Chapter 4 questions "A "know" for news"

1/ Australian news outlets gave proximity to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami by providing accounts of Australian tourists in the region at the time and covering the experiences and death tolls of Australian people involved. The Australian angle gave the story proximity. The apparent impact of the story was such that it attracted attention worldwide, bringing the global community together in the coverage of the issue. This global crisis also helped the idea of proximity for Australian news media.

2/ The news value i would privilege most in this instance would be the unusual. The events in the life of this anonymous person would not rate as having any prominence or impact in a news sense. Certainly proximity would be a candidate for a secondary news value due to the fact that this happened in Australia across different states. This also has implications about the system of law and the system of care for the mentally ill in Australia. Currency would also be relevant but only at the time of her arrest and possibly release. Essentially the story is bizarre. The reasoning behind her arrest, where she was found, why she was speaking German and how she ended up in a South Australian prison would be central to this story which would grab attention simply due to its unusual nature. The arrest of a woman would not rate as unusual, but the arrest of a mentally ill woman speaking German and moved interstate does.

3/As a reporter the information about the mayor's speech should be given more prominence than Prince Charles' comment about it. The Mayor's announcement about an urban renewal plan to resolve inner city crime has greater impact for the local area, thus proximity is also evident. The Mayor's opinion about the issue has more relevance than a general comment from prince Charles, who knows little about the area or the specific problems. Without first covering the mayor's announcement, Prince Charles' comment would have no context. The prominence of Prince Charles could be worked into the story, as could the timeliness of his visit, but the predominant information should regard the authoritarian voice of the mayor and his plan.

4/ News definition: Media information that provides previously unknown and usually important knowledge to a wider public within a particular context.

5/Kipling's 'Six Strong Serving Men' (What, Why, When, How, Where and Who) should all be given credence in news writing. However, these factors can differ in terms of which is most interesting or important from one story to another. Therefore while all must be considered equally, each story has at least one factor which is more pressing than the others. For example a story about a man killing his neighbour with a shovel will focus more on the what and why, whereas if George Bush did the same thing more relevance would be placed on the who than in the first instance.