When reporting on recent events, the quality of the news depends on several factors, including its relevance, timeliness, and impact. Also, whether the news has positive or negative overtones is important. In addition, the news article should be of interest to the reader. For example, an article about a crime or a disaster may have both positive and negative overtones. To make the news more engaging, a journalist can emphasize the positive aspects of the event while downplaying its negative ones.
Relevance
Relevance of news is a key question in journalism. As media organizations try to reach audiences across the globe, they must provide information that is relevant to different people. This requires a better understanding of how people categorize information and what is important to different audiences. To understand this, ethnographic research is necessary.
Timeliness
The timeliness of news has historically been an important element of the news-production process. The timeliness of news has often been determined in part by the reporter-source interaction. Reporters tended to render information in a way that enabled it to be conveyed quickly. Newspapers also tended to speed up their processes in the face of pressing news.
Impact
Many factors influence the impact of news on individuals. Popularity, quality, and context of news items are important. But the power elite can also influence news selection. For example, news that is highly relevant to power elites are more likely to be presented prominently in search results, and also have more news articles related to those topics. In addition, news with prominent sources has more credibility and recency.
Positive or negative overtones
A positive or negative overtone is created by the content of the news. For example, a positive overtone might be created by an exclusive story originating from the news organisation. Similarly, a negative overtone might be produced by conflict or bad news. A surprise story can create a positive overtone because it surprises the audience. It may also be created by including infographics or audio-visual stories. These stories are more likely to be shared on social media, which could enhance their positive or negative overtones.
Professionalism
Journalists should uphold the ethical standards of journalism by covering news and events with balance, objectivity, and fairness. They should also follow the global trend toward multipolarization and work to build a better world through exchanges, tolerance, and solidarity. Terver Akase, chief press secretary of the governor of Benue State, said this at the opening ceremony of a symposium organized by the Catholic diocese of Makurdi to commemorate Media Week.
Influences on journalistic selection
There are numerous influences on journalistic selection, and the selection process may not be as objective as journalists believe it to be. For example, journalists may have political beliefs, which may influence their coverage of news events, or they may have ethical standards that they follow. When competition is intense, though, they may deviate from their principles. A more general model of selection is that journalists choose news stories according to the newsworthiness of the story. In other words, they choose news that will interest their audience.