Extra, Extra! Read All About...Anything

I can't say that I have ever been overwhelmed by the amount of news sources out there, or by the number of reading materials available to me as a consumer, but it seems as if this class may be changing that. On a recent trip to Barnes & Noble, I paid much more attention to the magazine racks than ever before. Upon noticing the vast amount of publications available at any given time, I began wondering about the idea of newsworthiness, and whether it even matters in a time where anything and everything has its own monthly magazine.

We may live in a digital age, but a quick glance at the B&N magazine racks is enough to make anyone question the reason for Google. These newsstands contain a plethora of information on any subject, all divided under convenient little subheads such as "Sports," "Music," or "Men's Interest". It seems as if these magazines can answer any question, whether the reader is craving the latest interview with his or her favorite celebrity or wondering about the easiest options for do-it-yourself Halloween costume. And what's more, they attract readers with promises of improvements both real and abstract -- ranging from how to get "Bigger Biceps Now!" (Men's Health) or the opportunity to "Find Your True Calling!" (O: The Oprah Magazine).

Additionally, these publications are not driven solely by journalists. Several independent literary magazines populated the stands, featuring user-submitted prose and poetry. Magazines focused on cooking and entertaining included recipes and party-planning tips from readers sprinkled throughout their stories. And publications about popular television shows (yes, shows ranging from Supernatural to Dora the Explorer are each subject of their own magazine) have sizable sections of fan-submitted art, stories, and letters.

In William A. Gamson's article News as a Social Construction, he argues that sources play a large role in determining the newsworthiness of an event, stating that "we can best understand the importance or newsworthiness of a happening as the outcome of a process in which sources sometimes compete in fostering or retarding the amount of media attention. It is not an objective property of events that the media merely reflect with varying degrees of accuracy" (Gamson 22). But after observing the number of magazines at any given Barnes & Noble, does this competition of sources even exist anymore? With the amount of user-submitted material that appears in each issue, it seems as if anyone can get his or her ideas into print.

This question gets even more complicated when moving beyond the newsstand and into the World Wide Web, where anyone can weigh in on the topics of their choosing. The amount of competition that Gamson claims is the driving force behind determining what’s newsworthy is deteriorating. So what does this say about newsworthiness? Does our ability to pick up a magazine on almost any topic or virtually contribute our thoughts on current events render the very idea of "newsworthiness" meaningless?

Works Cited:
Gamson, William A. "News as a Social Construction". What's News. New York: The Free Press, 1984.