I hereby trademark the word “infortorment.”

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Infotainment is “information-based media content or programming that also includes entertainment content in an effort to enhance popularity with audiences and consumers.” ^[1] It is a neologisticportmanteau of information and entertainment, referring to a type of media which provides a combination of information and entertainment. According to many dictionaries ^[2] infotainment is always television, and the term is “mainly disapproving.”^[3] However, many self-described infotainment websites exist, which provide a variety of functions and services.

The label “infotainment” is emblematic of concern and criticism that journalism is devolving from a medium which conveys serious information about issues that affect the 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. 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 her critique of infotainment News Flash, Bonnie Anderson cited the CNN lead story of February 2, 2004. It was the accidental exposure of Janet Jackson’s breast on national TV. The follow up story was about a ricin chemical attack on the U.S. Senate majority leader. {Via Wiki} {Wiki More}