Compare and Contrast

• What do the different forms of news media have in common?
• Newspaper
• Radio
• Television
• Internet
• What are the differences among the forms of news media?
• Which form or forms of news media do you prefer, and why?

     All news media have one key similarity, they're sole purpose is to inform. The differences are extensive and include distribution, advertisement, consumers and mode of communication. Some prefer written word to get their information and so they read a newspaper or look on line. Others would rather listen to the news so they turn on the television or switch on the radio. In the car, on the sofa, at work or at school there are so many places and ways to get the news.
     Newspaper came first in the chain of news media. Far away cities were seldom heard of and information concerning important events such as presidential elections and natural disasters took weeks to reach the people it concerned. Freedom of speech caused more newspapers to take root and soon the people got to chose who they wanted to get their information from instead of relying on one source. Word of mouth and newspapers that were dispersed as quickly as possible but never, not even today, could they provide breaking news the moment it occured.
     Radio came next on our chain. The new concept of being able to hear a persons voice telling the news instead of having to sit and read it was a novelty. More than one person at a time could listen and listeners didn't have to devote all of their attention to the task. Broadcasters could make inflections in their voice to show emotion and give more information. A story that was said aloud to millions was easier to produce rather than a million copies of one story going out to the public. As it has progressed a wider variety has come out including political talk shows, objective news and constant weather and traffic updates on almost any station. Up to date news can be given and warnings can be broad-casted through the radio. The inconvenience is the lack of a visual. To be able to see something for ones self is both encouraging and liberating.
     Television provided the much sought after visual aid in the media business. While newspapers could provide pictures and radio broadcasters could describe details, those dimmed in comparison with the 'real life' pictures shown on the screen of televisions. For a person to be able to sit in their home and watch an event occurring thousands and thousands of miles away is extraordinary. We can receive minute by minute news and watch the news happen. We can experience a tornado or sit through an inauguration  by clicking a button. We can record and rewind back to events we would like to watch later or watch the news on a different day completely. There are flaws however. For instance, mostly only the large companies have news stations meaning that a lot of information is controlled by not very many people. Sometimes television is too time consuming, most people have jobs or school that takes up most of their time and they would rather not sit in front of the television. It is not a constant stream of information, there are still commercials and advertisements in between segments.
      Then Internet came along and all of the medias came together. You can listen to radio podcasts from the Internet on an ipod or mp3. Videos are available to watch on numerous sites and written stories are available through on-line newspapers. There is also much less if any censoring on the kind of stories that are told and who tells them. First hand information can be found in a blogger or in a discussion group. This is also a major flaw. It is hard to tell what information is credible and much of the time extra research is required to check sources.
     All in all, each news media has its pros and cons but they mostly overlap. What is a con in one outlet may be a pro in  another and vis versa. Most people dabble in all of the different media types but I personally stick with the Internet. I just have to remember to check sources to make sure I am getting the most credible information.