Newsworthiness and Newspapers

Hi,

I would like to share about the different types of newspapers and the factors that decide whether a story is newsworthy.

Firstly, I would like to classify newspapers under two main categories: Tabloid and Broadsheet. Broadsheet newspapers are printed in larger formats and are considered as more "serious journalism" compared to tabloids. This is because broadsheets are normally written in a factual and formal tone, in contrast to the sensational and light-hearted tone used in tabloids. Broadsheets also put a lot of facts and details in their articles and present the issue from an objective view. On the other hand, tabloids emphasise certain parts of the article to make it more dramatic to attract readers and hence slants to a certain perspective. Therefore, the people who read broadsheets are often people who are more educated while the people who read tabloids prefer gossipy talk compared to facts. Some examples of broadsheets are The Straits Times and The Telegraph, while The Sun and the The New Paper are tabloids. However, it is important to note that there are some newspapers which have both types of articles. For example, The Straits Times include both the factual sections (Prime News, World, Asia) and the sensational sections (Life, ST Forum). Personally, I prefer tabloid news because I will be more engaged to read the article. However, it is important to read the broadsheets too, so as to look at the issue from a more objective stand and then taking our own point of view based on the facts provided.

Newsworthiness is an important factor in deciding the success of newspapers. If the articles provided are chosen well and engage its audience, then the newspaper will certainly sell well too. I think that there are many factors that determine an article's newsworthiness. For example, the proximity and the number of people involved in the article will affect the impact of the issue and will hence determine the relevance of the article to the readers. The fame of the person involved and the uniqueness of the article will also help to engage the interest of the audience. Some other factors to consider are the timeliness of the article, the shock or titillation factor instilled in the readers and most importantly, there must be a conflict between two parties in order to attract readers. However, in my opinion, I think that I am naturally drawn to the articles which talk about the issues that I am interested in. For example, being an athletic person, the first section of the newspaper that I read everyday is the Sports section, so as to keep updated on what is happening in the sports field. I also enjoy reading unique news that peak my interest. Most importantly, I find that the most simple yet most important factor is still the timeliness of the article. I feel that the timeliness really affects the other factors, because if the article is outdated, no one will read it even though it may be shocking or unique. Therefore, I learned that in order for a newspaper company to stay competitive, it needs to hire skilled news editors to pick interesting articles that are newsworthy.

Nathanael