Hard News Vs. Soft News

Hard News

Example #1
The article Microsoft makes debut in wearable market with fitness device is an example of hard news.  While the subject of this article appears to be entertainment related, the article itself is very business related and includes more information about the cost and release dates rather than the device's functionality and features.  The article does not appear to be soft news simply because of the style of writing used by the author and the way their content is described.

Example #2
The article Arrest shows police using new strategy to charge suspect extremists is an example of hard news.  The content of this article is not necessarily meant for entertainment, but to inform the public of the new lengths the Canadian government and law enforcement are going to in order to ensure we will be faced with no more acts of terrorism.  The subject matter contained in this article is very serious and it could not be considered sift news because of how the content is written and relayed onto the audience.

Soft News

Example #1
The article Man Brakes into Home Dressed as a Teletubby, Steals Leftover Chinese Food is a clear example of soft news.  The article is very entertaining and the content is not one bit serious although a crime was committed.  The title of this article basically tells the story because it consists entirely of a university student breaking into someones house dressed as Laa-Laa from the Teletubbies and stole Chinese food from the refrigerator.  As well, the article is very brief and does not go into much detail about the incident.

Example #2
The article Why Did the Tortoise Get Sick? Because I Swallowed A Turtle! is an example of soft news.  This content of this article is clearly not very serious and talks about a tortoise named Lola who swallowed a turtle pendant.  The story contained in this article was written entirely for entertainment because it contains no information that would concern the everyday person.  The story is very short and is clearly meant to attract consumers through human interest.

Borderline News

The article Justin Bourque to sentenced today is an example of what I believe to be somewhere in between hard and soft news.  The content of this article could be considered hard news because of the fact that it involves Justin Bourque, who not long ago killed three cops and injured others.  This article may be considered soft news as well because recently it has seemed that Justin has faded from the public eye until now.  As well, this article is not very long and seems to be written in order to entertain the public as to how severely he will be sentenced.