The News

Goals: Describe news.

What?

News is information about current events, trends, issues, and people that is timely and relevant to the public.

Analysis: Relevant to the public. Multiple topics: {sports, politics, local news, health, world news, events, crime, and so on}. Timely.

News comes from many places

• Traditional media: CBS, NYT, Fox, WSJ, and so on.
• Social media: Facebook, Twitter
• Conversations: People chatting
• Citizen journalism
• News agencies: AP, Reuters
• Aggregators: Google News, Apple News, Microsoft Start (formerly MSN News), Yahoo News, and so on.
• Press releases by companies and non-profits
• Government agencies

Rationale (Why Care about News)

• Civic Duty:
  • Informed voting and participation in democracy.
  • Holding power accountable.
• Personal Safety:
  • Awareness of hazards: weather (hurricanes, etc.), food safety, and disease outbreaks.
  • Understanding local safety concerns.
• Health Awareness:
  • Disease outbreaks and health advisories.
  • Medical advancements and health trends.
  • Best diet and exercise.
• Economic Awareness:
  • Financial decisions and economic trends.
  • Business awareness.
• Global Understanding:
  • World events and cultural awareness.
  • Interconnectedness of the world.
• Other
  • Know about upcoming events
  • Learn

Accurate News (How to Get)

1. Identify reliables sources of the news.
2. Skim multiple of these sources. Strive for multiple source viewpoints.
3. Triangulate which means to check them against each other.