CUL493 Assignment: News Media's Dilemma - Balancing Profit and Purpose

This essay delves into the critical dilemma faced by news media companies: whether to prioritize profit generation or fulfill their societal obligation to inform the public. The paper explores the influence of advertising revenue on news content and the potential conflict between commercial interests and the dissemination of unbiased information. It analyzes the challenges faced by news organizations in balancing financial sustainability with their core mission of serving the public. The essay investigates the impact of prioritizing either profit or public service, examining the strategies employed by different news companies to navigate this complex issue. It also discusses how the objectives of news companies are interlinked, highlighting how successful achievement of one supports the other. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for news media companies to consider both objectives simultaneously to ensure long-term growth and public trust. The essay uses MLA style referencing and includes a detailed analysis of the topic with references from various authors like Bakir, Vian, and Andrew McStay, Braun, Joshua A., and Jessica L. Eklund, etc.

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News Media’s Dilemma: Make Money? Serve Society? Do both?
News media industry is one of the most powerful and impactful industry present in the
worldwide environment. This industry holds the power to influences the masses at the time
and circulate news to general public in no time. From the initial period itself, the news media
industry works as a voice of public and help them to get heard in the society. This industry
also helps people to attain true and fair information present in the society. The companies
present in the news industry are not influenced by any party or any other association.
Resulting in which, people rely on information presented on such platform (Braun and
Eklund, 1-21). The below mentioned paper highlight the details about the dilemma faced by
the -news media companies to either focus on influencing the society in the best way or make
money from the market.
The news industry nowadays only generate revenue through large advertising on their pages.
Therefore, first page of every newspaper is booked by multinational companies because it
holds maximum engagement along with high revenue for news media companies as well.
Thus, it can be said that as first page is most engaging for customer and since advertisement
is displayed on that page which subsequently reduces the impact or degree of social message
presented on second page of newspaper. This case happens when the companies give more
priority to the revenue rather than spreading social message in the society (Bakir and McStay,
154-175).
This act of the companies cannot be concluded as wrongful doing because it does not harm
the interest of any person but generates a way to attain high revenue for the business. Printing
newspaper and circulating it in the environment involves high costing that the organization
needs to cover while selling a newspaper costing few bucks. Thus, it has become important

for the news companies to earn revenue through advertisements and promotions if they want
to exist in long run (Reeves, 2017).
But this activities of companies makes them fall back in the core mission that is to circulate
true and fair information to the general public. The objective of the newspaper companies is
to serve to the society by presenting details about day to day events to them. However, if 50%
of the newspaper pages are filled with advertisements and promotions then less scope is left
for the organization to present news to the public. Thus, the purpose of the news companies
to serve to the public shifts as a secondary priority in the environment (Evans, et al. 138-149).
Whereas, it would be adequate to say that people buy newspaper because they want to be
updated about the events occurring at the places nearby and the world. They do not look for
advertisement of companies while reading the newspaper. Thus, if the organization would
accurately print the paper by presenting news events happening the worldwide environment,
then it would suffice the purpose of News Company and satisfy the public as well. However,
companies working through this motive would not be able to see the future because they
would be out of resources fast. Therefore, advertisement helps such companies in earning
money while presenting fair news helps in serving the purpose (Saxena and Sethi, 150-155).
It can be said that the News Companies face a dilemma of either completing the mission and
vision of the organization or attracting revenue for the perpetuity of the business. Following
one of the goals would make the organization suffer in other ways. Therefore, it is a dilemma
for the companies to follow which rule for the business growth and satisfaction of people.
Most of the company have started giving priority to both the objectives while keeping a ratio
of both the aspects. Some companies give more importance to money, thus it present more
advertisements on paper and showing relevant information as well. While, other companies

give importance of serving the society, therefore, initial pages only provide headlines
activities occurring in the society (Laursen and Stone, 47).
It should be noted that, such newspaper also provide advertisements in small columns just so
as to suffice the revenue need of the business. The main objective of such papers is to
generate awareness in the society. It should be noted that yes, the company can make money
and serve the society at the same time but main goal of the business will always be singular.
Therefore, when it would come to making decisions in the environment, the business would
choose the one that is on top of the priority list. Serving the society is the ultimate goals of
the news companies but it can be done only when the business have the resources to present
the information to general public. Advertisements are major source of revenue for the news
companies; therefore, it develops a need for the companies to advertise brands on their pages
to generate income (Nicholls et al. 2018).
High revenue for the companies improve the quality of paper used, makes the business hire
better candidates for job and present the paper in an attractive manner. All these actions
would subsequently let the organization to increase the sales in the market and make the
customers purchase the newspaper regularly. However, a customer will regularly purchase
and read the newspaper only when it presents crucial and informative news that is relevant to
the public. Therefore, it can be seen that both the objectives of the news companies are
interlinked with each other. Successful achievement of one objective supports other and vice
versa (Laursen 2017).
Further, observing another parameter present for the news companies, it should be noted that
small companies present in this industry need to initially provide resourceful information,
further after getting few viewers, the company need to make advertisement as their focus.
And when the business attains optimum revenue and growth in the environment, then they

should again start focusing on serving the people so as to retain the interest of customers in
their business. Whereas, large scale companies present in this industry would generate
revenue by posting few advertisement also, because they have loyal customers who regularly
purchase their newspaper (Newman and Fletcher 2017).
Therefore, it is clear to say that the companies need to work on both the objectives for the
successful growth of the business. They need to analyse the objectives of the business and the
areas that the business need to prioritize in order to generate revenue in the environment.
Once, the business has become clear of their objectives, and then they would find similar
clients in the market as well. This would subsequently bring loyalty customers for the
business along with optimum revenue as well.
Thus, it should be noted that yes, it is a situation of dilemma for the companies present in the
news industry to give priority to making money or serving people but why the business
should choose one objective when they can work on both simultaneously. Therefore, business
nowadays, give priority to both the segment while giving more importance to one factor or
equalizing both. The above mentioned critical essay analyse the need of news media
companies to work in the environment while not abandoning any of the objective in the real
world environment.

References
Bakir, Vian, and Andrew McStay. "Fake news and the economy of emotions: Problems,
causes, solutions." Digital journalism 6.2 (2018): 154-175.
Braun, Joshua A., and Jessica L. Eklund. "Fake News, Real Money: Ad Tech Platforms,
Profit-Driven Hoaxes, and the Business of Journalism." Digital Journalism 7.1 (2019): 1-21.
Evans, Nathaniel J., et al. "Disclosing Instagram influencer advertising: The effects of
disclosure language on advertising recognition, attitudes, and behavioral intent." Journal of
Interactive Advertising 17.2 (2017): 138-149.
Laursen, Jesper, and Martha Stone. "Native advertising trends 2016: The news media
industry." McMullen and LC Christopher, Editors (2016): 47.
Laursen, Jesper. "Native Advertising Trends in News Media." Native Advertising Institute
(2017).
Nicholls, Tom, et al. "Coming of age: developments in digital-born news media in Europe."
(2018).
Newman, Nic, and Richard Fletcher. "Bias, bullshit and lies: Audience perspectives on low
trust in the media." Available at SSRN 3173579 (2017).
Reeves, Rosser. Reality in advertising. Lulu. com, 2017.
Saxena, Deepika, and Vidhi Sethi. "Trailblazer of Social Media in Advertising World."
International Journal of Engineering and Management Research (IJEMR) 8.1 (2018): 150-
155.