WHAT IS NEWS?

News is "new"! - What happened last week is not as newsworthy as what's happening now. Timing is important in getting a message out through news distribution channels.

News is local! - A reporter or an editor will make selections based on the event's geographic distance to the publication's readers.

News is prominent! - News is what happens to prominent people, places, or things. If the Governor makes a statement about education or crime, that statement is more newsworthy than it would be, coming from a less prominent official.

News is relevant! - An event that directly affects most of the publication's readers captures an editor's attention. If an event means electric rates for the average citizen of Washington state will rise by 8% a month, that event is news in Washington state.

News is dramatic! - Controversy, conflict, and the unexpected turn an event into news. Two different positions or interests battling it out provide interest to readers and, therefore, to reporters and editors. An event that surprises expectations is news. "Dog bites man" is not news. "Man bites dog" is.

News points toward the future! - An event that points toward a situation that is still not settled, and which will continue to unfold in the next few days, has more interest than an event that is entirely wrapped up.

News has human interest! - An event that is focused on individual people, with emotional overtones, is news. Events focusing on trends, organizational interests, or scientific facts will not make the same claim on readers', or the media's, attention.

To learn how editors think, consider recent prominent news stories in your area-or in the national press-in terms of these "what is news?" criteria. Did those stories make claims on your attention, as a member of the public?