5.2 News Value Types (Part 1)
In the 1960s, researchers Johan Galtung and Mari Holmboe Ruge examined news stories worldwide to determine their similarities (Galtung & Ruge, 1965). Their seminal study created the first news value list, which is still referred to today by journalists and public relations professionals. News values have evolved over time, and there is much debate over whether journalists should consider other criteria to select newsworthy content (see Dr. Meredith Clark’s article on considering a new set of news values). Currently, eight values are used to determine a story’s newsworthiness (Kraft, 2015). Some of the values’ names may differ slightly in other sources, but their meaning is the same.
Immediacy/Timeliness
Events or stories that have recently taken place or will happen in the immediate future have immediacy or timeliness. Breaking news stories or stories about unexpected events that are developing are good examples. Media gatekeepers (e.g. reporters and editors) deem these stories so important that they often interrupt regular broadcast schedules to immediately give audiences the information. Recent happenings typically carry more news value than less timely events.
Timeliness also takes into consideration factors such as seasonal events, commemorations, and holidays. A PR professional may pitch a story to the media about an organizational activity that connects with this type of timeliness—for example, a company fundraiser that distributes toys to low-income children during the holiday season.
Proximity
Proximity considers the location of the event in relation to the target audience of the media outlet. Audiences are more likely to pay attention to stories that take place in their local communities. For example, a news station in Vancouver usually wouldn’t cover day-to-day events about Toronto City Hall. However, happenings at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) often get coverage in British Columbian news outlets.
Human interest
Stories that are emotionally compelling capture the audience’s attention and appeal to their attitudes and beliefs. Feature articles often are good examples of human interest stories when they depict a person, organization, or community in a way that triggers an emotional connection between the audience and the characters. Other examples are a behind-the-scenes look at the life of an athlete or the story of a person struggling to overcome an obstacle.
Currency
Topics that are trending in traditional news media and social media, are considered newsworthy. “Hot topics of the day” or stories that are in the general public discourse are other examples. Many media outlets cover stories about memes that go viral on social media. Since many people discuss and debate these memes, news outlets will often decide to cover the story. However, topics that have currency value generally have a short life span in the news cycle because they are discussed only briefly by the public.
