The news industry is under pressure to produce news stories that are short and easily understandable. By using stereotypes, an intricate story involving complex characters can be reduced to a brief tale with a hero and a villain. The headlines quoted earlier all employ stereotypes of youth. Stereotypes of a group of people can affect the way society views them, and change society's expectations of them. With enough exposure to a stereotype, society may come to view it as a reality rather than a chosen representation.
Stereotypes can creep into the news as a side effect of the pressure of tight deadlines.
Reporters for daily newspapers or news shows often have to research, write and present a story in one working day. A journalist may only have time to interview two sources instead of six, or to spend ten minutes with a source instead of an hour. They need a quick, convenient, pre-packaged image, and a stereotype can provide that. An article with hints on uncovering bias in the news media. Not Black and White By Randall Denley, Ottawa Citizen, July 28, 1994.