Do you think your research has news value? News media is always looking for a good story, and maybe your work can give them the story they are looking to tell. But what are they looking for and how can your research be translated into something that appears on television, in print or on the radio?
These seven tips give an idea of whether or not your work has what reporters are looking for.
IMPACT
By impact, we mean importance, significance or relevance to e general and broad audience. One way to judge impact is to figure out what the results or consequences of a news story about the event might be. If many people will be affected, the reporter knows that the event is important enough for a news story.
UNUSUAL
One of the oldest definitions of news says that when dog bites man, it isn't news, but when man bites dog, that's news. The interruption in the expected, the different, makes news. If something makes a reporter stop and stare, wonder, or exclaim, then the reporter knows what they are looking at is newsworthy.
PROMINENCE
People who are widely known or who have positions of authority are said to be prominent. These are the newsmakers of our community and country. What prominent people do, even if unimportant, is often newsworthy. Names make news.
CONFLICT
Conflict underlies our lives, and in some cases, the business of news. For example, any number of people or organizations can be in conflict with government. A person charged with a crime is in conflict with the judicial system. The news value is in using your expertise to explain the conflict.
PROXIMITY
Proximity usually refers to something physically or geographically close. A fatal accident on the corner of your street may not have the same proximity in a community 100 km away, unless a resident of that community was killed. In carrying news of an event such as a plane crash in a distant country, news outlets will look to localize the event by calling on experts who may have insight on the event or be connected to the story in some manner.
TIMELINESS
What's happening now? News has a short lifespan. What occurs today has a greater impact than an event that occurred a week ago, even if that event was not reported at the time.
CURRENT
Current issues, whether they be political (Government policy, etc.), social (crime rates), or personal (education, religion), are all factors in deciding the news value of stories. What’s in the news today? How does it affect people?