What is News 新闻的定义.docx

1、What is News 新闻的定义What is News?News depends on a variety of factorsHandbook of Independent Journalism(The following article is taken from the U.S. Department of State publication, Handbook of Independent Journalism.)By Deborah PotterThe answer to the question “What is news?” may seem obvious. News i

2、s what is new; its whats happening. Look it up in the dictionary, and youll find news described as “a report of recent events or previously unknown information.” But most of the things that happen in the world every day dont find their way into the newspaper or onto the air in a newscast.So what mak

3、es a story newsworthy enough to be published or broadcast? The real answer is, it depends on a variety of factors. Generally speaking, news is information that is of broad interest to the intended audience, so whats big news in Buenos Aires may not be news at all in Baku. Journalists decide what new

4、s to cover based on many of the following “news values”:TimelinessDid something happen recently or did we just learn about it? If so, that could make it newsworthy. The meaning of “recently” varies depending on the medium, of course. For a weekly news magazine, anything that happened since the previ

5、ous edition the week before may be considered timely. For a 24-hour cable news channel, the timeliest news may be “breaking news,” or something that is happening this very minute and can be covered by a reporter live at the scene.ImpactAre many people affected or just a few? Contamination in the wat

6、er system that serves your towns 20,000 people has impact because it affects your audience directly. A report that 10 children were killed from drinking polluted water at a summer camp in a distant city has impact too, because the audience is likely to have a strong emotional response to the story.

7、The fact that a worker cut a utility line is not big news, unless it happens to cause a blackout across the city that lasts for several hours.ProximityDid something happen close to home, or did it involve people from here? A plane crash in Chad will make headlines in NDjamena, but its unlikely to be

8、 front-page news in Chile unless the plane was carrying Chilean passengers.ControversyAre people in disagreement about this? Its human nature to be interested in stories that involve conflict, tension, or public debate. People like to take sides, and see whose position will prevail. Conflict doesnt

9、always entail pitting one persons views against another. Stories about doctors battling disease or citizens opposing an unjust law also involve conflict.ProminenceIs a well-known person involved? Ordinary activities or mishaps can become news if they involve a prominent person like a prime minister

10、or a film star. That plane crash in Chad would make headlines around the world if one of the passengers were a famous rock musician.CurrencyAre people here talking about this? A government meeting about bus safety might not draw much attention, unless it happens to be scheduled soon after a terrible

11、 bus accident. An incident at a football match may be in the news for several days because its the main topic of conversation in town.OddityIs what happened unusual? As the saying goes, “If a dog bites a man, that is not news. But if a man bites a dog, its news!” The extraordinary and the unexpected

12、 appeal to our natural human curiosity.What makes news also depends on the makeup of the intended audience, not just where they live but who they are. Different groups of people have different lifestyles and concerns, which make them interested in different types of news. A radio news program target

13、ed at younger listeners might include stories about music or sports stars that would not be featured in a business newspaper aimed at older, wealthier readers. A weekly magazine that covers medical news would report on the testing of an experimental drug because the doctors who read the publication

14、presumably would be interested. But unless the drug is believed to cure a well-known disease, most general-interest local newspapers would ignore the story. The exception might be the newspaper in the community where the research is being conducted.News organizations see their work as a public servi

15、ce, so news is made up of information that people need to know in order to go about their daily lives and to be productive citizens in a democracy. But most news organizations also are businesses that have to make a profit to survive, so the news also includes items that will draw an audience: stori

16、es people may want to know about just because theyre interesting. Those two characteristics need not be in conflict. Some of the best stories on any given day, in fact, are both important and interesting. But its fairly common for news organizations to divide stories into two basic categories: hard

17、news and soft news, also called features.Where the News Comes FromJournalists find news in all sorts of places, but most stories originate in one of three basic ways: naturally occurring events, like disasters and accidents; planned activities, like meetings and news conferences; reporters enterpris

18、e.Unplanned events frequently become major news stories. A ferry sinking, a plane crash, a tsunami, or a mudslide is newsworthy not just when it happens but often for days and weeks afterwards. The extent of the coverage depends in part on proximity and who was involved. A fatal automobile accident

19、in Paris might not be big news on any given day. But an accident in Paris in 1997 was a huge news story, not just in France but also around the world, because one of the victims was Britains Princess Diana.Citizens who witness a disaster will often contact a news organization. Journalists also learn

20、 about these events from first responders: police, fire, or rescue officials. In some countries, news organizations are able to monitor emergency communications between first responders and can dispatch journalists to the scene quickly so they can watch the story unfold.In many newsrooms, the most o

21、bvious source of news is the daily schedule of events in town, which includes government meetings, business openings, or community events. Often called a “daybook,” this list of activities is not automatically newsworthy but it provides a good starting point for reporters searching for news. Reporte

22、rs who regularly cover specific kinds of issues or institutions, also called “beat” reporters, say they often get story ideas by looking at agendas for upcoming meetings.Press releases can be another source of news, but again, they are just a starting point. Dozens of press releases arrive in newsro

23、oms every day, by mail, by fax, or even on video via satellite. Government officials and agencies generate many of them, but other large organizations like private businesses and non-profit groups also issue press releases to let the news media know what they are doing. A press release may resemble

24、a news story but because it is produced by someone with a vested interest in the subject it is not likely to tell the complete story. Press releases may be factually correct, but they usually include only those facts that reflect positively on the person or organization featured in the release. Even

25、 if a press release looks newsworthy, a professional journalist first must verify its authenticity, and then begin asking questions to determine the real story before deciding if its worth reporting.Staged events, such as demonstrations, also can produce news, but journalists must be wary of being m

26、anipulated by the organizers who want to tell only their side of the story. Politicians have become adept at staging events and “photo opportunities” in order to attract coverage, even when they have no real news value. That does not mean journalists should ignore these events, but only that they ne

27、ed to do additional reporting to get a complete story.Most reporters say their best stories come from their own enterprise. Sometimes story suggestions come from strangers, who may visit, telephone, or e-mail the newsroom with a complaint or concern. Some news organizations actively solicit ideas fr

28、om people who live in the communities they serve, by providing a telephone number or an e-mail address where suggestions can be submitted. Journalists spend a lot of time building relationships with people who can provide them with information. (Well talk more about source building in Chapter 2, “Ge

29、tting the Story.”)Journalists frequently find stories simply by looking around and listening to what people are talking about. What you overhear at a sports event or in line at the post office could turn into a news story. Ask the people you meet when you are not covering a story what is going on in

30、 their lives or their neighborhoods and you might find yourself on the trail of a news story no one else has covered.Another way to find news is to ask what has happened since the last time a story was in the paper or on the air. Follow-ups often lead to surprising developments that are even more ne

31、wsworthy than the original report. For example, a story about a fire the day after it happened might tell you how many people were killed and the extent of the property damage. But a follow-up several weeks later could discover that a faulty radio system made it impossible for firefighters to respon

32、d quickly enough to save more lives.Documents, data, and public records can lead to terrific stories as well. Reporters can use them to look for trends or to spot irregularities. This kind of work requires more effort, but the results are almost always worth the trouble. Its considerably easier when the data are made available electronically, of course, but reporters have been known to enter data from paper records into computer database programs just so they can search for the most significant information in a pile of statistics.