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News values and editorial judgment

News values refer to the implicit and explicit criteria journalists use to decide which events are newsworthy and deserve coverage. These criteria include novelty (something new or unexpected), impact (affects many people or important people), negativity (conflict, disaster, controversy), personalization (affects individuals), and proximity (local or culturally relevant).

In the context of misinformation, news values create an inadvertent incentive structure: false claims often meet these criteria extremely well. A completely false story about a political conspiracy is novel, emotionally charged, involves political figures, and is inherently controversial—all features that satisfy journalistic judgment about what is newsworthy.

How news values amplify misinformation

Novelty: Fabricated claims are by definition novel; they are new to the public Negativity: False claims often contain conflict, threat, or scandal—strong emotional content Human interest: False stories about ordinary people affected by events are emotionally compelling Prominence: When false claims involve political figures or celebrities, they become automatically newsworthy Timeliness: Claims that are topical (election time, pandemic, crisis) receive coverage

The fit between what makes something a "good story" journalistically and what makes misinformation successful creates a structural misalignment: journalism's gatekeeping criteria may inadvertently select for misinformation.

News values across platforms and outlets

Mainstream outlets: More selective gatekeeping; apply professional standards; more likely to fact-check before publishing

Partisan outlets: More heavily influenced by stories circulating in ideological communities; less rigorous verification; more likely to amplify unverified claims from allied political actors

Social media algorithms: Optimize for engagement, which correlates with emotional content (including false claims); amplify controversy and conflict

Connections

Key papers