In a world where 347,000 tweets go live every second and every scroll is a battleground for attention, only a sliver of stories actually stick. So why do some headlines soar while others sink?
It’s not just luck. It’s news values—the tried-and-true filters editors still use (consciously or not) to decide what runs and what gets buried.
This blog is your cheat sheet for what makes a story newsworthy in 2025. We’re unpacking the classics, spotlighting the modern twists, and giving you a toolbox to pitch smarter and faster.
🧱 1. The Original Gatekeepers
These are the OGs of editorial decision-making—the criteria that still influence newsroom calls, even when they’re competing with click-through rates and TikTok trends.
Galtung & Ruge’s 12 Classic News Values (1973)
- Relevance – Who cares? The audience should.
- Timeliness – If it just happened, it’s hot.
- Simplicity – Can you summarize it in a tweet?
- Predictability – Known events like elections or holidays.
- Unexpectedness – Surprise wins eyeballs.
- Continuity – Part of an ongoing saga? Newsroom gold.
- Composition – Does it balance the day’s content?
- Elite People – Celebs, CEOs, Presidents.
- Elite Nations – Global players > obscure locales.
- Negativity – Sadly, bad news still sells.
Shoemaker et al.’s U.S. Additions (1987)
- Proximity – Close to home = close to heart.
- Impact – How many people are affected?
- Human Interest – Feel something? That’s the hook.
- Conflict – Two sides? Even better.
- Sensationalism – Big drama. Bigger clicks.
- Prominence – Name recognition gets attention.
- Novelty – “Wait, what?!” factor.
✅ Quick Gut Check: The more boxes you tick, the better your shot at coverage.
🛰️ 2. Five Modern Realities (2025 Edition)
Newsrooms may still honor tradition, but digital dynamics have added new layers to the newsworthiness formula:
📊 A. Data > Gut
It’s not enough for an editor to feel like a story is good. In today’s newsrooms, engagement analytics lead the charge. If a headline gets clicked, skimmed, shared, and saved? It lives to fight another day.
📲 B. Shareability = Survival
Virality isn’t a side effect. It’s a qualification. Stories that trigger awe, outrage, or delight are algorithm catnip. Bonus points for how-tos, lists, or anything “you won’t believe.”
🤖 C. Personalized Feeds Rule
Thanks to AI-powered news apps, everyone has a custom-curated feed. Regardless of news values, you’re no-longer pitching a general audience—you’re pitching a niche, whether it’s tech dads, eco-moms, or Gen Z finance bros.
🧭 D. Ethics Are a Dealbreaker
In the post-misinformation era, editors ask questions like: Will this piece cause harm? Expose someone’s private life? Fuel division? If you can’t clear the ethics bar, your story won’t fly.
🌟 E. “Elite” Has Been Rewritten
News values are not static. These days, for better or worse, you don’t need an Oscar or a Senate seat to be newsworthy anymore. If a Twitch streamer commands millions or a TikTok creator sparks a movement, they’re the new elite.
🎯 3. Why PR Pros Should Care
Think of news values like a decoder ring. Learn them, and you can:
- Write better pitches that speak the newsroom’s language
- Set better expectations when your story flops—or soars
- Train your team on what really makes something press-worthy
And hey—when your pitch hits the front page or hits 100k views on LinkedIn, you’ll know it wasn’t just luck. It was strategic storytelling.
✅ 4. Your 2025 Action Checklist
| Task | Tool | News Value Lever |
|---|---|---|
| Match your story to 3+ classic values | Storyboard worksheet | Relevance, Timeliness, Impact |
| Add a share-trigger (awe, outrage, or utility) | STEPPS framework | Emotion, Novelty |
| Localize stats or quotes | Custom regional data | Proximity |
| Run a pre-pitch ethics screen | 2oddballs “R-Filter” | Transparency, Integrity |
| Tag or quote a micro-influencer | TikTok Creator Center | Elite People |
📚 5. Sources & Further Reading
- Muck Rack: State of Journalism 2023
- Contagious by Jonah Berger – The STEPPS framework
- An Introduction to Journalism – Fleming et al.
- Information Age Journalism – Vincent Campbell
📣 6. Let’s Make News Together
If your next campaign brief doesn’t spell out which news values it taps into, it’s not ready.
Let 2oddballs Creative help. We’ll turn your press release into a newsworthy pitch that actually gets picked up. Whether it’s local coverage or national virality, we know news—let’s get you some ink!
Be odd. Be seen. Make money. Live better.
Let’s get your story out there.
