Traditional Functions of Journalism:
1. Watchdog: keep an eye on the government. Be
the public’s eyes and ears at meetings and
then report back to the public.
2. Political: coverage of political races,
happenings in the political parties, partisan
beliefs, formation of new political parties
3. Economic: stories related to money; the health
of jobs; stocks/bonds/Wall Street;
Federal Reserve, interest rates; how to invest
and protect your money; housing
4. Entertainment: entertainment industry,
movies, books, sports, restaurants, reviews
5. Record Keeping: related to numbers; hard
facts, statistics, letting the public know what
happened at meetings, who was hired, court
stories
6. Agenda setting: determining what the public
needs to know. Is it important? Should it
deserve a story? Being in charge of figuring out
what is and isn’t newsworthy.
7. Social: brings people together; wedding and
engagements and births; letting people know
of events that they might want to attend
8. Marketplace: consumer goods, consumer
consumption; new products on the market,
reviews of products; what people will see in
stores or have a chance to buy.
9. Sentry: things that could be dangerous or
upcoming; how to take precautions; weather
stories