An information subsidy is the provision of ready-to-use
newsworthy information
Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random, ...
to the
news media
The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), and ...
by various sources interested in gaining access to media time and space.
Typical forms of information subsidies include
press releases, as well as press seminars and
conferences
A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic.
Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main ...
.
This information represents a
subsidy
A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...
to the media, since it lowers the cost of news-gathering. Out of the various alternatives available to the media to collect information —
investigative work,
informal channels and routine sources
—, the latter channel is the cheapest to monitor and maintain.
Relying on information provided by external sources can thus relieve the economic burden and shorten the time to
publication, especially when the information is presented in a format (such as an
inverted pyramid) and
style that can be easily incorporated in news.
On the other hand, critics argue that subsidies have the potential to skew the process of news selection by leading journalists to pick stories based on criteria other than their inherent importance and newsworthiness. The content of the coverage, critics contend, is also likely to be influenced, since the subsidised materials are usually
biased in favour of the source organisation. From the source's point of view, the ideal goal is to have the news media view reflect as closely as possible their own.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Information Subsidy
Journalism
Public relations
Subsidies