3:3 The News Elements

The News Elements Proximity –Events that happen NEARBY, in a LOCAL area are of more interest to those who live in that area –Events in or near our town

The News Elements Proximity –Journalists in schools must ask this question often. –Does this event have anything to do with our school or community?

The News Elements Prominence –How well known are the people involved in a story or event? A person who has just become incredibly rich has newly acquired prominence

The News Elements Prominence –Presidents, Governors, Senators, Principals, Mayors are people of prominence Every thing they do has news value because of their prominence

The News Elements Timeliness –Events that are happening at this time are news worthy –Things that happen NOW are more interesting

The News Elements Timeliness –This is a constant problem for school publications –School editors must ask themselves, will this still be news by the time our paper comes out?

The News Elements Consequence –This element is all about NUMBERS –How many people will CARE? –How many people are affected by the event?

The News Elements Consequence –This is a crucial news element that can help school journalists make good decisions about what to include in a newspaper or broadcast

The News Elements Human Interest –Situations of conflict and drama provoke strong emotions –Situations that provoke strong feelings have human interest

The News Elements Human Interest –Stories that touch our emotions –Stories about pets and our relationship with them provoke strong feelings in readers

The News Elements Human Interest –From the highest joy to the depths of grief, human interest stories touch the reality of life