GALTUNG AND RUGE NEWS VALUES

FREQUENCY
Is it something that happened fairly quickly?

News stories that fit under the news value of frequency normally happen very quickly. The most popular headline for this would be a murder which has taken place. I have chosen an attempted murder story called stab attack to place on the front cover of my newspaper which also fits under the category well. It is likely to make the front pages of local and national newspapers as it is an increasingly dangerous crime that people worry about. The audience would want to know about this kind of story as it happens suddenly. Its not as if the audience would know that it is going to happen for example a glacier melting. It just takes too long.

THRESHOLD
The size of an event. How big was it?

This appeals to the size of the event in the news story. Events could vary from numbers involving an individual to 100,000 people and so on. There is no doubt that the size of an event attracts readers simply because of the mass numbers. It also depends on the story itself however usually the stories with high numbers for example an earth quake killing hundreds and injuring thousands will gain a lot of readers and attract a lot of attention. I have included an article that affected many people and this I feel would gain attention. unemployment hits a record all time high suggests that there are many people involved as it reaches an all time high and that many have been effected by this. This was my main story as I knew that it is appealing to the target market I am aiming at.

UNAMBIGUITY
Is it clear? Are the results/effects obvious?

Many newspapers often ignore stories if they think that they are too difficult to explain. Although it is usually tabloids who follow this convention, many local newspapers also tag along mainly because these high profile stories are difficult to find in a local area. They are usually found in national newspapers especially broadsheet styled newspapers like The Times and The Guardian. Local newspapers also avoid these particular stories as they have limited meaning to the community and are not related to the target audience.

MEANINGFULNESS
Is the event relevant to us as the audience? Does it have an effect on our culture?

Under the topic of meaningfulness, I have made sure that I had included something in my local newspaper. Local communities feel that culture is important to many of us and an impact on culture could easily attract many readers instantly. I have included a library Campaign as one of my stories which fits into this perfectly. The closure of community buildings such as libraries often make the headlines even though theyre not as large as other stories. The closure effects community culture and solidarity and closing these buildings can even be seen as a threat to many in some cases.

CONSONANCE
What expectations are met?

There are certain expectations that have to be met especially when dealing with a local newspaper. The main and most obvious expectation is focusing on local news. This is usually confined to a borough or a particular area or location. I came up with the idea to focus my news on Brent central rather then Brent as a whole. I felt that this was unique and edgy. Local news need to meet expectations and provide local news and this is what I have done with the story copland school supports local charity.

UNEXPECTEDNESS
Is there anything we dont expect? Is there a rare or surprising event?

Typically, there are no events that come up as a surprise apart from the one or two unexpected stories such as decapitated body found in local river. However when these stories do arise, they tend to cover the wide and mass media. Another surprising event is the London 2012 Olympics whereby some of the events are going to be held in Wembley which is at the heart of Brent. This may cause a rare appearance of certain events.

CONTINUITY
Has it already been defined as news? Is it a running story?

This is the story of Madeleine McCan who disappeared on the evening of Thursday, 3 May 2007. As you could imagine, this flooded the news and has always been popping up every now and then. This is a recent news article that has just been released.

COMPOSITION
Newspapers tend to focus on negative news for one main reason. This is simply because negative news stories attract attention and make stories. People are innately attracted to what is scary and have a secret attraction of fear within them. This is an article which has a positive news story on the inside page. Although it may be very interesting to read about, this is not what viewers are attracted to. Most newspapers are filled with negative news stories and this is what makes them popular. Surprisingly, local newspapers are increasingly including positive news stories as headlines on their front covers and within. This is because people do look to hear about positive things in their local community and do enjoy knowing and reading about it as it is happening in and around the place they live in.

REFERENCE TO ELITE NATIONS/PEOPLE

Events in the developed world are more likely to be reported. The media tend to focus on current affairs and politics a great deal. These stories make news as they attract a wide range of audience. Being more popular in middle class and upper class families, politics is rapidly becoming popular than it already is. News about neighbouring countries will never be found in local newspapers. However local MPs are always in local newspapers trying to get some publicity.

As you may know, Simon Cowell is treated like god sometimes by many people. They see him as the strict individual that he is. Being the powerful man he is, he can control the media to a certain extent through the use of magazines, newspapers, television and the internet.

PERSONALISATION

I feel that all news is started of by an individual. Whether its a positive story of a negative story they will always have some sort of wow factor. Most stories in local newspapers affect people like us, the ordinary. The stories you see in local newspapers are subtle and are not as shocking as the ones you see in national newspapers especially tabloids with their use of shock language and images (THE SUN). The local people featured in newspapers show that these stories are nearby and all around us.

NEGATIVITY
As we all know, negative stories and articles dominate the media whether we are talking about magazines, newspapers, television and the internet. We may have to shove radio in there too! Bad news will always receive more press than good news simply because people are attracted to this. Although positive news is increasingly popular, it will never be on the same level as its opposite. People want to know what gruesome events are going on in the world.

I could literally go on forever but this is a nice way to end.

BAD NEWS IS GOOD NEWS