4) selection and presentation of the news Flashcards
define the concept fast news
live updates and a sense of immediacy to it with alot of coverage
Define the concept slow news
gradual build up to the story with a drip-drip effect of information, in the public domain for a constant
Define the concept media feeding frenzy
Hysterical reporting that isn’t always factual or accurate and can be to divert information away from the real issues surrounding the story.
Define the concept news diary
a record of forthcoming events that can be planned and prepared for.
define gatekeeping
The information managing process by media for selecting information to be broadcasted in media the basis of the type of information.The process explains how some information are published on some and not on others
define agenda setting
When the media determines the agenda for which stories are considered to have importance.
What does benson argue?
notes that the digital sites people are using are still those of the companies as the traditional news gatherers such as guardian and BBC (owns 60% web market share)
What is meant by the concept of news values?
general guidelines that determine the worth of a news story and how much importance it is given by media companies → they are often unconscious
Often what is deemed as newsworthy is different from each company due to different audiences and readership → pluralists argue the readership shapes the news values
what are the lists of news values that ruge and Galton identifies?
- Threshold - big events often reported → meets threshold
- Unambiguity - easy to grasp if easy to understand
- Celebrity/ elite - deemed newsworthy
- Bad news - seen as more exciting
- Composition - trying to balance a range genre of news
- Elite nations (politics)
Influence of professionals on the news
what are spin doctors and how do they influence the news
‘Spin doctors’ - refers to those who meet with journalists to ensure the news coverage are favourable to govt → challenges view of these news values as it may be stories are constructed to favour certain political viewpoints
What is meant by the Churnalist concept Davies argues?
Argues that news reporters should be referred to as churnalists who they give out stories that are told by Spin doctors as they passively processors of second hand material often rom PR to serve political/ commercial interests rather than creating independent content.
As the journalists often act as puppets for the media moguls who give them these orders
what is meant by citizen journalism and how does this critique the churnalist view?
Citizen journalism → can critique churnalism
The development of new media - refers to anyone who posts on mainstream news site.
* Less restricted on view point - can be more realistic
* Not constraint by legal protocal
* Uk viewers of BBC news send in photos that are used in news stories and mobile phones ie 2024 riots
What are the 6 organisational routines of how news may be biassed
- financial costs
- time and spce
- deadlines
- immediacy
- audience
- journalist ethics
financial costs
Often limited by the amount of spending a news company has to spend.
* Cost cutting - often reduces quality of investigative media
* Entertainment has surpassed this → as gaining profit is more of an intention
Time/space
Limited amount of airing time or physical space within the newspaper template → meaning stories selected are limited
Deadlines
Print newspapers have a cut off tune (often 10pm) → but is often more detailed as covers yesterday’s news
Whereas the new digital media is often 24hr rolling with edits
Immediacy
mmediacy on Tv live coverage is more accessible with new technologies as citizen journalism and interactivity increases
* Notifications from news apps → BBC breaking news
audience
Pluralists argue the presentation and what is included in the news is driven by the readership
- Sun → uses restricted speech code to appeal to WC ability / youngish readership
- Broadsheets → traditional, longer text stories using elaborative code
journalistic ethic
All newspapers are part of People complaints commission (PCC) - clause of not publishing inaccurate info
* Criticised as no legality is attached to this
* OFCOM - communications regulator protecting people from harmful or offensive material
evaluation of this traditional view of selection and presentation of news
Marxists disagreement - they argue the role of news values is less important but rather it is ideology.They argue that agenda setting and gatekeepers are intended to promote the ruling class ideology to establish hegemony.
Modern forms of media - the practical disadvantages of deadlines can be undermined in the modern media. Digitalisation such as 24 hr rolling press and citizen journalism means news outlets are updated consistently.
However with many LIDCs around the world not having access to the internet it is likely that the selection of countries which news is spread about is still concentrated.
what regulates the UK press?
In the UK it is regulated by IPSO - independent press standards organisation that engage in self regulation
what id the leverson enquiry find about the regulation
Leverson enquiry An inquiry into News of the world - owned by Murdoch criticised for allegedly hacking into mobile phones of individuals connected to news stories. It led to the PCC being replaced by the IPSO which would have no state interference but would be backed up by legislation.
Reasons for state regulation of press
Independent of the government politically
Free from bias
OFCOM and BBC trust work well in regulating the broadcast - rather than censorship
arguemnts against state regulation of the news
A free society needs a free press
Self-regulation works
Don’t get propaganda
Editors should feel free to challenge the govt and call them out
traditional marxist
what does McChesny argue
argues the notion of objectivity within the media is used as an ideological myth to make it assume these media corporations are not biassed.
* Their democracy is undermined by the fact media moguls influence what media is created → as journalists and editors adhere to the corporations view out of loyalty
traditional marxists
Herman and Chomsky
argue that the news gathering is shaped by market forces to build a capitalist profit → news outlets often work to output capitalist ideology that favours the ruling class
* So news values are not objective but rather are a form of propaganda as the news is concentrated on capitalist ideology and is critical of any other viewpoint.
the perspectives of the elites i.e. official sources of information are seen as legitimate whereas the viewpoints of the poor and powerless are seen as unreliable from journalists.
what does hall ean by the hierarchy of credibility
Journalists and editors often rank people in terms of status (primary definers) - those who have easier access to the media)as to whether their news is seen as more important
- So journalists are more likely to report what the more highly regarded people state about events and opposingly those not regarded highly are absent in the reports entirely
GUMG - neo marxist view
Not media moguls but is journalists and editors as they come from the same social background
- They argue it is due to the background of the journalists they state that they unconsciously side with the rich as they have more in common with them → so journalists do not accept extremist views from the ‘poor’ - through agenda setting choose what to include
What is the circuit of communication argued by GUMG
They state this as where production,content and reception of news are constantly affecting each other but in unequal ways.
the four parts are
- Social/ political institutions - influence on what is supplied to the media
- The media - within these companies news selection occurs and prioritisation of news due to news values and profit driven
- The public - consist of different social groups and the audience will bring varying levels of prior knowledge / different interests
- Government - there may be criticism of the news output on news reporting
This circuit of communication approach involves simultaneous examination of these 4 elements in order to see how news is produced but also received.
criticism of the GUMG view
- Criticised for the fact that media does not always act in the interests of the powerful and their notion of a ‘unified’ media is undermined by the economic want for wider audiences
- Feminists argue that they neglect the way women are represented within the news
define moral panic
widespread concern usually fuelled by sensational media coverage that an event or group is threatening society.
whats a folk devil
is an individual or group whose behaviour is seen as a threat to social order.
The media often exaggerates these moral dilemmas causing uproar within society causing anxiety and fears.
Example of moral panic in the media
E.g On Easter 1964
The media had headlines of ‘ Day Of Terror and Riot’ but actually due to no reportors being present at the scene only 100£ of damage was created
Had fight on the beach between Rockers and Mods (more posh)
* Media kept the panic going and amplified it
Cohen and Young - view on moral panics
rgue it is due consensual view of journalists they see ‘problem groups’ as newsworthy stories as they believe the audiences share the same moral concerns
May be product of desire to sell the media for profit → as panics ^ sales
HALL study on moral panics
1970s of black muggers and concluded this moral panic was created to serve capitalism as it labelled black african people as a threat → divides WC preventing revolution
Evaluation of moral panic theory
Not all folk devils can be seen as vulnerable - ie social rejection of paedophiles is justified
Jewkes - critical of idea general public passively trust the news → not all some will obtain this dual conscious and post modernists would claim there is now multiple interpretations → so audiences are less likely to to accept the issue presented is real
Mcrobbie → argues new media has changed relationship between media and audiences undermining these moral panics entirely as due to the diversification there are a more varied viewpoints so individuals are more sceptical → but some argue the new media such as social media can accelerate the issue by bombarding info
