Recently I have talked about the challenges news editors face when selecting stories for broadcast news shows. News selection is a highly difficult process as Robin Elias, managing editor of ITV News, testified at a recent event.
He oversees more than 100 journalists at ITV News who produce the most watched commercial TV news programme in the UK, reaching 8 million viewers a day. However, this success does not come easy and very much depends on the content that is selected for each show.
The PR community is naturally versatile when it comes to placing stories in the media but would we also be able to function as a news editor at ITV? I thought it would be fun to share a little exercise Robin ran with me a while ago. Step in Robin‘s shoes to see if you have what it takes to run a flagship news programme?
Here are eight fictional stories for ITV News at Ten. The programme however has only air time to present four. Test your skills – which ones would you select?
Potential news stories:
- The government launches a new scheme injecting £50m into prisons
- Coalition’s u-turn on congestion charge in London
- 200 die as ferry sinks in the Philippines
- Bombings in London kill two people
- The Beckhams split up
- Gadaffi’s compound bombed in air strikes
- Semi-skimmed milk has been found contaminated (no one has been recorded sick yet)
- This summer has been the driest in history
No answer is right or wrong as news selection is a highly subjective matter. And this is also what the PR community has to battle against on occasion. However, understanding how news editors work and how their selection process can be made easier can help to successfully place a story.
Check your results!
Robin Elias’ selection for News at:
- London bombings: A potential terrorist attack has significant relevance to all of the UK and Europe. Furthermore the tube bombings from 2005 are still on people’s mind and the news will affect a wide audience
- Contaminated milk: It concerns a majority of the public (milk drinkers) as it has potential impact on their / their family’s health
- Beckham split: The Beckhams are prominent public figures well know to a large audience. The topic is also something that an average family will be discussing at home.
- Driest summer: Historic event that impacts the British agriculture and food prices and probably also holiday makers
Scrapped stories:
- Prisons: Even in times of public sector cost cuts £50m is not a significant figure when it comes to government spending
- Congestion charge: A London congestion charge does not affect the nation to the extent that can justify inclusion as ITV news is network news, not London news.
- Ferry accident: Generally speaking an event has to be more dramatic the further away it is from the UK to justify attention of the news programme
- Gadaffi bombed: Bombings of Gaddaffi’s compound have been in the news for the recent weeks, therefore this story is a bit of a non-news story. If he was killed as a result of the attacks it would be different.
Related post: News selection: How to work with news programmes?
Interesting to see how ITN chooses stories. I’m not surprised at the ranking and I doubt it would be different anywhere else. It’s sad though that 200 people dying in the Philippines is less of a news story than it being quite warm, or a footballer having some marital problems. There’s a difference between what matters and what people most like to talk about.