1.  Watchdog of government ◦ Provide information about what is happening in government. ◦ Alert the public to government wrongdoings, scandals or crimes. ◦ Fight attempts of government to conduct business covertly. ◦ Scrutinize budgets to check how taxes are being spent. ◦ Transparency = Good!

2.  Provides information about products and services.  Allows for advertising about products and services (the bills have to be paid).  Often provides information about financial markets and daily results (Dow Jones, NYSE)

3.  A journalist looks to see what is coming in the future. ◦ Technology ◦ Potential crises ◦ Threats ◦ Public trends/habits ◦ Developing Issues

4.  The news sources keep accurate records of all of the things that happen in the region they serve. ◦ Bills/laws passing through congress ◦ Elections ◦ Prices of commodities ◦ Data

5.  Comics/Funny pages  Puzzles  Feature stories  Photos  Sports  TV/Movie review

6.  A place where people talk about the latest “thing” that might not fall into any of the previous categories. ◦ The latest episode of a show ◦ Prizes won by locals ◦ Babies born ◦ Obituaries

7.  “While journalists don’t tell us what to think, they tell us what to think about.”

8.  Political  Economic  Sentry  Record Keeping  Entertainment  Social  Agenda Setting