There are several factors that determine whether a news story is good or bad. Some of these are relevance, exclusivity, magnitude, and shareability. In this course, we will explore the “Inverted Pyramid” style of writing news. We will also examine the time factor, which is one of the most important factors for news stories.
Relevance
According to a recent study, relevance of news affects people’s engagement with news stories. In particular, news stories that are relevant to a person’s life are likely to spark engagement. But what factors determine relevance? In addition to the story itself, users’ perception of news relevance is shaped by the context and linguistic strategies used to construct news. A recent flood in Tamil Nadu, for example, touched the hearts of many people. Images of strangers forming a human chain to rescue a drowning man went viral, demonstrating that stories about a calamity have an impact on people’s daily lives.
Another study examined the relationship between news format and affect. In this study, participants were asked to watch news videos and read transcripts. After each video, participants rated the news according to its relevance to them. Participants also completed a questionnaire on positive and negative affect. The results showed that personal relevance increased the likelihood of participants’ negative affect, whereas low personal relevance led to lower positive affect.
Exclusivity
Exclusivity in news is a key issue for news organizations and publishers. It can be extremely lucrative, but it also carries risks. An exclusive story must be compelling enough to justify the risk. If it has a weak angle or has been widely covered by other news outlets, it might not be worth the risk.
Exclusivity in news is the ability of a journalist team to tell a story without involving a third party. For example, a journalist writing a piece for The Australian Financial Review may not be able to discuss a controversial topic with a third-party source, and they may not have enough access to experts.
Magnitude
Magnitude of news is an important metric that measures the impact of news on the financial markets. Different types of news have different impacts on markets, for example, news about the economy or central banks will affect stocks and bonds differently. Thus, it is important to understand how these different types of news impact the market.
The way news is presented depends on the judgment of the reporter, who decides what facts to highlight and which are unimportant. Although critics of media delivery argue that the process is biased and based on market research, journalists still use certain standards when judging news. There are three main criteria that journalists use to determine the magnitude of news that they should report.
Shareability
As more people turn to online news, it is essential for news organizations to measure their impact on readers by looking at the shareability of news stories. By analyzing the headline and other key elements of a news story, shareability can be calculated. Shareable stories are easily understood and emotionally compelling. Using analytics, newsrooms can create stories that are more shareable and captivate readers.
A key challenge for news products is how to adapt to a fragmented consumer environment. Often consumers scan the news, pick and choose, and share articles with their social networks. In addition, opinionated news has an advantage over factual news, which is impersonal and objective. Adding personal interpretation to news can provide a deeper level of information that is more relatable to the audience.
Truthfulness
Truthfulness in news is an important issue for the media and society. As we continue to experience disinformation in our media, it is important to be aware of the facts in the news. There are many ways to spot a lie in news, but the best way to ensure that news stories are accurate is to check the source of the news. The Trust Project, an initiative of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, aims to restore public trust in the media by establishing metrics to measure the accuracy of news sources. It works with news executives to create “Trust Indicators” that identify responsible reporting in news sources.
One of the most important components of truthfulness in the news is proportion. Stories must be comprehensive, taking into account all the communities affected. Stories that are sensational, meanwhile, can be less credible.