In journalism, the news hole refers to the finite amount of space (in print) or time (in broadcast) available for editorial content once advertising and other fixed elements have been laid in. In a traditional newspaper, page counts are typically determined by ad volume; whatever is left after ads are placed becomes the news hole that editors must fill with reporting, analysis, photographs, and graphics. In television and radio, the news hole is the minutes of a bulletin not consumed by commercials, promos, weather, or sports.
The concept matters for political researchers and communications analysts because it shapes agenda-setting: when the news hole shrinks, fewer stories make it to audiences, intensifying competition among issues, sources, and press releases. Pew Research Center's annual State of the News Media reports have repeatedly documented contraction of the news hole at U.S. metropolitan dailies as print advertising revenue collapsed after 2005, with newsroom employment falling roughly in parallel.
Several dynamics flow from this:
- Source dependence. A smaller news hole increases reliance on wire copy (AP, Reuters, AFP) and on official spokespeople who supply ready-to-publish material, advantaging governments, large NGOs, and well-resourced campaigns.
- Crowding out. Breaking events (elections, wars, disasters) compress coverage of slower-moving issues like multilateral negotiations or treaty implementation.
- Digital reframing. Online, the news hole is theoretically infinite, but attention and homepage real estate are not; editors now ration prominence and push notifications rather than column inches.
- Foreign news squeeze. International bureaus are typically the first cut when the hole shrinks, a trend tracked by the American Journalism Review's now-discontinued foreign bureau census.
For MUN delegates and think-tank staff pitching op-eds or expert commentary, understanding the news hole helps explain why even newsworthy items get spiked: not because they lack merit, but because the available container is already full.
Example
During the first week of Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, U.S. cable networks effectively gave over their entire news hole to the war, displacing coverage of the ongoing Iran nuclear talks in Vienna.
Frequently asked questions
Roughly yes. 'News hole' is the trade term editors use for the non-advertising portion of a publication or broadcast that must be filled with editorial content.
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