News: Introduction

The way we get our news has changed dramatically because of the internet. While TV is still the most popular news source for Canadians overall, younger Canadians rely mostly on social media. This shift means people depend less on news outlets to choose what to cover and more on what their friends share or what social media algorithms recommend. As a result, there’s a growing concern that the news people receive hasn't been fact-checked or isn’t objective.

What makes a story news?

News organizations must constantly decide what is "newsworthy." Traditionally, a story is considered newsworthy if it’s unusual, involves conflict and drama, is fresh, or has a big impact and consequence on many people. Stories with a negative impact are often seen as more newsworthy. Other factors include proximity (how close the event is to the audience) and prominence (stories about people in the public eye).

News sub-genres

News is generally split into hard news (time-sensitive events like crime or politics) and soft news (less urgent topics like entertainment or lifestyle) but can also be divided into different “beats” such as business, sports and politics. Some of these beats, such as crime or health and science news, have become sub-genres with their own identifiable tropes and norms:

Crime news: This sub-genre is popular partly because it’s cheap and easy to cover, often focusing on rare, sensational and violent crimes rather than common property crimes or systemic issues like white-collar crime. This focus can warp public perception and increase fear of crime. Crime reporting often uses language that obscures responsibility, especially in cases of police violence. 

Health and science news: Journalists often use hyperbolic words like "breakthrough" or "miracle" to describe new research, exaggerating its importance. They may also give false balance to fringe views that challenge a strong scientific consensus, making it seem like there’s more debate than there truly is. For this kind of reporting, it’s best to place new findings in the context of older research, avoid exaggeration and carefully distinguish between correlation (a link) and causation (one thing causing another).

Challenges in modern journalism

In the modern media landscape, profit-seeking news outlets sometimes blur the line between facts and commentary, or cater to the biases of their audience. Issues like "pink slime" outlets—fake local news sites that mimic real papers but promote specific views or corporate interests—also complicate finding reliable news.

Young people often expect the news to "find them" through their feeds, a perception linked to less knowledge about politics and greater news avoidance. To counter these issues, both journalists and audiences must work to identify reliable sources and read critically, paying close attention to framing (what’s included or left out to shape a story) and understanding news industry tropes and norms.