Functions of the Press

Review  What are the current problems newspapers are facing?  What types of journalism are doing well right now?

Functions of the press  The press is thought to have 7 functions, or responsibilities, which might also explain why they exist. 1.The Political function 2.The Economic function 3.The Sentry function 4.The Record-Keeping function 5.The Entertainment function 6.The Social function 7.The Marketplace function

The Political Function  “Watchdog of the government”  Reporters provide information about politics and the activities of the government.  One goal is to help people form their own political decisions.  A second goal is to prevent abuses of power or wrongdoing by government officials.

Examples of the Political Function  Watergate  Election coverage

The Economic Function  The press provides information about products, goods & services, and businesses.  Examples: advertising, business section of any major newspaper, articles on the current economic section

The Sentry Function  Reporters work to keep the public informed of current and upcoming problems.  The press reports on issues that are likely to happen, not just on what has already happened.  Example: Housing sales in July plunged to their lowest level in more than a decade.  Possible stories: the effect on homeowners, what this means for new development

The Record-Keeping Function  Journalists provide a record of what happens every day on the local, state, national and international levels.  Examples: Sports scores, obituaries, hurricane coverage

The Entertainment Function  The lighter side of the news.  The goal is to provide a diversion from the seriousness of the news.  Examples: comic sections, celebrities, movie or food reviews

The Social Function  Journalists give people things to discuss in social situations.  The press creates a community where people can share news back and forth.  Example: “Did you hear about Allen’s football team?”  “Did you read about Hurricane Irene?”

The Marketplace Function  The press is regarded as the marketplace of ideas.  Papers are a place to voice concerns or present solutions and to review decisions/options.  Examples: Blogs, letters to the editors, posting comments online to stories

Today’s Assignment  Goal: Working with a group, create a poster collage with 2-3 examples of stories that fulfill your group’s chosen function.  Use the magazines and newspapers provided to clip out examples of images and stories that are published because of your function.  Glue on poster.  Make sure to title your poster and include your names. Objectives: We will begin to identify key functions of the press in various journalistic texts. We will become familiar with newspapers and magazines.

Discuss  Share examples of types of stories that fulfill each function.  Which function do you think is the most important?

Name That Function

The lighter side of the news  Entertainment Function

Watchdog of the government  Political Function

Letters to the editor  Marketplace Function

Stories about the recession  Economic Function

The score of the Ranger game  Record Keeping Function

Creating a sense of community  Social Function

Comics  Entertainment Function

A story over the dangers of air pollution  Sentry Function

Blogs  Marketplace Function

Informing the public of upcoming problems  Sentry Function

Reports of a major crime  Record Keeping Function

“Did you read about...”  Social Function

Celebrity Gossip  Entertainment Function

Stories about President Obama  Political Function

The Business section of a newspaper  Economic Function

A story about the potential decline of the housing market  The Sentry Function

A story over LeBron James  Entertainment Function

Stories about the withdrawal of troops from Iraq  Record Keeping Function

A story about President Obama’s stance on the withdrawal of troops  Political Function