We have learnt of three different lists of news values;
Firstly is Galtung and Ruge's from 1965, followed by Golding and Elliot's of 1979. Finally we come to Harcup and O'Neill's from 2001, which I believe is the closest to what is the norm in today's media.
The rules used to be "if it bleeds it leads." This may still be the case, yet I believe others could be added to the same sentiment. For example "if its local..." or "if they yell..."
Hence, I present Biggs' News Values of 2012:
- Locality
- Death
- Violence
- Religion
- Elites
- Terrorism
- Health
- Protest
This reduced list is a combination of the three which I believe to be most relevant in today's media landscape. Interestingly, Terrorism does not appear on any of the three aforementioned lists. I sadly believe that Terrorism is and has been an ever increasing threat. Although there is promise of peace in the future with powers such as France, America and Australia all pulling out of the Middle East in the next two years, Terrorism will always have news value, especially when linked with Locality.
Another value which is not present in any of the three lists is Protest. I believe in this new multimedia environment on the 21st century, the opportunities for people to express themselves are endless. Freedom of Speech often incites interest and support amongst the general public, so I believe that Protest is justifiably a modern day News Value.
In summary, I believe that News Values are constantly changing. New lists could be brought out every year, possibly month. That is the way it will continue to be.
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