3) The Processes Of Selection And Presentation Of The Content Of The News Flashcards
The News is a social construction
McQuail
- news is impartial- events happen but it does not guarantee they become news not all events can
- therefore it socially constructed as its the end result of a selection process
- it is also the media pros who decide what is actually presented
Economic Factors
1) Cost
- media pros are expensive
- having them based around the world is even more expensive and would not be financially viable
- this means organisations gather info from agencies who sell news items
- this means they have their own bias on the event
2) The Drive For Profit
- many global corporation aims are to make profit
- advertisers will only advertise if they are guaranteed a large audience- this can have 2 effects:
> Conservatism- stories presented often avoid offending advertisers
> Dumbing down- there is no longer in depth coverage of news- the news has turned into infotainment
- this means they pick and choose what news they feel will make profit
Structural Factors
1) Owners
- they can influence the content of the news in a number of ways (1) Directly- power to instruct media pros (2) Allocation of resources
- this is a social construction as the owners want to make profit
2) Competition
- news market is very competitive and there is a massive range of products
- news outlets often try and target their news to certain audiences- for example
> Channel 5 news- aimed at young audience
> the Sun- aimed at w/c who use simplistic language
Political Factors
1) Censorship
- some governments have different ruling ms concerning the media
- for example China have DIRECT forms which ban certain topics of discussion
- the UK adopt INDIRECT forms
- news organisations undergo INDIRECT censorship through media pros and owners selecting suitable news stories
2) News Management
- Franklin argues governments employ news management techniques e.g SPIN so they can adopted their preferred interpretation of events
New Values
1) Frequency- occur over a short period of time
- plane crashes are a example
- long term event is like inflation
2) Importance- elite people so national leaders
- Putin more likely to be reported than a local politician
3) Expectedness/Unexpectedness- unpredictable and surprising events
- 9/11
4) Reference to elite nations- western countries normally receive prominence
5) References to elite people- celebrities rather than normal people
6) Negativity- bad news is good news- death violence and riots
Selection and Presentation Factor: Agenda Setting and Gatekeeping
- items in the news provide a discussion point for the rest of society, if the news content is selected, this means the minority is affecting the majority- a small group of people are responsible for what society at large discusses
- this is termed Agenda Setting
- Cohen- ‘while the news media many not necessarily be successful in telling people what to think, they are stunningly successful in telling audiences what to think about’
Selection and Presentation Factor: Theoretical Perspectives
Marxism
- Hall argues that news supports capitalist interests- those who are most powerful in society
- media pros attach importance of views to those influential in society- business leaders/ civil servants
- Hall terms this the Hierarchy Of Credibility
- these people are seen as experts and they are called primary definers
Factor 1- The News isn’t socially constructed: Pluralism
- Williams argues that the news represents the world truthfully- the job of a journo is to distinguish between what matters most and least
- Pluralists see print media as holding those in power to account and provide a space for competing views to be aired
- Jones as a media pro says it is fair, neutral and balanced- all sides when discussing an event are giving equal emphasis
Factor 2- Not always the powerful who benefit
- There is an acknowledgment that among the powerful the media rather than a tool for them to control instead it’s a tool to be used to shape public perception of policies and behaviour
- tool used to force resignation of high profile MPs
Factor 3- New Media
- new media has transformed the way in which people obtain news and the way news is gathered
- the rapid growth in Internet, digital and satellite technology and social network has led to audience abandoning the traditional sources of news
Ownership, Ideology and Bias
> Neo- Pluralism > Concentration of ownership of mass organisations > The power elite > The propaganda model of the media > The hierarchy of credibility > The social background of the media pros > Semiotic analysis > Criticisms- Schlesinger and Pluralism
Neo- Pluralism (Davies)
- he argues the most basic function of journalism is to check facts however there has been a failure to verify news stories
- Davies found that in certain stories journalists who had no idea whether what they were writing was true
- Nowadays journalism is Churnalism
- they were once active gatherers but now they are passive processors
- he found that the times- 80% of material was from public relations and 12% was their own research
- it has turned to Churnalism due to the commercial pressures to do it quick at the lowest possible cost- for example celeb stories attracts a large audience- this generates more revenue
Concentration Of Ownership Of News Organisations
Ways the media owner can influence the editorial fairness:
1) they may issue direct instructions
2) may influence how the news is gathered and presented- which stories they see as worthy for investment
3) the owners business ideology may impact the choice of stories
- resource pressures means the journalists have to appeal to a larger audience and therefore have to compete with the entertainment sector for consumers- this can lead to tabloidisation
- due to market forces the news lacks balance and relevance and it generally serves cooperate interests rather than society as a whole
The Power Elite
- Bagdikian believes that all media leaders are part of a wider power elite
- therefore they try to promote corporate values- having sections dedicated to business news
- very little attention is paid to the ordinary Americans and the economic pressures they face
- he notes reporters are expected by the public to act independent and fair minded but reporters are also employees of corporations that control their hiring and firing
The Propaganda Model Of The Media
- media participate in propaganda campaigns helpful to the elite interests
- media businesses are profit seeking businesses- they are dependant of major businesses as info sources
- this creates solidarity between them both
