Infotainment

Infotainment is a neologistic portmanteau of information and entertainment, referring to a type of media which provides a combination of information and entertainment. The term can also refer to the hardware/software products and systems which are built into, or can be added to vehicles in order to enhance driver and/or passenger experience. According to many dictionaries, infotainment is always television, and the term is "mainly disapproving." However, many self-described infotainment websites exist, which provide a variety of functions and services, many of which include the several increasingly popular social media websites and applications being used daily by billions of users worldwide.

Criticism

The label "infotainment" is emblematic of concern and criticism that journalism is devolving from a medium which conveys serious information about issues affecting public interest, into a form of entertainment which happens to have fresh "facts" in the mix. The criteria by which reporters and editors judge news value - whether something is worth putting on the front page, the bottom of the hour, or is worth commenting on at all - are integral parts of this debate. Some blame the media for this perceived phenomenon, for failing to live up to ideals of civic journalistic responsibility, while others blame the commercial nature of many media organizations, the need for higher ratings, combined with a preference among the public for feel-good content and "unimportant" topics like celebrity gossip or sports. In a critique of infotainment, Bonnie Anderson of News Flash cited a CNN lead story on February 2, 2004 following the exposure of Janet Jackson's breast on national television. The follow-up story was about a ricin chemical attack on then-U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

Hard News

Hard News: The Scandals at The New York Times and Their Meaning for American Media is a 2004 book by journalist Seth Mnookin about the reign of Howell Raines at The New York Times.

Mr. Mnookin's thesis is that The New York Times remains the newspaper at the center of America's self-knowledge, and understanding of the rest of the world, and that accordingly 2003, a year of scandals at that paper that forced the resignation of Mr. Raines as executive editor, did important damage.

The fracturing of news coverage, all the cable and satellite stations and weblogs, have done nothing to diminish the importance of this particular institution, Mr. Mnookin writes. To the contrary, "the number of media options is so overwhelming that there almost needs to be a default standard-bearer....Every morning, the Times front page comes closer than any other single source of information to determining what will count as major news for the next twenty-four hours."

Hard

Hard or hardness may refer to:

Entertainment

See also

Hard (music festival)

Hard is a national music festival, music cruise and concert brand founded by Gary Richards in 2007. The event line-ups consist of alternative and electronic acts and emerging talents. The first Hard Music Festival was held on December 31, 2007 in Downtown Los Angeles and featured Justice, Peaches and 2 Live Crew. Hard is best known for the Hard Summer Music Festival and Hard Haunted Mansion, though also runs several smaller events and once-off shows. Hard is sometimes called "Hardfest" by fans, based on the event's website (hardfest.com) and social media shortcuts. Additional Hard brands include the Hard Summer Tour, Hard 13, Turkey Soup, and the Holy Ship! electronic music cruise. Live Nation Entertainment acquired Hard in 2012.

National and international tours

2010 Hard Summer Tour

August 2010 marked the launch of the Hard Summer Tour, as promoter Gary Richards decided to take the party on the road; 12 dates scattered across the United States and Canada; Incorporating hip-hop into the fold.

Hard (surname)

Hard is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: