Which statement best differentiates news value theory from citizen journalism in defining newsworthiness?

• A. News value theory relies on audience popularity, while citizen journalism emphasizes participatory, decentralized content creation.
• B. Citizen journalism relies on strict professional gatekeeping and newsroom schedules.
• C. Citizen journalism excludes professional journalists and ignores audience input.
• D. News value theory uses objective criteria; citizen journalism emphasizes participatory, decentralized content creation.

Answer: (D)

News value theory is about the criteria editors use to decide what counts as news. It treats newsworthiness as something that can be judged against relatively objective standards—timeliness, impact, proximity, prominence, novelty, conflict, usefulness, and human interest—reflecting the traditional role of professional editors who curate what gets published.

Citizen journalism flips this by foregrounding participatory, decentralized content creation. Ordinary people publish and share news directly, often via smartphones and social platforms, bringing immediacy and diverse perspectives with less centralized gatekeeping.

This contrast—that one rests on measurable criteria used by editors, while the other centers on user-generated, decentralized reporting—best captures the difference in defining newsworthiness.