What is News?
News is information and commentary on contemporary affairs taken to be publicly important (Schudson 2012).
Why News Matters
News as a Type of Source
News is a popular source. Popular sources are typically written by journalists to inform or entertain a general audience, whereas academic sources, also called scholarly sources, are written by experts in a field, people who have advanced degrees in a given discipline.
This chart compares popular sources and academic sources and their features:
| Popular Sources | Academic/Scholarly (including peer-reviewed) | |
|---|---|---|
| Content |
Current events; general interest articles |
Research results/reports; reviews of research (review articles); book reviews |
| Purpose | To inform, entertain, or elicit an emotional response | To share research or scholarship with the academic community |
| Author | Staff writers, journalists, freelancers | Scholars/researchers |
| Audience | General public | Scholars, researchers, students |
| Review | Staff editor | Editorial board made up of other scholars and researchers. Some articles are peer-reviewed |
| Citations | May not have citations, or may be informal (ex. according to... or links) | Bibliographies, references, endnotes, footnotes |
| Frequency | Weekly/monthly | Quarterly or semi-annually |
| Ads* | Numerous ads for a variety of products | Minimal, usually only for scholarly products like books |
| Examples on Publisher Site | Washington Post; Time; New York Times; Aerospace Engineering Blog | The Aeronautical Journal; International Journal of Aerospace Engineering; IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine |
| Examples in Library Databases (Requires GCC Login) | Washington Post; Time; New York Times | The Aeronautical Journal; International Journal of Aerospace Engineering; Nature |
The Difference Between News, Analysis, and Opinion
It's important to distinguish between different types of content found in sources of news to avoid confusion or bias. News is a factual report of events, simply explaining what happened without interpretation. Analysis goes a step further by not only discussing what happened but also exploring why it happened, offering context and drawing conclusions based on the facts. Opinion, on the other hand, is a personal perspective on the event, sharing what the writer thinks about it and why they believe it's important.
Source: Media Bias 101: The Difference Between News, Analysis, and Opinion
News: What happened.
Analysis: What happened and why — writer considers facts and draws conclusions.
Opinion: What I think about what happened.