What is news? Definitions vary, depending on the source. The Oxford Dictionary defines news as: “anything which reaches the public at a time when it is not known to laymen” (p. 86). Other definitions are: “anything that has been deemed important or unusual by a layperson before being presented.” The British Journal defines news as “anything of interest which is timely and not yet known to the general public.”
Current events
The following list includes a few examples of current events that affected our country and the world. For example, in the Stone Harbor, N.J., kindergarten class recently said goodbye to 18 turtles as part of a turtle conservation project. The discovery of Clotilda’s descendants has given hope to her captives, who founded a community called Africatown. While the vote to change sex-abuse laws was unsuccessful, the Guttmacher Institute reports that the number of abortions will increase in 2020.
Formats
The news industry faces challenges in attracting and retaining audiences, competing with other attention-sinks on the Web, and dealing with the increasing disaggregation of content by tech platforms. One solution could be new formats for news that fit our habits and meet our needs. AP’s new format could be a first step in this direction. Let’s explore some of the possibilities of this format. This format can make news stories more accessible and provide more compelling reasons to visit source sites and apps.
Components
When we look at the components of news, we see that it has four key ingredients. These are information, significance, focus, and proximity. The more components that a story has, the more newsworthy it is. To understand these elements, consider the following examples:
Sources
The sources of news vary according to the type of media. Press releases, speeches, and interviews are some of the most common sources of news. Government bodies and departments also serve as important sources of news. In addition to official reports and speeches, government officials and senior staff often hold press conferences and release handouts and announcements. Reporters can also obtain news through informal contacts with the government and various departments. Here are some examples of official news sources:
Ethics
Journalism, which includes print, radio and television, is a highly regulated profession, and ethics in news and media are important to uphold. Journalists are held accountable to ethical standards that must be observed in order to avoid bias and to produce objective reports. In a study published in the Journal of Journalism and Mass Communication, two journalists who had a close relationship with the president were interviewed about the ethics of their professions. Both journalists affirmed that they adhere to ethical standards, and both were critical of one another’s work.
Feature stories vs. straight news stories
Among the many differences between feature stories and straight news stories is the amount of evidence required for each type of story. While straight news stories cover breaking events and everyday happenings, features usually delve into more complex issues and require evidence to support their conclusions. These stories often use anecdotes, quotes, and interviews as a means to substantiate facts and present a more three-dimensional perspective.
Impact
While the impact of news on public opinion is often overlooked, traditional publishers and broadcasters do have an impact on political outcomes. The web alone contains thousands of news sources ranging from neutral to partisan. Publishers bias news by slanting headlines and slanting the tone of stories. They also use deception to produce fake news. The impact of news on public opinion is not only limited to media, but extends to the broader population.
Timeliness
The importance of timeliness was long recognized by journalists. In the nineteenth century, for example, rendering journalistic accounts as impulses transformed the production and audience engagement with news. Timeliness was reified internally and externally through the press, both as a way to reward journalists for presenting timely news and as a marketing tool. Timeliness enhanced readers’ prospects of participating in distant affairs and accentuated the ritualistic quality of news.
Variety
The Daily Variety has been in publication since 1933. Its first offices were in various buildings near Hollywood Blvd. and Sunset Blvd., but in 1972, founder Syd Silverman purchased the building at 1400 North Cahuenga Blvd. The Daily Variety moved to the Miracle Mile on Wilshire Boulevard in 1988. In the early 1930s, Variety began publishing a summary of movie and theater reviews, with capsules placed on top of them. Today, Variety continues this tradition.