The Information Cycle
What is The Information Cycle?
Before starting your research, it's good to know how information is produced, where it comes
from, and how it changes over time. The Information Cycle is the progression of media coverage of a
particular newsworthy event. Knowing about the information cycle will help you to better know
what information is available on your topic and better evaluate information sources covering that
topic.
Think of the events that occurred following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005:
- In the days following, information was primarily available through up-to-the-minute news media;
newspapers, television, the Internet, and radio.
- In the weeks following, discussion of Huricane Katrina moved into popular
magazines.
- In the months following, scholars, experts, and researchers began publishing articles
about Hurrican Katrina in academic journals.
- In the years following, experts, researchers, and scholars published books on the topic
and government organizations published reports. Years after the event, established knowledge of
Hurricane Katrina is now published in reference books like encyclopedias and text books.
See a video explaining the information cycle.
The Day of an Event
Television, The Internet, and Radio
The information:
- Is primarily provided through up-to-the-minute resources like broadcast news, Internet news
sites, and news radio programs.
- Is quick, generally not detailed, and regularly updated.
- Explains the who, what, when, and where of an event.
- Can, on occassion, be inaccurate.
- Is written by authors who are primarily journalists.
- Is intended for a general audience.
The Day After an Event
Newspapers
The information:
- Is longer as newspaper articles begin to apply a chronology to an event and explain why the
event occurred.
- Is more factual and provides a deeper investigation into the immediate context of events.
- Includes quotes from government officials and experts.
- May include statistics, photographs, and editorial coverage.
- Can include local perspectives on a story.
- Is written by authors who are primarily journalists.
- Is intended for a general audience.
The Week of or Weeks After an Event
Weekly Popular Magazines and News Magazines
The information:
- Is contained in long form stories. Weekly magazines begin to discuss the impact of an event on
society, culture, and public policy.
- Includes detailed analysis of events, interviews, as well as opinions and analysis.
- Offers perspectives on an event from particular groups or geared towards specific
audiences.
- While often factual, information can reflect the editorial bias of a publication.
- Is written by a range of authors, from professional journalists, to essayists, to commentary by
scholars or experts in the field.
- Is intended for a general audience or specific nonprofessional groups.
Six Months to a Year After an Event and On...
Academic Journals
The information:
- Includes detailed analysis, empirical research reports, and learned commentary related to the
event.
- Is often theoretical, carefully analyzing the impact of the event on society, culture, and
public policy.
- Is peer-reviewed. This editorial process ensures high credibility and accuracy.
- Often narrow in topic.
- Written in a highly technical language.
- Includes detailed bibliographies.
- Is authored by scholars, researchers, and professionals, often with Ph.D's.
- Is intended for other scholars, researchers, professionals, and university students in the
field.
A Year to Years After an Event and On...
Books
The information:
- Provides in-depth coverage of an event, often expanding and detailing themes, subjects, and
analysis begun in academic research and published in journals.
- Often places an event into some sort of historical context.
- Can provide broad overviews of an event.
- Can range from scholarly in-depth analysis of a topic, to popular books which provide general
discussions and are not as well-researched.
- Might have a bias or slant, but this dependent on the author.
- Includes bibliographies.
- Is often written by scholars, specialists, researchers, and professionals, though credentials
of authors vary.
- Can be intended for a broad audience depending on the book, ranging from scholars to a general
audience.
Government Reports
The information:
- Comes from all levels of government from state, federal, and international governments
- Includes reports compiled by governmental organizations and summaries of government-funded
research
- Is factual, often including statistical analysis
- Often focuses on an event in relation to public policy and legislation
- Authored by governmental panels, organizations, and committees
- Is intended for all audiences.
Reference Material
The information:
- Is considered established knowledge.
- Is published years after an event takes place, in encyclopedias, dictionaries, textbooks, and
handbooks.
- Includes factual information, often in the form of overviews and summaries of an event.
- May include statistics and bibliographies.
- Often not as detailed as books or journal articles.
- Authored by scholars and specialists.
- Often intended for a general audience, but may be of use to researchers, scholars or
professionals.
