by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: May 05, 2009   Last Updated: May 17, 2009

Professional journalism covers all areas and events which touch lives. One of the dilemmas faced by editorial staff is deciding which stories or articles are newsworthy. One needs to look into the industry of selling magazines or newspapers to understand the significance. As a basic premise as to what makes newsworthy journalism, the readership will be one of the first considerations, as all newspapers and magazines need revenue, and indeed depend upon it. Therefore one can assume that newsworthy means encompassing items which readers will pay for and expect from their chosen publication.

*Human Interest.
*Timely events.
*Variety or novelty items.
*Celebrities and names.
*Geographical work.
*Global conflict.
*Local conflict.
*Relevance to reader's lifestyle.

Human interest.

At all levels of intellect, human interest stories are those which capture the imagination of the readership. These are always acceptable items and newsworthy, since they add a touch of humanity to an otherwise bland landscape. People want to read about individuals who do things which go beyond the norm, and also those whose stories are inspirational and uplifting.

Timely events.

Whether an event is a simple anniversary of an event or significant date on the calendar, timely events top all other kinds of journalism. Journalists have to think their work out in advance. In the cold of early Spring, the stories they work on will be for placement in items which may be forward planned for the Summer. Timely events can include seasonal journalism. For those journalists who work to tight deadlines, the newsworthy stories will be those which reach the editor in time to still be exclusive. In the newspaper industry this puts tight constraints on journalists who are willing to go the extra mile to get a story, though not all timely events are those which happen on the spur of the moment. What makes a timely event newsworthy is being able to cover a story from an original perspective, and one which hits the target audience at the right time.

Variety and novel items.

Intermingled with serious news, those items which use satirical writing are often very newsworthy. They create a stimulus for readers who delight in seeing a very different perspective. Novelty items of news can include the unusual. Events worldwide can capture the imagination of readers and novelty items are a popular form of journalism which have a timeless value as a news item. For example, strange occurrences make a great filler

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