POINTERS | 7 ARCHIMEDES

UNDERSTANDING NEWS
To attain wide array of perspective and meanings about news, the definitions of news according to
Philippine journalism authors are surveyed and listed below.

According to Soriano et al. (2012), a news is any oral or written report of an event that happened, is
happening, will happen in the North, East, West, and South that is interest of the reader and which
should be reported.

Malinao (2008), pointed out news is basically about an event, idea or a reaction that is presented
factually and simply in written form to give reader an idea of what is currently happening particularly
on matters of interest to the community.

Estrada and Singh (1987), “News is a timely factual report of events, ideas or situations interesting or
significant to people. Others define it as literature in a hurry.”

According to Henson et al. (1999), news is reportage of accurate facts, events, and ideas that interest
a large number of readers. Anything that is refreshed or regenerated is also news.

Lastly, Pangilinan (2012) defined news as information that has meaning for a set of readers. Hence,
the bases of all news are facts, interest and readers.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD NEWS

One can gauge the worthiness of a news by some qualities that emanate from the subject’s nature
and functions. The characteristics that are discussed below become one’s yardstick to determine
whether an issue is worth publishing or broadcasting.

1. Timeliness and immediacy This characteristic of news item underscores the newest angle of the
story. For instance, the changing of the grading system which was announced yesterday is more
appealing to student than the Christmas party last December. The more recent the event, the more it
is appealing to the readers.

2. Conflict The physical and mental struggles of persons are also newsworthy. In campus context,
competitions like oratorical contest and quiz bees are newsworthy due to the mental conflicts
present. Sports events during intramurals or foundation days are newsworthy, too, as they have
physical conflicts.

3. Proximity or nearness Although proximity primarily refers to geographical location, it likewise

means the nearness of interest and appeal.

4. Accuracy Journalism is anchored on facts. News writing is a journalistic skill. Therefore, the
contents should be accurately reported. Accuracy refers to the factualness of news as purveyor of
truth.

5. Significance A writer should survey whatever is significant to the life of the target readers and
write about it. In the campus setting, topics that are highly significant include new rules imposed by
the administration or the student government, amendments to policies, upcoming big events, results
of scholarship screening and the like.

6. Prominence and names Popular names can effectuate situations and their acts may be more
interesting to others. Hence, news about these persons can yield a high degree of newsworthiness,
thus becoming more readable than the other news.

7. Drama Since news is anchored on public interest, writers should bank on any story that can lead
the writers to crying or to laughing.

8. Oddity or Unusualness A theory explains that when persons are curious about a phenomenon
deviating from a natural course, they will be interested in such a topic or issue; hence, that topic
becomes newsworthy.

9. Romance and Adventure “Love makes the world go round,” so a song says. Hence, stories about
love including adventure, may ignite the taste of the reading public. This is also the reason why
showbiz news continuously booms.

10. Progress Attaining breakthroughs and achieving scientific discoveries are given much attentions
by the readers. This attribute of the news gives a high degree of shock and a sense of development in
the society where the persons live. Looking into a school situation, progress may be in the form a
newly constructed building and newly donated laboratory equipment from alumni abroad.

11. Numbers For persuasion, statistics or figures have the power to shake the conviction of the
audience. This is why numbers yield a very strong impact on the readers. However, the figures that
one should write should be worth appreciating.

TYPES OF NEWS STORIES

1. According to Chronology or Sequence

A. Spot News. This is a news story that gathers information as it is broadcast at the same time.
Hence, it is unscheduled and demands immediate publication. In many instances, the reporter
becomes the firsthand witness to the activity or subject taking place.

B. Coverage News. It is written based on the given assignment to the reporter or news writer. The
assignment is sometimes called beat. It means that the writer knows what to write about.

c. Advance News. When a writer crafts news about an upcoming event, he/she actually writes an
advance news. In advance stories, writers’ skills in creating many new perspectives on a subject are
tested so as to create with one or two reporters guarding the newest angles of the event or the
situation

d. Follow-Up News. Follow Up news looks into the upshot to an event or situation. For instance, a
reporter wrote a news about the imposition of the new uniform. Then, in the next issue, he shall
write on the ideas and comments of the students on the new uniform.

2. According to Range and Reach

A. Local News: The subject of which happens in one’s own community where the paper originates.
B. National News: Also known as countrywide news. It is determined when the news impacts the
people of a certain country. Most of it is published in dailies.

C. Foreign News: News items that originate outside the boarders of the country

D. Dateline News: an out-of-town news story. This news is introduced by dateline which states the
place from which the story was reported, the date, and the source of the material if not written by
the local staff.

3. According to Construction or Structure

a. Straight news. The first paragraph answers the most important W (what, where, when, why, who)
depending on which of the W’s is the most prominent among them. Its body paragraphs consist of
the elaboration on the W’s and the H. It is written using the inverted triangle structure.

b. News Feature. This special type of news should not be confused with the feature articles. News
feature is sometimes called special features and printed in the features sections of the newspapers
or in the magazines. Human interest and news-feature stories are classified as news since both are
gathered and written daily by reporters as their regular assignments. Furthermore, both emphasize
the elements of timeliness or immediacy which distinguish news from other types of reading,
although they differ in important respects from the straight news story.

C. Fact Story- this is a plain exposition setting forth a single situation or a series of closely related
facts that inform. It is written in the inverted pyramid design.

D. Action Story This is a narrative involving not merely simple facts but dramatic actions- incidents,
description of persons, perhaps testimonies of witness, as well as explanatory data.

E. Speech, Report, Quote, and Interview Stories The arrangements of a speech report, a quote story
and of an interview are to great extent similar. The quote story may be charted as alternating large
and small rectangles of diminishing size: summary, quote, summary, quote, summary arrangement.
The quotations may be direct, indirect, or a combination of both.

4. Minor News Forms

a. News Brief. This is a short item of news interest, written like a brief, telegraphic message. It gives
mainly the result with few details.

b. News Bulletin. It is similar to the lead of a straight news story. Its aim is just to give the gist of the
news.

c. News Featurette. This is a short news feature usually used a fillers, say, quirks in the news.

d. Sidebar. It is news item or a feature placed side by side its mother story to which it is related but
under a headline of its own.

e. Flash. This is a message giving first brief news of an event. It is usually boxed.