Man bites a cobra
By I.M. Soni

FOR years the students of journalism had been taught that the definition of news was what happens in north, east, west and south. The dullest teacher got away with this definition.

Then came a duller definition: news is what newspapers print. One which recently gained popularity finds himself is: news is something which someone is trying to conceal.

News is, in fact, not an event but the report of it. It is not the actual happening but the story of that happening.

Charles A. Dana has said: "News is anything which interests a large part of community and has never been brought to their attention..."

Another, somewhat interesting, is: "Women, wampum and wrong-doing" — sex, money, crime.

News is anything and everything interesting about life and materials in all their manifestations. Another says: "It is a compilation of facts and events of current events or importance to the readers of the newspaper printing it."

News is a timely report of anything of interest to humanity and the best news that interests the most of the readers. The proper study of mankind is man. Mankind is the man’s chief concern.

The news which concerns man (woman) about sex, preservation of health and power has the maximum appeal. To this may be added the element of oddity.

The news which most interests the reader consists of anything that affects him, his health, his wealth, his safety and his well-being.

With the reader’s self-interest stands a number of closely allied basic human appeals to which every individual responds. The list may comprise: achievement, culture, faith, tragedy, health, heroism, mystery, self-improvement, recreation, romance (Diana, Monica and Clinton), science and humour.

The main worth of news is its ability to interest all who write and publish it, keep in mind the attention — provoking qualities of such a basic stimuli.

It was from this principle came the often-quoted definition of news: if a dog bites a man, it’s no news. If a man bites a dog, it’s news.

This has to change now: Felaram Tudu of Ghatal in West Bengal has bitten a snake to death. When a cobra bit him, he bit it back on its tail.

The snake bit him thrice but died about an hour later. Felaram was hospitalised where he regained consciousness the next day and was said to be out of danger. Thanks to Felaram’s remarkable feat, we now have a new definition of news. "If a cobra bites a man, it’s no news, but if a man bites a cobra and the latter dies, it’s news."