Selection & Presentation of the News Flashcards
Practical Constraints on the News
TIME
- Time constraints mean that the most easily available stories make it onto the media
- Editors and Journalists have contacts they use again and again, meaning only a limited number of viewpoints are used
TECHNICAL
- Technical constraints: Some places are easier to get cameras, microphones, journalists etc into
MONEY
- Many news organisations can’t afford to have many reporters of their own, so they buy news stories from other agencies
COMPETITION
- Editors will pick the stories they think will be most popular on that day
The Values & Practices of Journalists
AGENDA SETTING
- When a story is selected, journalists and editors chose which angle to take when reporting it, which has a direct influence of how the audience will perceive the story
Bias Selection & Presentation of the News
THE GLASGOW UNIVERSITY MEDIA GROUP
they studied news over a long period of time (1970s- 1980s), focussing on coverage on workplace strikes
FINDINGS:
- the selection of news was based on dominant class values
[EG. picket line fence violence was reported more than police violence]
- The voiceovers were biased in favour of the dominant class values
[EG. they used terms like “trouble makers” and “pointless strikes”] - Company management were given more access to the media than the strike leaders
[EG. TV interviews with the company manager were longer and more frequent than the strike leaders] - The filming and editing was biased in favour of the police
[EG. Cameras were placed from the perspective of the police]
Evaluation of the Glasgow University Media Group
Strengths:
- highly respected because they’ve studied a lot of news in great detail
Weaknesses:
- Study was carried out in the 1970s/80s, not relevant/ outdated
The Impact of New Media
- Due to the growth of online news, editors will select the most interesting and scandalous stories, and present them with a headline that makes them appear more interesting, enticing viewers to read
- Audiences can also have their say on news stories via online commenting and emailing.
- Citizen Journalism: the increased use of smartphones and social media means anyone can film and publicise something they select as “newsworthy”
–> however it can be unreliable: rumours or misinterpretation etc
Assumptions about the audience
- Journalists make assumptions about what the audience will want to read, watch or hear, so they frame the stories to appeal to them
–> they do this by adopting a certain tone, and focussing on certain parts of the story
