Hard News
Example #1
The article Microsoft makes debut in wearable market with fitness device is an example of hard news. While the subject of this article appears to be entertainment related, the article itself is very business related and includes more information about the cost and release dates rather than the device's functionality and features. The article does not appear to be soft news simply because of the style of writing used by the author and the way their content is described.
Example #2
The article Arrest shows police using new strategy to charge suspect extremists is an example of hard news. The content of this article is not necessarily meant for entertainment, but to inform the public of the new lengths the Canadian government and law enforcement are going to in order to ensure we will be faced with no more acts of terrorism. The subject matter contained in this article is very serious and it could not be considered sift news because of how the content is written and relayed onto the audience.
Soft News
Example #1
The article Man Brakes into Home Dressed as a Teletubby, Steals Leftover Chinese Food is a clear example of soft news. The article is very entertaining and the content is not one bit serious although a crime was committed. The title of this article basically tells the story because it consists entirely of a university student breaking into someones house dressed as Laa-Laa from the Teletubbies and stole Chinese food from the refrigerator. As well, the article is very brief and does not go into much detail about the incident.
Example #2
The article Why Did the Tortoise Get Sick? Because I Swallowed A Turtle! is an example of soft news. This content of this article is clearly not very serious and talks about a tortoise named Lola who swallowed a turtle pendant. The story contained in this article was written entirely for entertainment because it contains no information that would concern the everyday person. The story is very short and is clearly meant to attract consumers through human interest.
Borderline News
The article Justin Bourque to sentenced today is an example of what I believe to be somewhere in between hard and soft news. The content of this article could be considered hard news because of the fact that it involves Justin Bourque, who not long ago killed three cops and injured others. This article may be considered soft news as well because recently it has seemed that Justin has faded from the public eye until now. As well, this article is not very long and seems to be written in order to entertain the public as to how severely he will be sentenced.
Friday 31 October 2014
Wednesday 22 October 2014
What Is Newsworthy?
Saskatoon family want to keep raccoon as pet
Timing - 4/4
This new story is not a popular or well known story. I gave it a 4/4 for a mark because they released the story as soon as possible which is important for a story of such small importance.
Significance - 1/4
This story technically only affects the Hook family in particular and possibly a few other families living in the Saskatoon area. I gave it such a low mark for significance because the story does not affect many people.
Proximity - 3/4
While this news story did happen close to home, specifically in the same country, I did not give it full marks because it deals with a specific law in the city of Saskatoon. This event while close to New Brunswick still does not affect us much.
Prominence - 1/4
This story has little to no prominence because it only affects the family involve and it is not a worldwide news story. Other than possibly a few friends of the family and the few others who may be dealing with the same situation no one would really care or be affected by this story.
Human Interest - 3/4
This story may appeal to the emotions of others who have been in this situation or those who simply have a love for animals. I have given this mark because while the story may not affect many people overall, many of those who do read it would be able to feel an emotion connection to the family.
Final Newsworthy Mark - 12/20
Dead babies in Winnipeg storage unit 'tragic beyond relief'
Timing - 4/4
This article was posted the day after the events it discusses occurred. The timing was perfect for this story because the information was released quickly to the consumer which is needed for a story such as this.
Significance - 1/4
This story while tragic does not affect many people. Other than the family of the babies found and the person who commit the offence no one else is truly affected by this event. I gave it such a low mark because of the fact that this story holds little significance compared to some others.
Proximity - 3/4
This story occurred in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Although it did occur in Canada, it didn't occur close to New Brunswick so it will not hold as great effect to us as it may someone from Manitoba.
Prominence - 1/4
There is not much known about this story other than the fact that the bodies of three children are found. The murderer or specifics about the children are unknown so the story cannot hold much prominence.
Human Interest - 4/4
This story may not effect many people, but it will defiantly play with the emotions of those who read the article. The subject of this story can easily evoke deep emotions from the reader because of how upsetting the content is.
Final Newsworthy Mark - 13/20
Do spoilers actually improve a car's performance?
Timing - 2/4
The timing of this story's release was not very well thought of because spoilers on cars have been used for many years. I gave this article such a low mark because if people wanted to know this information then they probably would have wanted to learn it before now.
Significance - 3/4
This story is very significant in today's society because nearly everyone owns a car and a large percentage of these vehicles have a spoiler. This fact alone proves that this story will affect many people although not necessarily in a big way.
Proximity - 4/4
This particular story would cover a very large area because spoilers on cars can be found everywhere across the world. Compared to some other stories this one in particular has the possibility of personally affecting anyone from anywhere in the world.
Prominence - 4/4
This story has a lot of prominence because of the fact that many cars of all makes and models can have a spoiler. Everything form a minivan to a Ferrari can have a spoiler which makes the information found in this article relate-able to a vast number of consumers.
Human Interest - 2/4
This story, although affecting a large audience, does not carry much human interest. Most of the people who purchase a car with a spoiler do not care how it will affect the operation of their vehicle, but rather how it makes the car look.
Final Newsworthy Mark - 15/20
Joan Rivers died of complication during medical procedure
Timing - 2/4
This article was originally posted a month after the death of Joan Rivers. I gave it such a low mark because information such as this should be released closer to time of the person's death because sadly in today's day and age deaths such as these quickly fade away from the audiences mind.
Significance - 3/4
This story affects many people because of the fact that it involves a celebrity. People tend to ravel themselves up in information such as this and can be affected greatly by information revolving around a celebrity such as Joan Rivers.
Proximity - 4/4
This story affects nearly everyone form the North America because of the fact that it involves someone as famous as Joan Rivers. Compared to other stories this one may have a further reach because many people of either watched some of Joan's work or at least have heard of her.
Prominence - 4/4
This story holds great prominence because it involves someone who was very famous at some point. In this case it involves information on the death of Joan Rivers. If this story were about just a regular person who few people know than it would be much less prominent.
Human Interest - 4/4
This story can be very emotional to many people who enjoyed the works of Joan Rivers during her lifetime. This story can evoke emotions of sadness to those who enjoyed the work of Joan and because of this it holds a great amount of human interest.
Final Newsworthy Mark - 17/20
Timing - 4/4
This new story is not a popular or well known story. I gave it a 4/4 for a mark because they released the story as soon as possible which is important for a story of such small importance.
Significance - 1/4
This story technically only affects the Hook family in particular and possibly a few other families living in the Saskatoon area. I gave it such a low mark for significance because the story does not affect many people.
Proximity - 3/4
While this news story did happen close to home, specifically in the same country, I did not give it full marks because it deals with a specific law in the city of Saskatoon. This event while close to New Brunswick still does not affect us much.
Prominence - 1/4
This story has little to no prominence because it only affects the family involve and it is not a worldwide news story. Other than possibly a few friends of the family and the few others who may be dealing with the same situation no one would really care or be affected by this story.
Human Interest - 3/4
This story may appeal to the emotions of others who have been in this situation or those who simply have a love for animals. I have given this mark because while the story may not affect many people overall, many of those who do read it would be able to feel an emotion connection to the family.
Final Newsworthy Mark - 12/20
Dead babies in Winnipeg storage unit 'tragic beyond relief'
Timing - 4/4
This article was posted the day after the events it discusses occurred. The timing was perfect for this story because the information was released quickly to the consumer which is needed for a story such as this.
Significance - 1/4
This story while tragic does not affect many people. Other than the family of the babies found and the person who commit the offence no one else is truly affected by this event. I gave it such a low mark because of the fact that this story holds little significance compared to some others.
Proximity - 3/4
This story occurred in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Although it did occur in Canada, it didn't occur close to New Brunswick so it will not hold as great effect to us as it may someone from Manitoba.
Prominence - 1/4
There is not much known about this story other than the fact that the bodies of three children are found. The murderer or specifics about the children are unknown so the story cannot hold much prominence.
Human Interest - 4/4
This story may not effect many people, but it will defiantly play with the emotions of those who read the article. The subject of this story can easily evoke deep emotions from the reader because of how upsetting the content is.
Final Newsworthy Mark - 13/20
Do spoilers actually improve a car's performance?
Timing - 2/4
The timing of this story's release was not very well thought of because spoilers on cars have been used for many years. I gave this article such a low mark because if people wanted to know this information then they probably would have wanted to learn it before now.
Significance - 3/4
This story is very significant in today's society because nearly everyone owns a car and a large percentage of these vehicles have a spoiler. This fact alone proves that this story will affect many people although not necessarily in a big way.
Proximity - 4/4
This particular story would cover a very large area because spoilers on cars can be found everywhere across the world. Compared to some other stories this one in particular has the possibility of personally affecting anyone from anywhere in the world.
Prominence - 4/4
This story has a lot of prominence because of the fact that many cars of all makes and models can have a spoiler. Everything form a minivan to a Ferrari can have a spoiler which makes the information found in this article relate-able to a vast number of consumers.
Human Interest - 2/4
This story, although affecting a large audience, does not carry much human interest. Most of the people who purchase a car with a spoiler do not care how it will affect the operation of their vehicle, but rather how it makes the car look.
Final Newsworthy Mark - 15/20
Joan Rivers died of complication during medical procedure
Timing - 2/4
This article was originally posted a month after the death of Joan Rivers. I gave it such a low mark because information such as this should be released closer to time of the person's death because sadly in today's day and age deaths such as these quickly fade away from the audiences mind.
Significance - 3/4
This story affects many people because of the fact that it involves a celebrity. People tend to ravel themselves up in information such as this and can be affected greatly by information revolving around a celebrity such as Joan Rivers.
Proximity - 4/4
This story affects nearly everyone form the North America because of the fact that it involves someone as famous as Joan Rivers. Compared to other stories this one may have a further reach because many people of either watched some of Joan's work or at least have heard of her.
Prominence - 4/4
This story holds great prominence because it involves someone who was very famous at some point. In this case it involves information on the death of Joan Rivers. If this story were about just a regular person who few people know than it would be much less prominent.
Human Interest - 4/4
This story can be very emotional to many people who enjoyed the works of Joan Rivers during her lifetime. This story can evoke emotions of sadness to those who enjoyed the work of Joan and because of this it holds a great amount of human interest.
Final Newsworthy Mark - 17/20
Monday 6 October 2014
Hurricane Henry Hits Hard
Last night, Sunday, October 5th, Hurricane Henry passed through Blackville, New Brunswick, Canada causing thousands of dollars in property damage to the resident's homes and vehicles.
In its wake, Henry completely destroyed 22 buildings, including the Blackville town hall and Valu Foods, in the Blackville area. As of now $100,000 in property damage has been reported with that number continuing to rise by the minute.
Jimmy Walker, a victim of the hurricane, said that the hurricane took his trailer, his truck and all of his dogs. "I was just laying down to go to bed when I heard the dogs barking real loud and my truck alarm go off. When I went out to check, my truck was rolling across the lawn and my dogs were gone. Then when I went to go into my house it was picked up by the wind and got flung into a tree."
Many more incidents like Mr. Walker's have been reported across the village.
Another victim, Joyce Wright, said the siding and shingles were blown off of her house, her car was pushed across the lawn and her yard was littered with debris.
Many scientists are saying that this storm may have been one of the most destructive in recent years and it shows no signs of slowing down. Everyone in the Maritimes is asked to brace themselves if they have not yet been affected by the hurricane because it is moving rapidly and northward.
One scientist, Dr. Terry Parker believes that the hurricane may not slow down until it gets close to the northern most point of Canada. Based on its rapid movement and unhindered power almost all of the Maritimes may become victims of the hurricane's 120 km/h winds and 150 mms of rain.
Hurricane Henry had recently passed through the cities of Fredericton and Saint John in New Brunswick as well, with nearly $750,000 in damages caused. Scientists believe that the hurricane will continue through Miramichi and move on to Nova Scotia by Tuesday. "This could result in hundreds of thousands more dollars in damage, if not more", said hurricane expert Frances Peterson.
In its wake, Henry completely destroyed 22 buildings, including the Blackville town hall and Valu Foods, in the Blackville area. As of now $100,000 in property damage has been reported with that number continuing to rise by the minute.
Jimmy Walker, a victim of the hurricane, said that the hurricane took his trailer, his truck and all of his dogs. "I was just laying down to go to bed when I heard the dogs barking real loud and my truck alarm go off. When I went out to check, my truck was rolling across the lawn and my dogs were gone. Then when I went to go into my house it was picked up by the wind and got flung into a tree."
Many more incidents like Mr. Walker's have been reported across the village.
Another victim, Joyce Wright, said the siding and shingles were blown off of her house, her car was pushed across the lawn and her yard was littered with debris.
Many scientists are saying that this storm may have been one of the most destructive in recent years and it shows no signs of slowing down. Everyone in the Maritimes is asked to brace themselves if they have not yet been affected by the hurricane because it is moving rapidly and northward.
One scientist, Dr. Terry Parker believes that the hurricane may not slow down until it gets close to the northern most point of Canada. Based on its rapid movement and unhindered power almost all of the Maritimes may become victims of the hurricane's 120 km/h winds and 150 mms of rain.
Hurricane Henry had recently passed through the cities of Fredericton and Saint John in New Brunswick as well, with nearly $750,000 in damages caused. Scientists believe that the hurricane will continue through Miramichi and move on to Nova Scotia by Tuesday. "This could result in hundreds of thousands more dollars in damage, if not more", said hurricane expert Frances Peterson.
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