News Values

Galtung and Ruge – News Values

What makes a newsworthy story?

Stories which fit into these categories are more likely to

make it into the news broadcast/newspaper

• Continuity – carries on with a story that is already in the news

• Familiarity – to do with people or places close to home –sometimes the ‘local’ angle is played up e.g. the British people aboard the plane shot down over the Ukraine or the one that was flown into the Alps

• Elite Persons – to do with a famous or important person• Negativity – bad news/suffering• Conflict – war/fighting/argument• Unexpectedness – sudden or unusual event• Personalisation – a story with a human interest angle or

one that can be portrayed through how it affects a person

• Consonance – fits with the way the institution or audience already thinks

• Of course stories can have more than one of these news values

• “Malaysian Airline Flight MH370 disappears suddenly. All passengers are presumed dead. Islamic terrorists suspected at first. Two British people on board, feared dead.”

• This contains Unexpectedness, Negativity, Conflict, Consonance and Familiarity

• 1. Model Reeva Steenkamp is reported dead. She has been shot and killed in the home she shared with Oscar Pistorius.

• 2. Oscar Pistorius is arrested and charged with murder.

• 3. Masked gunmen occupy more official buildings in the eastern Ukraine, while Russian President Vladimir Putin amasses more troops on the Russian border with Ukraine. The outbreak of war is widely feared.

• 4. Teenager Michael Piggin from Loughbrough denies accusations that he was plotting another Columbine-style massacre. Piggin, 18. laughed in court as he said his threats to bomb a school playground were just a joke.

Which NEWS VALUES make these stories newsworthy?

News Values• First identified by Norwegian academic Galtung and Rouge in 1965• Built on by Harcup’s News Values – reflect current trends in British

and Global News• A. The Power Elite – news regarding powerful individual,

organisations and institutions• B. Celebrity – people who already famous• C. Entertainment – focus on sex, show business, human interest,

animals, unfolding dramas or offer opportunity for humour• D. Surprise/Contrast• E. Bad News• F. Good News• G. Magnitude – news significant regarding the volume of people

involved• H. Relevance – news concerning issues, groups, nations relevant to

the audience• I. Follow-ups – bulletins on subject featured recently• J. News Agenda – stories that set/fit the news organisations own

agenda such as information/entertainment