We often wonder why some things make the news and othersdo not.  Typically, a reporter takes several things into considerationin deciding what and what not to cover:

Reach  (How many people does the story touch?)

Timeliness  (Is it happening now, or is aboutto happen?)

Uniqueness  (Is it the first, the biggest,the only?)

Relevance  (What does it mean to me?)

Celebrity  (Does it involve someone I “know?”)

The medium the journalist is using.  Forexample, print stories are usually more detailed than broadcast stories.For that reason, complex stories do not play well on television. However, stories involving emotion, action or other compelling images arebetter suited for television.

The audience the journalist serves.  Localmedia outlets are more interested in stories with local interest than theyare in stories of national interest.  A magazine or cable televisionchannel that targets a specific demographic or psychographic group willlimit coverage to matters of interest to that narrowly defined audience.

The purpose the journalist wants to serve. While traditional journalists tend to be unbiased observers, there arethose that may want to persuade the audience toward a particular pointof view.  This can be especially true when dealing with internationaljournalists that come from different reporting cultures and traditions.