Journalism
Journalism is the practice of collecting and publishing information regarding current events, including trends, issues and people.
It is sometimes defined more broadly as the pursuit of the truth. Those who practice journalism are known as journalists.
When journalism is associated with the news, it is sometimes called the "first draft of history." Even though news stories are often written on deadline, they are usually edited and proofread before being published.
Journalists' interaction with sources sometimes involves confidentiality.
The main activity of journalism is the reporting of events by stating who, what, when, where, why and how and explaining the significance of the event or trend. Journalism exists in a number of media: newspapers, television, radio and magazines, with Internet journalism being a newcomer.
Generally, a distinction is drawn between straight reporting (just the facts), editorials, (the official opinions of the paper), and op-ed columns ("opposite the editorial page" comment from non-staff authors).
However, this distinction is sometimes difficult to make. Journalists may unintentionally fall prey to propaganda or disinformation. Journalists may give a biased account of facts by being selective in their reporting, for instance focusing on anecdote or giving partial explanation of actions. Foreign reporting may be more susceptible, since few people can and do check such reports.
Newspapers and periodicals will often contain "features" - see under heading feature style at article news style - written by journalists, many of whom specialise in the form.
Business journalism
Business journalism includes coverage of companies, the workplace, personal finance, and economics, including unemployment and other economic indicators.
Business coverage gained prominence in the 1990s, with wider investment in the stock market. The Wall Street Journal focuses on business and is one of the USA's top newspapers, in both circulation and respect of journalists.
Blogging
In blogging, a writer, often unaffiliated with a professional news organization, writes frequent dispatches on niche topics, posted online. There is dispute as to whether blogging in general is journalism. Many bloggers do little or no original reporting, but just compile and comment on others' work.
