One of the story's sources, an artist whose husband was a journalist, conceded that some news may have rubbed off on her from her husband. No argument here that journalism is not always what it should be. In Adlai Stevenson's words, journalism is very good at separating the wheat from the chaff and keeping the chaff. The news media pander, hype and exploit. There is also no better way to make meaning, which I take to be the essence of communication.
News is basic.
Gathering and distributing the news becomes a natural way of defining ourselves, telling our stories, making meaning out of the buzzing, blooming, confusing world of experience. As with the Jews of old, news can tell us where we've been and where, using a blend of planning and going with the flow, we might be headed in life's largely unpredictable sojourn. Customers will pay good money for news, news and more news. In the Journalism Department we believe we are living in the era of news and the journalist is one of the most important professionals of our time. A recent Pew Research Center report shows that people are consuming more and more news.