Hard news vs soft news: which describes each and provides an example?

• A. Hard news is fictional; soft news is always serious.
• B. Hard news is about opinions; soft news is about facts.
• C. Hard news reports timely, factual events (e.g., a policy change); soft news covers human interest, trends, or entertainment.
• D. Hard news is about sensory experiences; soft news is about numbers.

Answer: (C)

Hard news vs soft news hinges on timeliness and focus. Hard news reports on timely, factual events and their impact, typically answering who, what, when, where, and why. An example is a report about a new policy going into effect next month, detailing who is affected, what changes, when it starts, and any official statements. Soft news centers on human interest, trends, or entertainment, exploring people's stories or cultural phenomena rather than urgent events.

This description matches the statement that hard news covers timely, factual events (with concrete examples like a policy change) and soft news covers human interest, trends, or entertainment. Other descriptions—like hard news being fictional or about opinions, or hard news focusing on sensory experiences—don’t fit how these categories are defined.