ABSTRACT
In our explication of the basic concepts underlying this study, we discuss the two major concepts of deviance and social significance as predictors of newsworthiness. We also identify three dimensions of deviance—statistical, normative, and social—and four dimensions of social significance—political, economic, cultural, and public. We suggest that the more intense the deviance and social significance of events, individuals, or ideas—each of the two dimensions alone and in combination—the greater the prominence. That is, stories concerning these phenomena are more likely to be given more and better placement in newspapers, and more time and earlier position in the line-up of broadcast news.
