A presidential election, a war, a notable death, and a natural disaster are all indisputable news items, as their effects and influence on a national populous can be wide ranging and quite dramatic. They are news whether you or me disagree. It is the smaller, more novel issues where the question of "what is news" becomes complicated.
If I told you that there was a 1 car crash on Ball Pond Road in New Fairfield, Connecticut last night, injuring the driver, you may not think it is news at all. Most of you probably couldn't find New Fairfield on a map. But to me, this is a serious piece of news, as I live on Ball Pond Road in New Fairfield, Connecticut. It is a town of fewer than 13,000 people, so I very well could know this person as well. If the apartment building of your English professor burns down overnight, it is news to you because you have a personal connection with the incident. I don't, therefore it is hardly news to me.
Everything is news. The question is, "is it news to you?"
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