Article - Newsworthy Criteria - Essay Example

Definition of Newsworthy Newsworthy information can be defined as those which are currently happening, significance of the population involved in the news, proximity of occurrence, involvement of prominent personalities, and those which have an inherent human interest. The above factors help to determine whether a story is newsworthy for publish either in a paper or a magazine (What Makes a Story Newsworthy? n.d). Article analysis The article, published online at pressofAtlanticCity.com on the 3rd of May, reports the $ 1 billion acquisition of the AirTran airways by Southwest Airlines.

The news was published on the day after the purchase was finalized. Hence the customers have been provided with the latest update about the merger. In order to indicate the union of the two airlines several sign boards reading “one luv” were put up at the Atlantic City International Airport. Given the fact that AirTran runs two daily flights to and from Atlanta from the airport and has connections with more than 40 other cities the merger has gained a lot of significance in the airport sector, according to the Southwest airline spokesperson Brandy King.

As part of the celebrations managers from southwest flew to all the airports where AirTran served and welcomed their employees to the company. Additionally the report also noted that a long-time employee of Southwest airlines, Kathi Woodley distributed t-shirts, banners, decorated cookies and gifts to employees of AirTran airlines. The report also noted that both the airlines will operate separately despite the merger and they will retain their own staff, reservation system, schedule of flights and policies until any further announcement is made.

Passengers are expected to make reservations with the respective airlines and in the meantime the Southwest airlines will apply for a Single Operating Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration which is expected to be cleared by 2012 after which the Southwest airlines will begin painting its logo on AirTran airlines. Following this the merger of the route maps and other systems of the two airlines will take several years and the Southwest airlines will keep their customers appraised about the developments.

Brandy King stated that the two airlines will cease to operate as competitors with this merger. The report also noted that the merger will give $3.75 in cash and 0.31 shares of Southwest for every share of AirTran to all the shareholders. With this exchange the AirTran shareholders will own 5.6 % of the company. In addition the Southwest airline will also be present at the Atlantic City International Airport and their major focus would be to increase the customer base for the AirTran airlines at the airport.

If the venture is successful it will provide an opportunity for the Southwest airline to stay and expand its business. Considering the importance of the merger the news is useful to both the aviation industry as well as the customers as they can enjoy the services provided by both the airlines. The prominence of the merger is further strengthened by a report that Southwest airlines intend to spend about $500 million for integrating the two airlines. The major aim of this merger is to cater to the vast majority of AirTran customers.

However, this process is expected to take several years for completion. This report is definitely of public interest as it will enable the residents of southern New Jersey to books a flight on Southwest without any need to fly out of Philadelphia. With this disclosure people can be assured of better service as two competing airlines have now come together in order to ensure better service to all their customers. Hence this report is newsworthy as it is highly relevant considering the increasing number of mergers that are occurring in the recent times.

This acquisition is also of public interest as it would now be possible to book flights on Southwest in the 40 cities where AirTran ply their flights. The details about the distribution of shares among the employees have also been provided in the report which stands as proof of the merger. However, apart from stationing an federal customs inspection center and applying for a Single Operating Certificate, the future plans of the Southwest airlines have not been reported in depth, which could be taken as a drawback of the report (Watson, 2011).

Reference 1. Watson, S. (2011). Southwest Airlines finalizes purchase of AirTran; says it is premature to discuss plans for Atlantic City market. pressofAtlanticCity.com. Retrieved 7 May, 2011, from http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/atlantic/southwest-airlines-finalizes-purchase-of-airtran-says-it-is-premature/article_8b46feaa-751e-11e0-a494-001cc4c002e0.html 2. What Makes a Story Newsworthy? (n.d). MediaCollege.com. Retrieved 7 May, 2011, from http://www.mediacollege.com/journalism/news/newsworthy.html