Is It Newsworthy

News consists of newsworthy information about current events and proceedings reported by some type of media. In order for an article to be considered newsworthy, it must have proper timing, significance, proximity, prominence and human interest (Media College). Topics in the news are only interesting and paid attention to if they are fresh and new. People no longer care about things that happened last week; they want to know what is happening today. Talking about Charlie Sheen is irrelevant because he is old news. Everyone already knows that he went crazy; they want to hear about something new and something they have not heard of before. Significance is important because things that happen on a larger scale are much more likely to be considered breaking news. News about a car accident that kills fifty people is more momentous than a car accident that only kills one, all though they are both very tragic accidents, a larger car crash is much more significant. News that takes place in one area is not relevant in others. Informing people of a sale that is happening three hours from their home would not be the same as telling someone a store down the street is having a major end of season sale. Prominence is also a major factor in newsworthy articles. Articles about celebrities always spark more interest than an article about a small town boy. People would rather know about what celebrities are doing rather than a normal person just like them. Human interest articles are articles written to make you feel some type of emotion. Whether the emotion is enjoyment or grief, they still make you have some type of response.
This article is from the Chicago Tribune and is about a shooting that took place in Englewood, Illinois on Friday night that injured fifteen and killed one within seven hours. The article is newsworthy because it follows all of the criteria. The article was written the morning after the shooting, so it was still new news to many. The shooting was

References: What Makes a Story Newsworthy?. (n.d.). Media College. Retrieved October 29, 2011. Nickeas, p. (2011, October 29). 15 shot, 1 killed, during 7-hour span Friday night. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 29, 2011, from http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-two-shot-on-south-side-20111028,0,7312528.story