The news was once a part of the media that provide information, hard news and education to the public. It is how people find out what is going on around them socially, politically and economically. If there are threats or dangers to a community the media would inform them however, all of this has started to change as news outlets turn to entertainment and filling the demand for advertisement and ratings as opposed to covering hard news. The news are turning into something called info-tainment in which a small amount of time is spent on hard news and important information and the rest of the time is given to lifestyle information, Hollywood rumors, gossip and a review of the shows that were on the air the night before. The need for news stations and television stations to attract more audience and keep them longer has required that the news industry change its format and focus on soft news in order to attract viewers and have the selling power to make a profit.

Shows like the Today Show, Regis and Kelly, The Kelly and host show, E-news, The Soup, the Onion Report and the Joy Beyhar Show are all examples of how to the shift has occurred and the focus of the news is no longer on facts and hard news information but on more trivial material that creates an audience appeal. The news is now turning out information to attract viewers to sell more ad space. The effects of this phenomenon for society is a negative one because the outlets that people once turned to for relevant and factual information are slowly disappearing and the information that is available has shifted from political, economic and community news to focusing on who is dating who in Hollywood. People are less informed on issues and policies that directly affect how they live and the rights that they have.