News selection and presentation and values Flashcards
1
Q
How is the News a social construct?
A
- no such thing as the ‘news’ as it only exists when society determine it to be so
- news is manufactured
- the GMG have conducted research proving news is a social construct in a biased way as media news stories is not a neutral process, but that news is a sequence of socially manufactured messages produces within context of dominant ideology in society
2
Q
What is the impact of ‘owners’ in regard to selection of media?
A
- they provide direct instructions to the news editors
- influence resourced made available to cover news stories, such as whether to allocate resources for reporters to pursue a story
- journalists and editors depend on careers not upsetting the owners-> self-censorship
- owners concerned with making profits and attract large audiences in a competitive global env in turn info is squeezed out or turned into unthreatening info which encourages development of a media culture in which unethical journalistic practises thrive
3
Q
How will ‘making a profit’ in turn change selection and presentation of the news?
A
- source of majority of profit in media comes from advertising, which explains dependence on ratings, hits and circulation of media products
- Bagdikian stresses importance of advertising means news reports will be presented in a way that avoids offending advertising, with some stories being cut off completely
- Curran et al-> argued there is a conservativism in the media, trying to avoid too much critism in the way society is organised- meaning minority opinion is underrepresented in the media
- pressure to attract audiences in a competitive market can lead to a dumbing down of news content replacing perhaps in depth economics and foreign affairs with interest via celebrities and sports
4
Q
How is selection and presentation been affected by Globalisation, new tech and citizen journalism?
A
- mainstream news media can no longer rely on audience attention as ppl are now tweeting, texting, surfing the web for news interesting them
- in a global market, news provides need to compete to survive- therefore need to be up to date and tailor their media and news to their market. FE, they may choose short stories on celebs using latest gadgets in order to retain audiences
- new media tech has created greater opportunities for citizen journalism- vids shot on mobiles and uploaded to YouTube twitter or Facebook, mean ordinary individuals rather than professional journalists and media companies, are more involved in collecting reporting and spreading news
- these grassroot sources of news can help to overcome suppression of stories or biased news reports in establishing media. FE, GMG found many British TV reports on Palestinians were very over reliant on official Israeli perspectives. Members of other reports allowed for an alternative view posting own reports and videos
- citizen journalism and online criticism of mainstream news output are transforming trad journalism. These have been used to expose offensive, illegal or corrupt activities by politicians etc which may not have been covered by traditional media
- when news related vids are uploaded to the internet, they can go on viral and attract large audiences-> can make it difficult for mainstream media not to cover news stories they might have once chosen to ignore- increasingly the reports and media of citizen journalism are included in mainstream media, FE, during ‘Arab spring’
- citizen journalism can also benefit media as it allows them to obtain news and supporting items at little costs
5
Q
What are the ‘organisational constraints’ affecting selection and presentation of news?
A
- ppls habits in way they consume news have adapted and changed with less use of newspapers and TV, and make use of social media
- ppl now expect to access up to date news at all times
- social networking sites are increasingly used to release and spread news stories on a global scale
- the intensity of news has changed with news reporting becoming rolling ‘breaking news’ with digital news programmes and websites running constantly changing bulletins all day long, e.g., BBC news 24 channel or BBC website
- means journalists and media companies have to respond to change situations- journalists increasingly write stories for the web first rather than for newspapers of TV
- competition means orgs have to work within tight time schedules to meet shortening deadlines - there may be greater emphasis on getting a news story before anyone else rather than on getting it right
6
Q
How will ‘agenda setting’ impact on news selection and presentation?
A
- ppl can only discuss things the know about and in most cases it is the media who indeed provide this info- this may mean the public never discuss some subjects bc they are not informed upon it
- media’s influence in selecting subjects for public discussion is known as Agenda Setting and mainly associated via work of GMG.
- this is the idea that while news media may be unsuccessful in telling ppl what to think, they are successful in ppl what to think about
- McCombs suggests not only telling us this but also how to think abt certain subjects- for example, images of politicians
- GMG suggest the main media orgs and their journalism work within a framework of dominant ideology, which influences subjects that public are encouraged to think about and so audiences have little real choice of news they receive
- consequently some news items are more likely to be ignored or treated less favourably than others for fear of offending owners or audiences- agenda- media= social constructed (as per with this useless subject)
7
Q
How does ‘Gatekeeping’ affect news selection and presentation?
A
- medias power to refuse to cover some issues and to cover up others is gatekeeping
- GMG suggested owners, editors and journalists construct the news by acting as gatekeepers influencing what knowledge the public gains access to- these issues may be those that are most damaging to dominant social class
- sometimes issues aren’t covered due to editors/ journalists thinking audiences are not interested in them as too ‘offensive’ or controversial and may threaten society- like how strikes are widely reported whereas workplace illness and diseases are not
- this can lead to more public concern with stopping strikes than health improvements and safety laws
8
Q
How does frickin ‘Norm setting’ affect selection and presentation of the news?
A
- way the media emphasise conformity to social norms seek to isolate these who do not via unfavourable news reports
- this is achieved 2 main ways:
- Encouraging conformity behaviour: e.g. not going on strike. Advertising, often reinforces trad gender roles
- Discouraging non-conformist behaviour: media gives serious treatment to big crimes. These stories, by emphasising serious consequences for those breaking norms, are giving ‘lessons’ in how ppl are expected not to behave
- this norm setting is achieved via media representation like class, gender etc
- process of agenda, gatekeeping, norm setting-> forms of social control and media in turn are defining what is and not important as of issues
9
Q
What occurs via ‘inaccurate reporting’ and how will moral panics shape the new news is selected and presented?
A
- other sources of bias may be inaccurate reporting where important details of a story is incorrect- this may be due to organisational pressures but also to make a stronger more attractive presence to audiences
- false reporting in the media can sometimes create a moral panic- these show the medias power to define what is normal and what is deviant and to reinforce a consensus around dominant ideology, while at same time making money by attracting audiences
- media generated moral panics often arise due to pressures to attract audiences
- however, as suggested by McRobbie and Thornton, new media and citizen journalism had made moral panics less common0 this is bc there are more sources of info, as pluralists and postmodernists would argue, increasing scepticism of mainstream media interpretations. Also most events that might once have generated a moral panic now don’t maintain audience interests for long enough to cause a moral panic
10
Q
What are news valued and newsworthiness?
A
- eventually reported events have been through gatekeeping/filtering of some kind-> with journalists and editors deciding what is newsworthy. Journalists operate with values and assumptions guiding them into choosing which event is newsworthy which in turn will make the news, proving the social construction made by journalists
- news vales= newsworthy stories
- importance of news values is also underpinned by the economic pressure to make profit
- impression of immediacy- live coverage ‘as they happen’
11
Q
What are the specific news values and their features outlined by Galtung and Rouge?
A
- COMPOSITION= events fitting style of papers or channel, type of news they would focus on, its political slant and values of journalists
-CONTINUITY= events likely to have continuing impact- ‘cameras will already be there’ - ELITE NATIONS OR PPL= stories including what journalists and media customs perceive as important dare seen as more newsworthy. Powerful nations, ppl or orgs- western leaders, Celebs, countries are ‘more important’ for example American businesses is likely to be portrayed more as opposed to Tajikistan
- FREQUENCY= events that fit the newspapers or programmes broadcasting/publishing cycles are more likely to be covered. Events that occur unexpectedly and quickly, like disasters, are more likely to make it to news as fit schedules better
- MEANINGFULNESS= events which, it is assumed, will have meaning and be of interest to audience- involves giving audience what journalists think they want
- NEGATIVITY= Bad news is nearly always rated above positive stories- a good news story is often bad news like death or a hurricane
- PERSONALISATION=events that can be linked to individuals in some way and given human interests angle, with some human drama attached to them- political leaders/ scandals
- PROXIMITY= news stories are more likely to be included if they relate to the nation where audiences are. e.g., what happens to British citizens at home and abroad is seen as newsworthy
- THRESHOLD= larger and more significant an event is the more likely it is to become newsworthy
- UNAMBIGUITY/CLARITY= events that are easily understood and not too complicated without the need for lots of background explanation
- UNEXPECTEDNESS= events out the ordinary- drama, conflict, excitement and action- or things like terrorist attacks
12
Q
What are the assumptions and activities of journalists?
A
- GMG (generally Neo-Marxists/dominant hegemonic approach) emphasize importance of assumption of journalists in forming media content and suggesting interpretations of issues to media audiences- the group emphasises a number of features affecting content of news
1. Journalists operate under a ‘hierarchy of credibility’- they attach greatest importance to the views of the powerful and influential individuals and group (like bankers) rather than ordinary ppl. Hall suggests these ppl are primary definers whose position of power give them greater access to the media and therefore enables them to influence how journalists define the news. For example, journalists are likely to consult the policy and Home Office for comments on crime policy. The views of primary definers are seen as more reasonable by journalists than those of powerful who may have views that journalists see as extreme. Primary definers are a way of reporting the news cheaply and quickly as they are eager to influence the media.
2. Journalists tend to be moderate in terms of politics and so ignore what they see as radical views
3. The GMG has pointed out that journalists tend to be mainly white, male and m/c and they broadly share interests and values of dominant ideology-> influences opinions they seek, issues they see as important and how they think issues should be explained to audiences- often favours dominant groups in society
4. Journalists like to keep their work as simple as possible. To reduce time and costs they often produce articles based on info provided by news agencies govt press releases, spin doctors, public relation consultants etc, w/o checking facts or finding news themselves -> described as Churnalism- meaning primary definers are more likely to be able to influence journalists
13
Q
How has the rise of churnalism affected selection and presentation of the news?
A
- the term describes the trend where by journalists produce news articles pre-packaged material from press releases and other sources of w/o doing further research and checking facts
- Davies found 80% of stories in the main UK daily newspaper were wholly, mainly or partially constructed from 2nd hand material- he found this mainly originated from info provided by news agencies like the press association and public relation advisors
- advertorials are increasingly appearing on online news websites of major newspapers where content promoting products is portrayed as a news article. For example, headline such as ‘watch it here first! MandS unveil magical Christmas ad’ - result of this process is a blurring of advertising, info, news and entertainment and enables what is presented as news to be manipulated
- Churnalism has increased due to desire of owners to cut costs, attract audiences and time pressures due to reporting 24/7
14
Q
What is a conclusion to the whole presentation and selection of news and ‘a propaganda model of the media’?
A
- topic suggests that media generally present only a partial an biased view of the world, with some subjects posing a threat to powerful interests, either distorted or ignored by media
- as the ‘news’ is a manufactured product that reflects interests of powerful groups, and is produced within framework of dominant ideology in society
- Herman and Chomsky take a Marxist view to media concluding that structural factors such as ownership means mainstream media is used for interests of powerful- essentially ,mainstream media = propaganda system for elite interests that dominate in contempory society
- pluralists however point out media competition and the need to attract audiences also mean journalists do occasionally expose injustice, or corruption in govt and businesses and therefore are not always or simply pockets of powerful
15
Q
What was the Levenson enquiry 2011?
A
- widely reported scandal that journalists by a News owned by Murdoch had been hacking phones of ppl connected to news stories- many celebs but also also of a murder victim and hacking her phone hampered police investigation as thought she has checked her own telephone messages- led to high outcry high profile public enquiry
