What Makes a Story Newsworthy?

News can be defined as “Newsworthy information about recent events or happenings” but what makes news newsworthy?  Here is a list of five factors to consider when deciding if a story has marketable value.

Timing

The word news means exactly that – things that are new. If it happened today, it’s news.  Any time-sensitive content, which includes any breaking news, should be uploaded as soon as possible; if it’s a busy news day some stories will be dropped from broadcast schedules so how quickly you send in your content will directly affect your sales.

Significance

The number of people affected by the story is important.  A major incident in which hundreds of people are affected is more significant than a smaller incident affecting fewer people.

Proximity

Stories that happen near to us have more significance. The closer the story to home, the more newsworthy it is.  For someone living in the USA, a major incident in the UK has a similar news value to a smaller incident nearer to home.

Prominence

A crash would be more prominent if it happened as a result of a police pursuit and a fire would become a more prominent story if it were started deliberately.  Famous people are also more newsworthy just because they are famous.  If you break your arm it won’t make the news, but if the Queen of England breaks her arm it’s big news.

Human Interest

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.  These stories don’t 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.

 

Samples from the Archive

 

Here are just a few examples of the content available in our archive, think how the above five factors influenced the sales and marketability of these clips:

  • Gang shooting that leaves an innocent bystander injured.
  • Heavy rain and flooding at a local beach resort.
  • Car fire on the freeway that ties up morning commute.
  • Lamborghini involved in a traffic collision.
  • Bears swimming in a family’s backyard pool.
  • Residential burglary suspect gets stuck in the chimney after trying to escape.
  • High-speed police chase that terminates in a fatal collision.
  • Two mountain lions wander a residential neighborhood.
  • Shooting between rival gang members caught on tape.
  • Puppies being rescued from a storm drain.
  • Brush fires that destroy dozens of homes and thousands of acres of forest.
  • Man beaten and robbed for his new iPhone.
  • Commercial plane crash without injuries to passengers or crew.
  • Stabbing that leaves children without a parent.
  • Residential fire that displaces 6 families and destroys an entire complex.
  • Daring cliff rescue that saves the lives of two hikers.
  • A stunt gone wrong that nearly costs the life of the stuntman.