What Is News?
News is a collection of information and opinions about current events. It is usually published daily or weekly and can be found in many forms, including magazines, books, radio and television programs, and the Internet. The purpose of news is to inform, educate and entertain people. News articles can contain facts, analysis and opinion, as well as editorials and advertisements. News also provides analysis and context to help understand why something happened or what the results of a particular event were.
Newspapers are usually read on the printed page, though the advent of the digital age has led to more online newspapers and social media sites reporting the news. Some online newspapers are free, while others require a subscription. The amount of content varies, and some sites have search tools that let you look for specific news items. Some websites are aggregators that collect stories from multiple sources and present them in a single location. Examples include Google news and Yahoo News. Newspapers also have their own websites, where they provide archival news, as well as the ability to subscribe to e-mail updates or RSS feeds.
Most traditional newspapers have an editorial page containing editorials (usually written by the editor or a group of editors) expressing the editorial opinion of the newspaper on a public issue, and opinion pieces called op-eds that express the personal opinions of guest writers. They may have a section devoted to science, sports, business, or politics. In addition, they may have comics and other non-news features.
The Yale Daily News is the nation’s oldest college daily newspaper. Founded on January 28, 1878, it is financially and editorially independent from Yale University. The paper’s primary mission is to serve the Yale and New Haven communities, with the emphasis on news of interest to young adults. Its staff includes full-time and part-time student reporters. In addition to the regular daily edition, the News publishes a Friday supplement called WEEKEND, a special Commencement issue, and the Yale Daily News Magazine. The News also produces a number of annual special issues celebrating the diversity of the campus community in partnership with Yale’s cultural centers and affiliated student groups.
Many of the same journalists who work on print newspapers also contribute to the online versions of the papers. This allows the online version to be updated more quickly than the print edition, but it can also result in misinformation when a story is posted before the final editing process. In the past, some online newspapers were not credited to their print counterparts and erroneously claimed exclusiveness of their content.
Some online newspapers are paid for by advertising, which can influence the content. Other online news sources are supported by subscriptions or by grants, but they cannot guarantee the accuracy of their stories. The credibility of many online news sources is in question after the revelations by tech companies that they allowed Russian operatives to spread disinformation on their platforms during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.