Getting the news
This question asks you to consider how you receive news. Start by briefly describing something going on in the world today to which you're paying attention. It can be anything international, national, regional or local.
Now, of the five media that typically carry news (newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Web), to which one are you most likely to turn for reports about the thing you're interested in? Why?
And which one are you least likely to use? Again, why?
Improving the standard
As you learned from this week's reading, journalists determine the newsworthiness of a potential story by consider how relevant, useful and interesting it might be to their audience. One of the big criticisms of news coverage in the recent years is that it has begun to focus on "interesting" at the expense of the other two requirements. Critics accuse the news media of chasing after dwindling audiences by supplying entertaining fluff rather than dull, depressing coverage of more important issues.
Start by describing a news story you've seen recently that had high potential for audience interest but was otherwise largely irrelevant and useless. Bonus respect to anyone who can also come up with an example of a story that was highly relevant and useful but not very interesting.
Gie me your honest opinion about whether the story you read should have been published to begin with, and explain why you think so.
Then suggest a way journalists might bring the three factors back into balance, either by making relevant and useful stories more interesting or making interesting stories more relevant and useful.