Journalism

What is journalism?

Journalism refers to the writing of material specifically for the purpose of being published in a newspaper, magazine, or similar type of reading material. Newspapers and magazine are really businesses. Because they are businesses, there are factors that affect the content and style of their publications.

One important factor is that advertisements, a major source of money for the operation of a newspaper, is included as part of the “content” of the publication. This may be in the form of a small advertisement, a full page ad, or an insert. There are other factors that influence the content of a publication.

Some factors that affect the content of a publication include: editorial policy, wishes of the advertisers, availability of information, and interests of readers. Editorial policy may mean that some stories are emphasized while other stories are de-emphasized. Some stories may also be presented in a slanted or biased way. Advertisers may make requests about the content, or treatment of content, which might affect their companies.

Content also varies with the availability of information, and it varies with the publication’s focus. Some publishers may not be able to access some information because they can’t afford to hire staff, or they can’t afford to buy finished stories from companies specializing in writing stories and then selling them to news organizations. These companies are called wire services. Some publications offer local, provincial, national, and international news while other publications offer more local or more national news. Ultimately, the content of a publication depends on the decisions made by its editor or editors.

Stories may be included or excluded based on the interests and desires of the readers. For example, local news stories may be of more interest to a group of readers than international news. Magazines tend to focus on specific groups of readers. Craft magazines, for instance, target people who enjoy specific crafts. The challenge for publishers is to interest as many people as possible. There are two ways of getting buyers interested in a publication.