News (Gatekeeping/News Values)

Gatekeeping→ a term applied to the editing and filtering process where decisions are made to let some information 'pass through' to the receiver (audience) and other information remains barred.

News Values

1. Threshold- The bigger the impact and reach of the story.
2. Unexpectedness- News that you don't expect. An event that is a shock and out of the ordinary.
3. Negativity- A bad news story. It is much more interesting 'if it bleeds it leads'.
4. Elite persons/place- Stories about important people and powerful nations.
5. Unambiguous- Stories that are easy to understand and for papers to report on.
6. Personalisation- Giving a news story a personal touch (a 3 year old died in the fire).
7. Proximity-Stories closer to home are more likely to be included.
8. Continuity/Currency- Stories that are already in the news continue to run and are updated.