Selecting and Reporting the News Chapter 5

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Selecting and Reporting the NewsChapter 5

• The Characteristics of News All news stories
  possess certain characteristics or news values.
  Traditionally, journalists have said that
  newsworthy events are those that possess

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What makes news news???

• Timelinessjournalists stress current
  informationstories occurring today or yesterday,
  not several days or weeks agoand try to report
  it ahead of their competitors
• Impactreporters stress information that has an
  impact on their audience stories that affect,
  involve or interest thousands of readers or
  viewers.

3
What makes news news???

• Prominenceeven routine events can become
  newsworthy when they involve prominent
  individuals or prominent places, locations
• Proximitythe closer an event is to home, the
  more newsworthy it becomes

4
What makes news news???

• Singularitydeviations from the normalunique,
  unusual, unexpected events, conflict or
  controversyare more newsworthy than the
  commonplace
• Conflict or Controversytwo people arguing about
  their divergent philosophies on a social issue is
  more newsworthy than two people who agree on
  everything. The tension between the subjects
  creates the conflict that often makes a story
  dramatic and interesting to read, hear or watch.

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Two Types of NewsJournalists recognize two major
types of news

• Hard news usually refers to serious and timely
  stories about important topics crimes, fires,
  accidents, speeches, politics, etc. Hard news
  can also be called straight, spot, or
  breaking news.
• Soft news usually refers to feature or
  human-interest stories. Soft news entertains and
  informs. It may make readers/viewers laugh or
  cry, love or hate, envy or pity.

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What Readers Like and Dislike

• Review Statistical Information About Readers
  (page 132)

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Details Newspapers are Reluctant to Publish

• offensive detailstoo gruesome, obscene or in
  poor taste
• sensationalismbe careful about over-hyping or
  exaggerating stories, pandering to emotion, or
  beating a dead horse just to try to titillate
  an audience
• rumorsnews organizations are reluctant to report
  rumors, especially harmful ones. Normally
  journalists will investigate rumors and, if they
  find no evidence the rumors are true, conclude
  there is no story

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Details Newspapers are Reluctant to Publish

• rape victims namesmost news organizations
  refuse to identify rape victims, even though they
  have a legal right to do so (names of other
  victims of crimes are usually reported). Many
  journalists believe publishing the names of
  sexual victims would be too harmful, a second
  wound to the victim. It could also discourage
  other women from reporting rapes.

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Details Newspapers are Reluctant to Publish

• Names of juveniles accused or found guilty of
  crimes are generally not reported unless they are
  tried as adults for a serious offense like murder
• Trade or product names such as Coke, Xerox, and
  Kleenex are generally not used by reporters
  unless they are important to the story for some
  reason. They represent a form of free
  advertising. Instead use generic names such as
  soft drinks, copiers, and tissue.

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The Importance of Accuracy

• Accuracy, objectivity, fairness and balance are
  the cornerstones of all journalism (print,
  electronic, online)
• Mistakes hurt the reputations of reporters and
  their news organizations. Carelessness and
  laziness cause most errors. After finishing a
  news story, reporters must recheck their notes to
  be sure the story is accurateall names,
  addresses, facts and details must be correct,
  spelled correctly, etc.

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Homework for Friday

• Read Chapter 5, Selecting and Reporting the
  News
• Do all News Judgment exercises (1-5) on pages
  143-145. Use slugs to describe your story
  selections or ordering for exercises 1-3. And
  just list the facts you would report for
  exercises 4-5.
• Make sure homework is typed!

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Characteristics of News

• Timeliness
• Impact
• Prominence
• Proximity
• Uniqueness or Singularity
• Conflict
• Controversy