Whether you are reading the news, listening to the news or watching the news, there are a number of factors that are relevant to the news that you are viewing. These factors include the time frame, the magnitude and the relevance of the news.
Hard news
‘Hard’ news refers to news stories that have an impact on a large number of viewers. It generally relates to issues that have a global impact, such as international conflicts, politics, economics and business news.
Hard news stories are factual, and often involve an element of research. They are also usually presented in a formal manner. Oftentimes, hard news is reported in real time, so readers have to think about what they are reading.
In some cases, hard news can be delivered from a global perspective, such as environmental issues. It can also be reported from a local significance. Some examples of hard news include news on economics, wars, and crime.
Entertainment
Whether you’re a professional entertainer or a casual spectator, there’s no shortage of ways to entertain yourself. However, it’s important to note that entertainment in and of itself isn’t always a fad. It’s been a staple of human culture for thousands of years.
A good example is the invention of television. It changed the availability and cost of entertainment products. It also led to a new type of employment: entertainers. Besides films, there are many other forms of entertainment, such as music, sports, and gaming.
The Internet has also made it easier for individual entertainers to find new audiences. They can choose from an overwhelming array of pre-recorded products.
Time factor
Depending on the source, the time factor in news may or may not be a big deal. However, it is a factor in determining the quality of the news story, how much information is conveyed, and how much interest it attracts. It also has a big effect on the number of people who read it.
This isn’t to say that the time factor is the only reason to include the small screen in your news reading arsenal. Besides, it may be irrelevant if the news story is of national significance and if the news is not relevant to the reader’s locale.
Magnitude and relevance
Using an updated version of Galtung and Ruge’s 1965 taxonomy of news values, Harcup and O’Neill study the relevance of news values in the 21st century. News values are constructed based on cultural and other influences. They have the ability to affect other media. They can also be influenced by arbitrary factors.
In the digital age, news audiences are primarily sourced from social media platforms. In this study, the authors explore how news audiences on these platforms relate to one another. They find that news audiences are relatively similar in both types of platforms.
The study also looked at how news audiences selected stories. The authors found that news audiences were likely to choose stories that were interesting or entertaining. They were less likely to choose stories that were highly polarised.