In reading The Provo Herald, I find that about half of the cover section is hard news and half is soft news. The front page, however, is mostly human interest stories of local people, very soft news, with only a little blurb of real hard news, about a democratic leader, and a small article on a new local elementary school. The real hard national news about oil prices and politics was found deeper in the A section of the newspaper.
The sports section was basically purely hard news, with stats and game reports all the way thru. There was very little extra commentary, just cold hard facts.
The Lifestyle section was basically pure soft news. It was magazine-esque in it's content; there was no real news to report, just tips and style ideas.
Is the Newspaper still the "watchdog" for the public? I think that depends on who you are. In my hometown, Bozeman Montana, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle was remarkably liberal and biased, and many conservatives in that area didn't feel a connection with it. I know I certainly was rubbed the wrong way. But to some people, the newspaper served to inform them and confirm their beliefs. The paper certainly exposes crime and lets people know what is going on, but I think Muckraking has gone by the wayside and become the job of documentary film makers and novel writers: eg. "Fast Food Nation," "Nickeled and Dimed," "Press for the Truth" and "Supersize Me." So the newspaper is less of a watchdog now, and more of a secretary. There is no real muckraking, but much informing and keeping up to date of citizenry.
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