Radio and Television News
This topic is something of a rerun of the Heritage Syllabus’ Paper One Media Debates questions on the Production and Manufacture of News. What is perhaps curiously omitted is the role of newspapers in establishing the news agenda, a role which is widely-acknowledged to be a key one.
The sometimes arbitrary nature of ascribing news values is probably best reflected by undertaking surveys of newspaper front pages on days when there is no obvious top news event.
Besides understanding how events are ascribed news values (Galtung and Ruge are deemed central in this), this topic will require detailed knowledge of how different TV and Radio agencies handle news items, especially the various ways they present the same stories. Close study of language codes is essential ; be aware of formality and informality. For instance, in presenting the recent attempt by Afghan emigres to get into Australia by boat, Radio 1 talked about ‘Oz’ and ‘Aussies’. Radio 4’s daily heavyweight Today programme covers news in a manner comparable to Channel 4 News. The style of presentation of news is vital ; both of these news programmes are shows with their own kinds of formality and informality. They use presenting journalists such as John Humphries and Jon Snow who have a minor degree of celebrity status. Also renowned are Trevor MacDonald and Jeremy Paxman, but then we inhabit a culture where the medium is the message, that seizes upon any opportunity to accord and exploit celebrity status.
How far do you think news programmes are about their presenters, news presentation itself and how news is created? Has there ever been any real notion of objectivity in news gathering and presentation (years ago Beaverbrook admitted his papers were tools of propaganda)? How significant then is mediation in the news ‘process’? Is it bound to subjectify and thus bias and taint (think of the opprobrium heaped upon political ’spinning’ - because power is being taken out of journalists’ hands?)? What is the place in their respective media of TV and Radio news coverage is news there because of PSB values? What pressures are on the news teams to adopt ’show’ values, to entertain as well as/more than to inform, perhaps playing up the celebrity angle to the detriment of real and lasting audience satisfaction? Never lose sight of news as a financial industry? Don’t forget you are required to study satellite and cable news coverage as well as that of terrestrial stations. Do take account where possible of news creation by overseas agencies such as CNN and Al Jazeera. Don’t lose sight of the huge impact of the Internet as a news-gathering and -disseminating medium. Until 11th September 2001, international news was becoming increasingly marginalised. Now it’s again high up the news agenda, look at how hard London and Washington is working to ’shape’ our awareness of foreign news - all famine and conflict? No, suddenly Islam is good! Be aware of how the perception of Irish ‘freedom fighters’ has radically changed since Sept 11th. As you can see, your understanding of News on TV and Radio requires substantial knowledge of news in all its varying shapes and sizes.
