Factors Influencing Selection with the News Flashcards
Gatekeeper
anyone involved in the selection process
-can be publisher, editor, camera woman
Ex: Editor may say to use these four words instead of the seven words that the reporter used
What is the mirror analogy?
It is a response to bias accusations that claims the media is like a mirror that is reflecting society
-not quite true
What factors influence selection with the news? (5)
NOTFA
- News people themselves
- Orgazational Pressures
- Technology
- Factors in the Story
- Audience
News People Themselves
-humans have bias that is often political and subcultural
-humans are not objective
-people going into the media usually have opinions
-criticisms that the new is bias; arguments that is biased towards liberals; many newsrooms are monocultural and 85% of journalists are democrats
-decline in trust of the news because people believe there is political bias
-study found that news actually caters to what the audience wants – audience usually goes to certain news stations that represent their political affiliation
Ex: the news may used different words/phrases; “illegal alien” vs “undocumented workers”
-so bias is not determined by the ideology of the reporter
-political bias can, however, influence the topics you cover, who you talk to for a quote, the facts you do/don’t cite
-has changed with the rise of the internet; people are wanting more narratives– has contributed to the editorialization of news: the intermingling of news and opinions
-media has abandoned working class, now leaning on middle and upper class people who are more educated
-journalism used to be a blue-collar trade but now many journalists come from elite colleges; this has made news go from descriptive to analytical/interpretative; may be a subcultural bias because come from same background and may share same ideas and social circles
Organizational Pressures
-the beat system
-subject area beats (e.g. science beat, health beat)
-wants stories that will get views
-pack journalism
-news media is regularized, meaning it comes out everyday, so there are tight deadlines
-if you miss a deadline, the story becomes old news
-deadlines are becoming messier because of constant breaking news on the internet
E.g.: news conferences usually only last until noon at the latest so news outlets have time to organize and edit
-news must also fill a certain amount or time or space
Beat system
The beat system is when you predict where news is going to occur, so you can send reporters there (the place is the beat)
Ex: The Supreme Court beat; reporter may be sent to cover important Supreme Court case
Pack journalism
the phenomena of elite journalists as defining a story as important by publishing it first, then other journalists follow suit
Ex: other news outlets may jump on a story after the New York Times published it
Technology
-tech has made gathering and distribution of news easier, faster, and cheaper and enables you to go to places you’ve never been before
-has expanded what can be covered to include national and international new
Ex: reporting used to require a large group pf people with heavy equipment that would ship footage back to the US (such as with Vietnam war); now can send one person in a field to location that can send video through satellite (such as with Iraq war)
-national organizations used to be in charge of national news, but with satellite local tv stations can cover them
-increase in helicopters has led to a rise in disaster reporting (e.g. arial footage of damage after a hurricane)
Factors in the Story
-media has a preference for different types of stories ; favors events such as ballgames and campaign speechs as opposed to political and philosophical discussions (which get fewer views)
-creation of pseudo-events with the intention of attracting the news (e.g. staged Iran demonstrations)
-media wants timely news; can’t be old news
-wants stories that engage us and have extended dramatic narratives
-wants conflict, preferably with identifiable opponents because it makes the drama more compelling (Democrat vs Republican Presidential candidate)
-want something unpredictable and unusual (e.g. Nixon going to Communist China despite being strongly anti-communist)
-media will look for something unusual in a predictable place (e.g. for example might attend a President’s press conference)
-proximity; something close to home is easier to cover and people typically more interested (but changing with tech)
-personalization; news is the story of people; audience can identify with people and have concern
-for personalization, may build a story around one actors (e.g. how the covid vaccine changed one man’s life)
- “names make news”: news about famous people get more attention (e.g. Biden becoming paralyzed gets more interest than average citizen)
-Good film; seeks stories that maximize use of sound and pictures (e.g. “if it bleeds it leads”; gruesome photos of war can be powerful)
Factors in the Story (Brief- 9)
- Events
- Timely
- Drama
- Conflict
- Unpredictable/Unusual
- Proximity
- Personalization
- “names make news”
- Good film
Audience (3 factors)
- Different media have different audiences
- Want big audiences
- Internet
Different media have different audiences
-it is important how a news media perceives its audience and it influences the type of content they publish
E.g.: Wall Street Journal will focus on economic stories to please audience of people interested in finance
Media wants big audiences
-wants a large audience so they can charge advertisers more an make more money
-there is also more prestige with having a larger audience
-media gets a larger audience by presenting entertaining stories (more sensationalism) so substance is replaced by scandal and superficiality; relying more on wire services
-local news is prime example of sensationalism (e.g. will cover a car crash but not transportation issues)
-most people get news from local stations
-online networks want a large audience and try to get one by using clickbait
-news not originally meant to be profitable; was meant to serve the public interest
Clickbait
something that gets you to click on the story, such as a headline or cover photo
Internet
-has made news more available and changed how people come to new; most come through online or social media that is driven by an algorithm
-publishers are reaching readers through individual pieces that align with their views; this is creating a filter bubble wear news is more personalized
-news not traditionally created as fragments; stories were meant to be consumed as a collection
news companies collaborating with companies such as Google and Apple to drive viewers to news
-change in consumption patterns; there has been a centralization of the news, additionally people now go online instead of news stands
-introduction of live-streaming
-content is shared with friends and family, sharing the news is an act of selection
