News coverage aims to inform the public about current events. Through newspapers, television, radio and online news sites, news organizations relay information about local and national politics and events to their audience. They report on government activities and provide a forum for public debate and discussion.
Although the media do not deliberately distort their reports, the way they present information still influences the public’s understanding of issues and events. The content of news stories is selected based on several factors, including the impact of the story, whether it involves violence or scandal, how familiar and close it is to the reader, and its timing. This process, called models of news making, is a major influence on what is reported.
When reporting on a serious event, journalists try to give their audience a complete picture of what is happening. This includes all sides of the argument, both good and bad. In addition, they strive to report the facts without bias. However, some scholars point out that the majority of news stories are not the result of journalistic investigations. Instead, the authors of these articles are often government officials or mainstream perspectives.
As a result, many people do not receive the full range of available information, and this can contribute to stress. For example, Newport Academy treatment center psychologist Don Grant has found that those who gathered the most information about Hurricane Irma in September of 2017 had higher levels of post-traumatic stress than those who consumed less news about the storm. She suggests that this is because the news coverage of Hurricane Irma was frequently sensationalized and focused on worst-case scenarios.