A news outlet is a source of information about current events. These outlets can include newspapers, radio and television. They can also be online. A news outlet often uses a network of correspondents around the world to gather and report on news. They can also rely on local or regional sources of information.
While the internet allows individuals to report their own stories, news outlets also control what is reported and how it is presented. They must attract viewers or readers in order to stay in business and pay for their programming. This is why they must present the news in a way that is entertaining, informative or interesting.
As a result, some news outlets can be biased or exhibit bias. This is sometimes called advocacy journalism, which acts to convince the viewer or listener to accept a narrative. It may exclude critical information that would work against the story. This can obscure issues that affect a community, such as high crime rates or unemployment.
Local news has a special job in that it can be a forum for protest and discussion of issues that have an immediate impact on citizens. This can be a local government decision, such as changing property tax rates, or a school policy change that affects how students are evaluated. Governing Magazine focuses on these types of local and state political and policy stories. However, many smaller, local newspapers are not able to maintain this focus and have to concentrate on covering more general news.