How do we know what is “news”? There are millions of things going on in the world all the time and only some of them become news stories.

A journalist is able to pick out the newsworthy items and turn them into stories that people will want to read and hear and watch. That ability is what we call “news sense”.

It is tricky to define.

It is probably an instinct and our own experience suggests that some people are born with that instinct while others develop it through practice.

We asked a number of experienced journalists to try to explain what news sense is, and how it can be developed. The following is what they said. We have listed the names of the contributors alphabetically.

When you’ve read their definitions, please feel free to suggest your own or offer examples of news sense at work on our Facebook page.

Rahnuma Ahmed, writer, and Shahidul Alam, writer, photojournalist, and social activist, Bangladesh.

“News is information that is of value which was previously unknown. Both criteria need to be met, but the criteria might not apply equally to all. It may well have been known to some and shielded from others, or of great value to some but not of equal value to others. 

“The death of an unknown child in a remote village, may have little news value to people far away, but be major news to the community. If it is symptomatic of a major pandemic that could affect millions, that same death might become news for the world. The treatment of that pandemic might have news value to pharmaceutical companies, to health workers, scientists, insurance companies and even undertakers. If none of these applied it would still have immense news value to the child’s mother.”

Jonathan Baker, formerly Head of the BBC College of Journalism and Professor of Journalism at Essex University.

“Old hands will tell you that what makes a story cannot be defined, but that they know one when they see one.   

“It’s true that instinct and experience are important elements of news sense. But anyone can make a good news judgement by asking a number of simple questions: 

 “Is it new? Is it important? Is it interesting or amusing? Who is affected by it? Is there a human element? 

 “You need to answer all of these questions through the perspective of your readers, listeners or viewers. They should always be foremost in your thoughts. Who are they? Will they want to know about this? Do they need to? Is it relevant to their lives? 

“The answers to these questions should help you decide whether or not a story is newsworthy, as well as helping develop an instinctive news sense over time.”

John Bottomley, former chief sub-editor and Head of Sport at Trinity Mirror Cheshire, England.

“News sense is an important component of a reporter’s skills. It is intuition, being able to recognise instantly what will make ‘a good story.’ A good journalist never loses the feeling of satisfaction at spotting one. And if the subject matter lies beyond the reporter’s ‘patch’ he or she will work hard to unearth a local angle to ensure the story isn’t wasted.

“Good news sense may itself inspire investigative journalism but is at its best when homing in on the makings of a one-off good yarn, one which doesn’t always have to a ‘big’ story, a quirky one is often just as good or even better. When ‘shark bite’ was spotted on the list of operations scheduled at the local hospital it was destined to be ‘a good story’ no matter how serious or frivolous the details.*

“Good new sense can involve identifying current news trends and following them locally. If a serious dog attack makes national headlines then any minor one locally can naturally assume a higher profile.

“News sense may often be intuitive but surely it can be taught. In local journalism this can go alongside getting to know the area so that a flip through the latest planning applications may flag up something of interest eg. plans to build homes on a well-known flood plain etc.

“Good news sense can see a good story revisited. The closure of a long established family-run village butcher’s shop can easily lead to follow-up stories: ‘The end of an era,’ ‘Death of the High Street,’ ‘The village that is dying’ (lack of public transport to the nearest butcher?) and may also inspire a website campaign or two. Plus there is the  bigger picture. Is the shop’s demise just about economics? What about changing eating habits? Does the closure of a butcher’s reflect the growth of vegetarian values nationally? Is the village now home to any new ‘artisan food’ shops or restaurants? And ultimately, you never know, a build-up to perhaps making the claim it is a contender for ‘greenest village in the UK?’”

* A baby shark at the local aquarium had bitten the arm of the keeper feeding him. He needed a bit of patching up, the event hadn’t really been that dramatic but that didn’t stop the story being front page lead in the local paper.

Justin Burke, publisher of eurasianet, a news and analysis website covering Central Asia and the Caucasus.

“News sense is the value added that experienced journalists give to observations of everyday events. It enables journalists to organise stories in ways that make it easier for readers to make sense of the news and understand why events are unfolding the way they are. It helps writers show how the past is shaping the present, placing current affairs in a broader context.  New sense also fosters forward-looking analysis that allows readers to make connections concerning current affairs, identify trends and be more aware of potential outcomes.”

Bob Clifford, formerly of the BBC.

“News sense is a form of involuntary reaction to things going on around you – the ability/gift/curse to be able to spot a potential story in virtually anything you see or hear. 

“It’s a bit like when the doctor taps that spot just below your kneecap and your leg jerks up. 

“Something happens – you react.

“You pass a man who’s smoking a pipe and it strikes you that it’s now a very rare sight – so phone the Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers for a story on how they see their future or lack of it.

“You watch a television personality doing a solemn piece to camera while walking among Commonwealth war graves and notice that, as usual, she has her sunglasses perched on top of her head. Isn’t that rather relaxed and disrespectful? Phone a veterans’ group for an angry reaction. 

“The electrician fixing your lights tells you he hasn’t had any Covid jabs because his wife is trying to get pregnant. Are there lots like him? Ask the NHS and others for figures and comment.

“You overhear a fellow bus passenger phoning their dentist to say they are running late. But they don’t say sorry and you realise that this isn’t the first time you have noticed this. Phone social commentators and etiquette experts to help work up a piece for the feature pages on the death of manners..  

“A good test:

“You leave home, get to work and the boss says the diary page is short of one last item, time is running out, and have you seen anything that can be turned into a couple of interesting paragraphs?

“If you have kept your eyes really open, and your news sense fully engaged, you should be able to come up with at least something of interest – which, in the end, is what journalism is all about.” 

Caroline Faraj, CNN VP, CNN Arabic editor-in-chief

“Many in our industry understand the term but find it hard to explain in words, simply because it is encouraging the young journalists to use their senses.

“I usually tell our young members or interns to use their senses and try to answer some questions, like: Is there a story here? Would our audience be interested in it? Is it relevant to them? Am I focusing on reporting the truth? If yes, do I have the story covered from all sides? Then when you have elements that can be considered worth a story, would I feel proud to add my byline on it? If yes, then I would encourage the young journalist to write it and own it too.”

Phil Harding, broadcaster and formerly Director of News for the BBC World Service.

“It’s what’s new, it’s what is interesting, it’s what is important. It’s what you think will interest your audience or readership but not just what they may already be interested in – or what they tell you they are interested in – it’s sometimes about telling them about something that they become interested in once you have told them about it.”

Vincent Kahiya, former group editor-in-chief Alpha Media Holdings Zimbabwe, including The Standard, NewsDay, and The Independent.

“Reporters must cultivate what’s called a “news sense” as an instinctive feel for what constitutes a big story. For an experienced reporter, the news sense often manifests itself as a voice screaming inside their head whenever a big story breaks. “This is important,” the voice shouts. “You need to move fast.”

“The main building blocks to having news sense are reading newspapers, watching/listening to news bulletins, and having an awareness about the relationship between readers and their environments; that is context.

“Now, you can drill the factors that make something newsworthy into young journalists – impact, loss of life, consequences and so on. But at some point the development of a news sense must go beyond routine learning and be absorbed into a reporter’s body and soul. It must be instinctive, part of a journalist’s very being

“But that won’t happen if a student isn’t excited about the news, because a news sense is really all about the adrenaline rush that anyone who’s ever covered a big story knows so well. It’s the feeling one MUST have if he or she is to be even a good reporter, much less a great one.

“You won’t make it as a reporter if you don’t develop a nose for news, if you don’t hear that voice yelling inside your head. And that won’t happen if you’re not excited about the work itself.”

Ivan Kuzmanovski, senior reporter, Sitel Television, North Macedonia.

“News sense is probably the first thing you will hear when you start working as a reporter. It is something more than following the rules of making the story, but establishing a real connection with the audience. You need to know what the public is interested in and give them the information they need at the right time. It does not matter whether it is a political event, accident, crime story, investigative story, natural disasters, health problems, pandemic, always have the needs of your audience at the forefront of your mind.”

TP Mishra, the Executive Editor of the Bhutan News Service, an all-volunteer-run news agency for Bhutanese refugees.

“As a Bhutanese refugee editing news for my community I always ask myself whether the story is of interest to me. If it is, then an intuitive feeling kicks in to help me explore the angles that are of most importance to those I am writing for.

“In 2004 I was the editor leading a small team that set up a newspaper for the exiled Bhutanese living in refugee camps in Nepal. Our newspaper, The Bhutan Reporter, had a clear purpose, to keep Bhutanese refugees informed about news related to the home they had left in Bhutan, and their new home in the camps.

“So we had well-defined areas of interests that we decided to cover on behalf of our readers. And that purpose helped us tune our news sense to meet that need. We just knew what mattered most to those we were writing for. And we could pass that on to new recruits who joined us.” 

Media Helping Media thanks all those who contributed to this piece. Feel free to add your definition of news sense on our Facebook page.

The post Developing and applying “news sense” first appeared on Media Helping Media.

In the last module we looked at ‘What is news?‘. Now we look at where a journalist finds news stories.

The following are the main areas of life in which we expect to find news stories. For each category below, think of at least one event or situation which could make a news story in your own society.

Conflicts: This category includes wars, strikes, revolutions, secessionist groups, tribal and clan fights, elections and the power battles of politics.

Disaster and tragedy: This may include air crashes, train crashes, ships sinking, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, or human tragedies like children falling down deep wells from which they cannot be rescued.

Progress and development: Development is always news in a developing country. The report should be always of how the changes affect people’s lives, for better or for worse. New ideas or progress in one area may stimulate ideas in another. Development stories may include education, the development of new technology, improvement of farming techniques, road building and irrigation schemes. Citizens of more developed countries may also appreciate stories about developments in things which affect their lives or well-being, such as medical breakthroughs, new technologies or initiatives to make transport easier, quicker or cheaper.

Crime: Any crime can be news, whether it is a road accident, a break in, corruption, forgery, rape or murder – but more serious crimes or unusual crimes generally make bigger news stories.

Money: These stories include fortunes made and lost, school fees, taxes, food prices, wage rises, economic crises and compensation claims.

It is not only large sums of money which make news; the little girl who gives her only 10 cents to a huge fund-raising event is more interesting than the businessman who gives $100.

The underdog: One traditional role of the journalist is to defend the rights of the little person – the soldier against the unjust officer, the innocent man against false charges, the poor against exploitation.

Religion: There are two types of religious news story. First, there are events involving people’s religious lives, such as the building of a new church or a pilgrimage. Second, there are statements by religious leaders on moral and spiritual affairs, such as contraception or salvation. It is important for the journalist to be aware of the relative numerical strengths of Christianity, Islam and other religions – including traditional local beliefs – in his or her country.

Famous people: Prominent men and women make news. What people in the public eye do, the lives they lead and what they look like, are all of interest. It is especially newsworthy when they fall from power, lose their money or are involved in scandal.

Health: Many people are concerned with their health, so they are interested in stories about traditional remedies, medical research, diseases, hospitals and clinics, drugs, diet and exercise.

Sex: All societies are interested in sex, even if they do not talk about it openly. Many news stories about sex involve behaviour which goes outside society’s generally accepted standards.

Weather: The weather may affect the daily routine of people and is of interest when it behaves unusually, with exceptionally high or low temperatures, or exceptionally high or low rainfall.

Food and drink: The rich person plans feasts, the poor person wants enough to eat and drink. Shortages and gluts, crop diseases and harvest sizes, prices of food in the market or the launch of a new brand of beer all make news.

Entertainment: Stories about music, dance, theatre, and cinema keep us informed of developments in the arts, who is doing what, who is performing where, and what it is worth going to see or hear.

Sport: Many people participate in sport and many others are spectators. They all want to know sports results, news of sportsmen and sportswomen and their achievements.

Human interest: There are often unusual and interesting aspects of other people’s lives which are not particularly significant to society as a whole. Stories about these are called human interest stories. Examples might be a child going abroad for surgery; a pilot recovering from injuries received in an air crash and determined to fly again; or a man with a collection of a million picture postcards.

Most people agree that the purpose of the news media – newspapers, magazines, radio and television – is to inform, to educate and to entertain. However, the purpose of the news itself is to inform and to educate your audience.  It is not the job of news to entertain.

This does not mean that news should be dull. If a news event has an element of humour, you should always try to write the story in a way to amuse your readers or listeners.

Nevertheless, the news should only be reported if it is real news. Do not report non-news as if it was news only because the story is entertaining.

As you gain more experience, you may be able to write things which are purely entertaining – such as a humorous look at current events. This is not news, however, and should not be presented as if it was. Make it clear to your readers or listeners what is news and what is not.

The source of this training module is Media Helping Media and The News Manual. The image of journalists reading a news bulletin is by David Brewer .

The post Where does news come from? first appeared on Media Helping Media.

You are a radio reporter in a maritime city where shipbuilding is a major source of employment and wealth.

The local shipyard has announced 800 job losses on top of 800 announced a few months earlier.

In an effort to save their jobs, 37 workers decide to occupy a gas accommodation platform and a frigate, which are moored in the river adjacent to the shipyard.

Their protest has been going on for almost 14 weeks. Police and pickets surround the gates of the yard and the ramps leading to the occupied vessels.

For more than three months local media has received news releases and statements from the shipyard management, politicians, and from the union representing the occupying workers – but nobody has heard directly from the workers taking the action.

The only contact with them is via handwritten notes which are smuggled off one of the vessels, the gas accommodation platform, by messengers who, under the cover of darkness, dodge the police lines and use ropes to swing over barbed fencing and across the water between the accommodation platform and the shore, and then scramble aboard with the help of the occupying workers.

One morning, speaking live on your radio station, the union representative claims that management has turned off the water supply in an effort to end the occupation.

The representative says conditions on the occupied accommodation platform are bad and that some of the occupying workers are unwell. Their families express concern on your radio station’s morning phone-in. Many are distressed.

You have been reporting events since the start, and one obvious angle not yet covered is what life is like on the occupied platform. You have heard second-hand, but feel it’s important that you see for yourself the living conditions of the striking workers so that you can report the situation accurately.

Your news editor agrees, and it’s decided that you should try to board and interview the men. You know you will be trespassing, and could face legal action, but you go ahead anyway.

After broadcasting your report, the radio station receives a letter of protest from the lawyers representing the shipyard, warning against any further attempt to gain access to the vessel and interview the occupying workers.

Questions

• Is it ever right to defy the law in order to gain access to information?
• Should the radio station apologise to the shipyard management for the trespass?
• Should the radio station continue to use the material gathered during the trespass?
• Or should the radio station management instruct reporters to leave the story alone for fear of the shipyard taking legal action?
• Does the editorial motivation to get the whole story replace your duty of care to those whose words you broadcast?
• Is trespassing in order to talk to those occupying the vessel in the public interest?

Suggested responses

As journalists we will frequently face obstacles when news-gathering.

Public relations and communications officers will always be happy to feed you the side of the story that suits their needs. This is their job.

However, it is not always that easy to explore, understand, and articulate those elements of the story that are hidden behind legal barriers.

And, without all the facts, it’s difficult to relay a complete version of events to your audience.

Journalists need to be able to paint the fullest picture possible of what is really happening, without putting themselves, or those they are interviewing, in harm’s way.

In this particular case the decision to trespass in order to talk to the occupying workers face-to-face, and to see first-hand the conditions they were living under, was taken on editorial grounds after careful consideration by senior editorial staff.

Together, they decided the risk of arrest for trespass was worth taking in return for hearing a perspective on a major local news story that, for 14 weeks, had not been told.

One major consideration was whether scrambling on to the occupied rig to hear from the occupying workers was in the public interest.

So it’s important always to refer up to your line manager in all cases where you feel you need to take actions that could be legally dangerous.

Your line manager will need to decide whether the information you hope to gather is in the public interest, and your organisation’s legal team will assess the risk to you and to the company.

The post Trespass and journalism – scenario first appeared on Media Helping Media.