What is News? - An objective guide

What is News?

Companies often underrate or exaggerate the news value of a development, as they cannot regard it objectively.

Modesty can cause people to underestimate the news value of a speech or paper they are presenting.  Objectivity is the most important discipline in assessing news value.

Words such as ‘biggest’ ‘smallest’ ‘best’ ‘first’ or ‘longest’ should be avoided as should stating a company’s product is better than that of a named competitor.  Genuine firsts or bests are rare.  Even in technical publications the journalists are rarely in a position to be so sure about such claims themselves and so for their own professional credibility they delete them.

News can be:                                                                                                                       

• A new product
• An important new contract
• Improved results
• Major investments
• A major campaign or project
• Research findings
• An acquisition or a merger
• A major staff success, perhaps fund-raising for a charity

None of the above has equal value.  Whether or not the general press will be interested will depend on the importance of a new product or a new contract.

Money speaks volumes to journalists because this is an objective measure of the importance of a new product or a major investment by an employer.

The appeal to the reader is what matters. 

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