What do we mean by "impact on the news"

It's up to Canadian Press of course if  it wishes to describe Luc Magnotta as  its  Newsmaker of the year. The problem for a lot of people  who are now excoriating CP for this choice is that Mr. Magnotta was such a crashing nobody. It may be possible to stand above all others in impact on the news starting from Mr. Magnotta's undistinguished obscurity but frankly it's a challenge, in our view. Scott White, editor in chief of CP, cites Newsmakers like Ben Johnson and Russell Williams to justify the choice of Magnotta as this year's Newsmaker. Gee, it hardly seems possible he can't see the difference. Mr. Johnson was an otherwise decent enough person, poor and Black, who won great Olympic honour. Canada gave him its heart. Then he fell an incredible distance to earth when it was discovered he had taken dope. Tragedy defined and worth of every bit of the breathless interest shown by Canadians in the story. Colonel Williams could hardly have exhibited a more Shakespearean tumble. His horrifying crimes revealed not simply his depraved mind but an astonishing double life as one of the country's most prominent military men. His arrest shook the RCAF to its foundation. Worthy of the CP Newsmaker?. You bet. We suppose Bob Rae's point might be that while "impact on the news" is subjective, it probably requires more than Mr Magnotta brought to the news to be named Newsmaker of the Year.