To the writer of fiction, the story is in a sense its own. But to the journalist, the story is only a container, a form in which news is presented. And it is easier to define the container than its contents. People generally agree on what constitutes a story, but they differ widely over what constitutes news. News must be timely, factual information which has some value to the reader or listener. It may be enlightening, instructive, or, only entertaining.
It may be only an interesting tidbit to store away in the mind, something that adds to a person’s general knowledge, or it may be information that can be put to use immediately, such as announcements of future events. Regardless of its nature, it can be considered news only if the reader sees some benefit in it.
Indirectly, of course, the public may benefit from almost any current, factual information. The more a person knows, the more he or she can talk about. People who gossip know this instinctively. And some people-salesmen, politicians, and others whose success depends partly on conversational ability-approach the news consciously with the goal of having something to talk about (Reporters, too, can benefit from this approach. If they are well informed in several news areas in addition to their own, they seldom lack an “ice-breaker” to open an interview.)
Definitions: News has been defined as anything you didn’t know yesterday- If it doesn’t somehow add to what you already know, it isn’t news. Whatever interests the reader-If it doesn’t interest somebody, it’s not news. On the other hand, some highly interesting information-gossip, for example-may not be news because it lacks significance. Tomorrow’s history today- This is a good definition of the outstanding stories and even of some less attention-getting stories that are laden with statistics. But it gives news more importance than the bulk of it deserves. Any change in the status quo-This approach is based on the notion that something must happen, or there’s no story. The status quo itself- The prevailing situation, which the public may ignore or take for granted, can be important news when it is made visible and analyzed A timely, factual report of events, ideas, and situations that interest the public-This may be the best definition of all. It combines timeliness and audience interest, and it is slightly less vague about subject matter. And, unlike the other definitions, it says that news isn’t news until it is reported.
The list could go on for several pages. But perhaps the best advice to beginners is that if it’s timely, something the general public hasn’t heard or noticed before, if it interests you or an identifiable portion of your audience, then it’s news.
