Most Important Things You May Not Know About News & Media

Most Important Things You May Not Know About The News And Media

It feels as though these days we're more connected to what's going on than ever before. With more ways of getting our news, and the fact that we're always connected to the outside world, you'd think that we're more informed than ever before. In fact, though, that isn't the case at all. Here's what you need to know about the news and the media in today's age.

The news isn't as prevalent as you'd think

It certainly feels as though the news is everywhere. With social media, it's much easier to spread and share news. There's plenty of people out there who won't believe anything unless they hear it on Facebook first. However, while there's more information out there, there isn't necessarily more news.

People now spend around 11.8 hours a day consuming media. That amount is staggering when you hear it, but in fact it's not all news or TV anymore. If someone is consuming media, they could be listening to podcasts, playing video games, or watching videos on Youtube. There's more media out there, but it's not all important news that's being consumed.

Local news is dying off

There's a lot of evidence that local news can be a positive thing, both for the reader and the publisher. For example, readers are twice as likely to act on ads in local media than they are on TV ads. There's also evidence to suggest that local media is the most trusted media around. However, this isn't being reflected in how local news is reported.

21% of news stations dedicate don't even dedicate 1% of their air time to local news. However, 3 out of 4 people say that they get their news from local news broadcasts. That means that only a tiny percentage of news is getting out there to consumers. That means that there's huge swathes of information that consumers just aren't getting.

Newspapers are on their way out Too

It's no secret that newspapers appear to be dying out. They're hanging on valiantly, but consumers would much rather read their news online, rather than buying a paper. Why wouldn't they? They don't have to go out and buy a paper, they can just read up on what's happening on a screen.

This is causing trouble for how news is reported, though. «Because people aren't buying papers, that means that outlets need to get their funding from advertisements. In extreme circumstances, that means that the advertisers can dictate what stories get priority.» - says Gloria Kopp from Studydemic

Of course this doesn't happen often, but it does happen. That means the news is being skewed to favour others, who aren't the readers themselves.

Where people are getting their news

So if people aren't getting their news from papers, where are they getting it from? PR Manager Joshua Renard from Best Australian Writers says, 'People now get the vast majority of their news online. It's not just from news websites, either. They'll get news from social media and entertainment websites, too.'

As a society that's concerned with staying connected, that sounds like it can only be a good thing. However, it does mean that readers aren't being as careful to critically look at their news sources. Renard says, 'Readers don't think about how the Guardian could be a more reputable site than Buzzfeed, for example. They'll take the news at face value.'

As you can see, there's more ways than ever to consume media, but what we're reading and watching may not have the same value. It's important to keep up with the news, but be critical of it too.

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