The
news media refers to the section of the
mass media that focuses on presenting
current
news to the public.These include
print media (
newspapers,
magazines);
broadcast media (
radio stations,
television stations,
television networks), and increasingly
Internet-based
media (
World Wide
Web pages,
weblogs).
The term
news trade refers to the concept of the
news media as a business separate from, but integrally connected
to, the
profession of journalism.
The newspaper and consumer magazine industry is set for continued
challenges in 2009, with developed country markets likely to be
most affected.
Etymology
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.
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of
audio and
video signal (programs) to a number
of recipients ("listeners" or "viewers") that belong to a large
group. This group may be the public in general, or a relatively
large audience within the public. Thus, an
Internet channel may distribute text or music
worldwide, while a
public address
system in (for example) a workplace may broadcast very limited
ad hoc soundbites to a small
population within its range.
The sequencing of content in a broadcast is called a
schedule.
Television and radio programs are distributed through radio
broadcasting or
cable, often both
simultaneously. By coding signals and having
decoding equipment in homes, the latter also
enables
subscription-based channels and
pay-per-view services.
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.
When broadcasting is done via the Internet the term
webcasting is often used.
Broadcasting forms a very large segment of the
mass media.
Broadcasting to a very narrow range of audience is called
narrowcasting.
Newsmagazines
A
newsmagazine, sometimes called
news
magazine, is a usually weekly magazine featuring articles
on current events. News magazines generally go a little 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.
Newspapers
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
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,
column, 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.
Newsreels
A
newsreel is a
documentary film that is 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 , and
throughout European cinema programming schedule
from the silent era until the 1960s
when television news broadcasting completely supplanted its
role.
Pathé would eventually merge with
RKO...
An example of a newsreel story is in the film
Citizen Kane (which was prepared by RKO's
actual newsreel staff), which includes a fictional newsreel that
summarizes the life of the
title
character.
Online journalism
Online journalism is
reporting and other
journalism produced or distributed via the
Internet.
An early
leader was The News &
Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina
, USA.
Many news organizations based in other media also distribute news
online. How much they take advantage of the medium varies. Some
news organizations, such as the
Gongwer News Service, use the Web only
or primarily.
The Internet challenges traditional news organizations in several
ways. They may be losing
classified
ads to Web sites, which are often targeted by interest instead
of geography. The
advertising on news
Web sites is sometimes insufficient to support the
investment.
Even before the Internet, technology and perhaps other factors were
dividing people's attention, leading to more but narrower media
outlets.
Online journalism also leads to the spread of independent online
media such as
openDemocracy and the
UK,
Wikinews as well as allowing smaller
news organizations to publish to a broad audience, such as
mediastrike.
News coverage and new media
By covering news, politics, weather, sports, entertainment, and
vital events, the daily media shape the dominant cultural, social
and political picture of society. Beyond the media networks,
independent news sources have evolved to report on events which
escape attention or underlie the major stories. In recent years,
the
blogosphere has taken reporting a
step further, mining down to the experiences andperceptions of
individual citizens.
An exponentially growing phenomenon, the blogosphere can be abuzz
with news that is overlooked by the press and TV networks. 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.
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. However, several outlets were criticised as they did not
check for the reliability and verfiability of the
information.
See also
References
- Public Interest in News Topics Beyond Control of
Mainstream Media , June 9, 2006.
- As it happened: Mumbai attacks 27 Nov, BBC
News, November 27, 2008.
- Twitter In Controversial Spotlight Amid Mumbai
Attacks, Information Week, November 29, 2008.