Different definitions of News

1. Newly received or noteworthy information, especially about recent events.

2. When a dog bites a man that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news.Charles Anderson Dana, American journalist, editor of New York Tribune. 1819-1897

3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/nepal-man-bites- snake_n_1824854.html

4. Well, news is anything that's interesting, that relates to what's happening in the world, what's happening in areas of the culture that would be of interest to your audience. Kurt Loder, American journalist, b. 1945

5. To a journalist, good news is often not news at all. Phil Donahue, American entertainer, b. 1935

6. No news is good news. Ludovic Halevy, French author, 1834-1908

7. [News is] a first rough draft of history. Philip L. Graham, American publisher, 1915-1963

8. The real news is bad news.Marshall Mcluhan, Canadian communications theorist, 1911-1980

9. News is what a chap who doesn't care much about anything wants to read. And it's only news until he's read it. After that it's dead. Evelyn Waugh, British author, 1903-1966

10. A good newspaper is a nation talking to itself.Arthur Miller, American writer, 1915-2005

11. If the newspapers of a country are filled with good news, the jails of that country will be filled with good people.Daniel Moynihan, American politician and diplomat, 1927-2003

12. In war, truth is the first casualty.Aeschylus, Greek dramatist, 525 BC - 456BC

Origins for a news story

1. Naturally occurring "events" such as disasters, floods, earthquakes, fires, and airline crashes are inherently unpredictable and journalists must respond after the fact. News stories about disasters follow a predictable pattern: early reports, which frequently over estimate the severity of the disaster, rely on everyday people, because they’re frequently the only witnesses; later stories, assuming the story is newsworthy enough to become developing news over several days, tend to rely on officials – mayors and governors, insurance company representatives, disaster relief agency officials. This is a way the news becomes routinized.

2. Created and "subsidized" news is more frequent than unpredicted news. It occurs because a person, group or organization either does something public and newsworthy and/or seeks press attention. Public relations practitioners participate in the process of news making.

3. "Enterprise" news is made when journalists act rather than react as they do in a disaster or tragedy. This is called enterprise news because the editor or reporter takes the initiative on a story. These can develop from beat coverage and investigative journalism.

Parts of a news story

News in newspaper is made up of four part.First , Headline is the title of the story and is similar to topic in general paragraph, but chosen word must arouse people who read it. Second part is lead. It is the first sentence in the news story that sum up what, when, where, who, how and why in news. Next part is neck. This part contains anything that can't put into lead ,but it is necessarily. Last one is body. It contains detail but in particular way than lead. Every news components cannot have more than one paragraph except body.

Elements of NewsTop ten elements that make a story newsworthy.

1. TimelinessHow recent a story is.Not all of the story needs to be timely.

2. ProximityHow near to you a story is.People are generally more interested in stories that are geographically close to them.

3. ConsequenceHow many people are impacted by the story.Examples: new laws, taxes, etc.

4. ProminenceThe more famous a person is, the more likely they are to make the news.If you and the president both went to lunch, only the president would make the news.

5. DramaThe more movie-like a story is, the more newsworthy it is. Whenever life and death hang in the balance, it is news

6. OddityWhenever strange things happen, it will make the news.It can also occur with events that only happen once every great while.

7. ConflictWhenever there are two opposing side to an issue.This can also be taken literally… a fight or argument.

8. EmotionsPeople love reading stories that play on emotion. “Awwwwww” factor

9. SexShould always be reported in a mature manner.Deals with marriage, divorce, dating, etc.

10.ProgressAny new discovery or helpful invention can make the news.This can also be a timely update on a long-standing project.

Don’t forget!The more of these elements you combine, the more newsworthy a story is.Rarely will a story just have one element if it is on the front page.

What makes a story newsworthy?

Information arrives in the newsroom from a wide range of sources minute by minute. A news editor cannot report all this material, so he must be selective and filter out information that is not newsworthy. Because he is in competition with other news outlets, he highlights only those stories he considers to be of greatest interest to his readers or audience. Reports, which are interesting and newsworthy, are distinguished by a broadly agreed set of characteristics called ‘’news values’’. These values provide journalists with a mechanism to sort through quickly, process and select the news from that vast amount of information made available to them.In practice, when a journalist makes a judgment as to whether a story has the necessary ingredients to interest his readers, he will decide informally on the basis of his experience and intuition, rather than actually ticking off a checklist. Even so, many studies of news production show that most of these factors are consistently applied across a range of print, broadcast, and online news organisations worldwide.

News values as ethical standards• Some news organisations use the term 'News Values' to describe a different concept:

the ethical standards expected of journalists in their work.• These ground rules spell out the good practice journalists should apply as they

gather and process news stories. They are simply a code of ethics or canons of good and responsible journalism. These guidelines attempt to ensure the integrity of the journalist and guarantee the reliability of the news story. Both professional journalism associations and individual news organisations often make these rules freely available so that the public may know what to expect from their journalists.

• The Associated Press   state their commitment to so-called news values, such as not plagiarising, misidentifying nor misrepresenting themselves to get a story, nor paying newsmakers for interviews, avoiding conflicts of interest that may compromise accuracy, and maintaining their commitment to fairness.

Types of News Stories

Hard News Vs. Soft NewsNews stories are basically divided into two types: hard news and soft news. Hard new generally refers to up-to-the-minute news and events that are reported immediately, while soft news is background information or human-interest stories.Politics, war, economics and crime used to be considered hard news, while arts, entertainment and lifestyles were considered soft news.

But increasingly, the lines are beginning to blur. Is a story about the private life of a politician “politics” or “entertainment”? Is an article about the importance of investing early for retirement a “business” story or a “lifestyle” story? Judging solely on subject matter, it can be difficult to tell.One difference between hard and soft news is the tone of presentation. A hard news story takes a factual approach: What happened? Who was involved? Where and when did it happen? Why?A soft news story tries instead to entertain or advise the reader. You may have come across newspaper or TV stories that promise “news you can use.” Examples might be tips on how to stretch properly before exercising, or what to look for when buying a new computer.Knowing the difference between hard and soft news helps you develop a sense of how news is covered, and what sorts of stories different news media tend to publish or broadcast. This can be important when you want to write articles or influence the media yourself.

News values as ethical standards• Some news organisations use the term 'News Values' to describe a different concept:

the ethical standards expected of journalists in their work.• These ground rules spell out the good practice journalists should apply as they

gather and process news stories. They are simply a code of ethics or canons of good and responsible journalism. These guidelines attempt to ensure the integrity of the journalist and guarantee the reliability of the news story. Both professional journalism associations and individual news organisations often make these rules freely available so that the public may know what to expect from their journalists.

• The Associated Press   state their commitment to so-called news values, such as not plagiarising, misidentifying nor misrepresenting themselves to get a story, nor paying newsmakers for interviews, avoiding conflicts of interest that may compromise accuracy, and maintaining their commitment to fairness.

The BBC lists the following values:• Not plagiarism• Not misrepresenting themselves to get a story• Avoid conflicts of interest that may compromise accuracy• Truth and accuracy• Impartiality and diversity of opinion• Editorial integrity and independence• Serving the public interest• Fairness• Balancing the right to report with respect for privacy• Balancing the right to report with protection of the vulnerable• Safeguarding children

• Being accountable to the audience

Factors that modify news value

• Newspaper Policy

– Owner or publisher may decide certain items/viewpoints. censorship

• Reader Interest

– The Wall Street Journal, USA Today

• Space Limitations

– Depends on no. of pages, program duration, advertisements

• Advertiser Pressure

– Threat to withhold advertisements, e.g. pesticides, beverages, telecom companies

• Legal Restrictions

– Libelous, obscene, invasion of privacy, violation of standards of good taste. Needs to be carefully discussed and write prior to being printed

• Relationship to previously-published news stories

– Ongoing stories, with each development needs to be reported.

– Follow-up , promise made or action proposed

• Relationship to other news of the day

– On a slow news day, local festival

• Attitudes of reporters toward particular subjects

– It is better to write story and let the readers decide.

BASIC APPROACH TO NEWS

The 5Ws and 1H of news writing

There is a very simple formula to news writing and the secret lies in the 5Ws and 1H.

For readers or listeners to get a full and complete understanding of the news you have to make sure your news report answers the following 5W and 1H questions: 

Who or Whom is it about or has happened to

What is happening or happened

Where is it happening or did it happen 

When is it happening or did it happen 

Why is it happening or did it happen 

How is it happening or did it happen

The 5Ws and 1H questions are the main ingredients for all news reports as they contain all the facts that you will need for your news article. Therefore, these are the key questions you must ask if you are gathering information for a news article or bulletin. It's easy to understand how important these questions are to a news report if you remove one or more of them. Think of a news item you have read, seen or heard recently. It would obviously be lacking something quite obvious if you didn’t know where the news had happened or when it happened, for instance. On saying that however, it isn't always possible to get all the questions answered in the first hit, especially if it’s breaking news. An initial TV or radio bulletin of news ‘as it happens’ might be missing quite a few of the main ingredients to give the audience the complete story, but through on-going updates and subsequent news reports the journalist should eventually answer all the 5Ws and 1H questions. So as a journalist it will be your responsibility to get answers to the 5Ws and 1H questions so that your audience gets a complete and full understanding of the news. You might be able to get all the answers fairly quickly or it might take weeks, months or even longer, but as a good journalist you should never forget to report news updates and the final full story, however long after the initial news report.Applying the 5W1H framework to other types of writing or investigation takes some interpretation. The order in which the answers to the questions are presented may vary, but the "what" is usually addressed first.

WhatIn journalism, the "what" identifies an event and is often stated in the "lead (or 

lede)," the first paragraph of a news story. The "what" is the primary subject, the reason the information is being gathered and presented. Apart from journalism, it may be stated in a title and in a purpose statement. The "what" may need to be defined, a process that may comprise the remainder of a document.

WhoA news story identifies who an event involves. The "who" may be part of the lede, and could be the reason the story is news worthy. In other contexts, the "who" identifies the person(s) or group(s) the "what" concerns. It might describe the audience of a document, or those who are affected by a policy, process or procedure.

WhenA key part of a news story is describing when an event happened. Answering the "when" indicates any time-sensitivity related to the "what." It may be part of an instruction regarding the proper point at which an action should be taken. Sometimes it may be part of an "If...then" scenario of conditional action.

WhereA news story reports the location at which an event took place. The "where" describes a geographical or physical location of importance to the "what." At times, the where may be less important than other factors.

WhyThe "why" is usually the most neglected of the questions in the framework. News stories often lack information from authoritative sources to explain the "why." In other contexts, the "why" may be considered irrelevant, particularly when describing a policy or procedure decreed by an organizational authority. Efforts to determine and explain the "why" may help those affected be more accepting of any change the "what" requires.

HowFor journalists, determining how an event took place may be nearly as challenging as explaining the "why," although more effort is usually put into satisfying the question. When describing policies, processes or procedures, the "how" may be the most important part of the effort. A considerable appetite for understanding how to do something can be found across audiences. Sometimes effort focuses on the "what" when more work might be devoted to explaining the "how."

ConclusionThe 5W1H framework can be applied to any topic at any level of granularity to gather, analyze and present information from the simplest to the most complex.

Types of Journalism

The general field of journalism has become specialized with various types of writing, depending on the audience and motives of the writers. Distinctions are also made to separate various journalism genres as categories of writing. Some types include:

Advocacy journalism - writing to advocate particular viewpoints or influence the opinions of the audience.

Broadcast journalism - writing or speaking which is intended to be distributed by radio or television broadcasting, rather than only in written form for readers.

Investigative journalism - writing which seeks to add extra information to explain, or better describe the people and events of a particular topic.

Tabloid journalism - writing which uses opinionated or wild claims. Yellow journalism (or sensationalism) - writing which emphasizes exaggerated

claims or rumors. Fashion journalism: Fashion journalism is all about articles or reports related

to the fashion world. Journalists are also known as fashion writers or fashion editors. The primary job is to cover the latest in the fashion business or develop lifestyle articles. Such fashion articles can be found in magazines and newspapers. Today, there are many television channels that cater only to fashion, which gives ample opportunity for journalists who have a passion to cover such topics.

News journalism: Here, the primary aim of the journalist is to report news in a straight-forward manner that covers all the required facts. The style is direct with focus on the gist of the story with other necessary points. The news style should be concise and precise. The facts must be crosschecked which makes the news item as authentic as possible without any media bias. Here, the news story can be for the print media, television, radio, etc. Such news pieces often cover politics and social movements. News stories based on political suppression, public movements or abuse of human rights have proved instrumental in effecting many a social change, or giving voice to the oppressed. Similarly, cultural events are also covered in news journalism.

Celebrity journalism: As the name suggests, the journalist is connected to news and events related to celebrities from the entertainment world and also includes celebrities from other fields such as music, sports, dance, art, politics, etc. This journalism is all about news that is related to their professional and personal life. Reporting gossip is one of the angles of celebrity journalism, wherein journalists are often accused of misconstruing news or quotes in a deliberate fashion. This journalism is particularly popular with newspapers, magazines and television.

Investigative journalism: This type of journalism is about unearthing facts and studying cases that may require more efforts, which can take months or even years. Journalists who specialize in investigative journalism create headlines

with news that expose scandals. Sometimes, persistent follow-up of a story proves beneficial to uncover some hitherto unsolved cases. This would require in-depth research from the journalist along with evidence.

Sports journalism: Here, journalists spend hours reporting on a particular sport event. A journalist has to report the accurate facts and statistics related to that event. Interviews with celebrity sport stars are yet one of the interesting features of sports journalism. Although sports-lovers watch the live coverage thanks to the media, there are many people who still enjoy reading or watching in-depth details about the event.

Citizen journalism: Here, it is not the professional journalists who are responsible for the news reports. Any citizen can participate and report news to the media. He/she collects and reports news to the media and participates voluntarily to offer help to the media. They bring to notice issues that may have been missed by media houses.

Environmental journalism: There are many journalists who prefer to cover issues related to the environment and its protection and conservation. Environmental journalists may only report about the news while some work for a cause.

Business and finance journalism: Here, the journalist or reporter covers in-depth reports about the latest in business, launch of products, stock markets etc. There are many shows dedicated only for business news on television whereas in newspapers, one can find a special section dedicated to this subject.

Multimedia Journalism

This is the newest field of journalism and also the fastest-growing. Multimedia journalism can encompass all the fields listed above because a web page can have a written story, still photos, video, and audio. Multimedia journalists are encouraged to have a wide set of storytelling abilities, as well as highly defined technical skills.

Photojournalism

Photojournalists are different from traditional photographers in that they are more interested in capturing images that tell a story than ones that just look nice. Photojournalists are generally highly-trained photographers who may have worked in a traditional photography medium like wedding photography before transitioning into journalism.

White Journalism (Not giving equal representation to minorities and not hiring minority journalists to their capabilities in the newsroom)

Yellow journalism, or the yellow press, is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.

Purple Journalism (In literary criticism, purple prose is prose text that is so extravagant, ornate, or flowery as to break the flow and draw excessive attention to

itself. Purple prose is characterized by the extensive use of adjectives, adverbs, and metaphors.)

Envelope journalism (also envelopmental journalism, is a colloquial term for the practice of bribing corrupt journalists for favorable media coverage.

Data journalism is a journalism specialty reflecting the increased role that numerical data is used in the production and distribution of information in the digital era. It reflects the increased interaction between content producers (journalist) and several other fields such as design, computer science and statistics. From the point of view of journalists, it represents "an overlapping set of competencies drawn from disparate fields"

Mobile journalism is an emerging form of new media storytelling where reporters use portable electronic devices with network connectivity to gather, edit and distribute news from his or her community

Non-profit journalism (NPJ), also known as a not-for-profit journalism or think tank journalism) is the practice of journalism as a non-profit organization instead of a for-profit business. NPJ groups are able to operate and serve the public good without the concern of debt, dividends and the need to make a profit. Just like all non-profit organizations, NPJ outfits depend on private donations and or foundation grants to pay for operational expenses. E.g. www.propublica.org, http://www.icfj.org/, www.pildat.org, www.gallup.com.pk, reporters without borders (RWB) or Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), Center for Investigative Journalism (CIJ),Poynter, Associated Press, Knight Foundation, Institute of Non Profit News.

Backpack journalism is an emerging form of journalism that requires a journalist to be a reporter, photographer, and videographer, as well as an editor and producer of stories. 

Pack journalism is the characterization of news reporting in which reporters from different news outlets collaborate to cover the same story, leaving news reporting homogenous. 

Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative.

Immersive Journalism is a form of journalism production that allows first person experience of the events or situations described in news reports and documentary film. Using 3D gaming and immersive technologies that create a sense of "being there" and offer the opportunity to personally engage with a story, immersive journalism puts an audience member directly into the event. By accessing a virtual version of the location where the story is occurring as a witness/participant, or by experiencing the perspective of a character depicted in the news story, the audience could be afforded unprecedented access to the sights and sounds, and even the feelings and emotions, which accompany the news.

Comics journalism, or Graphic journalism, is a form of journalism that covers news or non-fiction events using the framework of comics – a combination of words and drawn images.

Comedic journalism is a new form of journalism, popularized in the twenty-first century, that incorporates a comedic tone to transmit the news to mass audiences, using humour and/or satire to relay a point in news reports.

Community journalism is locally-oriented, professional news coverage that typically focuses on city neighborhoods, individual suburbs or small towns, rather than metropolitan, state, national or world news.

Online JournalismJournalists today, try new tactics that are very different from the methods used by reporters earlier. Often, journalists are accused of aggressive reporting and media sensationalism, which is a serious issue. The Internet has also provided a medium for people to voice their opinions online. News written for the web is updated minute-by-minute which is referred to as online journalism. Besides, implicit faith of people in the news items has introduced a new form of advertising, i.e. advertorials. In this, advertisers merge their product content in the guise of an article for brand promotion and marketing of products.

A keen news sense and creativity to present the news in an effective manner are obviously the main ingredients in any kind of journalism. After all, it’s all about how you put into words to create an impact that makes a journalist stand apart from ordinary reporters!

Pitch Document

Pitch

It is an idea of a news story that a reporter presents for approval to the News Editor or Chief Reporter of his/her organization. The story should be newsworthy and contain maximum news elements to further investigate and cover in a specified time period.

Pitch Statement

Pitch statement of a news story describes the issue in simple words. It is an introductory paragraph that does not necessarily has to answer 5ws and 1h. However, its word count can be similar to a lede i.e. 20-40. It is not a headline or lede and should not be dealt in that manner.

Primary Character

The subject of the story around which the whole story revolves e.g. an acid attack victim, murderer or victim, corrupt politician. Primary character also depends on your treatment of the story e.g. in this particular story, “Gen Bajwa assures Naqeebullah's father of army's support in quest for justice .” In this story, the primary character is Gen Bajwa due to his prominent position. If the headline treatment was different i.e. “Naqeebullah’s father demands justice from COAS” then the primary character would be the father.

Secondary Characters

Other characters involved in the story. e.g. in the story, “FIA arrests 'fake pir' in Haripur for assaulting, blackmailing women,” fake pir is the primary character whereas FIA and blackmailed women are secondary characters.

Other Sources

Newsmakers, spokespeople, experts, official records, reference material, ordinary people, eyewitnesses etc. The source belongs to the news organization. This section contains the name, designation, and contact information of the source.

Name: ___________________

Designation: ____________________

Organization: _____________________

Contact Information: Ph.

Address.

Email.

Overview

Background of the case, references of similar cases, relevant reports/ surveys by national and international bodies, statistics etc.

Examples of pitch story:

Press Conference Of Petrol Prices Rises by 20%.

A laugh shattered the walls of conference room when a reporter commented “Bus stops are in full bloom because people have locked in their Vehicles due to over whelming petrol prices.”

Silence broke... One of the Journalists, Mustafa outcry during press conference after hearing 20% rise in Petrol prices.

Inflation or Motor bike took life of a teenager??? Mansoor, 18 years old committed suicide after being scolded by his father on not to use motor bike. This happened when the press conference was in process.

Optimism and faith are fighting at their last stages. Immense increase in petrol prices has adversely affected the house hold budgets. Shaukat and his wife Zubaida are these days in thoughts of selling their car to meet their daily needs.

Heat and Inflation causes fights on roads. Conductors and passengers had fought at different parts of city as a result several got injured.

Governor’s Court Of Commoners: -

On governor’s order a quick action was taken by Wapda officials and they visited house of Mujahid Sheikh on his complaint of his electricity being stolen by some shopkeepers of his area.

Inspector was dismissed on indecent acts. Ghulam Rasool;father of four, complaint that women of his house are mall treated by areas police inspector on their way to college.

Are they for us or against us? This question is on every Pakistani’s tongue, people are afraid of agencies. This was seen when a woman came and scene and complaint about her missing son who was taken away by agencies 4 years ago and never returned. That scene showed the powerlessness of the Governor.

Every eye has a story. The walls of Governor House shivered when an elderly woman entered the hall with her 18 year old daughter in a miserable condition. She said my daughter’s limbs have been broken by her husband because she dint bring in dowry. I want justice.

Governor’s kind heartedness astounded every one present. An old man was not given his pansion for the last 2 years. Governor took control of his all expenses, ordered to give all his pansion to him as early as possible and discharged the culprits.

Structure of a Newspaper Organization