The term news media refers to the groups that
communicate information and news to people. Most Americans get their information
about government from the news media because it would be impossible to gather all
the news themselves. Media outlets have responded to the increasing reliance of
Americans on television and the Internet by making the news even more readily
available to people. There are three main types of news media: print media,
broadcast media, and the Internet.
Print Media
The oldest media forms are newspapers, magazines, journals, newsletters,
and other printed material. These publications are collectively known as the
print media. Although print media readership has declined in
the last few decades, many Americans still read a newspaper every day or a
newsmagazine on a regular basis. The influence of print media is therefore
significant. Regular readers of print media tend to be more likely to be
politically active.
The print media is responsible for more reporting than other news sources.
Many news reports on television, for example, are merely follow-up stories about
news that first appeared in newspapers. The top American newspapers, such as the
New York Times, the Washington Post, and
the Los Angeles Times, often set the agenda for many other
media sources.
Broadcast Media
Broadcast media are news reports broadcast via radio and
television. Television news is hugely important in the United States because
more Americans get their news from television broadcasts than from any other
source.
