Elements of news

Good news stories have more than one of these elements.

Proximity:

Location, location, location. If an event is happening nearby, it will impact readers more than if it were happening somewhere else that doesn't affect them as much – in another state or in another country. Depending on the story, it may as well be the same thing.

Prominence:

A well-known person, place or event has a stronger news angle than something that the audience isn’t familiar with. A guest speaker visiting your local elementary school to take over story time doesn't resonate with many people ... unless that speaker is Oprah.

Timeliness:

Current news has more impact than something that happened yesterday or last week. The news media loses interest in past events because there is always fresh news somewhere.

Oddity:

If something is unusual, shocking or bizarre, the strangeness alone could make it newsworthy. Think Octo-Mom.

Consequence:

If the impact of an event may directly affect readers, they will want to know about it. A run-of-the-mill burglary at the Watergate Hotel was white noise on the airwaves until it became clear what the identities of the key players meant for the nation. That bit of news cost a U.S. President his seat.

Conflict:

Readers are always interested in disagreements, arguments and rivalries. If an event has a conflict attached to it, many readers will be interested on that basis alone. Let's not forget that it's human nature to choose sides and stand up for that choice. Stories that involve conflict include those about religion, sports, business, trials, wars, human rights violations, politics or even struggles against nature, animals or outer space.

Human interest:

If a situation draws any sort of emotional reaction, then it might contain the news element of a human-interest story. These stories can be "soft" kid-at-the-petting-zoo snapshots, inspiring comeback accounts or infuriating reports of incompetence on the part of a public figure.

Extremes/superlatives:

Reporters and audiences alike love to hear about the first, the best, the longest, the smallest, the highest. If you can claim one for yourself, do it.

Scandal:

Everyone loves to hate on the philandering congressman who sends inappropriate pictures under an absurd virtual handle. If you've got info on an honest-to-goodness scandal, reporters everywhere are frothing at the mouth to get the scoop on it.

Impact:

Whether it's a peaceful protest that encompasses five city blocks or a 23-car pileup on the pike, the more people involved in the event, the more newsworthy it is. Similarly, the number of people affected by the event will affect its newsworthiness, whether it's an adjustment of minimum wage or an alleged outbreak of ebola.