A story is newsworthy to a particular audience, not in the abstract. An organization may care deeply about a routine milestone while a reporter needs evidence that the development changes something for readers. The best first question is not 'Can we write a release?' but 'Who outside our organization needs to know, and why now?'
Signals worth checking
01
Impact
Will the development affect people's choices, safety, work, money, services, or understanding of an important issue? Be specific about who and how.
02
Timeliness
Is there a confirmed new event, decision, data point, or deadline? An old fact repackaged with a new adjective is not new information.
03
Relevance
Does it fit the publication's audience and recent coverage? A local change may matter more to a neighborhood outlet than a large but distant corporate claim.
04
Evidence
Can a reporter verify the central claim through documents, methodology, qualified sources, and a responsive contact?
05
Distinctiveness
What makes this development different from routine activity? Do not invent a superlative when the true point is useful on its own.
Apply the outside-reader test
Describe the development in one sentence without promotional adjectives. Then ask a person unfamiliar with the organization what practical question it raises. If the answer is 'none,' look for a narrower audience or a more useful channel. A product update may belong in customer documentation; an event invitation may need an advisory; a complex finding may merit a source report and a tailored pitch.
News values guide editorial judgment; they are not a scoring system that forces coverage. A single strong public-interest fact may matter more than several weak signals. Conversely, a dramatic headline cannot rescue unreliable evidence. Respect the reporter's independent decision and avoid describing a paid or syndicated placement as earned reporting.
Example: from promotion to information
'We are delighted to announce our innovative expansion' tells a reader little. If confirmed, 'A new evening clinic will open in the north district on 3 November and accept walk-in appointments' gives a defined audience a place, date, and service to verify. The second sentence still needs operational confirmation, eligibility details, and an authorized contact before publication.
PRSA's media-relations guidance stresses relevance to the outlet and a genuinely timely story. The Associated Press's news principles emphasize accuracy and independence. Together they are a reminder that relevance and verification matter more than making a claim sound impressive.