Month: September 2025

The news feature is an opportunity for a journalist to step back from hard news reporting and tell a more human side to stories. It gives you the space to look at a story in some depth and relate it to other events, or give a perspective not normally available. It can also highlight positive developments that happen slowly, or that are not newsworthy in the strict sense – but which might make good news features, such as terracing a hillside farmland to protect it from erosion (see Chapter 2).

A news feature should be told well. You will probably know that it has worked when the audience responds, through their feedback or survey results – though that might be some time after broadcast. It’s important that you have a plan for the piece, or a treatment as it is sometimes called. This will help you with planning the various elements of the feature and guiding you in gathering the information and talent needed for it.

If you are doing a news feature on an event, the number of news angles and issues you cover may grow and change as you investigate the story. During the coronavirus pandemic, journalists were constantly choosing different aspects of the story to include, such as statistics on deaths and cases, advice or opinions from experts, and human interest stories of sufferers or their families.

You should also think about your budget for the feature, and how long it will take to complete. A feature might require travel to a remote place or to speak to service personnel at military bases, for example. It might also need you to obtain permission from authorities to enter areas that are normally off-limits to the media or pay royalties and copyright fees.

Digital transformation involves the use of technologies and methods to fundamentally change a business’s processes and operations. It encompasses a broad range of technology solutions, including automation systems, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT). It also encompasses processes like business process reengineering.

Successful digital transformation initiatives reshape how an organization operates, from the back office to the production line. They help streamline and optimize internal services, speed up product development and deployment, and provide teams with easy-to-use collaboration tools. They also position the business to anticipate and deliver the next innovations customers will want.

Regardless of industry or size, businesses today face pressure to accelerate their digital transformation efforts. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more critical for companies to quickly meet customer needs, improve operational efficiency, and adapt their business model.

To do so, they need a clear roadmap for digital transformation. To begin, prioritize the most pressing areas for improvement and determine what technologies will support them.

Once the roadmap is in place, work collaboratively to develop a strategy for implementing these projects. Obtain input from all stakeholders and organizational leaders, including senior executives. This will ensure that the company is on track to reach its digital transformation goals.

Once the digital transformation roadmap is in place, enlist the help of experts. Partners and technology providers who have experience guiding others through digital transformation can offer fresh perspectives and save a company time and money by avoiding the rookie mistakes that many companies make on their own.

World news is the term for the specialized branch of journalism dealing with foreign subjects. The subject matter can include either news sent directly from abroad (for example, the press releases of foreign governments or international organizations) or – since the advent of modern distance communication technologies – the news that is gathered or sourced through such means as telephone, satellite TV and the Internet. Sometimes there is a confusion between this field and “national news,” but the distinction should be made clear, because national news deals with matters of concern to a particular nation.

When a reporter is stationed permanently in another country, he or she is considered to be a foreign correspondent. Correspondents usually report stories to their news editor, gathering material from local officials and citizens as well as the local media. They also may be able to gather information from events they witness personally. When reporters work overseas but do not have permanent contracts with any of the major news sources, they are known as stringers. They may write for several different companies at once, producing material on a freelance basis.

A news alert is an announcement of a present or upcoming event that’s specifically intended for journalists. Also called media advisories, they’re meant to convince reporters that your event is a genuine news story worthy of coverage. Media alerts can be a one-page announcement for local reporters or press releases distributed to wider audiences via wire services. Check out this sample media alert about a local Lights On Afterschool event for some inspiration.

Breaking news alerts are a vital part of journalistic practice and build trust with audiences during urgent events. However, it’s critical that they be used carefully to avoid sensationalism and ensure that the facts are accurate. This often requires thorough fact-checking processes and prioritizing verified information over speed.

When planning your media alerts, be sure to include the five W’s: who, what, when, where, and why. This will give reporters the basic info they need to cover your event, as well as any photo opportunities that may exist. Use acronyms sparingly and avoid unique words that text-to-speech software might mispronounce or confuse with other common words. Also, if your message is being sent over a telecommunications system (such as a push notification or SMS), be sure to use the device options to prioritize the text that’ll reach the most people.

Setting up alerts for your brand, competitors, industry keywords and more gives you a snapshot of your online presence, allowing you to track positive and negative mentions in the media. You can then take action based on what you find.

Economic growth is a great thing—whether it’s the increase in your retirement savings or the growth of your portfolio. But measuring growth at an entire economy’s level is much more difficult than simply knowing if you have more money in your checking account today than yesterday.

The broadest measure of the economy’s size is gross domestic product (GDP), which includes all consumption, investment, and government spending within a country in a given period of time. But GDP doesn’t capture everything that adds value to the economy, and it’s not a particularly accurate measure of the overall wealth of a nation.

There are two main methods of increasing economic output: growing the size of the labor force and improving productivity. Increasing the number of workers can increase economic output but only strong productivity gains can raise per capita income and GDP. There are a number of ways to improve productivity, including skills training, specialization, and increased access to raw materials and capital goods.

But a more fundamental element is changing the incentives that govern how the labor force is utilized. For example, families that stay home to care for children or aging relatives may not contribute to GDP but their sacrifices can enable more productive workers in the paid labor force. And governments that lower taxes, reduce bureaucracy and regulations, or eliminate discrimination can create the conditions for more productive labor. These changes can also lead to higher levels of prosperity while reducing inequality and environmental concerns, as evidenced by China’s remarkable GDP growth over the past 25 years.

Stay up to date on all the new gadgets from major tech company product announcements to crowdfunded campaigns. Whether you’re interested in the latest smartphone, drone or smart home gadget, these cool products offer fun and useful ways to simplify, enhance and organize your life. This week, Sonus faber unveiled $78,000 loudspeakers, Marshall launched its first-ever party speaker and Level released a next-gen smart lock for Apple smart homes. Plus, Motorola’s reboot of the Razr phone combines unique design flourishes with flagship-level performance.

GDP measures the monetary value of all the goods and services produced in a country over a specific period. It is one of the most widely used indicators for economic health, and is viewed as a barometer for a nation’s prosperity.

When the number is higher, it means the economy is growing; when it is lower, it is shrinking. However, comparing numbers over time must take inflation into account. A statistician can use a statistical tool to adjust the GDP data to a constant price index, or “real” GDP, which makes comparisons over time more meaningful.

The three components of GDP are C (consumption), I (investment) and X (exports). Consumption is the largest component of GDP; professionals often view increasing consumer confidence as a sign of healthy economic growth. Investment represents the money that businesses spend on capital expenditures, such as purchasing equipment or building new establishments. X represents the amount of goods and services a country exports; it is subtracted from GDP because it would count as domestic consumption if included in C, I or G.

In addition to measuring consumption, investment and trade, GDP also calculates the cost of government spending on goods and services and subtracts the country’s imports from its total output. However, the measurement does not include activities that are not accounted for in the formal economy, such as under-the-table cash transactions, black-market activity and unremunerated volunteer work. It also ignores the value of natural resources and the environment, which are hard to monetize.

Often referred to as an op-ed, editorial is opinion-driven writing intended to bring awareness to current events and topics of importance. It can take the form of a column in a magazine or newspaper, a public statement or newsletter and even a blog post. However, an editorial is not to be confused with a letter to the editor. Rather, it is intended to convey opinions about the issues that are being covered by the news media and offer solutions to these problems.

There are four different types of editorial content: interpretation, criticism, appreciation and advocacy. The first of these, an interpretation editorial, explains the meaning or significance of a current event or issue. For example, an editorial might explain how a new law will affect the economy or why a certain policy should be changed.

An appreciation editorial lauds people or organizations for their achievements. For example, an editorial might celebrate a scientific breakthrough or praise a politician for their leadership. An advocacy editorial is an opinion piece that strives to change the current situation by highlighting an aspect of the problem and offering solutions for the future.

An advocacy editorial also includes a call to action. For example, an editorial could ask readers to sign a petition or urge local government officials to open harm reduction clinics in their city. This type of editorial is often written by celebrities or public figures to create awareness about a cause or touch on a controversial topic. When writing an editorial, it is important to know your audience because that will influence the language you use and what points you emphasize.

An economic forecast is a prediction of future business activity or consumer spending. Such predictions are typically made for a range of one to several years. A number of different methods are used to make economic forecasts, from econometric models to surveys of business investment plans and regular reports on the condition of businesses’ inventories of capital goods.

The most common economic forecasts are of a country’s gross national product (or “GNP”) and its component parts. Almost all developed nations maintain sets of national income accounts and make GNP forecasts regularly.

Developing good forecasts requires analysis of the general economy and careful consideration of specific factors that are important to a given industry or firm. For example, lumber sales may correlate fairly directly with the growth of home construction and overall consumer spending, but forecasting for a paper mill must take into account other factors as well, such as the supply of raw materials.

Economic theory often determines the general outline of a forecast but judgment plays an equally important role. A forecaster may decide that the current circumstances are unique and that a forecast produced by standard statistical methods should be adjusted to take into account other factors, such as the effect of high interest rates on consumer spending or the effect of threatened shortages on consumers’ purchasing habits.

Many economists use judgmental methods to fine-tune forecasts that have been generated by a model or set of models. They also read and analyze commentary from sources with a broad overview of the economy. For example, the Blue Chip Indicators is a poll of around 50 leading forecast economists from banks, manufacturing industries and brokerage firms that has been published since 1976. Most countries and regions have similar surveys of professional economists that provide mean and median forecasts.

The inflation rate is a key indicator of how fast prices are rising for goods and services, reducing the purchasing power of money. It’s important for consumers, businesses and investors to know about the inflation rate so they can plan accordingly.

Inflation affects a variety of things, including how much it costs to buy everyday items, the growth of wages and economic development. It also impacts taxes, government spending and programs, and the level of interest rates on national debt. A low, steady rate of inflation is generally considered positive for an economy because it signals healthy demand for goods and services.

To measure inflation, statistical agencies look at what is called a basket of goods and services that people use. This basket includes a wide range of items, from food and energy to clothing and cars. Every month, they check how much those items cost and compare them to the same items in a previous period. This gives them a monthly rate of inflation and an annual rate of inflation.

Several different measures of inflation exist, but the most popular in the United States is the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Urban Consumers. This tracker focuses on what the average consumer spends on a typical shopping trip and records changes in the prices of those items from month to month and year to year. Other metrics focus on a different part of the economy, such as core consumer inflation, which excludes prices set by government and more volatile products such as food and energy.