The newspaper and magazine publishing industries work to inform the public about current events. Newspapers provide details, explanations, and interpretations in all subjects, or beats, including local and national politics, crime, entertainment, sports, and international affairs, among others. Many magazines meet similar needs for readers but also may serve special interests or unique segments of populations.

Computer technology and the Internet have had a dramatic effect on the newspaper and magazine industries by enabling reporters and writers to research information and confirm, write, and transmit stories faster, by reducing or eliminating the time between the occurrence of a news event and making the information available for the public to read. Most newspapers and magazines also now maintain extensive Web sites that provide some or all of the information that appears simultaneously in print versions. Some magazines, such as Newsweek, and increasingly newspapers, for example the Seattle-Post Intelligencer in Seattle, Washington, have abandoned their print versions and publish solely on the Internet.

Technology has also created new competition for traditional news publications. Social media, such as Twitter, often breaks news tweeted by eyewitnesses before reporters can gather their facts and file a story. As a result, there are a growing number of "citizen journalists" (people who are not trained journalists) sharing information that is uncensored.

Many jobs in these industries are similar. Newspapers and magazines all employ staff writers, editors and copy editors, photographers, marketing and sales personnel, graphic artists and designers, and freelance writers, editors, and photographers, among others to provide all the content that appears on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, depending on the print schedule of the publication. With digital versions either replacing or being offered in addition to print versions of...