Читать книгу The Bonner Business Series – Media Relations - Allan Bonner - Страница 6

Occasionally the world experiences something so dramatic or overwhelmingly important that it grabs everybody’s attention. We have no doubts — THIS IS NEWS!

On an average day, however, it’s far more likely that the items included in a news broadcast or newspaper will have a much more limited appeal. We wonder — and sometimes we write letters to the editor to complain — why anyone would want to PRINT SUCH DRIVEL!

Soon after World War II the US government established an official panel on Freedom of the Press which took it upon itself to try to define this nebulous thing we call “news.” According to the panel, news should be a full, comprehensive and intelligent account of the day’s events. News should identify fact as fact and opinion as opinion, provide full access to the day’s intelligence and reflect the constituent groups in society. Now these are lofty ideals and we shouldn’t be too surprised when they are not lived up to all the time.

I like the definition of news provided by the late Phil Graham of the Washington Post. He called news “The first rough draft of history.” It may be important, have an impact on people and make a difference but it is being drafted on the run and so comes to us complete with errors, omissions, warts and foibles. Journalists watch the world rushing by at breakneck speed — and then present us with a snapshot of the day’s events and happenings. When you look at journalists’ work in that context, they don’t do too badly.

Here’s another definition I like. An old Australian editor once said that “news is anything that causes people to exclaim, Oh . . . !”

I’m not sure that it is possible to define news in a way that will satisfy everybody, any more than news organizations can be sure that all their readers, viewers or subscribers will approve of their selection of news items.

This may seem too vague and unsatisfying but bear in mind it is this vagueness that encourages so much diversity in the news media and allows more opportunities for ordinary people to tell their stories to their neighbours and, sometimes, to the world.