A news outlet is a media source that delivers the latest news and information to an audience. These outlets may include newspapers, magazines, radio channels and TV news. They can also be online sources such as blogs or social media sites. A news outlet is distinct from a news agency, which provides raw news material to a variety of media outlets for publication.
During the first half of the 20th century, cinemas regularly showed “newsreels”, which were filmed reports of current events that were often compiled from the work of numerous different journalists. These newsreels were the precursors of modern television news broadcasts.
Today, Americans have a lot of choices for their news: they can read it in print or online on websites or apps and watch it on television, listen to it on the radio or through podcasts, get it from search engines or social media, or listen to it on their smartphones. Most people, 54%, say that they at least sometimes get news in these ways.
The quality of the news that people get from a particular outlet is dependent upon the kind of journalism used by that outlet. Advocacy journalism seeks to convince viewers, readers or listeners to accept a particular narrative, even if it leaves out critical information that would contradict that narrative. Informative journalism, on the other hand, strives to provide all the information that a viewer, reader or listener needs in order to follow the news accurately and understand the full story.