Today’s world is the world of information. While some people choose to be updated and informed about the ongoing events in the world, some people are also interested in knowing the news through the filter of someone’s perspective, understanding, and opinions.
Both have their advantages and are required by individuals at different points in time.
Key Takeaways
- News reporting objectively presents factual information and current events, while opinion pieces express the author’s viewpoints and interpretations.
- News articles adhere to journalistic standards of accuracy and impartiality, while opinion pieces allow for subjective analysis and commentary.
- News reporting informs the audience about events and issues, while opinion pieces aim to persuade, provoke thought, or inspire debate.
News vs Opinion
News is a factual report of an event or situation that has recently occurred or is currently happening. News should be based on accurate and objective reporting of facts. Opinion is a personal viewpoint or interpretation of a particular topic or issue. Opinions can be expressed by journalists, columnists, or experts in various fields, and can be found in editorials, op-eds, and commentaries.
News is a report or information regarding events of interest, which may be brief or detailed. This depends on the importance, magnitude, urgency, time, etc., of the event.
Although the term news is associated with journalism, one does not necessarily have to be a journalist to relay the news. Any information which is new to someone, no matter when the incident took place, is news to them.
Opinions are the stances or take of people on anything. It can be on news, movies, music, laws, events, etc. The opinion of a person is not required to be correct or incorrect.
It is rather an explanation of any topic of interest which depends on the understanding, knowledge, rationality, and biases of individuals.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | News | Opinion |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | News can be defined as reported events around the world of local and national interest. | Opinions are viewpoints or stances of people on various issues and news. |
| Sources | The sources of news are newspapers, magazines, news channels, government agencies, etc. | The sources of opinions can be individuals, articles, newspaper columns, books, etc. |
| Credibility | News is a credible source of information as it is short and accurate. | Opinions cannot always be a credible source of information as it depends on people’s understanding, which might not always be accurate. |
| Verifiability | News can be verified as news can either be correct or incorrect. | There is little scope for verifying opinions because they are subject to interpretations by other people and can be biased sometimes. |
| Examples | An example of news can be the reporting of news channels from ground zero in case of an earthquake or flood. | An example of opinion can be writing a book on a certain issue that provides the viewpoint of the author. The book named “The Accidental Prime Minister” by Sanjaya Baru can be one such example. |
What is News?
The word news was developed in the 14th century and was used as an umbrella term for providing information regarding all the new events.
Although it is a word in itself, some people believe it is an acronym for phrases like “North East West South” or “Notable Events, Weather, and Sports.”
The events on which news can be covered are wide-ranging such as politics, movies, music, sports, weather, natural disasters, medical emergencies, society, international relations, extraterrestrial happenings, etc.
Every incident which affects humans in some form or the other and belongs to the field of interest of an individual or a community can be covered as news. There can be many sources from which news originates and is relayed.
These sources include word of mouth, newspapers, magazines, phones, letters, news channels, government agencies, television broadcasts, the internet, etc.
Historically, there were not as many sources of news. Initially, the cultures around the world passed on stories as news.
After that, the king’s proclamation was the main news source in the 17th Century before newspapers came into existence. Anything new happening around the world is the news and this process never stops.
The constant spread and exchange of news are connecting the world more than ever. Today, media houses have become the most trusted news sources around the world in both print and electronic forms.
The internet looks to be the next big thing for news circulation in coming years.
What is Opinion?
Opinions are based on the perceptions, judgments, knowledge, beliefs, and biases of an individual or group of individuals.
Opinions are not bound to be correct, and correctness can never be the parameter for validating an opinion. Everyone has an opinion about something.
An opinion takes time to form, and it is a continuous process. As it cannot be verified, different people may have different opinions on the same things.
If their viewpoints happened to be different, it might be called a “difference of opinions.” Moreover, opinions do not particularly remain the same between two periods of time.
As long as a person is growing and is shaping his/her thought process, belief systems, level of understanding, etc., their opinions can change.
This is the reason why opinions are different from facts, as facts can be verified and remain the way they are forever. There is a difference between opinions and ideas as well.
Ideas can be considered random thoughts coming to people’s minds while they are introduced to certain topics and issues.
People cannot have a firm belief in random ideas, unlike opinions. Opinions can be expressed in spoken words, articles, books, letters, radio, videos, movies, interviews, podcasts, etc.
Opinions may have a certain meaning but can be interpreted differently by others, based on their opinions.
Main Differences Between News and Opinion
- The news may be defined as reported incidents or happenings around the world which is relayed from its source to other people. Opinions can be defined as stances, judgments, informed viewpoints, etc., of individuals on a particular issue, topic, or news.
- News is a credible source of information as they are brief, short, and to the point. Opinions cannot be considered credible sources of information, as they are subject to interpretations and may have individual biases.
- News can be treated as a black and white entity as news can either be correct or incorrect, real or fake, filtered or unfiltered, etc. Opinions cannot be dichotomized in such a way because it depends on other people if they agree or disagree with it.
- News can never be controversial but can create controversies. Opinions can be controversial as it depends on people’s understanding and knowledge of a certain issue which may differ sometimes.
- News is relayed through sources like newspapers, news channels, government agencies, internet media houses, etc. Opinions can be relayed through personal conversations, letters, articles, newspaper columns, YouTube videos, TV programs, etc.
- https://nyuscholars.nyu.edu/en/publications/a-history-of-news
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1946-04703-001
Last Updated : 22 July, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
