Advantages and Disadvantages of News

News is general information about recent events. This can be given through several medium: newspaper, broadcast, print, electronic media, television, or by the oral testimony of witnesses and other observers to major events. It may also be publicly presented as reports given by government officials or media organs. The news may be in the form of news bulletins or other visual aids such as photographs or news animations. The news may appear in any medium accessible to people at any given moment. Some people even turn to television when they want to get current information on any topic.

As news spreads through various medium, people come to know about the recent affairs of various places. When a local business opens a new branch, for example, the local news will give details of it. Similarly, national and international news agencies give wide information on various political parties, upcoming elections, and diplomatic incidents. In some instances, major news agencies provide breaking news on natural disasters and political conflicts.

One advantage of news is that it acts as a preventive measure. For example, if someone from inside the country gets news about an earthquake, the news spreads immediately, leading to widespread information. Such news helps people prepare with appropriate measures for dealing with disasters and other major emergencies. By spreading the information, news can also minimize the losses and damage in cases where disaster strikes. For instance, if the Red Cross is reporting about earthquake in California, local residents can organize their own relief effort or join forces with other people from their locality or from other parts of the country.

However, news can have some drawbacks as well. One disadvantage is that news can sometimes be inaccurate. As the news agencies are dependent on receiving and verifying the information from various sources, they may not have the final information at the time of the occurrence. Therefore, they publish incorrect information just to lure people to look at the final version of the news. Similarly, some news agencies are not entirely accurate as they often publish information which has been tampered with.

Another drawback is that one may lose interest in current affairs if he or she gets no news. This can be seen in many countries where there is not a large circulation of newspapers. As most people now depend on the Internet for getting current news, the only source of news for them is online news websites. Even though these websites do have some kind of editorial policy, their readership is not big and most of the time, they are just regular people who log in to give the news a read. As a result, most of the news that they publish are not true.

News is essential to people. Without news, people are hardly able to know what is going on in their lives. However, news can be considered as one of the best methods of keeping people informed. With all the advancements that have been made in communication technology, people can easily get in touch with each other and can even interact live. This makes news not just a great entertaining medium, but it is also a good way to learn about new things.