Values That Define Our News

Lately, it seems you can’t read or watch the news without talking about Trump. After watching Nightly News with Lester Holt on Wednesday, three specific news values that reoccurred in two stories about the President were apparent: prominence, human interest and impact.

The breaking news story was Judge Neil M. Gorsuch calling Trump’s attacks on the judiciary, who are ruling on his controversial travel ban, “demoralizing.” Impact plays a large role in this story because of the millions of people who are both directly and indirectly affected by the ruling. Any news generated by Trump — good or bad — is reported on not only because of he is one of the most prominent figures in American government, but because the interest people have in what he does.

Additionally, Nordstrom dropping Ivanka’s clothing line and Trump’s response on twitter was reported on. While this doesn’t seem like news, the fact that it has a connection to Trump makes it newsworthy. This story does not have a direct impact on a large number of people by any means, but it does affect the opinion people have about the President.

People have a fascination with him, whether it be of a comical or genuine interest, but the stories being reported about him let the people to make that decision for themselves.