ABSTRACT
News is dazzlingly and disturbingly different from the days when print giants and three broadcast behemoths dominated the media universe. The chapter discusses in depth four characteristics of contemporary news: the multifaceted, fragmented architecture and platforms that distribute informational content, ranging from incisive news stories to searing falsehoods; the ways online and social media have become major gatekeepers in their own right; the growth of citizen journalism; and blurring boundaries in news that render generalizations difficult and old rules hard to apply.
