Title: How Does the Mass Media Influence People? | Small Business - Chron.com
Headings: How Does the Mass Media Influence People?
How Does the Mass Media Influence People?
Social reporting
Different Take on News
News Today, Gone Tomorrow
Flash point
Chasing Social Media

Content: Social reporting
The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism writes on its website, Journalism.org., that “news today is increasingly a shared, social experience.” In the May 2010 article, PEJ reported that half of Americans say they turn to people around them for at least some of the news they know. A press release announcing a new product may end up in the business section of a newspaper, but it no longer has the impact it once had. Put that product announcement in a blog or on a Facebook page, and suddenly you start a conversation with people who will write to comment on the news, prompting other comments and reviews on other sites
Different Take on News
A report on a solid increase in third-quarter profits may be great news for a community’s economy, and a news article may try to explain why. But unless the article includes an announcement of new jobs, the story’s influence may be minimal. Social media follows a different lead. The PEJ study found stories covered by bloggers were ones that elicited emotion, concerned rights of individuals or groups, or raised vigorous debate. Bloggers push hot buttons of public reaction. Yet despite the difference in coverage, 99 percent of the stories' bloggers link to are from newspapers and broadcast networks.