News is an important medium through which a nation’s advancement can be tracked. It should be unbiased and fair in its reporting, be it in respect of a country’s progress or in respect of a particular field of study. Furthermore, it should be educational to its readers, who have a right to know the progress of their country. News is the flow of aspirations and ambitions of mankind, and the glories and ignominies of mankind.
Research on news values
The importance of newsworthiness has been widely studied. Researchers have identified different news values and devised scores to assess the newsworthiness of an event. These scores reflect the importance of the newsworthy event and its likelihood of being reported and republished. Some newsworthy events exhibit multiple news values, whereas others display a single, more subtle value. This research is still influential, and continues to inform how news is reported and evaluated in news media.
In recent years, the concept of news values has undergone an evolution. Researchers have begun to consider how news values affect the decisions of journalists. News values are material and cognitive in nature, and are applied as selection criteria in journalistic practices. They also affect audience reactions and how they react to news.
Reporting of current events
Reporting of current events involves collecting news, writing commentary, and publishing that information in print. As media have evolved, the scope of reporting current events has expanded. Journalists can report events on different mediums, including radio and television. Generally, they are permitted to use copyrighted works in reporting current events, but they cannot use them for commercial purposes. The exception is when the work is used for non-commercial purposes.
Reporting of current events requires students to differentiate between fact and opinion. This develops critical thinking skills, as well as helps students identify academic vocabulary. For example, they might be required to list five facts from an article, and then develop their own opinion. By doing so, they set a foundation for the ability to distinguish fact from opinion.
Objectivity
Objectivity in news is a highly debated topic. The word implies a set of practices, including neutrality and balance, and is central to the ethos of journalism in liberal Anglo-American democracies. Objectivity in news is also increasingly important in transition societies, such as former communist or third world dictatorships. However, the meaning of objectivity is complex.
Critics of objectivity in news say that it essentially seeks to assert power, which in turn undermines the notion of objective knowledge. They argue that objectivity is a self-contradictory concept, since there is no independent way to evaluate the truth-value of competing news accounts. Objectivity in news also implicitly enjoins journalists to abandon any attempts to differentiate between truth and propaganda.
Fairness
One of the key issues in media coverage is the idea of ‘fairness’. While some journalists have strong opinions about this, others may have a different perspective. Some will view fairness in the news as a matter of balance and non-partisanship. Nevertheless, this idea only works as a limited basis for assessing the quality of news coverage. This article proposes an alternative model based on consistency and justification of position taking.
News reporters can take sides, but only if they are backed by factual evidence. They also cannot give equal time to either side of an issue. Instead, they must find a balance in reporting so that both sides can be heard.
Imagery
Imagery is an important part of the news production process. Today, it plays a larger role than ever. The images used in news are often seen on screens with varying sizes, resolutions, and color ratios. This means that newsrooms may spend less time on photo correction, but the quality of their images is still vital to presenting the story in the best possible light.
There has been debate about the proper use of graphic imagery in news reportage. The debate has been sparked by the photographs of a Vietnamese girl burned with napalm, and a Viet Cong prisoner shot in the head. While both photographs have sparked controversy, they also seem to have brought about a greater sense of understanding among the public.
