “There’s a tired old cliche that news is
about a man biting a dog. That’s silly. News is something
worth knowing, something you didn’t know already.”

19. THANK YOU
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I have made this presentation, its contents and other
enrichment material available at this private link:
http://www.cdonohue.com/what-is-news/.