What makes a story newsworthy?

By TINA L. PUGLIESE, APR, Pugliese Public Relations

Editors and reporters have to decide on a daily basis which stories to cover and which not to cover.  The more newsworthy your story is, the more likely it is to get covered.

Sometimes business persons will get frustrated when they try to get something covered and none of the media are interested. Occasionally this is because it is a busy news day with lots of good stories but at times it is because those who are planning an event have not taken the time to make sure that the story is newsworthy.

A story generally needs to meet at least two of these criteria to be considered newsworthy:

Timeliness: Again, the word news means exactly that — things that are new. Topics that are current are news. Consumers are used to receiving the latest updates, and there is so much news that old news is quickly discarded.

A story with only average interest needs to be told quickly if it is to be told at all. If it happened today, it is news. If the same thing happened last week, it is no longer interesting.

Significance: The number of people affected by the story is important. It is sad to say but a plane crash in which hundreds of people died is more significant than a crash killing a dozen.

Proximity: Stories that happen near to us have more significance. The closer the story to home, the more newsworthy it is. Proximity does not have to mean geographical distance. Stories from countries with which we have a particular bond or similarity have the same effect.

Prominence: Famous or well-known people get more coverage just because they are prominent. If you break your arm it probably will not make the news, but if the Queen of England breaks her arm, it is big news.

Human Interest: Human interest stories are a special case. They often disregard the main rules of newsworthiness. For example, they do not date as quickly, they need not affect a large number of people, and it may not matter where in the world the story takes place.

Human interest stories appeal to emotion. They aim to evoke responses such as amusement or sadness. Television news programs often place a humorous or quirky story at the end of the show to finish on a feel-good note. Newspapers often have a dedicated area for offbeat or interesting items.

 

Tina L. Pugliese, APR is an executive coach and counselor for Pugliese Public Relations, a communications firm in Boynton Beach, Florida. Pugliese is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America, and is the author of the book, Public Relations for Pharmacists, and e-books, Marketing Your Business for Success, How To Work With The Media, and Public Relations Manual—A Guide for Entrepreneurs.  She can be reached at (561) 889-3575 and by email at Tina@PugliesePR.com.  Her web site is www.PugliesePR.com. 

Article excerpted from e-book, How To Work With The Media, by Tina L. Pugliese, APR.