Criteria of Newsworthiness

Anna Schoonover - Period 1

1.  Identify, define, and give an example of the 6 criteria of newsworthiness.

Criteria 1: Unusualness
Definition: The different, the unusual, the out-of-the ordinary
Example: A plane crashing in the desert. Unusual news is comforting, people living, growing, loving, going about their business is too common to be news.

Criteria 2: Significance
Definition: Important events, ones that affect many people
Example: Taxes, elections, wars, scientific discoveries, the economy

Criteria 3: Timeliness
Definition: Reporting news while or shortly after it has happened
Example: Hearing about the flood when its happening, not next month when its dried up

Criteria 4: Proximity
Definition: Wanting to know about nearby events
Example: The asbestos problem in the local school, the new state tax law. the proposed regional highway

Criteria 5: Prominence
Definition: When well-known people, buildings, or places are involved
Example: A movie star being arrested

Criteria 6: Human interest
Definition: An emotional and personal appeal that draws our attention
Example: A minister who runs a drop-in center for troubled teenagers, a veterinarian who specializes in elephants, a sand castle competition

2. On page 23 it discusses the differences between print journalism and broadcast journalism.  Please describe 3 ways they are different and explain. 
-Print journalism, such as newspapers, provide fuller coverage of more stories than other media while news magazines provide in-depth coverage. Radio news, or broadcast news, are when the reports are usually very limited. However, radio news is the most timely of all the news media. Television news, or broadcast journalism again, provides the most dramatic new coverage. This is the case because with the camera, viewers can actually see what is going on.

3.  List all the criteria the story we watched at the beginning of class fits under and why.
-Unusualness because you don't hear about pigs on the highway everyday.
-Significance because that road was dangerous to drive on at that time and you should try to avoid it.
-Timeliness because the pigs on the highway just happened when the story was reported.

4.  List all the criteria the 2nd story we watched fits under and why.
-Unusualness because one dog can't see while the other one can't hear
-Timeliness because it just happened and now the dogs are looking for a home
-Human interest because it was heart-warming and the dogs were cute so you wanted to hear about it

5.  List all the criteria the 3rd story we watched fits under and why.
-Significance because you may have wanted to know about all those awards but weren't able to watch the show-
-Prominence because it involved many well-known people and their award winnings
-Human interest because it is interesting to watch and people like to know about what movies are winning awards