What is news? Group discussion reaction

I thought the saying "when a dog bites a man, it's not news; when a man bites a dog, it's news" was a well known one, but my group thought otherwise. Still, the folksy saying proved to be more or less in line with what my other group members thought. Catie said that news is anything that deviates from the norm, which I would argue is a slightly more scholarly way to say what I had said. James' definition differed slightly; in his view, news is in the eye of the beholder. "If my brother is coming to visit me, that's news to me, but you don't care," he said. I think both are correct if you are trying to define the word. However, from a journalist's standpoint, news must be more clearly defined. For that reason, I stand by my folksy saying.

What is news?

1) This is daunting.

2) News is any event that is either important to the public or important for the public to know. 

3) If a dog bites a man, that's not news. If a man bites a dog, that's news. 

4) Trend pieces about the death of courtship are apparently news, even though it seems like the writer just kind of made this whole thing up. 

5) NPR reporting from Syria definitely feels the most like news.

6) The paparazzi are allowed to exist because the lives of celebrities are considered news worthy, and reporting on any public figure is covered by the first amendent. 

7) I think.