Analysis of a News Source 1.1

Basics: 10p on Sunday, Jan. 27, KARE 11, with anchors Rena Sarigianopoulos and Blake McCoy

Story 1: Icy storm slows commute; weather/traffic; anchors, plus Jerrid Sebesta

Story 2: Freezing rain hassles travelers; weather/local; Lindsey Seavert

Story 3: Man finds way to amass arsenal; local/crime; Jana Shortal

Newsworthiness

Story focus statement: Man finds way to amass arsenal

1. Proximity: This story concerns a man from the greater metro area (Carver County), so it is a local story and therefore the proximity is important.

2. Significance: Hard to really say, because this man didn’t kill anyone after he compiled all these new weapons. But the potential for a mass shooting was there, theoretically, and so it could impact those in the metro area, a pretty big number.

3. Timing: While this man (Christian Oberender) murdered his mother in 1995, this story is timely because of the Connecticut mass shootings and the revived interest in gun control, specifically the wider implementation of background checks.

4. Oddity/Uniqueness: This is certainly an odd case, though not a happy one. Not many people collect so many firearms, especially someone who was convicted of murder in the past.

5. Human interest: This is not particularly appealing to emotions such as joy or sadness, but it is appealing to fear (if that can be called an emotion).

6. Prominence: He’s not a celebrity, nor was his mother. This isn’t a major factor.