For any story that appears in the news has to have importance. The stories go through a ‘Gatekeeping’ process which determines whether it makes it into the news. One known News Value list was written by Johan Galtung and Marie Holmboe Ruge (1965). Despite there research being conducted three decades ago many people still refer to the values that they identified.
Galtung and Ruge News Values:
Frequency: Recent events such as murder over long time events
Threshold: The scale or size of the event, for example if a high quantity of people have died.
Unambiguity: An accessible story that the public are able to understand or is simplified by the media.
Cultural Proximity/Meaningfulness: A story that is relevant to it’s audience. For example, in the UK we always hear about how many British citizens were affected in any incident that happened abroad.
Consonance/Correspondence: Goes against the grain, is unusual or unfamiliar. For example the Jimmy Savile scandle.
Unexpected: Something that has happened without warning and is usually breaking news. For example the recent Boston bombings.
Continuity: How long will the story last in the media, is it likely to be covered over a period of time.
Composition: There must be a balance of good and bad news. Domestic and entertainment included.
Reference to elite nations: News on the nations that we in the UK want to hear about, like the USA and Europe.
Reference to elite persons: The famous and powerful (Royalty, celebrity’s and politicians) are more newsworthy then ordinary people.
Personalisation: Story’s that people can empathize and sympathize with, that effect the “everyday citizen”
Negativity: Bad news sells
Competition and Exclusivity: Exclusive story’s help Commercial or professional competiton between media organisations.
Co-optation: A story that is only not completely news worthy might be covered if it is related to a major story.
Prefabrication: A well written story that is not all that important will be selected ahead of a story that is more newsworthy but not researched.
Predictability: Coverage on an event that is more likely to be covered if it has been pre scheduled, like the Olympics and other sports related news.
Time constraints: Story’s that can be researched and put together quickly because traditional news platforms have strict deadlines.
Logistics: How easy is it to get the story and publish it, determined on technical resources and reporters getting to the story.
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