Sometimes it is obvious which news outlets will deliver what reporting. Some will give us sports, others will give us business, and others will give us fashion. There are many who give news reports in all categories, though they may not cover everything that needs to be covered. And then there are some who take the news more seriously than others.
It is vital to understand this as access to more and more news media comes to our fingertips. With so much news to find online, it is best to know not only what will give reliable news coverage, but will not give the news you seek.
The above screenshot is what I took in August 2021 of the women’s magazine, Glamour’s comment section on Facebook. For those who do not know, Glamour isn’t really a news source. It gives beauty and fashion tips, health, sex, and relationship advice, celebrity gossip, horoscopes, and the occasional article on news-related events that women may just relate to.
Not exactly a source to find out about what is going on in the world, right?
As the comment above shows, Glamour, and many other sources were not going to talk about the Taliban taking over Afghanistan. They also do little to no reporting on the war in Ukraine, migrant women coming across our southern border, the debate over transwomen doing sports as women, and so on. And that’s OK. They’re not obliged to cover those types of stories or any stories that do not reflect their niche. Glamour and similar publications are here to help young women look their best at work, at night, and on a date. They’re also here to talk about the best hair or skin treatment for their readers and help them enjoy light-hearted entertainment with the latest celebrity gossip. Current events just don’t fit the mission.
Sure, they may have some current events on their websites and/or social media channels. But it would have to be a huge event or something that impacts a large part of their readership. Last year, when Roe v. Wade was overturned, I saw quite a few women’s publications cover that event because it affected women all over the country and these sources write a lot about women’s reproductive health.
But other than that? Go check out the BBC or the Wall Street Journal or TIME magazine for those particular articles you want.
Another problem with some people not understanding that not all news publications are the same, is that some will actually confuse fluff pieces as journalistic works, and the writers as journalists. No, really! I once saw on Microsoft Start’s newsfeed page a simple listicle of one of those “ten of the best…”. It was fluff, meaning it’s an almost pointless story just for fun or even clicks. Such fluff pieces include the best sites to see in the West, DIY tips for the holidays, the best Oscar gowns ever, or the cutest puppies ever. Things like that. They’re fun, but they’re not going to change our world or exercise our brains very much.
But yet, there are some people out there who saw the fluff piece on the newsfeed as though it was meant to be journalism. Some commenters expressed disgust that the piece was “not real journalism” and that the journalist who wrote it “needed to be fired”.
But…the writer was not being a journalist and the publication they wrote for was known for its fluff pieces. Therefore, no bad journalism was done.
So yes, not all publications are the same. None have the same mission on what news they want to bring to you, how they want to do it (in terms of style and depth), and in what particular angle. Also, just because it’s on a newsfeed or looks like it might be a news article does not mean it is a news piece; it may be something completely different.
There’s a lot to explore here, but I’ll leave you with this now. See you next week!
The Media & Us is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Or if you’d like to support me in another way, Buy Me a Coffee!