What makes some information news? This class examines news drivers, news values and how the news process works. What is the decision-making process that determines whether a story gets published or broadcast? Who decides? How do editors balance the interesting and the important? What is “news play,” or presentation, and why does it matter? What is proportionality? What is sensationalism? Are news decisions driven by the profit motive or social responsibility or some combination of the two? Students examine the question of whether there is too much bad news.
Students leave this class with an understanding of how journalists view the news and what factors determine what is included in a daily newspaper or news broadcast.
Key Concepts Include:
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Ten Universal News Drivers offer insight into why stories rise to the top of the news.
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The more news drivers a story contains, the more audiences will be drawn to it.
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Who decides? The judgment of editors, the preferences of an audience and, increasingly, the power of algorithms all play a role in determining what’s newsworthy.
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Great images and compelling video play a role as well.
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News outlets are also businesses, and because attracting and growing audiences are crucial, there's an inherent tension between providing news that people need and news they find interesting.
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News consumers should understand the factors at play to make smart choices about what to watch and read to become informed citizens.
Objectives of this Lesson:
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Identify why some stories attract more audience attention than others.
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Describe how the 10 Universal News Drivers affect both the popularity and the impact of news stories.
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Understand the decision-making process of news editors in determining the placement of news stories in a newspaper, website or radio or television broadcast.
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Explain the increasing role of the audience in determining what is newsworthy.
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Understand the pluses and minuses of allowing mathematical formulas known as algorithms in determining the news stories we see online.
Lesson Vocabulary:
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Newsworthy
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News Drivers
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Importance
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Prominence
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Human Interest
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Conflict
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Proximity
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Timeliness
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Magnitude
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Relevance
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Unusualness
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Editorial Judgment
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Algorithms
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Information Neighborhoods