When you want to suggest a story to the media, evaluate the newsworthiness of your idea. Use the criteria below to help determine if a reporter will think your idea is newsworthy for publication. The more of these values your story has, the more likely it is to be covered. A local chapter meeting of a nursing organization affects only a few dozen members. The threat of a major disease could affect thousands of community residents.
Emotional impact counts too, which is why human-interest stories are commonplace.
If your aunt is injured in a car accident, it's probably not newsworthy. The more well-know an issue, source or subject, the higher the news value. The closer something happens to the media's coverage area, the more newsworthy it will be. For example, an earthquake in China might kill hundreds of people, but only rate a few paragraphs in a U.S. newspaper. Meanwhile, the closing of a local grocery can rate front-page play.