Generally speaking, news is an information report about current events. It is usually given in newspapers or on the radio. Typically, the news must be significant, interesting, and new. It must also be brief.
In the past, news was mainly printed and manually typed. However, in the 20th century, television became an important means of transmitting news. Today, the Internet plays a similar role.
In the past, news stories were only told once, but in the 21st century, they can be shared and viewed by many people at once. That is why many advocacy organizations pitch their news stories to media. They hope to reach funders and policy makers through their stories.
Although the way news is judged is the same everywhere, news values vary depending on the medium used. For instance, some theories explain the news value of money stories. These include economic crises, food prices, and school fees.
Another news value is exclusivity. Some newspapers and producers draw attention to this. It is considered newsworthy if it is exclusive to the publication.
An element of surprise is also a factor in determining the news value of a story. In addition, news stories can have positive or negative overtones.
Besides the factors described above, news values can be influenced by arbitrary variables. For example, a new insect discovery could be a major news story. But, the general public would not find it interesting. Similarly, a coup d’etat in a neighboring country would affect the stability of the country.