A scoop is news that a journalist or media outlet reports before anyone else.
Scoop is a concept whose most frequent use is currently in the field of journalism . A scoop is considered to be news that a journalist or media outlet reports before anyone else : therefore, by pronouncing the scoop, people find out about the fact in question and have knowledge about it for the first time .
For example: “A German newspaper gave the scoop on the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI,” “I have a scoop to give you: the Argentine striker will sign with an Italian club,” “The boss asked me to bring scoops to the editorial office, but still "I didn't find out anything interesting."
Getting a scoop is usually an achievement for a journalist. To do this, you must consult various sources that allow you to access information before other colleagues. The desire to publish a scoop, however, can lead to the dissemination of unverified information, which represents a lack of professionalism.
Showbiz scoops
The term scoop is usually linked to news about entertainment ; that is, from the world of celebrities. Although this is not the only area in which it is used nor the most correct, certain cultural issues lead us to make this association almost unconsciously.
Showbiz scoops are far from being truly relevant, although this is not reflected in the volume of people who consume them. Among the topics that are usually discussed are the cosmetic surgeries of celebrities, details about their relationships, pregnancy or divorce announcements, fights on television and attacks of divinity. As can be expected, such news spreads very easily, especially nowadays, thanks to the immediacy with which the Internet allows us to communicate and transmit the information that interests us.
Of course, this concept also finds a more serious and responsible use , even when it refers to news related to celebrities. For example, the announcement that a certain actor has been chosen for an important role in a film highly anticipated by the public is also a first; In this case, it is not the result of delving into the personal life of a star to reveal his most compromising secrets, but rather promoting an achievement he has had on a professional level, with which the character is completely different.
Journalists are often dedicated to searching for scoops.
The search for recognition
Outside of the show, when talking about scoops there can be a double message : on the one hand, the intention to communicate certain news to the public; on the other, make it clear that no one has previously obtained this information. This search for recognition for the skill of “being the first” is much more difficult today than it was a couple of decades ago.
Social networks and blogs are spaces in which anyone can publish other people's content and manipulate it easily; This affects both journalists and the protagonists of the news, since it reduces the need to consume the original material and can distort it in a way that affects the image of the people involved.
Other uses of the term scoop
In colloquial language, what is told for the first time is also called a scoop: “Let's give you a scoop: Juana is pregnant,” “Lara gave me the scoop and assured me that she will emigrate to New Zealand.”
It should be noted that these meanings of the concept of scoop are associated with an original meaning, now rare. The offering that some prehistoric cultures granted to their deities when the first fruits of the harvest emerged or when an animal was born was called first fruit.
In this way, the first fruits or the first offspring began to be called scoop and then the term began to mention various things that are unpublished, novel or unknown.