What does news do and why is it important - Essay Example

? News and its significance News refers to the communication of particular information touching on current happenings, and this information is normally relayed through various sources such as the print, broadcast, internet, and word of mouth. Furthermore, according to Warner (n.d), news sources report on matters that have newsworthiness based on either proximity of events to the audience, or because of the magnitude of the stories. Granted that it is the most pervasive, forceful, and most influential force in human societies today, news sources can be a channel of passing ideas unto the public, thereby influencing its viewpoints accordingly. For instance, as indicated by Iyengar and Kinder (1989) television news can be so forceful and influential in shaping the public’s viewpoints concerning the politics of the day. News can influence societies either positively or negatively, but either way, news plays a significant role in society. Brighton and Foy (2007) stated that the relationship between news sources and society has socio-cultural aspects, and the role of news can be explained using three perspectives namely the ‘common sense, the practitioner, and the academic perspective. This paper will examine what news does, and why it is important, using an illustration from the Guardian news organization. News is very important because it informs the general population of happenings in their immediate environment, which might be of primary concern to them because they may be directly affected by these events. According to Manning (2001), news sources have a moral obligation to undertake the task of gathering and communicating to the public what is happening both in their local environs, and across their borders. Focus on local matters enables people to have a fundamental awareness of matters of importance to them, and in response to news, people may prepare to take actions; for instance, a news report of fatal road carnage at a dangerous hotspot can be a cause for lobbying to fix the problem. News may also cover stories that have a national perspective in distant cities and towns, especially in the context of countries with diversified population centres. Focus on national matters in other cities and towns enables people to get a national outlook or perspective on crucial issues such as trade opportunities and resources for economic empowerment available in other places. Nonetheless, news stories may also be international by covering events in other countries that are not only geographically isolated, but also culturally different and distinct. In this regard, events that may be happening in distant places where people are unable to reach may also be of interest to them; for that matter, news bridges the geographical gap between people and events in distant places, making them to feel connected too. News from foreign cultures can be very inspiring and insightful, leading to a fruitful exchange of positive cultural aspects and ideas between different people and societies in general. In this case, news plays not only an entertainment and informative role of relaying distant happenings to local audiences, but also a transformative role by influencing cultural movements within the wider society. Generally, news plays significant functions in society, including raising awareness on local happenings, giving people a national perspective on matters within their borders, as well as regional perspectives in other countries, leading to cultural and ideological exchanges. Consequently, as stated by Schadson (1996) the awareness created through communication of news invokes critical debates and discussions in the audiences concerning crucial issues in society such as policy. In addition, it empowers people to question and even challenge governments by holding them accountable to their policy choices and actions. One example of a news organization that performs its role of informing the masses or the general population of the happenings in their environments and holding those who hold power accountable to their electorates is the Guardian, which publishes not only accurate, but also comprehensive news stories. As a rule of the thumb, the Guardian is a responsible news gathering organization that has an obligation to report on, and inform the general population or its audience about critical issues that concern them. For instance, as stated in The Guardian (2013) the National Intelligence Agencies’ eavesdropping on private message exchanges is a serious issue that needs proper parameters for regulation, yet it had been established without public awareness or debate. The Guardian played a very significant role in informing the public of the intelligence machinery established without their knowledge, thereby creating a social awareness in the public domain. Creating awareness of events and developments in the environment is the fundamental and most important role of the Guardian news organization. Through reporting about news events and developments, the Guardian does not only inform but it also prepares the public to respond to these events to avert negative consequences that might arise due to their ignorance of what could be happening around them. Additionally, the Guardian does not merely inform, but it also inspires public debates concerning what it reports about in societies, thereby enriching the society’s knowledge bases and scholarly foundations. In this regard, the Guardian plays a very fundamental role of driving social responsibility and responsiveness amongst the general population; freedom of expression is a fundamental aspect especially in a democracy, and the Guardian provides a platform for their audiences to debate matters of public interest. The Guardian, as an authoritative news source has a profound impact on peoples’ viewpoints and opinions because it contributes to the framing of individual perspectives depending on how it covers news stories. Insofar as matters of critical national concern such as the National intelligence agencies’ eavesdropping on private conversations are concerned, the Guardian helps in framing the thinking and viewpoints of the public accordingly. For instance, as indicated by Owen (2013) ,the public may debate about the need to balance between protection against terrorists and terrorism acts that undermine public security and the need to protect and promote individual privacy. The relentless and vigorous coverage of this issue and the profound, sharply contested yet still invigorating public debates and discussions it brings forth are in purely in the public’s interest. The Guardian, besides informing the public and invoking critical thinking and debates, has a right and moral responsibility to question and challenge the government on what seems to be abuse of mandate by those in power; in this case, the Guardian plays a very significant role of holding leaders accountable to their actions and choices. By questioning and challenging the government concerning crucial issues such as policy that affects the public, the Guardian plays the role of a public watchdog, and invites the public to rethink their government’s policy decisions and their implications accordingly. Eventually, a well-informed public is able to respond by questioning the conventional status-quo thinking that is pervasive in society by thinking critically and engaging in constructive discussions concerning national policies. The Guardian, does not merely describe happenings in the world of individuals, it goes further to add context to these events by making commentaries and evaluative analyses. However, the crucial part of this role is finding those stories that are hard to come by due to their exclusive nature; this way, the Guardian ensures that the public is always aware by unearthing stories that would otherwise not see the light of the day due to their controversial nature (The Guardian 2013). The reporting on the activities of the secret services was particularly controversial especially because the surveillance of private conversations in households was a heavily guarded secret by the intelligence service agencies. Nonetheless, according to Owen (2013) the public has a right to know about such a severe measure taken by their government on their behalf because it affects them directly; this awareness will enable them to make intelligent decisions concerning the same. Ultimately, the significance of news in any society can never be overestimated, especially because news plays important functions, including but not limited to, raising awareness on both local and national happenings, thus, giving people a local and national perspective on matters within their borders. In addition to that, news provides intelligence on international matters thereby providing insightful outlooks on regional perspectives in other countries, and this can be a rich platform for exchanges, whether cultural or ideological exchanges, between people. News acts as a conveyor belt that connects people to events, especially those that are happening in distant places in real time, where they cannot reach, thus enriching their awareness of what is happening around the whole universe. Nonetheless, news sources do not only inform people by reporting to them, rather, they also provide contexts to news stories by commenting on, and evaluating them in the interest of enhancing further clarity while invoking thought. In this regard, the awareness created through communication of news invokes critical debates and discussions in the audiences concerning important issues in society such as policy, and empowers people to question and even challenge governments by holding them accountable to their policy choices and actions. The Guardian is one example of a news organization that carries out its role of gathering news and communicating it to the people with utmost success, thus, honouring its responsibility to society. Among its many other roles, the Guardian informs the society by communicating local, national and regional news stories, raises public awareness on crucial matters of public interest, and invokes discussions and debates on the same; the Guardian also questions and challenges the government thereby holding it accountable to the people. References Brighton, P. and Foy, D. 2007. News Values. London. Sage Publications Inc. Schadson, M. (1996). The Power of News. Harvard: Harvard University Press. Manning, P. (2001). News and News Sources: A Critical Introduction. London: Sage Publications Inc. Iyengar, S. and Kinder, D. 1989. News that matters. Chicago: The American Chicago Press. Warner, N. K. n.d. Media Criticism: "News Values and News Production." [Online]. Viewed 12th Nov 2013 http://media.litmuse.net/vocabulary/bias/-news-value---news-production The Guardian. (2013). Editors on the NSA files: 'What the Guardian is doing is important for democracy’. The Guardian [Online]. Viewed 12th Nov 2013. from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/10/guardian-democracy-editors Owen, P. 2013. Snowden files – survey shows confusion over NSA's role. The Guardian. [Online]. Viewed 12th Nov 2013. from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/11/snowden-files-survey-confusion-nsa-role Read More