ABSTRACT
In the broadest terms and at the most basic level, newspapers function to inform the public, in a daily printed form, of current events as they unfold: in other words, to provide the reader with the “news.” On such a generalized level, the dominant variables that dictate both production and consumption are temporal, geographical and thematic: that which is current or timely, that which is relevant to the locale—whether national, regional or local—and that which is meaningful for the reader. Ultimately, however, the implications of the newspaper in terms of its manifest, and latent functions, are broader, and deeper, as McQuail (1994) detailed in five specific newspaper functions, summarized as follows:
being informative—providing information about current events;
being correlative—explaining, interpreting and commenting on the meaning of these events;
ensuring continuity—representing the dominant culture while simultaneously recognizing subcultures and legitimizing new cultural developments;
providing entertainment—providing amusement, diversion, relaxation and release of social tension; and
acting to mobilize—campaigning for societal objectives in the areas of politics, war, economic development, work and sometimes religion.
