News Values

 

Important values say that good journalism should:

Expose crime and corruption

Make governments work better

Promote open debate

Explain the impact of events

Be inclusive

Respect privacy

Promote the values of freedom of expression and information

To be newsworthy, the story must have some or all of the following values:

Impact

— the story must be relevant to people’s lives. For example, stories about price rises, political developments and climate change all have direct impact on people’s lives.

Public interest

— do people have a right to know the information? Do people need to know? Will telling the story prevent harm or save lives? Will it inform the decisions they make?

Timeliness

— the story includes information that people need to know in order to organize their lives in the present.

Proximity

— close to home. A crime in your own city is more important to your community than a crime that is far away.

Currency —

what’s in the public focus at the time, e.g. controversial issues, cultural trends, topics of debate set in motion by recent events.

Development Goals

— what is approaching. Race and racism were “hot” topics when Barack Obama, America’s first black president, was elected in 2008.

Novelty

— events that are unexpected or surprising. The “man bites dog” story