Infotainment

Infotainment, combining information with entertainment , is a fairly recent neologism for a television program, Web site feature, or other presentation that combines information with entertainment. Most of today's popular fact-based television shows, such as those on the Animal Planet channel, could be classed as infotainment.

Serious information publishing sites such as those of TechTarget.com (including whatis.com) provide a limited amount of infotainment in the form of user polls, quizes, and contests.
Infotainment (a portmanteau of information and entertainment) refers to a general type of media broadcast program which provides a combination of current events news and "feature news", or "features stories".

Infotainment also refers to the segments of programming in television news programs which overall consist of both "hard news" segments and interviews, along with celebrity interviews and human drama stories. Critics have claimed the combination of the two aspects is a conflict of interest by corporate news outlets—focusing on marketing, not journalism. The term "infotainment" thus may be a pejorative among those who hold professional journalistic values in esteem. Infotainment should not be confused with documentaries, educational television, or hard news programming. These go more in depth of the subjects they cover and can even provide classroom level instruction in areas such as mathematics, science, biology, or writing, etc.

Infotainment may also be found, not only in broadcast media, but also in retail environments whereby display material containing information about the features and benefits of various products on display is combined with style, color, even sound, to provide a shopping "experience" - such "retail infotainment" is often referred to as retailtainment.

Infotainment usually covers a long-term change or point of interest, or a general trend—an aspect of the zeitgeist. Many such stories as those cover topics such as health tips or gardening tips, exploring television show genres, travel, shopping, yachting or exploring new wines—topics that are not actually "news" at all, in the sense of things that are currently happening. Other stories deal with something that is happening, but is gradual, rather than tied to a single event—a new music genre coming into prominence, a shift in tide in the political views of the nation, a new turn in teen attitudes about sexuality, a commonality among political candidates, the returning appeal of the retro styles and memories of a past decade, crazes like Tamagotchi or Furby, or a common thread among current events that reveals something about the times.