paper.  Back  home  in  Hialeah,  Fla.,  he  is  not  Navy Seaman  Apprentice  Thomas  Katt.  He  is  Mr.  Michael Katt’s son, Thomas, who used to help his father rebuild homes  devastated  by  Hurricane  Andrew.  He  is  someone the readers know. The element of proximity is present to  a  high  degree.  Further  information  on  home  town news may be frond in Chapter 17. CONSEQUENCE News   of   change   or   news   that   affects   human relations  is  news  of  consequence.  The  more  people affected,  the  greater  the  news  value.  A  story  on  the advancement  of  1,500  petty  officers  has  consequence within the Navy, especially to those who took the exams. A congressional act that raises the pay of everyone in the  armed  forces  is  of  great  consequence  both  to  the Navy and to the public, which foots the bill and also benefits  from  the  increased  purchasing  power  of  the serviceman or servicewoman. CONFLICT Sporting events, wars and revolutions are the most common examples of conflict in the news. Man maybe pitted  against  man,  team  against  team,  nation  against nation or man against the natural elements. A story about a pilot struggling to land a crippled plane or a coxswain’s heroic efforts to keep his crowded boat from swamping in heavy seas are other examples. ODDITY The unusual or strange will help lift a story out of the ordinary. If an ordinary pilot parachuted out of an ordinary plane with an ordinary parachute and makes an ordinary landing, there is no real news value. However, if the aviator has only one leg, this is news; or if the parachute fails to open and the pilot lands safely, this is news. A sailor named B. A. Sailor is a good angle. So is the helicopter that towed a ship, the man that bit his dog or the plane that landed even though the pilot had bailed o u t . SEX Sometimes  sex  is  the  biggest  single  element  in news, or at least it appears to be the element that attracts readers the most. Consider all the stories in papers that involve  men  and  women  —  sports,  financial  news, society  and  crime.  Sex,  in  discussing  news  elements, covers far more than a Hollywood star’s impending visit to  your  command.  The  element  of  sex  ranges  from front-page   sensationalism   to   news   involving engagements and marriages. Stories and accompanying pictures of movie stars or  other  prominent  celebrities  visiting  your  ship  or station can be loaded with sex. Nevertheless, any type of news that overemphasizes the “cheesecake” element is  considered  to  be  in  poor  taste  for  an  official  Navy release and is to be avoided. EMOTION The  emotional  element,  sometimes  called  the human  interest  element,  covers  all  the  feelings  that human   beings   have,   including   happiness,   sadness, anger, sympathy, ambition, hate, love, envy, generosity and humor. Emotion is comedy; emotion is tragedy; it is  the  interest  man  has  in  mankind.  A  good  human interest  story  can  range  from  a  real  “tearjerker”  to  a rollicking farce. PROMINENCE Prominence  is  a  one-word  way  of  saying  “names make  news.”  When  a  person  is  prominent,  like  the President of the United States, almost anything he does is newsworthy — even his church attendance. Several hundred civilians may visit your ship or station in the course  of  a  month  without  raising  a  stir.  Yet,  if  one happens to be the governor of the state, you have a news story   packed   with   prominence.   Prominence   is   not restricted or reserved for VIPS only. Some places, things and  events  have  prominence.  For  example,  the  White House  (a  place),  the  Hope  Diamond  (a  thing)  and Christmas (an event) all awaken interest. SUSPENSE You  most  often  see  the  suspense  element  in  a day-by-day  or  hour-by-hour  account  of  a  desperate search   for   a   lost   submarine,   in   a   story   of   rescue operations in a mine where workers are trapped or in the efforts  made  to  rescue  a  Navy  diver  trapped  in  the wreckage of a sunken ship. A news story does not build to a climax as a mystery does. Still, putting the most important  facts  first  does  not  destroy  the  suspense  of many stories because the ultimate outcome is unknown and   is   usually   revealed   in   progressive,   periodic installments. PROGRESS In  our  technologically  advanced  society,  we  are interested   in   space   exploration.   Therefore, 2-2