News and Technology

What is news? 

Mitchell Stephens once said that the news is 'new information about a subject of some public interest that is shared with some proportion of the public'. As technology develops, these pieces of news are becoming increasingly easier to read. 

The history of news dates back to when oral news was all that was known to man. Phedippedes ran over 25 miles in a single day to bring news of the Greek victory at the battle of Marathon. This was an achievement in those days, where as now if even the slightest bit of news that could gain public interest is broadcast, it can take people seconds to load it up on their iPhone 4s. 

Oral news then can be divided into different categories. For instance, gossip is peer to peer, hand written news needs transmission and using websites such as Facebook contain computer mediated gossip. 

As technology developed, it wasn't long till the internet was born. This gave news an even faster way to travel than ever before. This lead to a decline in newspaper sales as more and more people were using the internet. But can a news website still be classed as a newspaper? 

Technology transmission also impacts on what is and can be considered news; morse code, steam press transmission, transatlantic cable etc. 

Whilst the rise in popularity of internet news increased, older platforms of media had to get back in the game. Next came 24 hour news channels. Are these a positive thing? Yes if the world was under attack the public could find out at 3:42 a.m, but on the other hand, it could easily scare people by knowing that much information. 

What is news in the 21st century?

Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have become common among the younger generations. Many people found out that Osama Bin Laden was dead through a tweet. 'The rapid circulation of news is evidence of more than just the desire of individuals to know and tell; it is evidence of a social commitment.' A History of News (M.S) [pg 15.]

Has the internet changed the way we read/interact with and generate news?

'Perhaps the most valuable news we can receive is warning of a clear and present danger.' [pg 4.]