NEWS VALUES I:CONFLICT, PROGRESS, VICTORY AND DEFEAT

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Radio News, Reporting and Production MCM515

LESSON 04

NEWS VALUES I

As we have come to know in the previous lesson that any event or opinion that people want to know, and is

reported in newspaper or is broadcast on radio as a part of a news bulletin, is a news. It is a matter of

common sense that every event can not mount to be reported and hence can not be called news. Likewise,

every statement or every opinion can not be declared or treated as news.

Let us have a look at some situations and see if they can be given some space in any newspaper or in a radio

or television news bulletin.

I give a statement about my friend that he is an irate kind of person, or I have a row (to exchange hot and

harsh sort of words with somebody) with my cousin on a point, or my brother goes for shopping and get

into a kind of argumentation while making a bargain with the salesman over the price of a pullover he

intends to buy, or one of my old buddies give me a ring on my mobile that very next day he may drop in on

my place.

All above-mentioned situations can never be called news unless I enjoy a considerable amount of

prominence in my country. Getting more simplified, let alone my being known to my countrymen, if I am

not known even to my city fellows I can just dream of being a focal point of any news item. Had I been an

important figure, in any way, on national or international level, I would have had a considerable space in

news.

In this lecture we will see what those factors are which make ordinary event news and add newsworthiness

to any happening, event, and any opinion or to any statement.

The following are those factors that can aptly be called news values:

1. CONFLICT

Conflict means a kind of clash, quarrel, disagreement, discard or battle between persons, groups, societies or

countries. It may be political, religious, ethnic or personal.

Most conflicts are newsworthy to some extent or degree. Important types of conflict are given below:

Physical Conflict:

Physical conflict is normally newsworthy because it usually leads to injury and damage. Since it involves

violence, where there such an incidence of conflict arises, people rush to it to know what has happened

actually. Physical conflict may be between two brothers over the division of inherited property, between a

shopkeeper and a buyer on bargain, between two landlords on water dispute, or between two business

partners over the question of profit.

Social Conflicts:

Social conflicts may not involve physical clash but there is a possibility of disagreement on certain issue

amongst different fractions of society. A violent mob getting wild and unruly may loot the shops, set the

buildings on fire, break the window-glass of showcases, ablaze the tires on important crossroads and may

jam the smooth flow of traffic. All these happenings provide a good stuff for a news bulletin.

Economic Conflicts:

Economic conflicts are between two business tycoons, between government and public and between two

countries; as well. For instance, there are certain economic sanctions imposed on any country resulting from

a clash on any issue between super power and a weaker country.

Religious Conflicts:

Religious conflict is an important conflict of immense news value. What history reveals is the fact that most

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of the wars fought on earth were because of religion. It needs a great deal of magnanimity and big

heartedness to bear and tolerate other religion's existence. Failing to which leads humanity to a deadly riots,

clashes and sometimes wars.

Different factions and sects within a religion also provide grounds to horrible clashes between the people

constituting the same religion.

Ethnic riots in India are apt examples of religious conflicts. Riots between Hindus and Muslims, Hindus

and Christians, and Hindus and Sikhs are the incidents carrying strong and convincing news value and are

not only reported prominently in Indian media but also worldwide.

Conflict between Politicians:

In today's world of news, conflict between politicians is a major source of stuff for a news bulletin.

Politician is part and parcel of a democratic system and they are always seen at daggers drawn at one

another. One political party's political leader does not let any chance go unveiled to criticize the rival

political party or political leader. Their statements against each other are of great news value.

Conflict between States:

Conflict between states may be of different kinds. It may be just verbal or may be physical. Verbal conflicts

are because of certain unresolved vendetta and disputes between the countries. And if the bilateral relations

fail to achieve a position of normalization and the state-of-affairs gets more and more tensed and worse, a

moment arrives when war gets ignited between the countries. Getting into war does not demand countries

to share the border-line with each other or one another. Last century gifted world with an unending list of

reasons to wage a war against any nation, a wide range and choice of sophisticated weapons and intriguingly

subtle war ways and techniques that now any nation can declare war against any other nation on earth

provided it is more powerful than the other one.

War news are always read and listened to with great deal of keenness and curiosity.

Conflict between Man and Nature:

Floods, earthquakes, tsunami, famine, torrential series of rains, twisters, tornados, etc. are enough examples

of conflicts between man and nature. Radio for the coverage of such natural calamities can prove its worth

more than any other form of media.

2. PROGRESS

Progress means any improvement in any field. If the progress is really significant it will be a part of the news

bulletin.

Some leading walks of a society are as under in which if there is any remarkable progress; it will be noted by

the reporter.

Progress of a student

Outstanding performance in education or sports or in any co-curricular activity such as debates, speech

competition, poetry, essay competition, etc.

Progress of a political party

Any political party wins the polls or clean sweeps the elections.

Any Department

Progress in any project initiated by any government department may be good news.

Scientific device

Any change or innovation in any already existing invention or device also makes news, for instance,

progress in IT devices or equipments. The first computer could hardly fit into a big room but following

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years' hard work done by the IT engineers not only brought about revolutionary and mind blowing

improvements in the machine but also shrank the size of the same machine to the extent that now it can

easily fit into one's pocket as well.

Medicine

Human and animal diseases are getting more and more complicated day by day and the growing state-of-

affair is offering difficult challenges to the medical scientists. Whenever there is any break through in the

on-going search for the antidotes of fatal diseases like AIDS and HEPATITUS, it becomes news.

Ongoing fight

If war has been erupted between the countries and there is a change in the situation, it is media's

responsibility to keep the people informed.

Progress in relations between countries

If a kind of tension and cold war is going on between two countries owing to certain grounds and

backgrounds and the attempts are being made to restore a state of normalization between them through

diplomacy or some other channel and resultantly there is a noteworthy progress in the process, it deserves

to be given a place in the news bulletin.

3-VICTORY AND DEFEAT

Conflict naturally paves way for the victory of one party and defeat of the other one. Whether the conflict is

between two hockey or cricket teams striving for a cup or trophy, or two armies combating in a battlefield

or two political parties contesting an election, one side's fate is victory and the other's is defeat. These two

ingredients of human society are teemed with healthy newsworthiness.

4-EMINENCE & PROMINENCE

It is agreed upon that names make news and the bigger the name, the larger the news. There is an aura of

news around prominent persons.

The inauguration of a beauty saloon by a renowned actress is news.

A statement issued by a social reformer about the pathetic condition of patients in government hospitals is

news.

A prominent actor's visit to a market is news.

An eminent squash player's appearance in a TV ad in future is news.

Any political leader's visit to a Kachchi Basti is news.

Rightly is said that even flu to an actress is news for media.

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