How a news bulletin should ideally be

A good news bulletin should be authentic as in the story should be credible. The reporters should make an effort to verify their sources, cross-check them again before reporting it.  With the increasing instances of fake news, reporters inventing quotes and plagiarism it is important to keep the public’s trust intact.  As a result of major episodes of dishonesty combined with too many factual errors, readers and viewers of news are having a harder time believing what they read and see in news reports—even in the places they should be able to trust.

Attributions are very important to make in the bulletin. Journalists cannot always guarantee ‘truth’, but getting the facts right is the cardinal principle of journalism. News bulletins should always strive for accuracy, give all the relevant facts we have and ensure that they have been checked. 

It should be objective and the reporter should not get influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice. His news bulletin should be based on facts and should have an objective intent rather than a subjective one, then only they will be able to keep the public’s interest alive.

Ideally, it should contain news which is important or is relatable to the audiences. The audiences would be interested in a news bulletin which is relevant to them as people care most about the things that affect them.

On one level, the relevance of a story can be a function of geography. The reader would be more interested in his local weather forecast than the national outlook. Using data is another way to prove relevancy

The bulletin needs to have good storytelling and good pictures and apart from that, all the ingredients that add on to their story pictures, videos, archive footage or graphics etc. These add as supplements for the audiences.

Most stories have at least two sides. While there is no obligation to present every side in every piece, stories should be balanced and add context. Objectivity is not always possible, and may not always be desirable (in the face for example of brutality and inhumanity), but impartial reporting builds trust and confidence.

It should try to strike a balance between both sides or as many sides as possible. Balance and fairness are classic buzzwords of journalism ethics: In objective journalism, stories must be balanced in the sense of attempting to present all sides of a story. Fairness means that a journalist should strive for accuracy and truth in reporting, and not slant a story so a reader draws the reporter’s desired conclusion. 

To capture and retain audiences, the news should be tight and concise and cliqued words and jargons should be avoided. To evoke interest, all the relevant details regarding the story should be given. Reporters should avoid expressing personal opinions or contested facts unless contrasted, they should not be the judge all by themselves but should leave it to the viewer’s discretion.