What Makes News

Your news has the best chance of being printed or covered in The Oregonian if it is considered "newsworthy" by the editor who learns about it. To be newsworthy, your information or story should meet one or more of the following criteria:

Timeliness - information that is currently relevant or has some immediate impact on readers.

Novelty - a story that is unusual or unique. The first, the best, the worst, the tallest, the shortest. If something stands out from everything else, it may be newsworthy. For example, when a cat climbs a tree, it's not news; when the Governor climbs the tree to rescue the cat, it is.

Consequence - information about a development that will have a significant impact on some or all of our readers.

Human Interest - a story that reveals something quirky, colorful or otherwise dramatic about the human condition or character.

Prominence - information or news about a public figure, organization or recognizable person.

Proximity - information or news that has an effect on people living in the area.

Please keep in mind, news is not free advertising. If you make your living by counseling mid-career executives, you will have to let people know about your services through a paid advertisement. If you are the host for a fund-raising event for a worthy cause, most editors would consider it news.