The Role of News Media
How news media relate to our everyday lives
News media are watchdogs, agenda-setters, and gatekeepers. As such, they deliver a diverse and, hopefully, balanced range of cultural, social, political, and economic perspectives. In particular, the roles of news media include . . .
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Image courtesy ProCon.org
Enabling citizenshipHelping us know the world around us
- helping us create community
- providing public safety information
- checking the power of government
- facilitating business, industry, and commerce
- distributing information we need to participate as citizens in a democracy
Facilitating the exchange of ideas and information
- keeping us informed
- helping satisfy our curiosity
- building a rough draft of history
- giving us helpful and practical information
Revealing our creations
- expediting the exchange of personal information
- raising our awareness of social and cultural differences
- helping us understand religions, philosophies, and spiritual teachings
- establishing a forum for the exchange of opinions and developing consensus
- entertaining and amusing us
- keeping us posted on the sciences and humanities
- providing information about fine arts and performing arts
- showcasing written expression and the photographic, graphic, and other visual arts
Learn more:
- Media of Mass Communication »
- Media Literacy »
- Media and Culture »
- Media and Society »
- Media and Politics »
- Mass Media Economics »
- Entertainment Media »
- Print Media »
- Broadcast Media »
- Film and Television Program Genres »
- Books and their History »
- History of Newspapers »
- Brief History of Magazines »
- Radio and Television History »
- History of Film, Television and the Internet »
- History of the World Wide Web »
- New Media History »
- What is Social Media? »
Resources for Courses »
© 2013 Dr. Anthony Curtis, Mass Communication Dept., University of North Carolina at Pembroke e-mail home page