Galtung and Ruge: What Makes Headlines?
Recency - Important breaking news such as a terror attack is reported with immediacy. Breaking news is very competitive with newspapers keen to be the first to report things as they happen.
Size - The bigger the story, the more people it affects.
Continuity- An ongoing news event like war will continue to be reported on.
Simplicity - Simple stories which are easy to explain (huge lottery wins, celebrity deaths, road accidents) will be preferred to those which are more complex (foreign wars, economic stories)
Elite nations or people - In the UK a story about the American president or an American social issue is more likely to be reported on than a story about less influential countries and their leaders.
Predictability - An anti-war demonstration is likely to be eventful so journalists will cover the event. This means that it will be reported on, even if it passes off peacefully.
Unexpectedness - Something out of the ordinary has more news value than something that happens every day.
Negativity - Bad news is more likely to make the headlines than good news.
Personality - A story about a celebrity or a heroic member of the general public will have a human interest angle.