2.00 Module Two Pre-Assessment

News: we hear it on the radio, see it being broadcasting on television and read it in newspapers, but what exactly is news? Journalists and news reporters tend to have strong feelings about on what this all-important word means.

Google’s definition of news is, “A broadcast or published report of news.” However, many journalists disagree with this bland, cookie-cutter statement. They feel that news is so much more than just an update on current events Professional reporters feel that news must be a report on events that are intriguing and of concern to the common person.

This belief is expressed in a statement made my Kurt Loader, an American reporter.

“…News is anything that's interesting, that relates to what's happening in the world, what's happening in areas of the culture that would be of interest to your audience.” Loader once said.

In his witty quote, Charles Anderson Dana, an American journalist, also expressed his credence towards the concept that news wasn’t just a report on happenings.

“When a dog bites a man that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news.” Dana stated.

So, to sum it all up news is the story telling of sapid events in an informal way.

Works Cited

Dana, C. A. (1819-1897). What is News? Retrieved 02 26, 2012, from The News Manual: http://www.thenewsmanual.net/Resources/what_is_news_00.htm

Loader, K. (1945). What is news? Retrieved February 26, 2012, from The News Manual: http://www.thenewsmanual.net/Resources/what_is_news_00.htm

Reporter's Notebook: Lesson 1.01 Evolution of American Journalism

In the 1690’s, the circulation of America’s first newspaper, Publick Occurrences, was put to an end after the gazette’s publisher was arrested. What Americans didn't know back then was that America’s journalism industry would steadily flourish and prosper following the unfortunate end of this publication.  

The most important factor in the evolution of American journalism was the creation of the First Amendment in the Constitution. Within the First Amendment lies a quote stating, “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” This statement prevents the government from prohibiting the media from discussing intimate details about the government and politicians. This liberty is important because without it the government would have full control of how much knowledge reporters and the general public gain about the government.

Have you ever heard the old saying “With freedom comes responsibilities?” Well, that statement fully applies to journalists. With the freedom of the press came the responsibility for journalists to find a way to effectively distribute accurate information to the public.

From the late 1600s to the early 1900s America’s only way of spreading news across the nation was by newspaper. Newspapers were printed in mass amounts, and then shipped to various locations. As technology developed reporters gained new, innovative ways to disperse information.

In the 1920s some of the first radio broadcasts featuring news reports were aired. This gave journalists a faster and easier way to inform citizens what was going on in their community.

The invention of television in the mid 1940s was also important to the evolution of journalism. Television allowed reporters to broadcast their stories while simultaneously showing video clips and images to their viewers.

The final technological innovation that helped develop the United State’s journalism industry was computers. Computers provided writers with one of the most important tools in writing: the delete key. The delete key allowed writers to edit their articles with ease. 


The invention of computers also allowed journalists to connect to the Internet. Connection to the World Wide Web allow reporters to complete two significant actions: gather quotes, information and facts within seconds and instantly publish articles.

Next time you find yourself watching a Katie Couric report about the presidential election on CBS, or reading an article about Casey Antony on your iPad’s browser, take the time to appreciate journalism and it’s past. Without journalism, we would be uninformed about important current events and without journalism’s past there would be no online newspapers.

Reference: 

Florida Virtual School, (2011). The Evolution of American Journalism. Retrieved February 2, 2012, from : http://learn.flvs.net/educator/student/frame.cgi?ahudson20*kpetty8*mpos=1&spos=0&option=hidemenu&slt=qtBMebpZJLMBw*3493*http://learn.flvs.net/webdav/educator_journalism1_v11/index.htm

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