What is news? With all this hubbub and confusion nowadays, people seem to be losing track of what can really be quantified as news. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, news is, "new informations or a report about something that has happened recently."Using that as the baseline for quantification, let's evaluate some news sources.
TMZ: Is TMZ a news source?
TMZ is an online blog with a succeeding television show. TMZ reports on celebrities, sports, TV shows, movies, and things of the pop-culture nature. Often times, TMZ reports on Kim Kardashian and her family's latest crazes. Technically, as by the operational definition, even this is news. This is new information, this is a report on a recent event. As much as we may cringe to hear this, Kim Kardashian updates are in fact news.
New York Times: Is the New York Times a news source?
The NY Times has been one of the country's most reliable news sources since the times of yellow journalism and mudrakers. In this editorial on Marijuana from the New York Times, the Editorial Board explores and reports on the latest in marijuana legalization. They are a more reliable source than TMZ and provide more intelligent, pertinent news than TMZ. This editorial is of course, by our operational definition, news. It is new, relevant and even interesting. This is what people think of as news.But the question is not what is and isn't news. The question is what does this country need more of: blogs or editorial reviews?
We should allow both forms to exist cohesively as is somewhat the case now. This topic is opinion and in order to remain with the wishes of a right to free speech, we should keep all options open. Some people may prefer hearing Kim Kardashian's life story to hearing the updates on their immediate society. This is a choice we must leave up to the people. Editorials are more scholarly, but they both introduce new information and are both educational. The U.S needs to keep both available and developed in order to progress the quality and quantity of the nation's news. Both are opinions and everyone has different opinions and will value different sources for their news.
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/07/08/opinion/sunday/the-strip.html#1
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