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The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public. These include news agencies, newspapers, news magazines, news channels etc.
Some of the first news circulations occurred in Renaissance Europe. These handwritten newsletters, circulated among merchants, contained news about wars, economic conditions, and social customs. Newsletters were very scarce and no two were the same as they were all hand written, until the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1440. With movable type and ink, newspapers were now able to be mass produced for cheap. [1] The first printed news appeared by the late 1400s in German pamphlets, which contained content that was often highly sensationalized. The first newspaper written in English was The Weekly News, published in London in 1621. Several papers followed in the 1640s and 1650s. In 1690, the first American newspaper was published by Richard Pierce and Benjamin Harris in Boston. However, it did not have permission from the government to be published and was immediately suppressed. [2]
In 1729, Benjamin Franklin began writing a new form of newspaper that was more satirical and involved in civic affairs than previously seen. In 1735, John Peter Zenger was accused of seditious libel by the governor of New York, William Cosby. Zenger was found not guilty, largely in part to his attorney Andrew Hamilton. Hamilton later wrote a paper in which he argued that newspapers should be free to criticize the government as long as it was true. Later, with the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791, freedom of the press would be guaranteed by the First Amendment. [2]
In the 1830s, newspapers started seeking commercial success and turned toward reportage, beginning with the New York Sun in 1833. Advancements in technology made it cheaper to print newspapers and "penny papers" emerged. These issues sought out more entertaining daily news like murder and adventure, rather than politics. Penny papers attempted to reach a larger audience due to the cheap prices. [1]
By the end of the century, modern aspects of newspapers such as banner headlines, extensive use of illustrations, "funny pages," and expanded coverage of organized sporting events began to appear. Media consolidation emerged with many independent newspapers becoming part of "chains". [2]
The early 1900s saw Progressive Era journalists using a new style of investigative journalism that revealed the corrupt practices of government officials. These exposing articles became featured in many newspapers and magazines. Those who wrote them were labeled as "muckrakers." They became very influential and were a vital force in the Progressive reform movement. However, after 1912, muckraking declined. The public began to think the exposés were sensationalized, but they did make a great impact on future policies. [2]
In the early 1920s, radios became accessible and allowed large audiences to simultaneously listen to breaking news. Advertisers jumped on the opportunity to persuade the millions of captive listeners. [1]
With the introduction of the television came The Communications Act of 1934. It was an agreement between commercial television and the people of the United States that established that 1. The airways are public property. 2. Commercial broadcasters are licensed to use the airways. 3. The main condition for use will be whether the broadcaster served "the public interest, convenience, and necessity."
Television news continued to expand during the 1970s. By 1990, more than half of American homes had cable systems and nationally oriented newspapers expanded their reach. With technological advancements in the newsroom, notably the Internet, a new emphasis on computer-assisted reporting and a new blending of media forms emerged, with one reporter preparing the same story in print, online, and on camera for a newspaper's cable station. [2]
A "medium" (plural "media") is a carrier of something. Common things carried by media include information, art, or physical objects. A medium may provide transmission or storage of information, or both. The industries which produce news and entertainment content for the mass media are often called "the media" (in much the same way the newspaper industry is called "the press"). In the late 20th century it became commonplace for this usage to be construed as singular ("The media is...") rather than as the traditional plural.
"Press" is the collective designation of media vehicles that carry out journalism and other functions of informative communication, in contrast to pure propaganda or entertainment communication. The term press comes from the printing press.
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video signals (programs) to a number of recipients ("listeners" or "viewers"). This group may be the public in general, or a relatively large audience within the public. Broadcasting forms a very large segment of the mass media. Television and radio programs are distributed through radio broadcasting or cable, often simultaneously. By coding signals and having decoding equipment in homes, the latter also enables subscription-based channels and pay-per-view services. The sequencing of content in a broadcast is called a schedule. A broadcasting organization may broadcast several programs at the same time, through several channels (frequencies), for example BBC One and Two. On the other hand, two or more organizations may share a channel and each use it during a fixed part of the day. Digital radio and digital television may also transmit multiplexed programming, with several channels compressed into one ensemble.
In television or broadcast journalism, news analysts (also called newscasters or news anchors) examine, interpret, and broadcast news received from various sources of information. Anchors present this as news, either videotaped or live, through transmissions from on-the-scene reporters (news correspondents).
News films, or "clips," can vary in length. There are some which may be as long as ten minutes and others that need to fit in all the relevant information and material in two or three minutes. News channels have also begun to host special documentary films that are much longer durations and able to explore a news subject or issue in greater detail.
News stories are categorized with various formats according to the merit of the story. Such formats include AVO, AVO Byte, Pkg, VO SOT, VOX POP, and Ancho Visual.
A newspaper is a lightweight and disposable publication (more specifically, a periodical), usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint. It may be general or of special interest, and may be published daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly.
General-interest newspapers are usually journals of current news on a variety of topics. Those can include political events, crime, business, sports, and opinions (either editorials, columns, or political cartoons). Many also include weather news and forecasts. Newspapers increasingly use photographs to illustrate stories; they also often include comic strips and other entertainment, such as crosswords.
A story is a single article, news item or feature, usually concerning a single event, issue, theme, or profile of a person. Correspondents report news occurring in the main, locally, from their own country, or from foreign cities where they are stationed.
Most reporters file information or write their stories electronically from remote locations. In many cases, breaking stories are written by staff members, through information collected and submitted by other reporters who are out on the field gathering information for an event that has just occurred and needs to be broadcast instantly. Radio and television reporters often compose stories and report "live" from the scene. Some journalists also interpret the news or offer opinions and analysis to readers, viewers, or listeners. In this role, they are called commentators or columnists.
Reporters take notes and photographs or videos, either on their own, by citizens, or through a photographer. In the second phase, they organize the material, determine the focus or emphasis (identify the peg), and write their stories. The story is then edited by news or copy-editors (U.S. style) or sub-editors in Europe, who function from the news desk. The headline of the story is decided by the news desk. Often, the news desk also heavily re-writes or changes the style and tone of the first draft prepared. Finally, a collection of stories that have been picked for the newspaper or magazine edition, are laid out on dummy (trial) pages, and after the chief editor has approved the content, style and language in the material, it is sent for publishing. The writer is given a byline for the piece that is published; his or her name appears alongside the article. This process takes place according to the frequency of the publication. News can be published in a variety of formats (broadsheet, tabloid, magazine and periodical publications) as well as periods (daily, weekly, semi-weekly, fortnightly or monthly).
A newsmagazine, is a usually weekly magazine featuring articles on current events. These magazines generally go more in-depth into stories than newspapers, trying to give the reader an understanding of the context surrounding important events, rather than just the facts. For example, TIME magazine is an NYC based weekly newsmagazine that is known for its in depth articles on current events, politics, science, and more. TIME, with an audience of 100 million people, has built a brand on trust and authority. [3]
A newsreel was a documentary film common in the first half of the 20th century, that regularly released in a public presentation place containing filmed news stories.
Created by Pathé Frères of France in 1908, this form of film was a staple of the typical North American, British, and Commonwealth countries (especially Canada, Australia and New Zealand). Newsreels were popular throughout European cinema programming schedule from the silent era until the 1960s when television news broadcasting completely supplanted its role. Due to television news, the popularity of newsreels began to decline, and they were eventually phased out all together.
Online journalism, otherwise known as digital journalism, is the reporting of news produced or distributed via the Internet. The Internet has allowed the formal and informal publication of news stories. Online journalism can be published by professional writers and journalists, through mainstream media websites and outlets. [4] Or, news can be published by citizens, through blogs, vlogs, and social media. [4]
By covering news, politics, weather, sports, entertainment, and vital events, the daily media shape the dominant cultural, social and political picture of society. Due to the rise of social media involvement in news, the most common news value has become entertainment in recent years. [5] Apropos of this was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 11,000-word Rolling Stone article apropos of the 2004 United States presidential election, published June 1, 2006. By June 8, there had been no mainstream coverage of the documented allegations by President John F. Kennedy's nephew. On June 9, this sub-story was covered by a Seattle Post-Intelligencer article. [6]
Media coverage during the 2008 Mumbai attacks highlighted the use of new media and Internet social networking tools, including Twitter and Flickr, in spreading information about the attacks, observing that Internet coverage was often ahead of more traditional media sources. In response, traditional media outlets included such coverage in their reports. [7] However, several outlets were criticized as they did not check for the reliability and verifiability of the information. [8] Some public opinion research companies have found that a majority or plurality of people in various countries distrust the news media. [9] [10]
People have a lot of options when it comes to choosing their consumption of news, and many are increasingly turning to social media. Over half of U.S. adults, 54%, get some of their news from social media, according to a Pew Research Center survey from September 2024. [11] The two most popular sources are Facebook and Youtube, as 33% and 32% of users learn information from these sources, with Instagram and TikTok following close at 20% and 17%. The director of news and information research at Pew Research Center, Katerina Eva Matsa, says people aren't just looking for facts when they seek out news, but also a sense of community. [11] Social media groups and pages gives them a sense of community, and are easily accessible, right at their fingertips. Also according to Pew Research Center, Americans value the speed, novelty, format, and variety that the news on social media offers. [12] Social media algorithms allow for users to see catered news and information to suit their likings and beliefs.
These algorithms have introduced users to social media news influencers that may resonate with them. "News influencers" have gained huge popularity in recent months, as almost 4 in 10 U.S. adults under 30, or 37%, regularly turn to them, according to another Pew Research Center study from November 2024. [13] News influencers are defined as "individuals who have a large following on social media and often post about news or political or social issues." [13] Users say they get basic facts, opinions, funny posts, and breaking news from their respective news influencers. Americans like to connect and resonate with those who agree with their opinions and beliefs, and getting news updates from your own corner of the internet is comforting and assuring to them. Some U.S. adults have also noted that news influencers have helped them better comprehend events and issues. [13]
Fake news articles are untruthful-on-purpose stories that purposely mislead the reader to think one way. [14] With the rise of new media through social media (Facebook, Youtube, etc) there has been an increase in fake news due to the ability of anyone able to share and rapidly spread information. It can be tough to decipher who to trust, and who not to. [13] On the Internet, fake news articles can appear in the same search as truthful ones. This makes it hard for others to determine between what is fact and what is opinion. Specifically, the media coverage during the 2016 United States presidential election saw numerous misleading articles for both candidates. [15]
Media integrity refers to the ability of a news media outlet to serve the public interest and democratic process, making it resilient to institutional corruption within the media system, [16] economy of influence, conflicting dependence and political clientelism. Media integrity encompasses following qualities of a media outlet:
The concept was devised particularly for the media systems in the region of South East Europe, [17] within the project South East European Media Observatory, gathering organizations which are part of the South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM).
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation, the methods of gathering information, and the organizing literary styles.
Media bias occurs when journalists and news producers show bias in how they report and cover news. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening of the standards of journalism, rather than the perspective of an individual journalist or article. The direction and degree of media bias in various countries is widely disputed.
Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication.
In public relations and politics, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through knowingly providing a biased interpretation of an event or campaigning to influence public opinion about some organization or public figure. While traditional public relations and advertising may manage their presentation of facts, "spin" often implies the use of disingenuous, deceptive, and manipulative tactics.
A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster, anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. They may also be a working journalist, assisting in the collection of news material and may, in addition, provide commentary during the program. News presenters most often work from a television studio or radio studio, but may also present the news from remote locations in the field related to a particular major news event.
In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emotionally loaded impressions of events rather than neutrality, and may cause a manipulation to the truth of a story. Sensationalism may rely on reports about generally insignificant matters and portray them as a major influence on society, or biased presentations of newsworthy topics, in a trivial, or tabloid manner, contrary to general assumptions of professional journalistic standards.
Breaking news, also called late-breaking news, a special report, special coverage, or a news flash, is a current issue that warrants the interruption of a scheduled broadcast in order to report its details. News broadcasters also use the term for continuing coverage of events of broad interest to viewers, attracting accusations of sensationalism.
Journalistic ethics and standards comprise principles of ethics and good practice applicable to journalists. This subset of media ethics is known as journalism's professional "code of ethics" and the "canons of journalism". The basic codes and canons commonly appear in statements by professional journalism associations and individual print, broadcast, and online news organizations.
Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are broadcast by electronic methods instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. It works on radio, television and the World Wide Web. Such media disperse pictures, visual text and sounds.
Claims of media bias in the United States generally focus on the idea of media outlets reporting news in a way that seems partisan. Other claims argue that outlets sometimes sacrifice objectivity in pursuit of growth or profits.
Civic journalism is the idea of integrating journalism into the democratic process. The media not only informs the public, but it also works towards engaging citizens and creating public debate. The civic journalism movement is an attempt to abandon the notion that journalists and their audiences are spectators in political and social processes. In its place, the civic journalism movement seeks to treat readers and community members as participants.
Mass media are the means through which information is transmitted to a large audience. This includes newspapers, television, radio, and more recently the Internet. Organizations that provide news through mass media in the United States are collectively known as the news media in the United States.
Mediatization is a method whereby the mass media influence other sectors of society, including politics, business, culture, entertainment, sport, religion, or education. Mediatization is a process of change or a trend, similar to globalization and modernization, where the mass media integrates into other sectors of the society. Political actors, opinion makers, business organizations, civil society organizations, and others have to adapt their communication methods to a form that suits the needs and preferences of the mass media. Any person or organization wanting to spread messages to a larger audience have to adapt their messages and communication style to make it attractive for the mass media.
Political journalism is a broad branch of journalism that includes coverage of all aspects of politics and political science, although the term usually refers specifically to coverage of civil governments and political power.
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events. News is sometimes called "hard news" to differentiate it from soft media.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to journalism:
Fake news or information disorder is false or misleading information claiming the aesthetics and legitimacy of news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue. Although false news has always been spread throughout history, the term fake news was first used in the 1890s when sensational reports in newspapers were common. Nevertheless, the term does not have a fixed definition and has been applied broadly to any type of false information presented as news. It has also been used by high-profile people to apply to any news unfavorable to them. Further, disinformation involves spreading false information with harmful intent and is sometimes generated and propagated by hostile foreign actors, particularly during elections. In some definitions, fake news includes satirical articles misinterpreted as genuine, and articles that employ sensationalist or clickbait headlines that are not supported in the text. Because of this diversity of types of false news, researchers are beginning to favour information disorder as a more neutral and informative term.
Multimedia journalism is the practice of contemporary journalism that distributes news content either using two or more media formats via the Internet, or disseminating news report via multiple media platforms. First time published as a combination of the mediums by Canadian media mogul, journalist and artist, Good Fridae Mattas in 2003. It is inseparably related to the media convergence of communication technologies, business integration of news industries, and editorial strategies of newsroom management.
Media pluralism defines the state of having a plurality of voices, opinions, and analyses in media systems or the coexistence of different and diverse types of medias and media support.
Social media as a news source is defined as the use of online social media platforms such as Instagram, Tik Tok, and Facebook rather than the use of traditional media platforms like the newspaper or live TV to obtain news. Television had just begun to turn a nation of people who once listened to media content into watchers of media content between the 1950s and the 1980s when the popularity of social media had also began creating a nation of media content creators. Content creators are currently some of the most wealthy people nowadays. Almost half of Americans use social media as a news source, according to the Pew Research Center.
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