1 | Defining News
Professor Reppert
Reporting and Writing for the Mass Media
Fall 2025
News is somethings that affects every one of us. Over the years, the way that we define and consume news has changed a lot. Not long ago, it mostly came from professional journalists or by word-of-mouth. It was slow and rarely updated, it was usually on a weekly or daily time span. Now, thanks to social media and the internet, news spreads constantly and reaches people in the matter of seconds. There are many different types of news including; weather updates, local events, international issues, politics, and much more. Whether you enjoy the news or find it to be annoying, it's hard to avoid. It's everywhere, and it plays an extremely important part in our lives to know what is happening in the world around us. According to Pew Research, “People don’t always like news, but they say they need it... it helps them feel informed or feel that they ‘need’ to keep up with it” (Pew Research, 2025). This blog just scratches the surface of defining news, but we are going to discuss important factors and key ideas for how important news is.
So, what is news, really? News is information that is shared with a large audience, usually about current events or issues that matter to people. With good information there is also false information. In today's society it can be hard to tell what is true and what is not. It is very easy to be misled with the wrong information, so to keep from sharing misinformation it is best to check your resources to make sure that it is trustworthy. Spreading false news can cause a distrust between the audience and the source. A 2017 article from the University of Colorado states how false news can have a harmful impact on real news, saying: “Fake news has real power over the broader media agenda to direct and divert attention to and from issues” (University of Colorado Research).
Different types of people consume news in different ways. For example, younger audiences may gather their information from social media, while older generations stick with TV or newspapers. There is also a difference in the topics or areas of interests. Typically a teenager may not want to view the same news as an elderly person. A 2018 Pew Research study found that more Americans were getting their news from social media rather than newspapers.
At the end of the day, news is always going to be a part of our lives. It helps us stay informed, connected, and aware. With the rise of social media, anyone is able to share information which is an extremely powerful tool. It is more important than ever to understand why we need to diminish false information. As a society, we need to better understand the value of news and how credible information is valuable. This will contribute to better decisions for our future as individuals and society as a whole.
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