What is the 'inverted triangle'?

The inverted pyramid is a metaphor used by journalists and other writers to illustrate the placing of the most important information first within a text. It is the most widely preferred method in writing news stories. The format is valued because readers can leave the story at any point and understand it, even if they don't have all the details. It also allows less important information at the end to be more easily removed by editors so the article can fit a fixed size.

What is ethos?

Ethos refers to the spirit which motivates the ideas and customs. Ethos may change in response to new ideas or forces. Ethos is often expressed within the newspaper's language.

What is bias?

Bias is a term used to describe a tendency or preference towards a particular perspective, ideology or result, when the tendency interferes with the ability to be impartial, unprejudiced, or objective.. In other words, bias is generally seen as a 'one-sided' perspective. Journalists can be biased towards certain types of people, places and organisations.  Many journalists have been accused of bias for not representing a balanced viewpoint in a report.

What is newsworthiness?

If something is described as 'newsworthy' then it is deemed sufficiently interesting to be reported in a newspaper. 

There are typically 12 factors that constitute news value, or newsworthiness:

• Timeliness: News is what's new. Something that might be breaking news on the day it happens will have probably blown over given a couple of days.
• Proximity: If 15 people are killed in your hometown, a local newspaper will undoubtedly consider it news. But if 15 people are killed in a distant place you've never heard of, it will probably pass without notice. But there are exceptions.
• Exceptional Quality: Exceptional quality refers to how uncommon an event is. A man getting a job as a music conductor is not news—unless that man is blind.
• Possible future impact: News of a virus or disease epidemic may be published in a local newspaper as it may eventually be a threat to the readers (have possible future impact).
• Prominence: If news features someone prominent from your local area then it may be considered newsworthy. If a local polititian gets married, it's news; if John Smith, your next-door neighbor, gets married, it probably isn't.
• Conflict: Conflict has long held the interest of readers. The conflict may be physical or emotional. It can be open, overt conflict, such as the city uprising against police authority, or it may be ideological conflict between local political candidates.
• The number of people involved or affected: The more people involved in a news event, be it a demonstration or a tragic accident, the more newsworthy the story is. Likewise, the number of people affected by the event, whether it's a new health threat or a new tax ruling, the more newsworthy the story is.
• Consequence: The fact that a car hit a utility pole isn't news, unless, as a consequence, power is lost throughout a city for several hours. 
• Human Interest: Human-interest stories are generally soft news. Examples would be a baby beauty contest, a person whose pet happens to be a nine-foot boa constrictor, or a man who makes a cart so that his two-legged dog can move around again. These types of articles are very common in local newspapers.
• Pathos: The fact that people like to hear about the misfortunes of others can't be denied. Seeing or hearing about such things commonly elicits feelings of pity, sorrow, sympathy, and compassion. Some call these stories "tear jerkers." For example, a blind man who lost his life savings to a fraudulent plumber. 
• Shock Value: An explosion in a factory has less shock value if it was caused by gas leak than if it was caused by a terrorist. The story of a six year-old boy who shot his mother with a revolver found in a bedside drawer has more shock (and therefore news) value than if same woman died of a heart attack.
• Titillation component:This factor primarily involves sex and is commonly featured in more bottom end newspapers.

What is a local newspaper?

A local newspaper is a publication circulated within a certain limited region, for example a city.


Newspapers typically meet four criteria:

• Publicity: Its contents are reasonably accessible to the public.
• Periodicity: It is published at regular intervals.
• Currency: Its information is up to date.
• Universality: It covers a range of topics

Local newspapers are published and distributed in local newsagents. They are usually published daily, although some may be weekly editions. Articles are sourced and can often be published the next day. Local newspapers typically publish stories on local and national political events and personalities, crime, business, entertainment, society and sports.