What is news? How journalists assess news value

Learn what makes a story newsworthy. This guide explains the five criteria journalists use to assess news value, with clear examples.

Home Basic journalism How journalists assess news value Basic journalism How journalists assess news value By The News Manual 11 August 1991 Modified date: 29 May 2026 Share Facebook X WhatsApp Telegram Linkedin Pinterest ReddIt Email Print Copy URL Photo of woman reading newspaper by Photo by Abhijith S Nair on Unsplash News is any new, unusual, significant, and people-centred information that a journalist selects, verifies, and packages into a story to help the public make informed decisions. The job of the journalist is to sort through daily events and package them into stories in order to

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