Announcing/Defining News
What is News? edit
News can be defined as "anything timely that interests a number of persons."
News writers try to uphold three traditional journalistic values:
- Accuracy (factual, true)
- Clarity (clear, unambiguous)
- Objectivity (free of bias)
Where does news come from? edit
Journalists gather news from various sources.
The assignment editor continuously monitors:
- wire services (like AP and Reuters)
- police and fire radio scanners
- National Weather Service broadcasts
- telephone beat check and phoners
- news releases that are faxed or mailed in
- stock and sports tickers
- cable news channels and other media
The assignment editor may decide that a story
- can be read as is by a newscaster
- should be rewritten by a copywriter
- needs an actuality (a.k.a. sound bite), a recorded quote from a news maker
- should be written as a wraparound, with a lead-in and lead-out around an actuality
- needs raw sound (a.k.a. natural sound), background sounds from the environment
Often the assignment editor will assign the story to a reporter to gather more details:
- A field reporter goes out into the field to cover on-the-scene breaking news.
- A beat reporter regularly covers a beat, like City Hall and the Police Department.
- A feature reporter covers soft news‚ stories, like health, consumer and entertainment.
- A stringer is a free-lance reporter who works on an as-needed basis for many stations.
Journalists as Gatekeepers edit
Journalists are called gatekeepers because they decide what is and what isn't news. Only some news gets through the gate.
News Factors edit
- Timeliness
- Prominence
- Proximity
- Significance
- Conflict
- Time of day
- The Medium
- Management
- Advertisers
- News sources
- Personal values