Media: Social construction of the news Flashcards
(30 cards)
The social construction of the news
-News is not objective – it is selected and processed, not just collected.
-Glasgow Media Group (GMG) argues news is a socially manufactured product, reflecting the dominant ideology of society.
-News production is selective – only some events are reported; most are ignored.
-Decisions about news content involve:
-> What is reported
-> Who is featured (e.g. interviewees)
-> What questions are asked
-> How stories are framed or edited
-The media operates like a business – news is a manufactured product aimed at consumers.
-Factors affecting news content include:
-> Owners’ interests
-> Audience demands
-> Advertisers
-> Journalistic routines and values
-> Censorship or political influence
-News is shaped by bias, not always balanced or neutral.
-The process of news production involves continuous selection, interpretation, editing, and packaging of information.
How is it socially constructed?
-The news we see doesn’t realistically reflect the range of events that actually occur.
-Certain groups select particular events, considered newsworthy, so the news is socially constructed -> carefully selected.
-Debates to what extent this selection process is designed to further interests of a particular group.
Norm-setting & defining & reinforcing conformist behaviours leads to…
-It being socially constructed as those in power can use ISA to show people what’s behaviour is acceptable & expected & they do this by controlling what’s shown in the media.
-Making a profit - media may advertise products to consumers & show them what is attractive & convince it being bought to help production & capitalism.
-Inaccurate & false reporting- shows how diff forms of media may report diff things & isn’t simply informative & bared in fact & is open to interpretation.
McQuail - news isn’t impartial
-The ‘news’ is the end result of a selection process -gatekeepers-such as editors & journalists & sometimes owners (ie. Murdoch) make choices & judgements about what events are imporant enough to cover.
-The news is biased.
4 ways influence content of the news
-Owners can give direct instructions to news editors.
-Owners, via editors, influence the resources made available to cover news stories such as whether to allow resources for reporters to praise a story, whether to have them in a diff country.
-Journalists depend their careers on not upsetting the owners, which can lead to self-censorship, where they avoid reporting events that risk offending or challenging the owner’s political preferences.
-Owners want to make profit & attract large audiences in a competitive global media environment, so, this encourages the development of a media culture in which unethical journalistic practices thrives.
Bagdikian (2004)
-Suggests news reports will be presented in a way to avoid offending advertisers, with some stories being repressed or killed of all together.
-Important to appeal to everyone & offend no one to generate a large audience.
-Leads to conservatism in the media, minority & unpopular go in represented, thus maintaining the hegemonic ideology.
-Pressure to access large audiences leads to dumbing down of news content, hard journalism etc are replace with human interest or celeb stories - infotainment.
-Barnett & Gaber argue that such pressures lead to a more conformist, less informed & less critical approach to reporting politics.
-Thussu found this move to tabloidisation or infotainment was found in TV news across the world (globalisation).
What does this result in?
-Dumbing down/infotainment news to gain wider audience figures - to attract money in advertising revenue.
-Sensationalisation/exaggerating events so that news reaches wider audiences to access wider profits through advertising revenue.
Globalisation & new technology
-Globalisation creates a competitive, 24/7 global news market with audiences accessing news from multiple sources worldwide.
-New technology (smartphones, social media, digital TV, internet) means news is now instant, constant, and global.
-Audiences are no longer reliant on traditional media – they now seek tailored, fast, engaging content (e.g. short, snappy reports).
Rise of citizen journalism
-> Ordinary people can now record, share and report news (e.g. phone videos, tweets, blogs).
-> Cheaper and often faster than traditional reporting.
-Philo & Berry (2011): Mainstream media (e.g. UK news) may be biased, relying heavily on official sources (e.g. Israeli side in conflicts).
-Ashuri (2012): Citizen journalism (e.g. Machsom Watch) offers alternative views and challenges bias.
-Bivens (2008): Citizen journalism increases public accountability, exposing wrongdoing often ignored by mainstream media.
-Viral sharing (e.g. via YouTube or blogs) can force mainstream media to cover stories they might avoid.
-Citizen journalism is now integrated into mainstream news (e.g. Arab Spring, UK 2011 riots).
-Also benefits mainstream media: low-cost source of footage and content.
Organisational constraints
-News habits have changed – fewer people use newspapers or TV; more use social media and mobile devices.
-Social media (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) now plays a big role in releasing and spreading news globally.
-A single tweet can influence mainstream media within minutes.
-Rise of 24/7 rolling news (e.g. BBC News 24, online updates) creates pressure for constant updates.
-Journalists now often write web-first, not just for print or TV.
-Increased competition and demand for speed create tight deadlines and intense pressure.
-Leads to shortcuts in news gathering:
-> Prioritising speed over accuracy
-> Less fact-checking, more speculation
-> Risk of publishing unverified or incorrect info
Agenda-setting
-Media influence what topics the public think about, not always what to think – Cohen (1963): media are successful at telling people what to think about.
-McCombs (2004): media also influence how people think about issues (e.g. portrayals of politicians or welfare claimants).
-GMG journalists work within a dominant ideology, shaping what news is covered or ignored.
-Philo (2012): during the 2008 financial crisis, media focused on blaming bankers but only offered solutions within the system – avoided challenging the system itself.
-Public anger was channelled at ‘welfare scroungers’, shifting blame from bankers.
-Media act as a forum for public grumbles, not real alternatives.
-Economic & organisational pressures (e.g. profit, deadlines, advertisers) influence which stories are prioritised or avoided.
-By choosing what to highlight, media socially construct the news agenda, shaping public concern and discussion.
Gate-keeping
-Gatekeeping: the media’s power to control what is and isn’t reported.
-GMG owners, editors, and journalists act as gatekeepers, shaping public knowledge by selecting what stories to allow.
-Media often ignore issues that challenge the dominant class’s interests (e.g. alternative financial systems).
-Stories may be excluded if seen as:
-> Not interesting to audiences
-> Too offensive, controversial, or threatening
-Strikes are widely (and often negatively) reported; but industrial injuries/diseases (more serious) are rarely covered.
-Creates public concern about strikes, not workplace safety.
-Media over-report benefit fraud by the poor, but under-report tax evasion by the rich.
-Leads to calls for stricter benefit rules, not stronger tax enforcement.
Norm-setting
-Media reinforce conformity to social norms and isolate non-conformists through unfavourable coverage.
Achieved in two key ways:
1. Encouraging conformity: e.g. promoting law-abiding, helpful, brave behaviour; ads reinforce gender stereotypes.
2. Discouraging deviance: e.g. heavy, often sensational coverage of crime, riots, benefit fraud, immigration, etc. showing negative consequences of breaking norms.
-Media give “lessons” in what not to do, shaping public understanding of acceptable behaviour.
-Works alongside agenda-setting and gatekeeping as a form of social control:
-> Decides what is “news”
-> Influences what the public should think about
-> Defines what is considered normal or deviant in society
The presentation of the news
-The presentation of a news story affects how audiences perceive and interpret it.
-Includes: story placement (e.g. front page vs. inside), order in bulletins, headlines, photos, camera angles.
-Some stories may not appear due to:
-> Lack of journalist access, especially internationally.
-> Limited space/time in newspapers or broadcasts.
-Stories can be:
->!Sensationalised to boost interest (e.g. breaking news alerts).
-> Visually biased: GMG found peaceful employer footage vs. noisy, chaotic worker scenes in strikes – favouring employers.
-Emotive language (e.g. “thugs,” “terrorist,” “scroungers”) create negative connotations and influence interpretation.
Why does inaccurate & false reporting occur & what can i lead to?
Inaccurate or false reporting occurs due to:
-> Organisational pressures (e.g. deadlines, churnalism).
-> Misquoting politicians, exaggerating details, or fabricating stories—especially in red-top tabloids.
-Sensationalised reporting can trigger moral panics:
Moral panic: exaggerated public fear over a supposed threat to societal values.
-First studied by Cohen’s Mods & Rockers.
-Media defines certain groups/activities as deviant or dangerous.
What do moral panics do?
-Reinforce dominant ideology and social norms.
-Make money by attracting larger audiences.
-Can lead to deviancy amplification: media attention causes authorities to crack down, which intensifies deviant behaviour.
-E.g. asylum seekers, radicalised Muslims, knife/gun crime, internet predators.
-Media motives: attract audiences via sensational, dramatic infotainment to generate advertising revenue.
Criticism (McRobbie & Thornton)
-Moral panics less relevant today.
-New media, 24/7 news, blogs, and social media create multiple interpretations.
-Audiences are more sceptical, and stories have shorter lifespans.
-Pluralists & postmodernists: too much diversity for a single narrative to dominate.
News values & newsworthiness
-News doesn’t just happen – it’s socially constructed:
-Journalists/editors filter stories through gatekeeping based on news values (Galtung & Ruge).
-News values = criteria used to decide what’s worth reporting and how it should be presented.
-E.g. Immediacy, Dramatisation, Personalisation, Unexpectedness.
-Economic pressures influence news selection:
-> News stories must attract audiences to boost profit (via ads/clicks).
-> Leads to more scoops, exclusives, sensationalism.
News values & immediacy
-Especially important in TV & digital news.
-New media + citizen journalism (e.g. phone footage) allow live coverage of events.
-Creates a sense of “being there” – boosts audience engagement.
-Examples of immediacy via citizen journalism:
-> 2011 Japanese tsunami
-> 2010–11 Arab Spring uprisings
-> 2014 Israeli-Gaza conflict
News values: Composition/Continuity/Elite nations of people/Frequency/Meaningfulness
-Composition: Events that fit the media outlet’s style, balance of topics, political slant, and journalist values.
-Continuity: Ongoing stories with lasting impact; convenient for coverage as reporters are already on-site.
-Elite nations or people: Stories about powerful countries/people (e.g. Western leaders, celebrities) seen as more important than those from distant or less powerful places.
-Frequency: Events that match media publishing schedules (e.g. short, dramatic events like disasters) are more likely to be covered.
-Meaningfulness: Events considered relevant or interesting to the audience (e.g. culturally or emotionally significant).
News values: Negativity/Personalisation/Proximity/Threshold/Unambiguity/Unexpectedness
-Negativity: Bad news is prioritised (e.g. crime, conflict, disasters) because it attracts more attention.
-Personalisation: Stories with a human interest angle or drama, often involving famous individuals or political disputes.
-Proximity: Events close to the audience (geographically or culturally) are seen as more meaningful or important.
-Threshold: Big or significant events make the news; small events don’t unless part of a bigger issue (e.g. serial crimes).
-Unambiguity: Stories that are easy to understand, not complex or requiring lots of background knowledge.
-Unexpectedness: Shocking or rare events (e.g. terrorism, natural disasters) attract more media attention than routine ones.
The assumptions & activities of journalists & rise of churnalism
1. Hierarchy of Credibility (Becker)
-Journalists give more weight to powerful figures (e.g. politicians, police, business leaders) over ordinary people.
-These figures are seen as more ‘credible’ and become primary definers (Hall et al., 1978) who shape the news agenda.
2. Preference for Moderate Views:
-Journalists usually hold centrist political views, so they tend to ignore or negatively portray radical or extreme perspectives.
3. Journalist Backgrounds (GMG):
-Most are white, male, middle-class – they often share and reproduce dominant ideology.
-This affects who they interview, what issues they highlight, and how stories are framed (e.g. favouring managers over workers, police over protesters).
4. Churnalism (Manning):
-Due to time, budget and competition pressures, journalists rely on: News agencies, Govt press releases, PR consultants / spin doctors.
-Leads to churnalism – uncritical, recycled news without independent investigation.
-Powerful groups use this to control narratives and manipulate public perception.
Churnalism (Zakir)
-Journalists increasingly “churn” out stories based on pre-packaged second-hand material (e.g. press releases, agency reports),
-Little to no original investigation, fact-checking or independent research.
Churnalism (Davies 2008 study)
-80% of stories in major UK newspapers (The Times, Guardian, Independent, Telegraph, Mail) were wholly or partly based on second-hand material.
-Only 12% were produced through original reporting.
-Most content came from wire agencies (e.g. Press Association) or PR sources serving commercial or political agendas.
