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What is news?
The definition of news is different for everyone. 'News' is defined by Merriam-Webster as, "a report of recent events; previously unknown information; something having a specified influence or effect," (source).
So, why is it that the definition of news is different for everyone? It all depends on where you get your news and, more importantly, what news you look for. To a young child, news may be the announcement of a new toy or new cartoon episodes premiering soon. In contrast, the older generation's news may primarily be related to politics or the economy. News for young adults may include nearby job openings or the relationship status of particular celebrities. The reason news is different for everyone is because of priorities.
When watching a newscast such as ABC World News or NBC Nightly News, a broad range of topics
are covered in thirty minutes to an hour, from politics to foreign relations; the economy and sports. If every news story in America was covered every night, the nightly news would be hours long, so how do they decide what to air? Priorities.
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Everyone has priorities and these priorities determine what news is important to you. The preference for what you want to hear about defines your news. Personally, I enjoy being notified of any sports news happening around the world. I care much less for news about the stock market or which senator was arrested this week. I have a preference for what I like to hear about, and that is what news is to me.
Even if not apparent, everyone has a preference for what news they like to hear. Not everyone enjoys politics, but some crave to hear political happenings every day. The stock market seems complicated looking in but insiders feed off the most recent news of Fortune 500 companies, either out of pure enjoyment and interest or a personal stake in the trading.
This doesn't mean to ignore everything else and only listen to what you want to hear about. It's important to read further into what may be confusing or nonsensical to you in order to learn more about the world around you, though what you read may not necessarily be news to you.
My definition of news revolves solely around the individual. What do you want to hear about? What is important to you? That is how I define news.
