What Is a Daily News?
Newspapers are published regularly, often daily or weekly. They feature news articles and also articles about the world, politics, business, science, sports, culture, religion, music, entertainment, arts and social affairs. They are usually printed on cheap, low-quality paper called newsprint and distributed to a local area or nationally by the printing company or media outlet.
Breaking News
The breaking news section of a daily newspaper or magazine covers news from around the world, sports and entertainment. These stories are a good source of current information for students to read and respond to, providing an opportunity to practice reading and critical thinking skills while learning about important world events.
Content & Format: Most newspapers publish in a traditional paper format, with editorials, opinion articles called “op-eds” and columns. They may also contain a number of other types of material, such as weather forecasts, local services listings (program schedules), criticism and reviews of the arts, and advice columns.
Printing technologies and digital journalism: Since the 1980s, many newspapers have moved away from lower-quality letterpress printing to high-quality, four-color process offset printing, a technology that provides higher-quality color images and improved layouts. Some have even abandoned print altogether, opting to have their news published online instead.
Circulation: The total number of copies sold is an important indicator of a newspaper’s health, and is used to set advertising rates. It is calculated by counting the number of copies distributed on an average day or on a particular date (typically Sunday).
Market penetration: The percentage of households that receive the paper in their area is also an indicator of a newspaper’s health. For example, the New York Daily News was once a dominant force in American newspapers with a circulation of more than 2 million, but its share of the market dropped from the 1930s to 2000.
The type of news that is covered by a newspaper depends on the paper’s editorial stance and audience, and is typically grouped into major sections such as crime, local government, politics, entertainment, and sports. In addition, the paper will have a section of opinion and letters to the editor, which are aimed at expressing a reader’s views on public issues.
Size: There are three main sizes of newspaper, broadsheets, tabloids and microdailys. A broadsheet is the largest, measuring 600 mm x 380 mm (23+1/2 in x 15 in). Some of the smaller newspapers are known as microdailys; these are tabloid-sized free daily newspapers with lower ad rates than their broadsheet competitors and can include intense local news coverage.
A tabloid is half the size of a broadsheet, at 380 mm x 300 mm (15 in x 11+3/4 in). These newspapers are generally perceived as sensationalists in contrast to their broadsheet counterparts.
In recent years, there has been a trend toward smaller newspapers, which are printed on cheaper paper and tend to be more intellectually focused. For instance, the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung uses a 420 mm x 360 mm (17+1/2 in x 12+3/4″).
There are also specialist newspapers that serve communities as specific as certain immigrant populations or the local gay community. These newspapers are referred to as regional or local newspapers, and they may be distributed free of charge, depending on the location.