How do you tell a story? Do you adapt it for your audience? Are there certain rules to follow when telling a story? What makes one story more important than another one? While the word ‘story’ might recall things like picture books or soap operas, a story is, at its heart, a form of communication. A story can inform, entertain, or inspire people. News is essentially storytelling. When a person gossips with a friend, they are participating in a very crude and localized form of news. When a reporter writes about an election, they are producing news that is relevant, useful, and interesting to a far wider audience than a personal conversation. Both of these examples show, however, that all news is reported information.
What about the presentation of the report? This is where the word ‘media’ comes in. By definition, ‘media’ is a plural of ‘medium’ and refers to the channels through which people digest and process the reported news: television, newspapers, blogs, and so on. Yet ‘media’ is sometimes used to refer to the companies and publishers who control such channels of information. For example, when someone mentions ‘the media,’ they are likely referring to news outlets like CBS, The New York Times, or magazines. Generally speaking, though, ‘media’ is simply the means through which we acquire our stories, reports, and information.
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