What Makes Something News?

In today’s world, the idea of news seems to stir up ideas of divisive political views and conflicting world views and opinions.

But in a democracy where unbiased information is vital to the public decisions that impact policy making, news should be first and foremost, informative.

So, news is not blind, unreserved disdain for a particular political figure. When the truth is trumped by a political agenda it fails at being news and becomes propaganda.

News is honest and unbiased research that presents itself to an audience with the main intention to inform. When media loses internal bias, it’s main focus becomes informative, instead of persuasive.

While most media, from podcasts to news shows, contains an element of persuasion to inspire audiences, extreme levels of persuasiveness are harmful to the integrity of news. The unfortunate polarization of the top news outlets in the United States have caused many Americans to become increasingly dubious of the media.

Thankfully, honest reporting is still being done in America. New media outlets realize the need for more reporting and less attacking.

The media should seek to give Americans the facts and let them form their own opinions. In the free society of America, the news should leave ideas open for debate.

Freedom of speech is a foundational American value and in the realm of informative media, good ideas tend to be unemotional. They tend to be rational and enlightening.

Real news reporting follows this pattern and is easily distinguished from the partisan war of major news outlets. It informs audiences on immediate issues and avoids biased interpretations of facts.

Andrew Musser