Newsworthiness

After examining several days of top news on both NYTimes.com and LATimes.com, I learned firsthand about the qualifications of newsworthiness in today’s media climate.

The New York Times, known for its widespread and somewhat elite, well-educated readership, focuses headlines on government affairs much of the time. From the nation’s budget to current Supreme Court cases, domestic affairs are a popular pick for front-page news. The New York Times has an international presence, so world affairs are also popular. This often encompasses global conflict with news of war-related deaths and nuclear power negotiations in the Middle East, but other issues, like the arrest of the Mexican Teachers’ Union and the election of the next pope, span top news.  The overall feel of the publication’s website is a serious, intellectual one, with hard-hitting, far-reaching news stories. There is less of a local or feature focus here than on smaller news outlets, but the website promotes interactivity with links to videos and other multimedia.

The LA Times is still a national-caliber publication, but its news coverage has more of a local feel. Headlines, rather than being about politics in D.C. or conflict overseas, focus on west coast events. News of violent Mexican drug cartels, drilling in the Alaskan Arctic, flu deaths in San Diego County and details of the Santa Cruz cop killer case all have a more regional feel than the New York Times headlines. Still, there is definitely overlap between the two publications, with headlines on the conflict in Syria and a prevalent Supreme Court case. The LA Times has a more approachable undertone on its website, with more feature-orientated content permeating the news front.

The number one requisite for newsworthiness that sticks out to me is the current nature of events. In the midst of today’s 24/7 news cycle, websites are constantly being updated and articles being added. Yesterday’s news is just that. Major crises or tragedies may stick around the front page for several days or even weeks depending on magnitude, but in general, for anything to be considered news, it must be timely. Another consideration is the publication’s audience. For politically-interested intellects reading the New York Times, covering top stories in Congress makes sense. For the casual daily reader in Los Angeles, news of flu deaths in the state of California is more pressing. Thus, as PR practitioners who pitch stories, we must cater to the needs and interests of the publication’s audience. 

While government and politics have always been a hot-button topic for news, today’s trends point toward international coverage. With increased U.S. involvement in a number of countries, ongoing conflict in the Middle East and occasional spurts of major news – like the Pope’s resignation – all occurring overseas, and with the power of the Internet to spread information like wildfire, domestic affairs have taken somewhat of a backseat in terms of top news on a daily basis. Again, depending on the readership of a publication, it might be more appropriate to take an international, national or regional approach to a story. Human-interest stories, or taking news stories and delivering them from an angle to which the average person can relate, are another popular trend in news today. Sports and celebrity news will always be popular, but in the state of today’s world, the timeliness and global impact of events are what make news, news.