Whatever concerns public welfare, whatever interests or instructs the individual in any of his relations, activities, opinions, properties, or personal conduct, is news.
News is everything that happens, the inspiration of happenings, and the result of such happenings.
News is the essential facts concerning any happening, event, or idea that possesses human interest; that affects or has an influence on human life or happiness.
News is based on people, and is to be gauged entirely on how it interests other people.
News comprises all current activities which are of general human interest, and the best news is that which interests the most readers.
The essentials of news, as brought out by these definitions
are: (1) that it must be of interest to the
readers; (2) that it includes anything and everything
that has any such interest; and, (3) that it must be
new, current, timely. Furthermore, these definitions
emphasize the fact that the value of news is determined
(1) by the number of people that it interests,
and (2) by the extent to which it interests them. The
composite of these definitions, therefore, would be:
News is anything timely that interests a number of
people; and the best news is that which has the greatest
interest for the greatest number.
By the application of these tests to each event, idea, or activity, the reporter can determine for himself what is news and what is not, as well as what value a piece of news possesses. He must ask himself concerning each piece of news that he gets: "Is it new and timely?" "How many readers will it interest?" "Has it great interest for a large number?"
Many times an incident seems, at first glance, to possess little that will interest, but, on closer examination, reveals some phase that is of considerable news value. Keen observation and insight to see the significant aspect of a person, an event, an idea, often leads
