agenda
Agenda setting describes the news media’s impact on influencing what audiences think about. In other words, news organizations have the ability to influence what information, or topics, hold priority and importance on the public’s agenda and within consumers’ minds.
context
Context refers to the situations or circumstances (aka: background information) surrounding an event. Readers need context to orient themselves when consuming information they are unfamiliar with.
facts
Facts are true, proven and known components of a news story. Facts can be backed and supported by outside resources like empirical data, research, and observations. Facts are objective, and they can be proven true or false based on reliable evidence. A journalist may gain facts through interviews or research to add to their story.
People can verify the statement, “The capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg,” using maps and exterior documents. Thus, it would be considered a fact.
Meanwhile, statements like, “State College is the best city in Pennsylvania,” is an opinion. It is not a fact because there people have different thoughts about this claim, and it cannot be verified.
headline
A headline is the title given to a journalistic article that briefly and succinctly summarizes its contents. The role of the headline is to entice audiences to consume the media content further.
news avoidance
Selective news avoidance is the practice in which people selectively avoid the news on certain topics. Reasons for avoiding may be a result of feelings exhausted/worn out by the news, a lack of trust in the news, and/or a belief that the news is too negative or overabundant.
For more information, check out News Over Noise Episode 101.
social media
Social media includes applications like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, among others, that facilitate the sharing of ideas and networking among social circles online.
society
Society refers to the extensive group of individuals cohabiting together. Within a society, social interactions and community sharing occurs between members.
source
Sources include the people, organizations, or applications from which journalists gather information for their news project.
A reputable source is one that is credible and believable to gather or learn information from. They are likely backed by evidence, empirical data, and outside research.