News coverage refers to the reporting of current events in newspapers, magazines, TV programs, and online news platforms. The selection of what topics or stories get covered by the media has a huge impact on the public’s perception of those events.
Whether by accident or intention, journalists may distort news coverage in order to achieve particular political goals. This is especially true for television and radio, where there are strict time constraints on news broadcasts. Combined with the short attention span of most audiences, this can create a biased narrative that only shows certain aspects of an event or situation.
For example, CBS recently reported on a congressional hearing in which the Secretary of Defense was trying to prevent further cuts to military spending. The network’s story focused heavily on a fiery exchange between the Senator and the Secretary, but failed to mention the counterarguments or even present both sides of the issue.
A lack of resources can also make it difficult for local news organizations to cover all the things happening in their area. In addition to funding issues, giant tech companies often take advantage of their own financial advantages to monopolize news content on their own sites. The result is that news media professionals feel they must be selective in what stories to tell, and in how to tell them.
It is a good idea for those who want to promote their business to work with the media to ensure they are being represented fairly. It is particularly important to do so for those whose products or services are prone to misunderstandings and negative audience assumptions.