26 Aug 2009 [ Prev
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Hard News
Hard news describes stories that are newsworthy chiefly because they are about events that have a significant impact on the lives of many people. Examples might include an outbreak of an infectious disease, the bursting of a downtown water main, a hostage crisis at a local daycare, or an attempted assassination of a dignitary visiting the White House. Global events, such as wars and crises, are hard news.
The story about the lonely zebra in another state that escapes from the zoo and is recaptured when it takes an interest in a police officer's horse? Definitely soft news, unless, for instance the chase for the zebra causes a traffic snarl that leads to a violent road rage incident. (See "If it bleeds, it leads.")
The story about the lonely zebra in another state that escapes from the zoo and is recaptured when it takes an interest in a police officer's horse? Definitely soft news, unless, for instance the chase for the zebra causes a traffic snarl that leads to a violent road rage incident. (See "If it bleeds, it leads.")
It is possible to write a soft news story about any topic. The President of the United States is such an important figure that almost anything he does has a real impact on people's lives. A story about the president's favorite snack foods would be soft, but if the president chokes on a pretzel, that event is hard news. President Ronald Reagan once appeared with a big sore on his nose; it turned out that he had picked at a pimple that got infected, and he had to explain the whole thing to reporters.
