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.
boots on the ground
The expression “boots on the ground” refers to instances when journalists are physically located in the communities that they are covering. They regularly attend events and government meetings in person, so they have a sense of the broader community context for their stories.
citizen journalism
Citizen journalism involves journalism practices (e.g., dissemination of information) conducted by individuals who are not trained, professional journalists. Citizen journalism was made easier by social media and digital technologies. Citizen journalists include individuals who intend to report on news as well as those who simply share information on social media that is newsworthy.
An example of citizen journalism would be when a regular citizen shares a video that they took of a tornado traveling through their local community. Sharing that video would be an act of citizen journalism. Anyone can be a citizen journalist.
civic engagement
Civic engagement refers to people’s participation in topics of public and social concern, especially activities relating to political or nonprofit organizations that benefit the greater community or spur positive change within society. For example, this includes activities like volunteering (e.g. at community gardens or food pantries) and electoral participation.
democracy
Democracy is a form of government in which people have a voice in the deliberation about political decisions. In some democratic settings, constituents choose legislative representatives to vocalize the groups’ viewpoints during political deliberations.
diversity
Diversity refers to the quality of capturing multiple perspectives and including people from a wide range of different backgrounds and demographics. When capturing a news story, the organization could capture diverse sources by ensuring they talk to people of multiple ethnicities, genders, and social classes.
If a media company is covering a story about politics, they could interview diverse perspectives from various political parties to ensure they are better capturing the entire population. Diversity could also refer to age, religion, culture, social class, ethnic/racial identity, gender identity, disability status, and occupation, among others.
ghost newspaper
Ghost newspapers describe newspapers that still have a reputable name but no longer have the resources to offer adequate coverage of their community. One example is the Pottstown Mercury, where staff has decreased so much that reporters who used to cover a single topic now have to write multiple articles per day to try to keep up with local news.
grassroots
A grassroots movement refers to a social, political, or economic initiative spurred by the people within a community. Rather than attempting to create change through legislation, people may individually participate in grassroots efforts. The often self-organized and localized movements act to mobilize individuals around a central cause, causing advocacy for causes like women’s rights.
Grassroots initiatives may involve making phone calls and distributing information via communication mediums like email to spread the word about the movement. People may hang posters or gather people to sign a petition. Essentially, individuals involved in grassroots movements attempt to organize people in their local communities toward the cause. A grassroots movement includes the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s-60s where individuals were advocating for social change within their communities.
hot topic
A hot topic issue is a subject that many people are discussing and likely contains ranging views that spurs disagreements.
Some examples of current, hot topic issues include gun control, abortion, animal rights, vaccines, and climate change.
For many of these topics, people possess a range of views. Some people may desire extreme gun control to alleviate violence, while others advocate for 2nd Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. There are also people who hold beliefs in between the two extremes.
independently-owned outlet
An independently-owned media outlet is one that is not owned by a larger media corporation (e.g., Comcast, The Walt Disney Company), but rather, is an outlet that earns revenue from their own subscriptions, advertising, and fundraising. The number of independently-owned media outlets in the United States is steadily decreasing as local media is bought by larger media conglomerates such as Gannett and McClatchy.
informed public
An informed public is a community that understands local civic life and is knowledgeable about public and current events.
issue
An issue is a topic of journalistic coverage that guides the article writing conducted by reporters.
Reporters—or their editors—research the topics that are popular with the public and timely for coverage. Journalists may gain these insights by talking with people in the community or researching daily news events that they could write about.
If the journalist discovers an issue that they would like to cover, they may “pitch,” or present, it to their editor. If the editor approves their idea, they will be able to cover it. However, sometimes an editor will have a story that they will assign to a particular reporter. The indivduals who make these decisions about what topics to cover are called “gatekeepers” because they determine what information reaches audiences.
journalist
A journalist is a trained professional who creates, prepares and distributes content for newspapers, magazines, broadcasts, and news websites. They follow basic ethical principles like accuracy, transparency and neutrality, which builds audience’s trust in the news being distributed. Journalists are not required to complete a certain education level or certification process in order to enter the profession. Some people enter the field with no experience. However, most journalists have a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
local journalism
Local journalism refers to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations that cover day-to-day events in the area and thus, explain stories within the context of the community. Examples of local Pennsylvania newspapers include the Centre Daily Times, The Patriot-News, and The Gettysburg Times.
media merger
A media merger occurs when multiple communication organizations (at least two or more) merge or are acquired. When multiple companies combine, people foresee concerns about declined localism, diversity, and competition. Media mergers cause decreased competition in the media industry, reducing the company’s concern about competitive pricing in many instances. After a merger, some potential disadvantages include increased price points, a lack of understanding of the customer base, and unemployment.
Mergers can help the company work with economies of scale, allowing them to reduce operating costs and expand into new areas. When mergers transpire, the company acquiring the other business(es) often argues that the financial decision will allow them to better plan and allocate finances to benefit the public good.
Therefore, the companies combine to form a new entity. An example of a media merger is the Comcast-NBC Universal merger, which involved Comcast Corp. and NBC combining to form a new company.
news deserts
News deserts are geographical regions that lack local media coverage and/or market competition between media outlets. Pennsylvania is an example of a news desert. Two Pennsylvania counties do not have a local newspaper, and eighteen counties only have one newspaper. This lack of coverage leaves communities underrepresented in the media and can lead to their exclusion from important social and political conversations.
parachute journalism
Parachute journalism refers to instances when a journalist travels to a community, reports on a story, and leaves shortly afterward. Often results in stories that lack important community context.
pledge drive
Pledge drives refer to a fundraising campaign that seeks donation commitments from citizens and community organizations. Donations can be one-time or scheduled regularly.
polarization
Polarization is the tendency of people to shift toward extreme opinions in a political, religious, or other ideological context. People who only consume national news, which is often highly dramatic, are more likely to form polarized opinions. When polarization seeps into a community, it makes it difficult for people to find common ground and thus, make decisions.
public media
Public media organizations are partially or fully funded by the government. Government influence is limited by allowing an independent regulatory body to disperse funds to the affiliated media outlets. Public media organizations are generally more responsive to their local community because they depend on the public for funding. Some examples of public media include WPSU, WHYY, NPR, and PBS.
public service journalism
Public service, or nonprofit, journalism is produced by organizations that operate for purposes other than generating a profit and have tax-exempt status. Funding sources vary but often include grants and donations. This type of journalism is generally free to the public and geared toward community coverage. Examples of non-profit journalism organizations include Spotlight PA and ProPublica.
reporting
Reporting refers to the activity of gathering news (via interviews with sources, observations, and research). Journalists engaging in reporting in order to obtain facts and quotes about timely news.
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.
watchdog coverage
Watchdog coverage describes a style of journalism that regularly covers the actions of public and private entities in order to hold them accountable for their actions and decision-making. Watchdog coverage helps people become aware of what is going on in their community or nationwide, even if they do not have time to attend public meetings and analyze reports from private entities on their own.