To some degree, newsworthiness is subjective. For example, there are those who’ve recently reported that they do not see the news value in covering the Kansas City Fairy Princess at Zona Rosa. Of course as the PR representative for Zona Rosa I would strongly disagree.
After working as a newspaper reporter for The Olathe Daily News following graduation in print journalism from Kansas State University and then later as the business editor for The Lawrence Journal World, I learned to decipher the difference between something that had news value and something that didn’t. This has become very important as I now counsel clients on this very topic as a PR consultant.
In fact, I also use this as my best piece of advice that I give new graduates or college students as they intend to enter a career in public relations. Work as a journalist – even if it is only at your student paper so you can understand news value.
If the Fairy Princess was just another Santa Claus sitting on a chair visiting with children from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day at the mall, then I too would agree that she didn’t have any real news value. I would write a press release and expect to be listed in the community calendar section of the newspaper.
But maybe those whom deemed her un-newsworthy do not know her history. Maybe those who claim she shouldn’t merit a news story in The Kansas City Star do not understand the nostalgia that surrounds her. And perhaps those who criticize the coverage haven’t heard of The Kansas City Museum and the efforts they’ve put into preserving this important history for our city.
Some might say this sounds a little over the top, and it might be. But, year after year, women and men from all over the city and beyond come to Zona Rosa to thank the development for preserving the history of The Kansas City Fairy Princess. To them she’s not just a pretty young woman who visits with children, but a relic of the city and a beloved reminder of past Christmases
