Is News Just Another Reality Show?

China is rapidly modernizing. This is undoubtedly good for the economic well-being of many, and it also has led to rapid cultural changes. One of those cultural changes is how the Chinese news media is showing a decidedly Western tendency to spotlight whatever (and whoever) is flashy and outrageous, but not necessarily important.

National Public Radio recently ran a story on the changing tastes of China's news media. This will be the springboard to our first MediaNote discussion of the Fall 2013 semester.

Questions...

•What is news and why does it matter?

•Does news in the U.S. do anything besides entertain people? If so, what else does it do?

•Why not publish or broadcast just serious, important news stories? What would likely happen to that news organization?

•Do any of the silly or seemingly trivial stories mentioned in the NPR piece make a serious point? If so, what?