News is a way of spreading information on current events. It is reported on a radio, TV, newspaper or other medium. A journalist checks it to make sure it is reliable and accurate. The news can be either positive or negative. In order to find out what factors influence the news value, researchers can examine the output of different media. Some authors have suggested that the news values are not fixed and vary with the medium.
For example, the political model suggests that news is an expression of the ideological biases of the people. However, there is a great deal of variety in news values, making it hard to pin down the exact values. There are a number of variables that could affect a story’s value, including arbitrary factors such as the size and quality of the audience.
One type of news value is exclusiveness. Exclusive stories are available to a particular news organization first. These can be stories about powerful individuals, controversies and a host of other topics. Usually, newspapers draw attention to this type of value.
Other types of news value include drama and contrast. Drama stories involve the unfolding of a story, while a comparison story involves the comparison of one thing with another. Entertainment stories are stories with a lighter human interest or humorous treatment. Several other examples include showbusiness, animals, and sex.
As technology has become more important in news production, user-generated content has also been a factor. Stories with a great deal of shareability can increase the likelihood of interaction on social networks. Another element of news value is the proximity. If the reader knows that an event is happening, they will be more likely to care about it.
Another news value is the magnitude of an event. Magnitude may refer to something as big as a country or an occurrence. It can also be an extreme behavior or a number of people. This value is especially significant for national publications, which need to relate to a wide audience.
Finally, there is the conflict. People are interested in confrontation among groups or nations. When a group is fighting with another, the news can create a great deal of impact on the audience. Generally, these stories have negative overtones.
Many studies have been conducted to identify the news value that makes the biggest impression on the public. They have found that the good news stories tend to have positive overtones.
Unlike other types of value, the news value for breaking news is instant. Mobile devices and cable news services offer real-time coverage, which helps audiences get the latest news. Also, the term “breaking news” has become trite.
The values of news can be analyzed according to Brighton and Foy, who suggest a matrix of factors to analyze the value of news. While they argue that it is an effective tool, they conclude that there is still room for further investigation. Their study included a number of factors, including the number of views a story received, the popularity of the news source and the frequency of clicking on articles.