Lack of News Stories in Summer
Mainstream Media Does Not Cover Serious News When Weather is Hot
International and national news stories are not covered by media in summer months because public is thought to desire lighter, less serious fare.
There is a perception in the eyes of much of the public that summertime is a slow time for news. The front pages of newspapers are filled with feel-good stories about ordinary people doing interesting things, and celebrities getting kudos for donating time or money to charities of their choice. Fitness, wine, mothering, and other so-called ‘fluff’ stories become the mainstay of otherwise serious sections of our daily newspapers. However, it is important to note that the summer news cycle really is not as slow as media outlets might have the public believe. There are many events and happenings going on in the world which greatly affects readers; the difference is that sustained coverage of these events simply is not there.
Summer 2007
To take this summer for example, it is clear when looking at the international picture alone, that there have been some very big news stories. Greece, for all intents and purposes, is essentially on fire – arsonists have lit numerous fires around the countryside, and people are dying at an alarming rate. In Britain, Tony Blair finally stepped down in June, allowing Gordon Brown to take over as Prime Minister. This change in leadership could well affect the war in Iraq and other facets of British foreign policy for years to come. Speaking of the Middle East, the news in Iraq continues to be disheartening, with far too many Iraqis (and Americans) dying in the conflict.
This summer is not an anomaly: there have been serious and affecting political, social and cultural events each summer, and yet the public is repeatedly told that this is not the time to dwell on this type of news. Instead, the summer is when readers and listeners should focus on the lighter side of the world around them, for better or for worse.
Lighter Fare is What People Want?
While some aspects of these stories get reported in the mainstream press in North America, there is simply not the sustained coverage of these events that might occur at other times of the year. The question must be asked, then, why is it that the news cycle appears to slow down so much when the weather gets hot? The answer must lie in the fact that media outlets believe that the public are the ones demanding this. The idea that the public are too busy enjoying themselves in the summer to care about international crises or national happenings has really taken hold with much of the mainstream media. There is this belief that when people are lounging at their cottages, or playing with their children in their backyards, they have no interest in reading about traditional news stories.
Bring Back Serious News
There might indeed be a tendency of some people to read ‘lighter’ fare during the summer, but there is no evidence that papers will not be bought, and television news not watched, if more serious stories were covered. For interested media consumers, it is frustrating to watch the situation develop in this way every year. Surely the mainstream outlets would do better to have more consistent coverage of serious news, thus keeping readers and viewers more informed of what is going on in the world around them.
