Social construction of the news Flashcards
What is the objective view of news reporting?
Journalists gather information based on news values.
What is the view that news is socially constructed?
News is influenced by owners, politicians, spin doctors, and PR companies, who control content rather than journalists being fully independent.
What did Benson say about social media and news consumption?
Social media sites may not be as revolutionary present.
Websites of newspapers are a common source of the news.
What did Ofcom find about the news?
TV remains the most trusted source of news.
It is the ‘window of the world’
What percentage of the population use newspapers and radios?
40% newspapers
36% radio
How is news selected and processed?
The news is selected, processed, constructed by a range of social influences.
Journalists decide issues to report and to ignore.
What is agenda setting in the media?
Media influence in laying down list of agenda for public discussion.
Those in charge have more power.
What is norm setting?
Mass media reinforce conformity to social norms and isolate those who don’t conform.
Encourage conformists by not striking, helping others and reinforcing gender stereotypes.
What is gatekeeping in the media?
Media has the power to let some issues in and some out of the news.
Least present news, those which damage the values and interests of upper class.
What is inaccurate or false reporting?
May be other biases due to false reporting or incorrect information.
Media deliberately do this to make story more interesting.
Moral panic.
