Everyone knows that the media has a strong sway over our society. What some people might not know is how much that sway affects us. Take a look at politics and any other large-scale issues in our society and you’ll find an almost instantaneous correlation between the news today and the views and beliefs of those who see the news today. How can that be? The truth is that news today isn’t just about what’s happening in your local community; it’s about how the news shapes your perceptions of the world and how you view the future.
Take the case of the economy. Do you think that the recent news about the poor state of the American economy has affected how you feel about the economy? Do you think about the upcoming elections and which candidates you’re voting for? If so, you’re not alone. Many of us haven’t taken much interest in the news today because the news today is more about the candidates running for elective office or the wars being fought in the Middle East or even the rising gas prices we all have to face every day.
In the days of old, a major portion of the media today was devoted to reporting world events. This included everything from politics to sports and literally everything in between. In fact, you could receive breaking news about almost anything that happened around the globe. You had to be physically present at many newsrooms in order to get breaking news as this was a very specialized form of journalism. Today, the news is different.
Most newspapers and media sources exist simply to provide the general public with the news. They aren’t there to simply report the facts; they are there to sell you something. While they do that, they also try to tell their audience that they’re newsworthy and that they have significant value.
A good example of how news today has changed comes via the internet. Most people don’t go to the internet for world news today; they use it to research a current event. For instance, if they are reading up about the Iraq war, they may find a news story online that they want to read but usually won’t go out of their way to do so unless they know for certain that the news source is credible. In many cases, people only use news websites that they trust to get reliable information.
That’s where social networking comes in. Sites like Twitter, StumbleUpon and Facebook allow people to quickly rate news of interest to them. They can also discuss the news, vote on stories and interact with others on the site. This has proven to be an invaluable tool for news consumers in terms of getting real time news today. Unfortunately, most people use these sites as a waste of time instead of actually gathering the news they want.
Another news source that is often overlooked by news consumers is local news. Most people only rely on the news organizations they are comfortable with or have heard of. While this is important, there are other sources that should be considered just as much. For example, state news stations may not be your first choice if you are looking for local news. However, some people are turning to web-based state news websites to get daily local news. That is because the news is often more current than television news and you can catch up on breaking news stories from your home computer rather than being stuck in the middle of a large city.
The real key to staying up to date is to make sure you take the time to check out as much news as possible. If you are relying on others to give you news, you will only get news that is of value to you and not necessarily news that will help you make a decision or solve a problem. When you know what news you want to hear about, look for news sources that will deliver it to you. This doesn’t mean that every story will be newsworthy, but it will be newsworthy to you.
