Journalism

What is journalism?

Journalism refers to writing published in newspapers and magazines. Most people expect newspapers to publish factual and objective stories. This means providing details about the who, what, where, when, why, and how. However, this not always the case.

How to read newspapers and periodicals

As a reader, you need to keep this in mind because it may influence the content, value, or message a newspaper or magazine contains. For example, if several banks regularly purchase advertising space in a newspaper, the newspaper may contain more article on about the banks, place stories about the banks on the first or second page, and include stories which portray the banks in the more positive way.

The best way to discover if a newspaper does this is to read the paper over a period of time. Check to see who the advertisers are, whether related stories are covered frequently, and where the stories are placed. You may want to compare newspapers to see if there are differences.

Even if advertiser influence is minimal, writers often write biased or slanted articles consciously or unconsciously. If a writer feels strongly about a topic, they may write a slanted article to convince you to think or act a specific way. Use your basic reading skills to read critically. This means: sorting facts from opinions, recognizing facts, making logical conclusions, finding main ideas, recognizing faulty thinking, and recognizing bias.

Parts of a newspaper

Most newspapers are divided into sections. Look at the table on the next page. Does your local paper have all of these parts?