 Dear learners, I am Trisha Dora-Burwa from the Bhoopan Hazarika School of Mass Communication, Krishnakanta Hanik Street Open University and I would like to once again welcome you all to another discussion on a different area of mass communication journalism, that is news values. This particular topic is covered under Unit 7 from the second semester paper, journalism. Now, moving on, what exactly are news values? News values are basically different characteristics of news. To put it very simply, they are different characteristics and each every news has some kind of values in them or in fact they are actually the qualities by which events qualify as news. And news values, they actually determine how much of prominence a particular news story is given by media outlet and the attention it is given by the audience. And let us try to focus on the different characteristics. The first and the most important characteristic of news is timeliness. Now, for the term itself, you can make out, you know, as far as timeliness is concerned, usually most of the news stories that you see in different media outlets, be it in print media, be it in electronic media, be it in different online media, it has to be new, recent or on time. Usually you hardly will find old news that have been broadcast or that have been printed in different media outlets, except in certain exceptional cases. And timeliness, we can define it by the publication cycle of different news medium in which the information will appear. So, the concept of timeliness is different for different newspapers or for different periodicity of the news magazine or newspaper or a broadcast media is concerned. Now, for a weekly news magazine, the events that has happened during the previous week are timely, because that is a weekly news magazine that magazine comes on only once a week. So, when it comes on once a week, only they will cover those news stories or those events that has happened only in the previous week itself, right? That is a, as far as a weekly news magazine is concerned, this is how the timeliness concept is defined here. But for daily newspaper, the events that has happened during the first 24 hours during the last edition of the paper are said to be timely. So, the concept of timeliness is different in case of a daily newspaper because they try to cover those news stories as I might have taken place during the last 24 hours. And as far as broadcast media is concerned, events that has happened during the past few hours up to the last half hour are actually timely, okay? So, maybe for the past, you know, for instance, there is a news program which is going to take place at 7 o'clock in the evening. So, they'll try to take up those news stories, maybe for the last, you know, three, four hours ago, that might have happened. They'll try to cover those news stories along with that. Up to the last half hour, they are said to be timely. Okay, it's not that completely they try to broadcast news that are like, you know, that have taken place almost 24 hours back. It's not that, because broadcast media is very fast, unlike, you know, daily newspaper. The broadcast is, it's kind of digital media, right? So, every passing time and every moment of every second news are being coming up. So, they keep on updating news every second, every minute. So, for broadcast media, that is what the timely-less concept is all about. Another important characteristic, another important news value that we can talk about is importance. Significant events that hold importance for the masses must be considered as news. Any important event, you know, it may be like, you know, for instance, someone has presented a budget in the parliament, or maybe, you know, there's a dignitary coming from after the country is addressing the nation, or maybe there's some kind of government project that needs to be focused in the mainstream media. So, such kind of important, such kind of news if they are being broadcast, if they are being, you know, focused more, then of course they will generate more interest from the readers itself, you know. So, this is another important quality, another important news value, because the more important news you focus on, the better it is for the particular news organization, the better it is for the society as a whole. Another important characteristic on the important news values that we talk about is conflicts. You know, we live in a society, so we are very much used to seeing different kinds of conflicts taking place in society. When a society comprises multiple ideologies, there are multiple groups, multiple organs, there are innumerable ethnic communities, there are multiple languages and so on and so forth, then definitely conflicts are bound to take place, isn't it? We can't avoid them, we can't stay away from them. So, such kind of conflicts, you know, when they are being reported in different media outlets, when they are reported in different media, through the different media organizations, they are widely covered and, you know, they have some kind of news voting value to it, because, you know, something which generates interest, something which, you know, brings, you know, brings a mindset of, kind of, arouses the mindset of the general public, you know, that can actually, you know, lead to a fruitful negotiation. Okay. So, conflicts are important for more news values. Then another important characteristic of news value or another important news value, which we have is proximity. Now, the, you know, when the more news you focus, that is, that might have taken place, some in-neighbour locality. For instance, the people living in Assam. Okay. So, they'll be more used, so they'll get more excited. They will be more, like, drawn towards those news that have, you know, emanated from their own homeland, maybe somewhere in Upper Assam, some kind of externalistic place, maybe somewhere lower Assam, there is some kind of, you know, integrationistic place, or maybe some kind, in middle Assam, there is some kind of big conferences taking place. So, if those incidents have been focused, because those are focused, and those incidents, how those news have taken place within the same proximity, within the same, you know, within the same limited aerial distance where the particular news has taken place. So, when such kind of news events have been focused, then, you know, it tries to, it has an immediate effect on the people's minds. People are drawn towards such kind of news stories, because as relevance or some, when focus is given local news, it's very much interesting for the masses, irrespective of whether they, whichever place they are, looks staying at the moment. Another important character, another important news value is prominence. Now, prominent person, prominent events and prominent places always make news. Okay, it's not always that, you know, you, you try to talk about, maybe, you know, something political news, you always talk about economic news, it's not only that. When you try to focus on events, like showing the, highlighting that someone has, some prominent person has come to, you know, where something, so and so forth, or maybe some important event has taken place at the government level. So, those are news of prominence. And they always, such kind of prominent news stories always makes news. Another important news value is the impact or consequence. Look, the kind of impact that event is going to have on the minds of the people is also another characteristic of news. And even that actually causes or is capable of causing a great sequence of events affecting many persons, obviously, in news voting. Okay, suppose some kind of event is taking place and that event is bound to create some kind of impact in the society, or there is bound to have some kind of consequence in the society, you know. And that has far reaching, you know, maybe that has far reaching impact on the lives of the people, and also that has far reaching consequences of, you know, generating a kind of debate, a kind of discussion in the society. So, something, a news having some kind of impact or consequence is said to be very always make good news. Then we have another important news value, which is progress. Information relating to a country's development and prosperity always makes news. It's very obvious. You know, when you talk about something, some developmental news, when you talk about something which is related to the advancement of the society, when there is a focus on something which might directly, indirectly lead to, you know, a kind of healthy atmosphere and creating a healthy atmosphere in society, you know. So, such kind of information actually makes news, because every society has problems and issues that needs to be highlighted by the media, and such information is always news voting. Then we come to disaster. Disaster is on the important news value. Any kind of disaster makes news, okay. Now, if you see usually, you know, suppose a massive earthquake has taken place in some part of the country, or maybe in some part of the world. So, of course, that particular news story will gather the most eyeballs than any other news stories, right. So, that news stories will be focused on the front page of the newspaper, as well as it will be a front page headline of any broadcast media organization. So, such incidents occur and, you know, it kind of stirs the emotions of the larger segments of the society. Because, you know, when we try to cover the disaster-related news stories, it has a kind of deep impact on the minds of the people, because people are able to relate to the particular disaster. People are able to identify how that particular incident has taken place, what did take place, and who were involved in that particular incident. So, there is a kind of sentiment involved. There is a kind of emotion involved in that particular news story. Okay. Then we have another important characteristic of a news story. In other words, we get important news value. It is human interest. So, usually, when we talk about human interest, this aspect is mostly covered in soft news stories. Because, of course, there are a plethora of news that has been given that has been thrown to us. We have hard news stories, soft news stories. We have, from soft news stories, we can, like, subdivide into, you know, anchor news stories. We have feature stories. Okay. Then, of course, with the editorial part. So, the different areas, different stories have been given to us. But not all stories can actually, you know, generate interest in the minds of the people. There has to be some kind of newsworthiness to it. There has to be some kind of, you know, value to it. And human interest is one of those values. And such stories, it arouses some emotions in the audience. Stories that are motivating, uplifting, or ironic. They may be bizarre also. They may be dramatic also. So, you know, such items that concern ordinary people who find themselves in circumstances with which the audience can actually identify with them. Another important news value which we can talk about is currency. Currency basically talks about the current event that has been taking place presently. It's all about current events. You know, current events will have the limelight rather than those news which might have taken place sometime back. Because, you know, we are always on the move as laymen or as common masses. So, we need those news stories. We need to kind of check up those news stories which might be of relevance to the present society. We don't want any such theories which might have taken place about like two, three months back, right? We only want those news stories which might have taken place maybe, you know, 24 hours back or maybe just at the most like one day ago. We don't want to interest in something which is very stale which is very old news. Okay, which is one something which is presently happening which might have some importance to society, which might have, you know, human interest angle to it or which might have some prominence to it and which might have some impact to that particular story. Then we have novelty which is another important news value. Now, novelty basically talks about, you know, something that's very new, something which is very unusual kind of story, okay? Something which is very unique in nature. So, those make up a good news stories. Okay, so for instance, like as example, I'm just citing here suppose there is an expedition going on just below the, you know, water level, below the sea in some part of the country. So, and in that expedition they have tried to earn out, you know, some kind of, you know, relics maybe some kind, something that has taken place a long time back and they have tried to, you know, excavate, dig out those, you know, things from just under the water. So, that kind of news story falls on novelty because it tries to focus something which is very new which is very unique, something which has never taken place because usually when we go for excavation, when we go for, you know, digging out materials as part of anthropology. You know, usually we go to different places, we go to valleys, we go to hills but usually we don't go under water to check out for such kind of relics. So, when such kind of expedition comes to the forefront when such kind of news is being put in front of the general common public and that falls on the novelty. It falls on something which is very unique, something which is very new or which is very unusual. Okay, then let us understand usefulness. Usefulness is also another important quality of a good news story with some other important news values. So, a good news story should cater to those news stories which actually help the public in different ways, maybe directly or indirectly. Suppose someone is covering a news event which is related to some development purposes. So, a person who tries to understand the development, some, maybe some, you know, project is being undertaken by the government and they are trying to give incentives to the farmers for the particular project. So, maybe that project will be useful or helpful to the farmer in some way or the other. So, such kind of news stories are more interested because such kind of interest has a better impact on the minds of the individual because some way or the other such kind of news stories it might be useful in the long run because it might lead to the development of the society in the long run. One example I'm just citing here that maybe you might have noticed during some very bad weather conditions usually the government or the weather forecasters try to warn the fishermen from venturing out into the sea. They try to give out phone numbers to those fishermen which tries to broadcast the phone numbers or maybe try to publicize the phone numbers that if any such calamity takes place, please contact those numbers. So, such kind of information it's a kind of a small kind of news item but it is very useful in the sense that it may or may not in a way help the fishermen to save their own lives. So, such kind of information, such kind of news stories have more news values than those stories which do not focus on such kind of quality. Then last but not the least you have the most important news value there is an education value. Of course, news is not only something that has meant to entertain the masses it's not only meant to create a kind of sense of understanding of a particular problem or maybe to give a brief overview of what the events might have taken place in that but it's a certain education value to it. What exactly this value is all about? More specifically when you this is very much seen in case of the print media because you know print media different if you open a particular newspaper if you just see font through the different pages of newspaper you will see a plethora of information at your fingertips. You will find different columns about educational job opportunities you will find different editorials they have tried to focus on different news stories that might be of value to the society. So such kind of news stories in the long run are very much helpful or beneficial to the general public. So in today's discussion we have tried to talk about the different characteristics of news in other words the different news values and why a lot of emphasis is given news values. So the more emphasis is given news values the better attention it will be or it will receive from the audience. And for more information or for more references you can consult the different books that have been provided in the back of this particular in your concern self-study materials and also you can check out the different websites and different e-resources that are widely available on the internet. So today's discussion was all about news values. And with this I will end the discussion. Thank you so much.