Why do we read news? What gets in to the news? And what doesn't?

News values

The decisions that journalists make to decide what is included in a newspaper, and what is not. More important stories are on the front page, less important stories are tucked away further back in the newspaper. And more important stories may be favoured with a double page splash. This whole hierarchy of importance is called ‘newsworthiness’. The following four points help journalists to decide what is newsworthy:

1 - Agenda

An agender is a list of things that are important. But it’s subjective: what’s important to one person may be of no importance to another. By selecting which stories are included and which stories are not included, journalists are able to set public agendas, and arguably tells audiences what is important and what is now. Agendas are often political.

2 - Minimising risk and maximising profit

Newspapers are commercial products, and they exist to make money. The selection of stories must get people to buy newspapers, preferably every day, which involves knowing exactly what an audience wants, and giving it to them! Also, if a certain group is providing financial incentives to a newspaper, it might be in the newspaper’s interests to give them an easy ride…

3 - Immediacy

News is all about being new. The latest news very quickly becomes ‘old news’ and therefore there is often a struggle to publish the most scandalous news as quickly as possible… whatever the cost! The Phone Hacking Scandal is an excellent example of journalists putting human decency to one side to get the biggest ‘scoop’

4 - Gatekeeping

News coverage isn’t just about what’s included: it’s also about what’s left out. Every time we see a certain group being represented, another group is being excluded. And it’s a relatively small group of people who decides what goes in and what doesn’t!