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Coffee in hand, you grab the morning paper and head for your favorite chair. Like readers all over world, you are about to engage in a timeless tradition; reading the morning headlines. Just who was it that popularized the notion, "Everything goes better with a cup of Joe?" Every rule of thumb seems to have an exception, and as you rifle through the pages of the local rag, your frown just about sums it all up. There's no accounting for individual taste, is there? There are as many flavors of news as there are breakfast foods. And just like your favorite omelet, the news can be served up spicy, bland, packed with tasty tidbits, or just plain ordinary. Personal preference has a lot to do with how much of your newspaper you really consider to be newsworthy.

Some readers are drawn to what they consider "big news," and read only those articles that address international events or critical incidents, that threaten the security of human lives. Adrenaline junkies thrive on reading the details of the latest drive-by shooting, forest fire outbreak, or collateral damage in the war. Others enjoy the small snippets of information about who won the most blue ribbons at the local county fair. There are even folks who never put the paper down before carefully scanning the obituaries for familiar names. And let's not forget readers that eat up the society pages, looking for news of the rich and famous. By the way, I hear that Portuguese water dogs have been in huge demand since the President's family received theirs as a gift. . (Personally, I don't give a Bo Diddley.)

Putting both the somber and the humorous aside, there are some definite types of journalism that tend to be more newsworthy than others. What determines whether an event or piece of new information is significant enough to write about in the local newspaper or weekly periodical?

Articles written that have global implications top the list of subjects that are almost certain to attract an extensive readership. Just look at how much mileage journalists have already gotten out of writing about concerns over global warming? People all over the world are disturbed about climate changes, alleged diminishing water supplies and potential loss of endangered species of life.

Want to amass an almost instant readership? Find something that promises to create an impact over massive regions of the world and you will find a newsworthy piece of journalism. If global warming doesn't do it for you; how about the stock market?

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