News coverage is the way a story about an event, idea or topic is presented to readers, whether through newspapers, television programs, radio or the internet. A typical news story will describe the background, cause and effects of an event and include an interview with someone who has a vested interest in its outcome.
Historically, printed media, such as newspapers and magazines, were the main source of news. However, technological and social developments have increased the speed at which news can travel as well as influenced its content. Events that used to take hours or days to become known in a town or nation can now be transmitted instantaneously by cable and satellite, making it possible for news to be delivered as it is happening.
Inevitably, news coverage is selective, not just in what stories it includes but in how it presents the stories that it does choose to include. The men and women who present the news – reporters, camera operators, writers, editors, and directors – are human beings with emotions such as jealousy, anger, envy, impatience, and ambition. These influences can cloud their objectivity.
The selection of a story for news coverage is influenced by models of news making that consider the impact that a story will have on its audience, as well as the time and place in which it occurs. Stories that have a strong impact, incorporate violence or scandal, are familiar and local, or are timely receive more attention than those with less significance.
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