Breaking News: Why Media Matters

Volume XXIX / Issue 34 - May 5 / 2023
Breaking News
Breaking News
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Breaking News: Why Media Matters

Author: 
Raina Delisle
Illustrated by: 
Julie McLaughlin
Series: 
Orca Think
10
Victoria, BC: Orca, May, 2023
96 pp., hardcover, pdf & epub, $26.95 (hc.)
ISBN: 
9781459826564 (hc.)
9781459826571 (pdf)
9781459826588 (epub)
Grades: 
Grades 5-7
Ages: 
Ages 10-12
Review by: 
Daphne Hamilton-Nagorsen (Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy)
4
Excerpt: 

How do you find out what’s going on in your community, your country and the world? Do you read your local newspaper? Or do you prefer radio, television or online news? Maybe you enjoy relaxing with a magazine in the bath – my personal favorite. Or perhaps you rely on your parents, teachers, friends or random strangers on Facebook to fill you in. (I don’t recommend the last one.)

If you don’t follow the news yet, don’t worry. Lots of people don’t start paying attention until they’re adults – and lots of adults don’t even bother. People often avoid the news because they find it depressing, overwhelming or untrustworthy, but more on that later. Still, there are plenty of reasons to tune in. Here are a few.

It helps you become a more informed and engaged citizen. When you know what’s going on around you, you can get involved and make a difference. If you hear on the radio that your city council is planning a community meeting to discuss plans for a new playground, you can show up with your friends and share your thoughts on what you would like to see. Gaga ball pit anyone?

It opens your mind and broadens your worldview. The news can take you around the world in minutes, helping you better understand and appreciate what’s happening outside your community. You can learn about everything from wars in the Middle East to famines in Africa and from animals migrating across the sea to millionaires racing to outer space.

Breaking News: Why Media Matters is a look at the media industry, how it operates, why it is important, and how to get involved. Well-organized and engaging, this book takes readers from the origins of media to the issues the media currently faces. Author Raina Delisle starts Breaking News with her own history with the media, from her start as a newspaper carrier in elementary school to volunteering with the student newspaper at her university. Her experience in the media through her work as a reporter, editor and producer and the knowledge she gained from her work shows throughout Breaking News.

Breaking News introduces readers to the history of the media and reporting the news and why the media matters in today’s world. How the news is produced is covered, taking readers through topics like hidden bias and the rules of journalism. Delisle moves on to the current problems in the media, including the issues with the current business models, problems with online news, fake news, and press freedom. She covers possible solutions and finishes with how readers can get involved in the media.

In the well-laid out chapters are sections with additional information. “Extra! Extra!” boxes have extra facts, like why TV news hosts are called anchors (think of the anchor leg in relay racing, not the anchor of a ship). “Behind the Headlines” sections have additional information about selected stories, such as the staff purchase of CHEK News on Vancouver Island. The “Star Reporter” sections showcase different reporters and their achievements, such as Jesse Brown, the creator of Canadaland. A substantial “Resources” section is included at the end of the book, with a variety of online and print resources, a selection of news sources for kids, films about the media, and some online news games and quizzes.

Illustrator Julie McLaughlin has provided colourful and diverse illustrations that enhance the text and the ideas presented.

Breaking News: Why Media Matters is an engaging book on the media and why it is important. This book will provide a good introduction for anyone interested in the media and ideas and resources for readers who want to go further and get involved in the media.

Highly Recommended
Reviewer: 

Daphne Hamilton-Nagorsen is a graduate of the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.