Journalism

Journalism is the reporting, writing, editing, photographing, or broadcasting of news. While under pressure to be first with their stories, news media organizations usually edit and proofread their reports prior to publication, adhering to each organization's standards of accuracy, quality, and style. Many news organizations claim proud traditions of holding government officials and institutions accountable to the public, while media critics have raised questions about holding the press itself accountable. As powerful influencers of public opinion, news organizations and journalists have a responsibility to act in the interest of the betterment of human society.

The fast and vast growth of the Internet and World Wide Web has spawned the newest medium for journalism, online journalism. The speed at which news can be disseminated on the Web and the profound penetration to anyone with a computer and Internet connection have greatly increased the quantity and variety of news reports available to the public.

The bulk of online journalism has been the extension of existing print and broadcast media into the Web via online versions of their primary products. New reports that were set to be released at expected times now can be published as soon as they are written and edited, increasing the deadline pressure and fear of being "scooped"—beaten in the race to be first to bring news to the public.

Most news websites are free to their users — the notable exception being The Wall Street Journal site, for which, at least under present ownership, a subscription is required to view its contents. Some outlets, as did The New York Times site until October 2007, offer current news for free but archived reports and access to opinion columnists and other non-news sections for a fee. Attempts to start unique web publications, such as Slate and Salon, have met with limited success, in part because they do or did charge subscription fees.

Visiting a sufficient number of news  sites, I came to the conclusion that today there are many topics which are used by most modern authors. All these themes are extremely interesting and relevant, but each focused on a particular audience.

One of the most popular topics of newspaper articles is a business.  Business journalism tracks, records, analyzes and interprets the economic changes taking place in a society, from personal finance, to business at the local market, to performance of well-known and lesser-known companies. This form of journalism covers news and feature articles about people, places and issues related to the field of business. Almost all general newspapers and magazines, radio and television news channels carry a business segment. Detailed and in-depth business journalism is found in dedicated business or financial publications, radio and television channels.

Business coverage gained prominence in the 1990s, with wider investment in the stock market. The Wall Street Journal published in New York and the Financial Times published in London are two global business newspapers that appear six days a week. Today, business reporting is a burgeoning field within journalism, and one of the most profitable.

Another, but less popular topic is usually sport. Sports journalism covers many aspects of athletic competition . While some critics do not consider sports journalism to be true journalism, the prominence of sports in Western culture has justified the attention of journalists to not just the competitive events of sports, but also to athletes and the business of sports.

            Sports journalism in the United States has traditionally been written in a looser, more creative, and more opinionated tone than traditional journalistic writing; however, the emphases on accuracy and underlying fairness is still a part of sports journalism. An emphasis on the accurate description of statistical performances of athletes is also an important part of sports journalism.

A less reputable area of journalism that grew in stature in the twentieth century is "celebrity" or "people" journalism. This area focuses on the personal lives of people, primarily celebrities, including movie and stage actors, musical artists, models, and photographers, other notable people in the entertainment industry, as well as people who seek attention, such as politicians, and people thrust into the attention of the public due to their involvement in newsworthy events. Celebrity journalism differs from feature writing in that it focuses on people who are either already famous or are especially attractive, and in that it often covers celebrities obsessively, to the point of these journalists behaving unethically in order to provide coverage. Paparazzi, photographers who follow celebrities incessantly to obtain potentially embarrassing photographs, have come to characterize celebrity journalism.