Human Interest

Human interest is a vital ingredient in making some event or situation newsworthy. Among the compelling questions journalists want to answer is “Who did something?” or “To whom did something happen?” The element of human interest enlivens a news story. A story becomes more appealing when it is about real people. It centers on their feelings and emotions. And, the same logic works for the human interest as reflected in other stories, such as the well-being of animals and the environment.

The human interest value of a story is captured in the news programming axiom: If it bleeds, it leads. If a story has human drama, pathos, it is going to satisfy audiences’ desire to see the human element of the news. News doesn't just happen. It happens to real people—and animals. The ability of anyone with a cell phone to become a “journalist” only adds new challenges to this human interest element, including the possibility that events are staged or rights are compromised.

Meeting the human interest challenge separates the inadequate, adequate, good, excellent, and great journalists and public relations practitioners. Every practitioner is challenged to create media relations. Part of that challenge is to release to reporters the news and news tips that attract their interest because it is newsworthy. Newsworthiness is a strategic decision about the reader's response, listener's response, or the viewer appeal of the content and presentation of the news stories.

For instance, human interest is created when there is a news report that a child is missing from home. That story is made more interesting by noting the age of the child. A younger child likely generates more news value and human interest impact than an older child. The story has even more human interest if the disappearance occurred under suspicious circumstances, if the child were blind, if the days are cold, or the child were lightly clothed—too lightly for safety given the lowering temperatures. If a storm were brewing, all those elements can add to the human interest narrative.

Thus, the details that enrich the drama of a news event add human interest. If a practitioner is trying to attract attention to some event, they are more likely to do so if it has human interest. Let's reflect on a real-life situation. What if a practitioner working to gain attention for the grand opening of a department store or mall is confronted with a nuance, for example the mall or store catching fire near the opening date? The news releases are attempting to attract customers’ attention to the opening to increase traffic. But the fire diverts the grand opening. Announcing that the store or mall is about to open after the appropriate repairs have been made might be anticlimactic. What if the merchants pool resources and buy a Dalmatian puppy to give to the fire station that responded to the fire alarm? What if the merchants contribute money to a charity that is sponsored by the fire personnel and announced the gift? Would the new grand opening have more news value, more human interest, if associated with this tribute to the fire personnel who had risked their lives to extinguish the fire?

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