1. What is news?
Defining the factors that help determine whether or not an item is newsworthy.

2. Timeliness Current information stressed
As you write: Try for advanced coverage vs. coverage of something that already happened

3. Impact Stories that are relevant to many people
Think: How seriously does this story affect the readers?
As you write: Make stories show magnitude (level of importance) of issue covered

4. Prominence Names make news. The bigger the name, the bigger the news
Remember: Ordinary people have always been intrigued by the doings of the rich and famous.
As you write: Do not only focus on popular students.

5. Proximity Local stories are more newsworthy
Generally, people are more interested in and concerned about what happens close to home.
When they read or listen to national or international news, they often want to know how it relates to their own community.
As you write: Find an angle to your story that relates to high school students.

6. Oddities Deviations from the norm are more newsworthy
People or events may be interesting and therefore newsworthy just because they are unusual or bizarre.
As you write: Do not only focus on the negative.

7. Conflict
Struggles between people, among nations or with natural forces make fascinating reading.
Conflict is such a basic element of life that journalists must resist the temptation to over dramatize or oversimplify it.
As you write: Conflict is not always a negative thing

8. Human Interest Other people and how they behave
As you write: Search for the unrecognized students