Prepositions, despite their seemingly small presence in sentences, have a great impact on what your sentence would mean. A simple change of ‘on’ or ‘in’ can change the meaning of your sentence entirely. Like, what’s the difference between ‘on the news’ and ‘in the news?’ Let’s see and find out.
Is It ‘In The News’ or ‘On The News?’
‘In the news’ and ‘on the news’ are both grammatically correct but mean different things. We use ‘in the news’ when we regard ‘news’ as an outlet of media that could be articles, television news, and the like. We use ‘on the news’ when talking about ‘news programs’ on television.
Take a look at these examples below.
- The president’s speech was in the news.
The sentence above expresses that the president’s speech can be seen inside or as part of the news. It means that the president’s speech was discussed in a category of media we call ‘news’ that may either be in the form of newspapers, radio, or television.
- The president’s speech was on the news.
This second sentence, however, specifies the form of news to be the televised or broadcasted news program. To make more sense, an extended way of saying the sentence is ‘The president’s speech was on the news program’ or ‘was on the news show.’
Looking at the meaning of the two phrases, ‘in the news’ and ‘on the news’ may be interchangeable in particular contexts, depending on the person or event being talked about.
Generally, if the original phrase is ‘in the news,’ we cannot interchange it with ‘on the news’ as ‘in the news’ is general and ‘on the news is specific.’ The person or event may be both on the news program and in the news as in other news outlets like radio or newspapers.
However, if the original phrase is ‘on the news,’ it may not necessarily mean that we can also find the topic on other news outlets like radio or newspapers, so there is caution in interchanging it with ‘in the news.’
What Does ‘In The News’ Mean?
‘In the news’ means that a person, an issue, or an event is widely discussed or talked about in a category of media we label as ‘news.’ It means that the topic is in various news outlets like newspapers, radio, television, and others.
Take a look at the example below.
- The recent bombing incident was in the news today.
The sentence implies that the bombing incident was widely talked about in the contents of today’s newspapers, news radios, and news programs.
Below are examples of how to use ‘in the news’ in a sentence.
- The president was in the news yesterday.
- Do you happen to know what’s in the news today?
- It’s always only bad and unfortunate events that are in the news.
- Is there anything new in the news?
- The recent Olympic games were in the news.
- So many unbelievable events are in the news today.
What Does ‘On The News’ Mean?
‘On the news’ is short for ‘on the news program.’ We use it when expressing that a person, issue, or event appeared in a news program broadcasted on television. From a different angle, ‘on the news’ can also mean ‘as a result of the news of something.’
Take a look at the example below.
- The Olympic winner was on the news.
In the sentence above, ‘on the news’ implies that the said Olympic winner appeared on a news program broadcast on television. Unlike the usage of ‘in the news,’ ‘on the news’ is more specific to news shows on TV.
‘On the news’ has another implication. Take a look at the example below.
- The company’s sales plummeted on the news that they used harmful chemicals for their products.
In the sentence above, ‘on the news’ implies something as a result of the news of something. In the given context, ‘on the news’ implies that the news that the company uses harmful chemicals resulted in the sales plummeting.
Below are more examples of how to use ‘on the news’ in a sentence.
- The royal family appeared on the news.
- I saw a famous celebrity on the news.
- Lots of events are broadcasted on the news every day.
- Were you able to watch what was on the news yesterday?
- I don’t know what they show on the news these days.
- She cried on the news that her mother died.
Is ‘In The News’ or ‘On The News’ Used The Most?
According to the Google Ngram Viewer, ‘in the news’ is generally used more often than ‘on the news.’ It is probably because ‘in the news’ is more general and encompasses all types of news like radio or newspapers, while ‘on the news’ is more specific to just the television.
Final Thoughts
‘In the news’ and ‘on the news’ are both grammatically correct and appropriate but used in different contexts. ‘In the news’ encompasses any media that holds news like newspapers, radio, or television, while ‘on the news’ is more specific and covers only a news program that appears on television.
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Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
