Hard news is often described as “traditional news.” A story has hard news value if it contains new information that is timely and relevant. Hard news is something the reader or viewer needs to know about right away. Stories about catastrophic events or neighborhood house fires are hard news. Crime and political stories are considered hard news. Hard news might be personally relevant to a viewer or listener; an example of this would be a story about a proposed sales tax increase. However, hard news stories, such as stories about war, terrorist acts, or natural disasters, can also be relevant to a viewer or reader even if he or she is not directly involved.

Content is one way to distinguish between hard and soft news. Hard ...