Social Construction of News Flashcards
social construction of news
news is a sequence of socially constructed messages produced within the context of the dominant ideology
social construction of news - influence of the owners
give direct instructions to news editors
influence resources allocated to news stories
journalists/editors form self-censorship to not upset owners
social construction of news - making a profit
source is advertising, explains focus on ratings, circulation figures, social class of readers & number of hits advertisers only advertise if theres a large audience so news reporters avoid offending anyone leads to not criticising how society is organised to mantin hegemony of dominant class, unpopular opinions not represented
social construction of news - tabloidisation
reporting serious news with infotainment
caused by pressure to attract audiences
creates a more conformist, less informed approach to reporting the news
social construction of news - globalisation
created a mass of news providers across the world
social construction of news - new technology
news is instantly available, increasing competition for audiences
news presented as simple news stories using gadgets and human-interest stories (celebrities) to attract audiences
social construction of news - citizen journalism
ordinary people can report news stories, helps overcome biased news reports
GMG; british TV reports were over-reliant on israeli perspective of conflict
women organisation in palestine offered alternative view by posting their own reports
this transforms traditional journalism & suit mainstream media by obtaining news stories
social construction of news - organisational constraints
social networking sites spread news stories on a global scale
news programs run constantly, people expect up-to-date news at all times
places organisational pressure on news media
competition means they have to work on a tight schedule
take shortcuts & obtain stories with inadequate evidence
social construction of news - agenda-setting
power to pick and choose list of subjects for public discussion
news tells people what to think about
audiences have little choice as media organisations work within the framework of the dominant ideology; helps form the list of subjects
social construction of news - gate-keeping
medias power to refuse to cover some issues to let others through
influences knowledge the public gains access to
social construction of news - influence of owners encourage development of what?
encourage development of unethical journalistic practices (illegal hacking, invasion of privacy, bribery, intrusive paparazzi)
social construction of news - what issues not aired? (gate-keeping)
those that damage/threaten the dominant social class which lack interests to readers strikes & welfare benefit fraud by the poor widely reported industrial injuries & tax evasion by the rich really reported
social construction of news - norm-setting
media reinforces conformity to social norms, isolates those who do not conform
social construction of news - norm-setting; encouraging conformist behaviour
obeying the law, helping people
advertisers reinforce gender role stereotypes
social construction of news - norm-setting; discouraging non-conformist behaviour
media greatly highlights stories about crimes of violence
emphases consequences that follows
social construction of news - presentation of news
physical position of news story, order of importance, film/camera, attention given
footage may not accurately reflect event & have hidden bias
reporting industrial disputes; employers filmed in the peace of their offices, workers seen shouting on the picket lines
sort of language used creates bias impression
social construction of news - creation of moral panics
organisational pressures lead to bias & inaccurate reporting to make it more interesting & attract audiences
shows the media’s power to define whats normal, deviant & reinforce consensus of dominant ideologys core values
social construction of news - deviancy amplification
moral panic generates more deviant behaviour
media alerts people
group increases their behaviour to gain media attention
makes a minor issue worse
social construction of news - moral panics relevancy in new media
less common as 24/7 rolling news reporting means short shelf-life in sustaining audience interests
unlikely to be newsworthy for long
pluralist & postmodernist;
due to diversity of media reports, interpretations, citizen journalism, people more sceptical and less likely to believe mainstream media
social construction of news - news values
news filtered through journalists/editors
have values/assumptions that guide them into deciding whats newsworthy
news is socially constructed by journalists
social construction of news - immediacy
new media enables news organisations to give impression of immediacy by providing live coverage of events as they occur
assessed by growing volume of material recorded on phones via citizen journalism (arab uprising)
social construction of news - hierarchy of credibility
journalists assign more importance to the views of the powerful/wealthy individuals
social construction of news - assumption & activities of journalists
neo-marxist (GMG); dominant ideology/hegemonic approach to media journalists are experts, set news agenda, influence what journalists define news usually white middle-class male who share same values of dominant ideology which influences their reports
social construction of news - churnalism
to reduce time/cost, journalists produce articles based on information provided by secondary sources without researching and checking facts
increased due to desire to cut costs, attract audiences in a competitive market and time pressures
social construction of news - percentage of stories from second-hand material
80% - in daily mail & the times
12% - generated by reporters
social construction of news - advertorials
branded advertisers to promote their products through journalists article involves blurring advertising, information, news, entertainment, reducing quality of accuracy presenting the news as its open to manipulation
social construction of news - criticisms
- pluralists; need to attract audiences means news occasionally expose injustice & corruption
- rise of new media undermines power of mainstream media organisation (citizen journalism)
