As a Journalism major, one of the most important things I've learned is what kind of news stories get people hooked the most. Almost anything can be news, but not everything is newsworthy. There are five topics that journalists can use as a guide line in order to find great stories.

Family

Anything that concerns family is something people will always be interested in. These can include local stories that might effect people in a surrounding area. Family is very important to pretty much everyone, and people are always on the lookout for anything that may effect themselves or their loved ones.

Education

This is a big one for parents and teachers. As a parent, one of your biggest concerns is your child and their education. Whether it's grammar school, middle school or high school. Parents are always wanting to know what kind of education their child is getting. Is the school secure? Can the teachers and faculty be trusted? There are a lot of great opportunities for event based stories when it comes to schools.

Money

It's all about the money, literally. If you mention money, people are going to listen. Lottery tickets, power balls, tax increases, tax decreases. Anything that is going to effect the working class' dollar is something that will raise attention.

Safety

This kind of ties in with family. One of the biggest concerns people will always have is their safety and the safety of their loved ones. Floods, traffic accidents, tornadoes , hurricanes, murderers on the lose. This kind of topic is actually one of the most important ones that need to be addressed. It's also one of the biggest reasons why journalists are so important. We alert the public of information that could effect their safety.

Human Interests

When I say human interests I pretty much mean any kind of interesting story about a person or group of people. Something that you don't hear about everyday. For example, I recently did a story about a woman who is a Navy Veteran. She has many disabilities and has two service dogs that she trains. Other types of stories could include things like an Olympics game being held for people with special needs. Anything that's out of the ordinary tends to catch people's attention.