There are many news values that are present in every news story.  Proximity and timeliness are two that are the most common.  In lead paragraphs, one can find the where and when in which the story is taking place.  This is important because it can determine whether the reader chooses to continue reading the article.

My local newspaper back home is the MetroWest Daily News.  The first story I looked at is entitled “Framingham Man in Ashland Car Crash has Life Threatening Injuries.”  The title tells the who, what, and where.  It shows timeliness and proximity because the article went up shortly after the accident.  Although people may not know the person who suffered injuries, they will be interested in where the crash occurred and they will also know that there will be traffic around that area.

“Do You Love Barbie” is an interesting article on the website because it is a very short piece about an event that will be happening in the MetroWest area.  It shows timeliness and proximity and also an element of the bizarre because most wouldn’t expect to see that in an everyday paper.  It draws a certain reader in, and allows them to be a part of an event in the area.

Finally, “Framingham Pantry to Reopen” is a story with impact.  Many people have suffered some sort of loss since the pantry has not been open.  However, they will be relived to find out that it will reopen on March 14^th.  Those who rely on the pantry will again have a place to go, and this allows interest and relief for those reading this article.

Timeliness and proximity are the most important values in an article.  Conflict and impact are the important values in order to draw the reader in.