CHAPTER II
NEWS AND NEWS VALUES
Problems of the News. As news is the sine qua
non of the newspaper, the problem of newspaper making
resolves itself into the three questions: What is news?
Where and how is news to be obtained? and, How is
news to be presented to the reader? The first question
involves the definition of news and the determination
of its value, the second concerns the gathering of news,
and the third has to do with structure and style in the
writing of news.
What is News? Although every good newspaper worker recognizes news at once, and almost instinctively decides upon its value, most of them find it difficult to express in brief form what news is and what determines its value. In a symposium recently conducted by an American magazine,[1] a number of editors throughout the country undertook to define news, giving the following definitions:—
News is whatever your readers want to know about.
Anything that enough people want to read is news, provided it does not violate the canons of good taste and the laws of libel.
News is anything that happens in which people are interested.
News is anything that people will talk about; the more it will excite comment, the greater its value.
News is accurate and timely intelligence of happenings, discoveries, opinions, and matters of any sort which affect or interest the readers.
- ↑ Collier's Weekly, March 18, 1911, p. 22.
