Soft media: Difference between revisions
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'''Soft media''' is defined as those organizations that primarily deal with commentary, entertainment, arts and lifestyle. Soft media can take the form of television programs, magazines or print articles. The communication from soft media sources has been referred to as soft news.<ref>Sex, Lies, and War: How Soft News Brings Foreign Policy to the Inattentive Public, Matthew A. Baum</ref> |
'''Soft media''' is defined as those organizations that primarily deal with commentary, entertainment, arts and lifestyle. Soft media can take the form of television programs, magazines or print articles. The communication from soft media sources has been referred to as soft news.<ref>Sex, Lies, and War: How Soft News Brings Foreign Policy to the Inattentive Public, Matthew A. Baum</ref> Information that is merely entertaining or personally used is considered soft news.<ref>{{Cite journal|url = |title = A New Standard of News Quality: Burglar alarms for the Monitorial Citizen|last = Zaller|first = John|date = 2003|journal = Political Communication|doi = |pmid = |access-date = }}</ref> |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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Revision as of 20:37, 21 October 2015
 | The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (July 2011) |
Soft media is defined as those organizations that primarily deal with commentary, entertainment, arts and lifestyle. Soft media can take the form of television programs, magazines or print articles. The communication from soft media sources has been referred to as soft news.[1] Information that is merely entertaining or personally used is considered soft news.[2]
Background
There are many terms that can be associated with soft media, among them are soft news and infotainment. These are, in large part, the byproducts of soft media. A fundamental role of the media, either hard or soft, is to inform the public.[3] While the role of media is not in flux, the form is. For many Americans the lines are becoming blurred between hard and soft media as news organizations are blending their broadcasts with news shows and entertainment.[4] Many of these news organizations create a narrative that begins with the first broadcast in the morning and end with the evening entertainment venue.[5]
During the 2004 presidential campaign, magazines that would otherwise be considered lifestyle or entertainment (Vogue, Ladies Home Journal and O: The Oprah Magazine) became a source of political information. This illustrates that media organizations across the spectrum are emerging as suppliers of information on policy and politics.[6]
Effects
While many Americans devote 4.5 hours a day on average to television,[7] they are exposed to news and information on politics, foreign affairs and policy. The medium for this is not necessarily the traditional or hard media. These topics are breached on prime-time television in a variety of programs especially in a time of national crises. Studies have shown that news presented in this context attracts the attention of otherwise politically uninvolved people.[8] Overall more people tend to watch hard news than soft news shows. However, those who are less politically involved can gain more from watching soft news than those who are highly politically involved.[9]
References
- ^ Sex, Lies, and War: How Soft News Brings Foreign Policy to the Inattentive Public, Matthew A. Baum
- ^ Zaller, John (2003). "A New Standard of News Quality: Burglar alarms for the Monitorial Citizen". Political Communication.
- ^ Soft News Goes to War: Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy in the New Media Age, Matthew A. Baum
- ^ Reinemann, C., Stanyer, J., Scherr, S., & Legnante, G. (2012). Hard and soft news: A review of concepts, operationalizations and key findings. Journalism, 13(2), 221-239. doi:10.1177/1464884911427803
- ^ From Hard to Soft News Standards? How Political Journalists in Different Media Systems Evaluate the Shifting Quality of News, Fritz Plasser
- ^ Reaching Women: Soft Media in the 2004 Presidential Election, Diane J. Heith
- ^ http://www.buzzle.com/articles/tv-time-how-much-television-do-you-really-watch.html
- ^ Sex, Lies, and War: How Soft News Brings Foreign Policy to the Inattentive Public, Matthew A. Baum
- ^ http://www.hks.harvard.edu/fs/mbaum/documents/SoftNewsAndPoliticalKnowledge.pdf