News criteria

The classical news criteria

• Substance
• Actuality
• Identification
• Sensation
• Conflict

Substance
The story has to be significant in a societal context.

Actuality
The story has to be of particular interest to the consumer right now.

Identification
The story has to awake emotions in the consumer. There are three instruments the journalist can use:

1. Personification: Add people to the story that the consumer recognizes or can recognize in himself.
2. Environmentally or culturally close: The environment or culture the consumer recognizes.
3. Relevance: It has to be relevant to the consumer and have consequences.

Sensation
The story has to impress the consumer by presenting something extraordinary that leaves a powerful impression.

Conflict
The story has to have a conflict. Something dramatic that catches the consumer's curiosity. The consumer will then have the opportunity to choose sides in the story.