selection and presentation of the news Flashcards
the news is a social construction
it does not tell us about anything that is happening - we have only ever had a partial picture
selection of the news
selection is why an event is chosen to be in the news in the first place
presentation of the news
how a news story is reported - the language, visual imagery etc
news values
extraordinaires, threshold, unambiguity, reference to elite persons, frequency, continuity, negativity
reference to elite persons
the famous and powerful are often seen as more newsworthy than those regarded as ‘ordinary’
negativity (news value)
bad news is regarded by journalists as more exciting and dramatic - seen as attracting a bigger audience
how do news values affect the selection of the news?
they’re guidelines used by journalists and editors to decide which events are news-worthy
- a large audience is needed to build up status and profit
valuation of news values
- brighton and foy;
research was limited to norweigan newspapers + it’s not clear whether their list of news values is still relevant today
organisation routines/ practical factors
financial costs, time or space available, deadlines, immediacy and actuality, the audience
financial costs
news gathering is an expensive business and sending personnel overseas and booking satellite connections incurs great costs
time or space available
news has to be tailored to fit either the time available for a news bulletin or the collumn space in a newspaper
how do organisation routines/practical factors affect the selection of the news
- in the news industry the way in which the news is collected may bias what news is gathered or how it is presented or reported. e.g time and space available - BBCs evening news contains 15 items transmitted over a 25-30 min period, while Channel 4 is an hour long meaning items and be treated in more depth and detail
churnalism - davies
the process of journalists using pre-packaged material from press-agencies rather than doing their own investigations
how does churnalism influence the selection of news
narrowing of the news agenda - with fewer original sources providing news to a wider range of newspapers
evidence for churnalism from davies
80% of the 2207 stories were taken from the press association. reporters themselves generated 12% of stories. only 12% of ‘factual stories’ had been checked by journalists