News Values:

News values are the factors defined by Galtung and Ruge that help to explain how journalists and editors decided that certain news stories and images were accepted as newsworthy, while others were not. While they applied these factors to news stories in newspapers, they can also be applied to radio news bulletins. The list of news values below is adapted from their work.

Immediacy: Has it happened recently? Is the story "breaking"?

-This often pushes the news stories to the top of the news bulletin.

Familiarity: Is it culturally or geographically close to us in London/ Britain/ Europe/ USA?

-This is one of the most important news values when it comes to local news. It determines on what gets chosen to be on the news.

Amplitude: Is it a big event or one which involves large number of people?

-The more people the story effects the higher up the story will be on the news bulletin.

Frequency: Does the event happen often?

-The kind of event determines how high up the story is on the news agenda. I suspect that frequency is least important out of the news values.

Impact: Can we identify with the story as having a profound effect on our own lives? Does the story contain elements that would make us feel threatened?

-If individuals are going to feel personally effected or moved by the story, news editors see it as more important because the readers make a connection with the story. If the story causes concern for the reader we are more likely to read the article.

Predictability: Did we expect it to happen?

-If the reader predicted the story, then the story will be less likely to be pushed up the news agenda. As the reader suspected it was going to happen, it's not shocking, therefore other breaking news stories will appear higher up the news bulletin.

Surprise: Is it an unusual or unexpected event?

-This is likely to make the story higher up on the news bulletin. Often 'breaking' news stories have news value of surprise.

Continuity: Has this story already been defined as news? Is it part of an ongoing or long-running story?

-This generally means that once established as a story it will be further down the news bulletin. Some time, immediacy and continuity can be in the same article. If there is a new development to a story which pushes it up the news bulletin.

Conflict: Does the story contain drama in describing disagreements arguments fights or battles between two or more people/ organisations?

-Most stories contain conflict. This doesn't have to be physical it could be a verbal battle or conflict of ideas, policies. It doesn't have to between individuals it can be between for example political parties.

Elite People: Does the story concern well-known people, such as celebrities?

-Anyone in the public eye (politicians, celebrities, high-powered people.) Once an elite person is in a news article the story goes higher up the news bulletin. 

Personalisation: Is it a human interest story?

-If the story moves the reader emotionally and people can connect with the story, the higher up the article will be on the news bulletin. This is one of most important news value.

Negativity: Is it bad news?

-Most news stories will have this news value.

Scandal: Is the story likely to provoke moral outrage from parts of the audience? 

-A good example of this would be someone in a position of power, abusing their power.

Balance: The story may be selected to balance other news, such as a human survival story to balance a number of stories concerning death.

-Good news stories are mostly used toward the end of the news bulletin to balance the bad news.