News is a service, not a product

Frontiersman editorial board

What is news, anyway? In an age when the lines between news, entertainment and advertising have been blurred almost beyond distinction, it is sometimes difficult to determine the role and effectiveness of a newspaper, news magazine or broadcast news program.

Television news programs more and more produce "special features" that certainly seem more like entertainment than news. Newspapers and magazines print things called "advertorials" -- a term that suggests it is possible to graft advertising onto news content without risk of confusing readers or smudging the ethical line that was once clear.

In this climate, many businesses and other entities make use of the many communications media by sending out press releases and other informational pieces. The media must decide upon which side of the line -- editorial or advertising -- those releases fall. In a world now almost completely painted with the brush of corporate models, it is natural that some of the corporate language crops up in newsrooms. We sometimes find ourselves talking about our "product" when we once called it a "paper." Perhaps what we call it bears little weight, but then maybe it does. Certainly, if we are a product, it is very difficult to decide what is news and what isn't. But if we are a newspaper, it means we can fall back on that old standard -- news value -- to help with those decisions.

News value is a concept that grows from the notion that a newspaper is not merely a product, but it is also, and perhaps more importantly, a service. It is a service to its readers. News value is determined by weighing information against two simple scales: The scale of mass appeal, and the scale of importance of information. In other words, we have to consider whether a story -- or press release -- appeals to a large number of our readers. Do many of our readers benefit from the information in the piece, or does the piece only benefit those featured in the story? Second, we must consider whether or not the information goes beyond the simple criterion of entertainment impact. Surely, there are some features that focus upon entertainment, but they must convey important information, too. For the most part, though, the job of a newspaper -- or any news source -- is to provide readers or viewers with information that connects them with their community and empowers them to make good decisions.

In that way, all news media should strive to be something more than a product. We should first be a service to our community.