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Penn State University Libraries

News Media Trends

 

Contact

Debora Cheney
Larry and Ellen Foster Communications Librarian, and, Head, Library Services to the World Campus/Penn State Online
814-863-1345

or Your Campus Librarian

 

Timely Resources

The Tablet Revolution
Pew Research Center October 25, 2011

Page one: inside the New York times [DVD]
Documentary film on The New York Times newsroom and the inner workings of the Media Desk. Includes interviews, and commentary.

News Industry Magazines & Databases

News Industry Trade Magazines

  • American Journalism Review
    • National magazine covering all aspects of print, television, radio and online media
    • Archive from 1991
      • Includes online web exclusives from 2009
    • American Journalism Review (via Communication & Mass Media Complete)
      • Full text from 7/1993 to present
  • Columbia Journalism Review “Strong Press, Strong Democracy”
  • Extra!
    • Hard-hitting monthly magazine of well-documented media criticism
    • Published by Fair: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
    • Annual reports on how power shapes the news
    • Archive from 1987 to present
    • Extra! (via Communication & Mass Media Complete)
      • Full text from 2/2007 to present
  • Nieman Reports
    • Explores what it means to be a journalist
    • Examines major shifts in the industry
    • Articles about the rights and responsibilities of news organizations
    • Nieman Reports (via Communication & Mass Media Complete)
      • Full text 6/1996 to present

Databases

  • Communication & Mass Media Complete
    • Comprehensive resource of scholarly journals and other periodicals related to communications and mass media, most containing full-text articles
    • Good source of information on communication issues on a worldwide scale, from a variety of publishers, research institutions and information sources
    • Directs users to location of full-text articles, or prompts for articles that can be obtained through Inter library loan
  • Business Source Premier
    • Full text database of periodicals, trade publications and scholarly journals
    • Covers all business disciplines
    • Includes industry reports
  • ABI/Inform Complete
    • Contains news and analysis
    • Information on local markets

Evaluating & Critiquing the Media

Research about the Media: Data & Trends

Media Directories & Ownership

Directories

Print

  • Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook, (1993-2010 in print or 1935-2008 electronically)
    • Includes profiles of 4,825 AM radio stations, 9,000 FM radio stations, and 2,180 television stations in the United States
    • Provides station's call letters, frequency or channel, address, telephone, fax, e-mail, Internet address, ownership, and programming format

Databases

  • Television & Cable Factbook
    • Provides online access to more than 740,000 detailed records on cable systems, TV stations, media ownership, and media services
    • Searchable by station name, location, metropolitan area ranking, affiliate, and other criteria

Who Owns the Media

Websites

  • Who Owns the Media (from The State of the News Media)
    • Interactive database of companies that own news properties in the United States
    • Use the site to compare the companies, explore each media sector or read profiles of individual companies
  • Who Owns the Media?
    • Interactive charts showing U.S. corporate media ownership of TV and radio, cable and telecommunications, print, internet

Blogs & Twitters

Blogs

  • American Press Institute
    • API Now  Journalism and News Industry Blog
  • The Morning Delivery
    • Written by Bill Lucey
    • Feats, Facts, and Historic Firsts About Items in the News
  • Mediactive
    • Written by Dan Gillmor
    • Searchable blog articles about responsible journalism, media freedom, social media, current news and other related topics
    • "We are in an age of information overload, and too much of what we watch, hear and read is mistaken, deceitful or even dangerous.  Yet you and I can take control and make media serve us - all of us - by being active consumers and participants.  All of us."

Twitters

News Media Documentaries

The Library has a number of documentaries on broadcast news, mass media and news in its video collection. Videos can be found by doing an advanced CAT search and selecting "video material" under material type. The collection is located in different libraries, including MediaTech at University Park, and at the various campus colleges.