Media - Topic 2

Question 1

Social construct of the news

Answer 1

Media cannot report all events and issues happening everyday in the world.
Instead of the media waiting to be collected, it is selected and processed

Question 2

Glasgow Media Group (GMG)

Answer 2

Series of studies over many years that the selection and presentation of the news isn’t a neutral process the media is selected with dominant ideologies

Question 3

Herman and Chomsky

Answer 3

Mainstream news is influenced by powerful social interests control the Structural factors like ownership
These factors shape journalists perceptions of newsworthiness

Question 4

Influence of owners

Answer 4

Owners often put their own influence on editors directly or indirectly.
Some influences may include:
- owners give instructions to their editors
- journalists depend on their careers for not upsetting the owners

Question 5

Making a profit - what does Barnett and Seymour and Curran eat al say

Answer 5

To attract wide audiences, need to appeal to everyone and offend no one
Means that minority or unpopular points go unrepresented in the media
Helps to maintain hegemony of the dominant ideas in society

Question 6

Impacts of making a profit

Answer 6

Pressure to attract large audiences in a competitive market can lead to a ‘dumping down’ of tabloidization of news content - serious in-depth news is replaced with human interests and celebrity stories

Question 7

What do Barnett and Gaber say are some impacts of making a profit

Answer 7

Suggested that such pressure can lead to a less critical approach to reporting politics

Question 8

Examples of social constructs of the news

Answer 8

Philo and Berry - many British television reports on the Palestinians were suppression of stories or biased news reports
Bivens - citizen through phone pictures at the scene of news events is transforming. Sharing news has become more instant through the new media and can grab global attention - usually happens to expose governments etc

Question 9

Presenting the news

Answer 9

People keep up with news differently now e.g. television,phones etc
People now expect to be able to access up-to-date news at all times

Question 10

Breaking news

Answer 10

intensity of news has changed with news reporting becoming rolling ‘breaking news’ with new digital programs and websites.

Question 11

Impacts of ‘breaking news’

Answer 11

competition means organizations have to work with tight time schedules to meet every deadlines
meaning shortcuts to news gathering may be taken
there may be more of an emphasis on getting a news story first instead of getting it right.
stories aren’t checked as carefully as they should be to verify facts

Question 12

1. agenda setting

Answer 12

McCombs - news in the media now not only tell us what to think about but also how to think about certain subjects
e.g. politicians
GMG argues there’s a dominant ideology that limits public’s news choices
Philo - 2008 public banking crisis - media directed public anger at bankers while promoting solutions

Question 13

2. gate keeping

Answer 13

Gans - editors act as gate keepers, because they decide what is news and what is not. is a filtering process
can be based on practical, political or cultural factors

Question 14

SL of gate keeping

Answer 14

crime and deviance - corporate and white collar crime remain invisible

Question 15

3. norm setting

Answer 15

how media promote conformity to social norms while marginalizing non-conformists ideas

Question 16

3. norm setting - encouraging conformity

Answer 16

promotes behavior like obeying laws, helping others etc
advertising often reinforces gender stereotypes

Question 17

3. norm setting - discouraging non-conformity

Answer 17

media sensationalizes violent crimes, riots etc
emphasizes consequences for breaking social norms

Question 18

SL of norm setting

Answer 18

Durkheim - boundary maintenance

Question 19

4. news values

Answer 19

Galtung and Ruge - news values - way in which journalists and news corporations attach significance to a particular story and its ‘newsworthiness’. Different journalists prioritize stories based on a number of different pieces of criteria

Question 20

Reasons why stories are more likely to be pursued and published

Answer 20

• unexpected
• ‘bad news’
• simple
• brief
• able to be personalized

Question 21

Jewkes and news values

Answer 21

updates news values by adding importance of celebrities, graphic images and involvement of children

Question 22

AO3 of of process of presenting news

Answer 22

marxist sociologists - process is less to do with news values and more to do with straight forward ideology
agenda-setting and gate-keeping practices are intended to transmit ruling-class ideology

Question 23

The making of the news

Answer 23

presentation of news items influences public perception
some issues may not be covered at all if journalists or camera crews are not available

Question 24

What does the selection of pictures in film often not reflect?

Answer 24

The actual event

Pictures shown are selected from the total footage shot and may not accurately represent the reality of the situation.

Question 25

What type of bias may exist in the actual images used in news films?

Answer 25

Hidden bias ## Footnote The images may be selected in a way that misrepresents the events or the people involved.

Question 26

In the reporting of industrial disputes, how are employers often portrayed?

Answer 26

Calm and reasonable ## Footnote Employers are often filmed in the peace and quiet of their offices.

Question 27

How are workers typically depicted in news films during industrial disputes?

Answer 27

Shouting on the picket lines ## Footnote Workers are shown in more chaotic environments, such as against a background of traffic noise.

Question 28

What impression does the filming of employers and workers create?

Answer 28

Employers have a better case than the workers ## Footnote The contrasting portrayals lead to a perception of imbalance in the situation.

Question 29

Emotive language

Answer 29

it may be used to liven up a story, placing a dramatic angle on events e.g. troublemakers, thugs

Question 30

AO3 of the making of the news

Answer 30

Pluralists like jones - the news does fairly reflect reality. he researched radio news broadcasts and concluded that there was a balanced, even-handed discussion of industrial disputes

Question 31

Moral panic

Answer 31

where the public fears about exaggerated threats to society these panics often target certain activities or social groups deemed threatening to dominant values

Question 32

3 key elements within a moral panic

Answer 32

1- identify a group - ‘folk devils’ 2- group are presented in a negative fashion 3- moral entrepreneurs condemn the group

Question 33

Neo-marxist view on moral panic

Answer 33

Stuart hall - moral panics deliberately divert attention from other more significant problems

Question 34

Cohen and moral panics

Answer 34

deviancy amplification - media makes crime or deviance worse through the reporting e.g. 2011 riots helped build the riots in subsequent hours and days

Question 35

SL of cohen and moral panics

Answer 35

media causing crime

Question 36

Folk devils and moral panics

Answer 36

groups of people who are portrayed in a negative way in the media group may be stigmatized which can lead to a moral panic e.g. mods and rockers

Question 37

AO3 for moral panics

Answer 37

McRobbie and Thornton - media-generated moral panics are decreasing due to new media technologies and 24/7 news cycles intense competition amounts the variety of media has shifted how audiences respond to events, which might have resulted in a moral panic before

Question 38

Journalists - who writes the news (becker)

Answer 38

hierarchy of credibility attach the greatest importance to the views of powerful and influential individuals such as senior politicians

Question 39

Journalists - who writes the news (GMG)

Answer 39

highlights the role of journalists’ assumptions in shaping media content and audience interpretations emphasizing the influence of ‘churnalsim’ (where news reports are often based on what others claim about events rather that what reporters have discovered)

Question 40

Key points included with churnalism

Answer 40

- journalists prioritize views from powerful figures over ordinary citizens creating a hierarchy of credibility - Hall et al. refers to these influential figures as ‘primary definers’ who set the news agenda - media often consult primary definers for expert opinions on topics like crime etc

Question 41

Manning and who writes the news

Answer 41

market competition pressures journalism to rely on primary definers as convenient news sources leading to potential manipulation by governments etc

Question 42

Davies and who writes the news

Answer 42

80% of stories in the Times, Guardian, Independent, Daily telegraph and Daily mail were wholly, mainly or partially constructed from second-hand material provided by news agencies

Question 43

Who are the majority of journalists

Answer 43

GMG they’re predominantly white, male and middle class, which shapes selection of sources. media reflects views of the powerful, favouring managers etc

Question 44

AO3 of who writes the news

Answer 44

Pluralists - media competition and the need to attract audiences also mean that journalists do occasionally expose injustice or corruption in government new media has become to undermine the power of mainstream media