The Importance of Reliable News
In order to be considered reliable, news should be free from bias, slander, or slanderous language. It should also have a balanced perspective. A journalist must check the news before it is published to make sure it is credible. These journalists are also expected to investigate stories from both sides to come to a balanced opinion.
Entertainment
In today’s media environment, the separation between entertainment and news has become increasingly blurred. While not all of the changes have been bad, the current trend is creating serious questions about the future of journalism in the entertainment-dominated world. A recent example was a tabloid called A Current Affair, which ended its show with a tease of “sex, murder and videotape.”
Human interest
Human interest in news is the genre of journalism that focuses on a particular person, group, or event. This type of journalism taps into our natural curiosity to learn more about the world and the people within it. Examples of human interest in news are feature stories and personality profiles.
Violence
One of the most important ways that we can reduce violence against women is through more objective news coverage. We know that distorted news coverage influences public policy and perception.
Scandal
As the media environment evolves and information technology advances, the role of scandals in the news has changed significantly. Scandal stories are increasingly viewed as mediated events and garner news value due to the perception of hypocrisy on the part of elites.
Timeliness
Throughout history, journalists and publishers have valued the timeliness of news and information to engage their audience. This has meant that some stories are published in advance of the date they are actually scheduled to appear. The use of embargoes, which prevented publication until a telegraph signaled its release, has also contributed to the lack of timeliness. In the nineteenth century, the use of telegraphs to communicate news and information changed newsroom practices. Even though news stories were written long before the actual event, many newspapers and telegraph companies routinely raised the date on mail correspondence to give the illusion that the story was written yesterday.
Objectivity
Critics of news reporting often point to the contradictory nature of the objectivity ethos, a philosophy that posits the possibility of unequivocal separation of facts from opinions. Objectivity as an ideal is problematic because it assumes that reporters can write only facts, but at the same time, it may be impossible for journalists to be objective.
Fairness
Fairness in news is a concept that journalists should strive to uphold. This principle is especially important in breaking news situations where journalists must be able to reach people and get their stories out. Fairness in news is about telling the full story of a story, not slanting it or trying to sell the story.