Infotainment

Infotainment is a neologistic portmanteau of information and entertainment, referring to a type of media which provides a combination of information and entertainment. The term can also refer to the hardware/software products and systems which are built into, or can be added to vehicles in order to enhance driver and/or passenger experience. According to many dictionaries, infotainment is always television, and the term is "mainly disapproving." However, many self-described infotainment websites exist, which provide a variety of functions and services, many of which include the several increasingly popular social media websites and applications being used daily by billions of users worldwide.

Criticism

The label "infotainment" is emblematic of concern and criticism that journalism is devolving from a medium which conveys serious information about issues affecting public interest, into a form of entertainment which happens to have fresh "facts" in the mix. The criteria by which reporters and editors judge news value - whether something is worth putting on the front page, the bottom of the hour, or is worth commenting on at all - are integral parts of this debate. Some blame the media for this perceived phenomenon, for failing to live up to ideals of civic journalistic responsibility, while others blame the commercial nature of many media organizations, the need for higher ratings, combined with a preference among the public for feel-good content and "unimportant" topics like celebrity gossip or sports. In a critique of infotainment, Bonnie Anderson of News Flash cited a CNN lead story on February 2, 2004 following the exposure of Janet Jackson's breast on national television. The follow-up story was about a ricin chemical attack on then-U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

Entertainment

Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience, or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousands of years specifically for the purpose of keeping an audience's attention. Although people's attention is held by different things, because individuals have different preferences in entertainment, most forms are recognisable and familiar. Storytelling, music, drama, dance, and different kinds of performance exist in all cultures, were supported in royal courts, developed into sophisticated forms and over time became available to all citizens. The process has been accelerated in modern times by an entertainment industry which records and sells entertainment products. Entertainment evolves and can be adapted to suit any scale, ranging from an individual who chooses a private entertainment from a now enormous array of pre-recorded products; to a banquet adapted for two; to any size or type of party, with appropriate music and dance; to performances intended for thousands; and even for a global audience.

Hearst Metrotone News

Hearst Metrotone News airplane (from Lizotte Family photo album)

Hearst Metrotone News airplane (from Lizotte Family photo album)

Hearst Metrotone News (renamed News of the Day in 1936) was a newsreel series (1914–1967) produced by the Hearst Corporation, founded by William Randolph Hearst.

History

Hearst produced silent newsreels under the titles of Hearst Newsreel, International Newsreel, and MGM News before settling on the generic title Hearst Metrotone News. From January 1919 to July 1929, International Newsreel was produced by Hearst's International News Service and released by Universal Studios.

Hearst began to release sound newsreels in September 1929 under an agreement with Fox Film Corporation using the Fox Movietone sound system. Hearst dissolved its agreement with Fox in October 1934, and released its newsreels through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from then until 1967. William Randolph Hearst was a controversial figure for several years. In November 1936, in reaction to protests and moviegoers' booing of the Hearst newsreel when it began showing causing theaters to edit out references to Hearst, the name of the newsreel was officially changed to "News of the Day" by Hearst. The Hearst Metrotone News name continued to appear on the copyright notice at the end of the newsreel.