Identifying what makes news is about more than just spotting events. It’s about evaluating how they impact the lives of the audience.
By checking for impact, conflict, and timeliness, you ensure your news coverage is relevant. The following guide is based on the article What is news? We suggest you read the piece before applying the checklist below.
- [ ] Look for impact: Ask yourself how many people will be affected by the event. The more people it touches, the bigger the news story is likely to be.
- [ ] Identify the conflict: News often involves a struggle between different groups or ideas. Seek out stories where there is a clear disagreement or a challenge to the status quo.
- [ ] Check for timeliness: News is about what is happening now. Ensure the information is fresh and relevant to the current day or hour.
- [ ] Assess the proximity: People care most about what happens near them. Favour stories that occur in your local area or impact your specific community directly.
- [ ] Find the human interest: Look for stories that touch the emotions of your readers. A personal story about an individual can often explain a complex issue better than statistics alone.
- [ ] Recognise prominence: Events involving well-known people, such as leaders or celebrities, are often more newsworthy because the public is already interested in their actions.
- [ ] Spot the unusual: If something happens that is out of the ordinary or breaks a pattern, it is likely to be news. Common events are rarely worth a headline.
- [ ] Determine the currency: Some topics stay in the public eye for a long time. If a story relates to an ongoing theme that people are already talking about, it has high currency.
- [ ] Evaluate the necessity: Consider if the information is something the public needs to know to make informed decisions about their lives or their society.
- [ ] Ask so what: Before you begin writing, ask yourself why the reader should care. If you cannot answer this simply, the story may need a different angle or may not be news at all.
Mastering these 10 points will provide you with a reliable route to journalistic excellence and help you produce stories that truly resonate with your community.
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