News: Meaning,

Definition and
Nature
Dr. Rahul Kumar
Assistant Professor
 WHAT IS NEWS?
 The Chamber’s Dictionary defines news as: information on recent event, newly received
information and something not heard before.
 “When a dog bites a man that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news”.
(Charles Anderson Dana, American journalist, 1819-1897)
 William L Rivers in his book , The Mass Media says : News is the timely report of events,
facts and opinions that interests a significant number of people.
In his book , Professional Journalism M.V.Kamath has put together a number of
definitions of News, some of which are:
 News is any event, idea or opinion that is timely , that interests or affects a large number of
people in a community and that is capable of being understood by them.
 News is anything and everything interesting about life and materials in all their
manifestation.
 Elements of News and News
Values
Some of the important criterion for judging news value are(News Elements):
 TIMELINESS:
One of the significant elements of news is timeliness. News has to be new. The event itself may
not be new but the discovery of it may be. News, like fish, can go stale quickly. Therefore, with
news, the fresher the better. Reporters and editors , newspapers and broadcast stations,
compete to be first with a big story.
 PROXIMITY:
The geographic nearness or distance of an event can make a story more or less attractive to
the reader. People like to read about what is near to them. Proximity means news happens
close by readers and viewers want to learn about their neighbourhood, town, or country.
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 PROMINENCE:
A well-known person, place, or event has a stronger news angle than something that the
audience isn't familiar with. People or brands who have a larger awareness or following by the
general public are always going to be more newsworthy.
 IMPACT:
Another important criterion for determining news value is impact: how seriously it affects them
determine its importance as news. The more people involved in an event, the stronger the story.
Whether it is a peaceful protest that draws tens of thousands of people, or a 72 vehicle pile-up
on the motorway, it has impact. For instance, a rise in income tax may, at first sight, seem the
basis of a dull, depressing article. But it has impact because it will affect most people’s pockets.
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 CONFLICT & TRAGEDY:
It is one of the most important of news elements. It is inherent in nearly all news of sports, war,
crime, violence and internal disputes and in all stories involving difference of opinion. Generally,
the news of conflict also involves other news values as drama and oddity and therefore, has an
emotional impact, a factor that appeals to many people. This may include physical or mental
conflict- man vs. man, man vs. animal, man vs. nature or man vs. himself.
 EMOTION:
Incorporating stories that speak to people’s experiences and convey emotion helps more
people connect with a message. Employing emotions appropriately and authentically while not
necessarily incorporating tear-jerking stories does the trick of effective human communication.
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 DRAMA:
This adds color to a story. The more picturesque the background and the more dramatic the
actions are, the more appealing the story is to the readers. Drama in a news story makes the
reader read the whole story.
 ODDITY:
The stranger the event, the more likely it will have news values. For example: Metro trains in
Delhi run on a fixed schedule daily. However, unexpectedness of metro trains getting delayed
one day can be a news. The lack of predictability of this story have an abundance of news
values. For instance, its can impact thousands of commuters who travel by Delhi Metro to and
from their work.
 Types of News: Hard and Soft

 HARD NEWS:
Hard news journalism refers to breaking news and up-to-the-minute news about serious, timely,
or hard-hitting topics that are timely and urgent, usually based on facts and rigorous research.
Political journalism, business journalism, and watchdog journalism are forms of hard news.
Hard news despite its importance, usually attracts fewer readers, listeners or viewers because it
is often difficult to understand.
Ex:- Accident related stories, Seminar/Workshop related news, political rallies, etc.
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Elements of Hard News:

Headline – It needs to be informational.
The Lead - It is the first sentence of the story, and should summarize to the reader, who, what,
where, when, why and how.
The Body - Focuses on the areas that need elaborating the story.
The Tail - The tail of the article positions background information.
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 SOFT NEWS:
Soft news journalism focuses on lifestyle and entertainment and typically revolves around
culture, art, background information about world event and human interest events. Soft news
includes sports journalism, entertainment journalism, and celebrity coverage.
Ex:- Celebrity interviews, What people did during lockdown in their homes, fashion news, etc.
Elements of Soft News
Creativity – It gives writer a chance to show their creativity.
Tell story – What people want to know about the topic.
Factual – Creativity does not mean that you can compromise with facts.
Anecdotes – Use short and interesting stories to connect with readers.
Conclude – Write a conclusion to your story.
 News, Features, Articles and
Backgrounders
 News reports the facts: who, what, where, when, why, and how. And a news story is written
in a straightforward, concise reporting style. A feature article is a human interest story about
a person, event, or place. A feature article is an article written to give more depth to topical
events, people or issues.
News Feature
 Media outlets want to publish news stories  Feature stories, however, are not as time-
as quickly as possible after an event dependent and contain no urgent content.
occurs.
 News stories go straight to the point, using  Feature stories are often more wordy and
simple and effective words to deliver the they have a creative structure.
facts quickly.
 News stories tell what the news is upfront  The beginning – or lead – of a feature
and then give the most important details in story, on the other hand, doesn’t give the
the first paragraph or two. news straightaway.
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 ARTICLE:
A piece of writing other than fiction or poetry that forms a separate part of a publication
(newspaper or magazine).
How to write Newspaper Article?
The best way to structure a newspaper article is to first write an outline. Review your research
and notes. Then jot down the ideas for the following six sections.
 Headline: This is a brief, noticeable statement about the incident. The title of your article
should be attractive and up to the point.
 Byline: Byline is the author’s name.
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 Lead: It is also called Lead paragraph that has all the who, what, when, where, why and

how. The author needs to find answers to these questions and write to them, the opening

sentence of the article.

 Storyline: Once you set the stage with a good lead, follow a well-written story that includes

facts from your research and quotes from people you interviewed.

 Source: Keep your sources with information and citations.

 Conclusion: Your conclusion can be your final information, summary or carefully chosen

quote to leave the reader with a strong sense of your information.

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 BACKGROUNDER:

A backgrounder is a form of news writing where the background information or a description of

events leading up-to the latest event are given. Usually, the backgrounder is used along with

the main item of an important happening.

Backgrounder includes:

1. Description of the event in chronological order.

2. Information to remind the reader of all the events.

 News Sources
 Anything that provides news or information for a period of time is said to be a news source.

News sources can be a moving person or still documents.

 There are several news sources such as official documents, governmental officials,

witnesses of the crime scene, the victim itself etc. News sources are required for the both,

the journalists and for the audiences.

 News sources are people who journalists interview, talk to, quote, observe or meet to

‘construct’ a news story. They provide the basic information which is the building block of a

news story.
 Types of News Sources
News Agencies, Wire Copies, Reporters, Individual Sources, Bureau Reports, Online Sources
and Social Media Platforms are some major sources of news.

 NEWS AGENCIES / WIRE SERVICES:

News agency, also called press agency, press association, wire service, or news service, organization

that gathers, writes, and distributes news from around a nation or the world to newspapers,

periodicals, radio and television broadcasters, government agencies, and other users.

News agencies are a steady source of news for media outlets. Each news organization subscribes to a

large number of national and international news agencies to keep a close tab on all that is happening

in different parts of the world where they can neither set their own bureaus or afford to send reporters.
 Role of News Agency
 It provides foreign news to Indian subscribers.
 It provides Indian news to foreign agencies.
 It provides news, news analysis and features on different subjects like economics, science, human
interest, political activities and society.
 It also provides minute to minute details of share market.

Some important News Agency

 Associated Press (AP) – USA  Press Trust of India (PTI) - India

 Agence France-Presse (AFP) – France  China News Service and Xinhua - China

 Pan African News Agency (PANA)  United News of India (UNI) – India

 Middle East News Agency (MENA)  Asian News International (ANI)- India

 Reuters – UK  Tass – USSR

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 REPORTERS:

Reporters and correspondents are the backbone of any newspaper or a television news channel.

Competent, well- known and experienced reporters are thus central to any news organization which

aspires to earn its readers’ or viewers’ trust and claim to practice high quality journalism. Reporters are

the person who go into the field to collect stories that can be transformed into news.
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 INDIVIDUAL SOURCES:

Most news organizations insist on getting government or established sources of information to add

weight to their story. This is how media tend to reinforce the definition of the powerful few and impose

a single meaning to the event. As a result of pressures of time and resource allocation coupled with

the journalistic practice of objective and balanced reporting, reporters tend to get statements from

‘accredited sources’ i.e. accredited ‘representatives’ of powerful organizations who become what Hall

calls the ‘primary definers of the topics’. Besides the institutional sources, reporters often turn to

subject ‘experts’, academics or known faces in a particular field to lend a new dimension to the story.
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 BUREAU REPORTS:

Reports from several bureaus across the country and abroad are an important aspect of this routine of

news gathering. At the level of the bureaus, the reporters are less inundated with assignments when

compared with the head offices and therefore are able to spend more time in the field, even go for

investigative pieces or specials. The logic behind setting up bureaus is geographical closeness given

that reporters from their own native states or region have a better understanding of the political,

economic and cultural dynamics of the region and therefore are better placed to cover local news

stories.
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 ONLINE SOURCES & SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS:

New media and the internet have radically altered the way news is collected, disseminated and

consumed. The significance of the internet as a source of news is very well documented in the

literature on online news and social media. Newspapers and television news channels keep a track of

what news items are posted on different news portals and websites on a daily basis.
 Byline, Credit Line, Print Line, Embargo
and Dateline
 A byline is a line at the top of an article in a newspaper or magazine giving the author's name.

 A line acknowledging the members of publication team called Credit Line.

 A Print Line is where the details (name of the publisher, address of the publisher) of the

publication house and the publisher is written.

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 Embargo:

An embargo, also known as press embargo, is an agreement or request that a newspaper, news

agency or television station refrain from reporting information until a specified date and/or time.

In other words, when a communications or public relations team sends a news release or media alert

to reporters ahead of the scheduled release of the information.

 Dateline:

A dateline tells the reader when and where we obtained the basic information for a story.
THANK YOU