Journalism, Mass Media and Communication - Essay Example

? Journalism, Mass Media and Communication Introduction Journalism is an activity that can be described as one that defines journalists. It is the system in which journalists get to engage the public, and this can be in terms of written, visual or audio material. Journalism is done with the intention of bringing the news to the public. It is about making the community aware of their surroundings. Through journalism, mass media and communication, the public is able to know how the world they live in operates. They have a sense of guidance and cause change in places is needed (Hallin & Mancini, 2004). The ongoing events in the day to day lives partly depend on the influence of journalists. This is the reason why mass media is a very important tool in any country. They are able to influence what people think, see and hear. They are able to make stories and events known within a short time. The media is an important tool, one which is used to inform on upcoming events that might directly affect the people. Over the years, the mass media has faced criticism, praise and also ridicule because of the way they have handled themselves. In modern times, the press has been used to make false statements, show false news, hide some information and also reveal some of the worst known secrets (Hallin & Mancini, 2004). Journalists have been put in the spotlight over the various news that they have written. They have been charged with intimidation, violence and harassment, but all this is because of the temperament of their occupation. There are different forms of providing news to the public. They include broadcasting over the television and radio stations, newspapers, journals, magazines, and the other important one is the internet. In this essay, attention will be focused towards the newspaper section and its popularity and influence in the United States and China. The newspaper section takes up a lot of heat when it comes to the transmission of news to the public (Hallin & Mancini, 2004). A newspaper is a publication that is periodical and contains news that regard the current atmosphere and events. It covers the diverse features, editorials, and the advertising bit of marketing. The newspaper can be termed as one of the greatest prominent mass media device that exists. This is because they are printed daily, and are relatively cheap and contain a lot of information regarding the current events and happenings of a place. There are millions of newspaper copies that are sold on a daily basis because they do cover a lot of published material. Some of the things published in a newspaper include editorial opinions about the writing, criticism of or for the writing, persuasion publishing and op-ed, obituaries, entertainment facilities and features that include things such as crosswords, Sudoku and horoscopes (Hallin & Mancini, 2004). There are also news about the weather and forecasts on certain areas and places. There are also the facilities of advice, food and other columns such as reviews of ‘radio’, ‘movies’, ‘television’, ‘plays’ and ‘restaurants’. The newspaper also has classified advertisements that include the ‘radio’ and ‘television’ listings, inserts from ‘local merchants’, cartoons and comics. These are just some of the facilities that a newspaper carries. It is because of the various facilities that it offers that it gets the popularity. Newspaper popularity in the United States is less pronounced and common than in the republic of China. When looking at the popularity of the newspaper in the United States, it is safe to say that the newspaper industry in the United States supplies fewer newspapers in a day than their Chinese counterparts. Looking at the average of the newspaper circulation between the United States and China, it is safe to say that newspapers are less popular in the United States than in China and Japan (Hallin & Mancini, 2004). There are many factors that can attribute to this. One important factor is the factor that concerns itself with the advertising rates. The advertising rates of China are friendly; hence, able to attract many people to buy the newspaper. Another factor that may bring about the change in the circulation of newspapers between the two countries is the level of development. In the United States, people are more developed than in China. Technology is one of the factors that make people not conform to the old ways of acquiring information and news. The more a country is developed in terms of technology, the more there will be the less use of newspapers to acquire the knowledge needed (Hallin & Mancini, 2004). Newspaper circulation is failing in developed countries because of the influence of the social and technological changes that are present. Some of the things that might affect the popularity of newspapers include the availability of news over the internet. Because of the high cost of living in China the newspapers is used massively, rising incomes and the availability. Technology has still not taken over the whole of the Chinese market. In china, newspapers have more influence over the people than the technology. Comparing the level of technology in the United States, news is becoming digital by the minute. They are available in the internet, and anyone with internet access can access the news and the events of the state with their machines; the computers, palmtops, and phones. The Chinese people seem to have the need to retain the culture of reading a newspaper in order for them to be informed of the daily happenings in their state (Hallin & Mancini, 2004). Another important factor that can be looked upon and that may have a major influence is the political atmosphere. The media has been used in stating political statements in most of the countries that have been known to have political influence over the press and the mass media in general. This has been common mostly in the United States. As such, newspaper popularity decreases because the news that is printed out is false or has an added twist to them. This makes it impossible for the press and journalists to bring the news to the people. As such, the newspaper industry does not have the reputation that it deserves (Hallin & Mancini, 2004). This leads to the newspaper industry being compromised because they lack support from the political arena. Political journalism is a major aspect when it comes to newspaper market. This is because the news that they bring along may bring a difference in the thinking of the people or it may bring a uniting aspect. Political journalism is not about supporting the political wellbeing of a country. It is about making money and profits while still spreading the news to the public (Hallin & Mancini, 2004). There was a time in history when political journalism was very much needed because it made people aware of their political wellbeing, but the political journalism in the United States has become fuzzy to the point that it has come to lack the required market. In China, the political influence over the press is much lower than in America. There is the availability of the press printing and no interference from the political arena. Such is what makes the newspaper market in China more popular than in the United States. Political parallelism is practiced in many countries. When speaking about political parallelism, it defines the political individuals that are involved in the media and in a way it also defines the way the media reflects the political divisions of a particular area. Conclusion Hallin and Mancini’s book discusses four main dimensions such as the structures of the ‘media markets’, and ‘political parallelism’ among others. According to the authors of the manuscript, it is apparent that the newspaper industry in the United States is much lower than in any other state and in particular in China (Hallin & Mancini, 2004). There are some aspects that bring a huge difference between the two countries. Stated, they include; the degree of disjointing amid startling ‘mass press’ and ‘quality press’ differs between the two countries. There is also the regional segmentation of media markets and the sway of adjoining countries on the countrywide media means. Another cause of the difference is the partisanship of media audiences and the general tendency of the media personnel to take part in the political life. Reference Hallin, D. C., & Mancini, P. (2004). Comparing media systems: Three models of media and politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 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