Identifying News Values And Lead Formats Quiz

1. State the DOMINANT News Value for the following story:

No fewer than 44 Jamaicans have been killed in the clashes between security forces and gunmen in west Kingston, according to Public Defender Earl Witter.

Man-made Disaster

Consequence

Conflict

Novelty

None of the above

With conflict there is usually an aggressor and a victim, or two or more forces, groups, persons, entities with opposing views that may in some cases causes violence and unrest.

Explanation

With conflict there is usually an aggressor and a victim, or two or more forces, groups, persons, entities with opposing views that may in some cases causes violence and unrest.

2. State the format of this lead:
Approximately 99 percent of 500 pill users admit to abusing painkillers, a survey revealed.

Striking statement

Summary

S-V-0

The format of this lead is a striking statement. The sentence begins with a statistic that grabs the reader's attention - "Approximately 99 percent of 500 pill users admit to abusing painkillers." This statement is surprising and alarming, as it suggests that a large majority of pill users have engaged in the harmful behavior of painkiller abuse. The purpose of this striking statement is to immediately capture the reader's interest and encourage them to continue reading the article.

Explanation

The format of this lead is a striking statement. The sentence begins with a statistic that grabs the reader's attention - "Approximately 99 percent of 500 pill users admit to abusing painkillers." This statement is surprising and alarming, as it suggests that a large majority of pill users have engaged in the harmful behavior of painkiller abuse. The purpose of this striking statement is to immediately capture the reader's interest and encourage them to continue reading the article.

3. State the DUAL DOMINANT news values for the following:

Greek telecom engineers cut off the telephone line to the prime minister's house while attempting to disconnect a customer who was behind in payments, the telephone company said on Wednesday.

Conflict and Prominence

Disaster and Prominence

Disaster and Consequence

Prominence and Novelty/Oddity

Prominence and Consequence

It is unusual for a phone company to disconnect a prime minister's phone and quite a novelty. The information will also have appeal because of the position of this prominent official.

Explanation

It is unusual for a phone company to disconnect a prime minister's phone and quite a novelty. The information will also have appeal because of the position of this prominent official.

4. State the FORMAT of news for the following lead:

Colourful retired Senior Superintendent of Police Reneto Adams has called for the security forces to expand their operations to 80 other communities in Jamaica, which, he says, are besieged by criminal gangs

Striking statement

Summary

Subject-Verb-Object

The given correct answer is "Summary". This is because the lead sentence provides a concise overview of the main points of the news article. It mentions the colorful retired Senior Superintendent of Police Reneto Adams calling for the security forces to expand their operations to 80 other communities in Jamaica that are besieged by criminal gangs. The lead sentence acts as a summary of the news article, giving the reader a brief understanding of the main topic and the perspective of Reneto Adams.

Explanation

The given correct answer is "Summary". This is because the lead sentence provides a concise overview of the main points of the news article. It mentions the colorful retired Senior Superintendent of Police Reneto Adams calling for the security forces to expand their operations to 80 other communities in Jamaica that are besieged by criminal gangs. The lead sentence acts as a summary of the news article, giving the reader a brief understanding of the main topic and the perspective of Reneto Adams.

5. Select the correct pairing of News Values that are NOT present in this news story:

Lim Guan Siew once had bound feet that were considered the height of feminine beauty in China, but the 93-year-old who now lives in Malaysia says it is a fate she wishes she had avoided.

Prominence and Oddity/Novelty

Oddity/Novelty and Conflict

Human Interest and Oddity/Novelty

Conflict and Disaster

Consequence and Human Interest

It has a human interest angle because it is soft news that tries to focus on the humanity of the subject (Lim Guan Siew). While this custom has been practiced for many centuries, it is still quite unusual for Western audiences.

Explanation

It has a human interest angle because it is soft news that tries to focus on the humanity of the subject (Lim Guan Siew). While this custom has been practiced for many centuries, it is still quite unusual for Western audiences.

6. State the Format of this lead:

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has expressed outrage at overseas media reports which have labelled him "a known criminal affiliate of hunted drug lord" Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.

Striking Statement

Summary

S-V-0

The given answer "S-V-0" refers to the sentence structure of the statement. In this case, "S" represents the subject, "V" represents the verb, and "0" represents the object. The sentence structure "S-V-0" indicates that the subject (Prime Minister Bruce Golding) performs the action (expressed outrage) without having a direct object. This means that the Prime Minister expressed outrage without specifying what or whom he expressed outrage at.

Explanation

The given answer "S-V-0" refers to the sentence structure of the statement. In this case, "S" represents the subject, "V" represents the verb, and "0" represents the object. The sentence structure "S-V-0" indicates that the subject (Prime Minister Bruce Golding) performs the action (expressed outrage) without having a direct object. This means that the Prime Minister expressed outrage without specifying what or whom he expressed outrage at.