Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Understanding Newsworthiness
- Yvonne Jewkes’ Ten News Values
- The Sociology of Jewkes’ Framework
- Comparing Jewkes with Other Frameworks
- Case Studies: Applying Jewkes’ Newsworthiness
- Critiques of Jewkes’ Framework
- Implications for Sociology and Criminology
- Conclusion
Introduction
News is never simply a neutral reflection of events in the world. Instead, it is filtered, structured, and prioritised according to underlying social, cultural, and institutional logics. Within criminology and sociology, the study of how crime becomes news has been particularly central. Yvonne Jewkes is a key figure in this area, developing an influential framework for understanding newsworthiness—that is, the criteria by which some stories are selected, amplified, and circulated while others are ignored. Her work provides students and scholars with tools to interrogate the processes behind crime news production, examining how social anxieties, cultural norms, and institutional routines shape what society comes to perceive as significant or alarming.
This article introduces Yvonne Jewkes’ concept of newsworthiness, explores its sociological implications, and situates it within broader debates about media, crime, and power. For undergraduate readers, the framework serves as a gateway into critical media sociology, offering both a set of analytical tools and a platform for questioning how the construction of news contributes to public perceptions of crime and justice. The discussion will also highlight the relevance of Jewkes’ insights in the digital media age, where the speed and scale of information flow further complicates the dynamics of newsworthiness.
Understanding Newsworthiness
The term newsworthiness refers to the qualities that make an event or issue likely to be considered news by journalists and media institutions. Importantly, these qualities are not inherent in events themselves but are socially constructed. Jewkes argues that crime news, in particular, is shaped by recurring themes and criteria that privilege some types of stories over others.
While traditional journalism studies often listed news values in a broad sense—such as novelty, relevance, or proximity—Jewkes focuses specifically on crime and deviance. Her criteria highlight the moral and cultural dimensions of news production, showing how crime stories are not merely about conveying facts but also about reinforcing social boundaries, anxieties, and hierarchies.
Yvonne Jewkes’ Ten News Values
Jewkes identifies a set of news values that are especially salient in crime reporting. These can be used as a checklist to understand why certain crimes dominate headlines while others remain invisible.
1. Threshold
A crime must surpass a certain level of significance or seriousness to be considered newsworthy. Minor thefts or localised disputes rarely reach the threshold, whereas violent crimes, murders, or large-scale scandals are more likely to do so. Importantly, the threshold varies between contexts: what counts as a “major crime” in one locality may not in another.
2. Predictability
Crimes that align with pre-existing expectations or stereotypes are more likely to be covered. Predictable narratives—such as violent youths, dangerous strangers, or corrupt officials—fit easily into established media frames. Predictability also makes crime news easier to package within the tight deadlines of news production.
3. Simplification
Complex crimes are often reduced to simple narratives. The media tends to strip away nuance, presenting crime stories in a way that can be easily digested by audiences. This can obscure wider contexts, such as structural inequalities, economic pressures, or institutional failures, that may have contributed to the crime.
4. Individualism
Stories focusing on individuals—whether offenders, victims, or heroes—are favoured over structural explanations. The emphasis on personal narratives reinforces moral judgments while sidelining broader sociological causes of crime. Media outlets often reduce systemic problems into stories of “bad individuals” rather than exploring deeper structural dynamics.
5. Risk
Media coverage often centres on risks to the public, even if statistically rare. Crimes are framed in terms of danger, amplifying fear and encouraging audiences to see crime as an ever-present threat. This focus contributes to the social construction of “risk society,” a concept central in late modern sociology.
6. Sex
Sexual crimes, or crimes involving a sexual dimension, attract disproportionate coverage. They are considered more sensational, and the media often draws upon cultural taboos to generate moral outrage. The reporting of sexual crimes can reinforce problematic gender stereotypes and victim-blaming narratives.
7. Celebrity
If a crime involves a celebrity—either as victim or perpetrator—it is far more likely to be reported. The fascination with celebrity status makes such stories sellable and culturally resonant. This reveals the way crime reporting is intertwined with popular culture.
8. Proximity
Geographical and cultural proximity matter. Crimes occurring locally, or those that resonate with national identities, are prioritised over distant events. Audiences are assumed to be more interested in what affects “people like us.” This selective focus can create distorted perceptions of global crime patterns.
9. Violence
Violent crimes have a natural appeal within news media, as they are seen as dramatic and shocking. Violence provides compelling imagery and strong emotional resonance. The preference for violent crime reinforces public fears even though most crimes are non-violent.
10. Visual Spectacle
Crimes that can be visually represented—through CCTV footage, photographs, or dramatic reconstructions—gain additional news value. The visual aspect makes stories more immediate and engaging, while reinforcing the entertainment dimension of crime reporting.
