The traditional news introductory paragraph, still the dominant form, has two related purposes: to engage the reader instantly and to summarise what the story is all about. A good one also amplifies the story and answers the five questions that journalists are taught to ask: who, what, where, when and why.
Breaking News
Breaking News is a feature in the game, wherein the player can watch a news report. This is usually a very important issue that requires immediate attention, such as a disaster or a major event. It also may require the network to interrupt regular programming for a special broadcast on that topic. Often times, the corresponding outro will include a promo for the network’s website (or its sister stations’ websites if local coverage is available) and other platforms for further information on that topic.
In this video, Rico Nasty appears as what first appears to be the worst maid ever, showing up at a house, breaking stuff and even dipping into the wine collection. The creature’s twisted appearance and menacing size have made it one of Trevor Henderson’s most popular Giants, second only to the Wandering Faith.
Another aspect of the Breaking News feature is that sites that cover this type of news have a very large advantage when it comes to SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This means that if you are one of the first sites to report on a particular story, your site will be at the top of Google when people search for it later.
Local News
Local news is a vital component of democracy and an essential source of information about our communities. But in many communities, the newspaper industry is failing and digital alternatives remain scarce. Without a reliable local news source, citizens are less informed and more vulnerable to the spread of misinformation and disinformation, political polarization, increasing distrust of the media and yawning economic divides among residents.
The most recent figures show that fewer than half of America’s newspapers are still in business, and even more have been sold or shut down by their owners. Most of the remaining print publications are owned by large chains, and their business strategies have a major impact on the availability of local news. The largest chains have been the most aggressive in buying and selling ailing papers and in shuttering those that don’t meet their profit projections.
In the United States, local news is often provided on commercial broadcasting channels (including some television network affiliates). Depending on the channel and market, these may be standalone newscasts that run for at least a half hour or short segments attached to national morning newscasts. The graphics, branding and studio design of a local newscast can differ from the network it is affiliated with but usually reflects similar standards.
Google recently introduced a new feature designed to give more visibility to local news articles. The company expanded a carousel that it previously rolled out for COVID searches and now displays news from sources with relevant content near a searcher’s location. These sources can include local publishers and other independent news outlets. It is not clear whether the increased visibility will help community weeklies, alt-weeklies and other niche local publishers that have suffered the most from declining advertising revenue.
The lack of local news has been a particular problem for poorer, older communities that are harder to serve by traditional media. In these places, the decline of newspapers has been accompanied by a sharp rise in misinformation and disinformation, increased political polarization and distrust of media, and yawning economic divides between and within communities.