News and Publicity

When the first snow flutters down onto the roofs and streets of London, Moscow or Zürich, it is "news"-although the same thing happens about the same time every year. The fact that this (usually very transitory) white splendour is news is demonstrated by the fact that the editors of the local papers in these three cities inform their respective readers of it. The readers-or those of them who live in the area-will have usually already noticed the meteorological event for themselves. Those who live elsewhere, and who read the report and look at the pictures of it, will of course not have noticed the fact for themselves. The two groups of readers will pay a very different degree of attention to the news-item, depending on the importance it has for them. But if this first snow affects international air traffic, due to the closing down of one or other airport in the three cities, then it becomes, through its effects, a piece of "news" for the travel experts, and perhaps even the economic experts, of the mass media, and it is accorded national or even international publicity

Political science · Publicity · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Public Relations and Crisis Communication