Organizational Factors and Group Influences on News

This page delves deeper into the various organizational and external factors that shape news content and presentation.

Financial Costs and Resource Constraints

• Overseas reporting and investigative journalism have become expensive
• News is tailored to fit available time and space in media outlets
• Immediacy and accuracy are prioritized, often at the expense of depth

Quote: Williams $2010$ observed that "cost cutting has turned investigative journalism into digging up dirt on celebs."

The Rise of Infotainment

Entertainment elements in news have become increasingly important to attract larger audiences and generate more revenue.

Vocabulary: Infotainment refers to the blending of information and entertainment in news presentation, often prioritizing engaging content over in-depth reporting.

The Audience's Role

Pluralists argue that audiences not only select the news they want to see but can also influence its presentation:

• Interactive journalism through social media platforms
• News tailored to perceived audience characteristics

Example: The Sun targets readers with less formal education, while The Guardian aims at those with higher education levels.

New Media and Its Impact

Social media and digital platforms have transformed news consumption:

• Blurred lines between professional and citizen journalism
• Increased voice for previously marginalized groups
• Potential for censorship resistance

Highlight: Social media played a crucial role in facilitating revolutions in the Middle East by providing platforms for expression and organization.

Government and Advertiser Influence

• Governments attempt to control media quality and practices
• Advertisers use consumer data to personalize content and predict audience interests

Example: Advertisers now collect data across multiple platforms to tailor both advertisements and news stories to individual consumers.

The Impact of Media on Society and Public Opinion

This page explores the significant role media plays in shaping public perception and societal norms.

Media's Influence on Public Opinion

The media has a powerful ability to shape how people think about various issues and events. This influence operates through several mechanisms:

1. Agenda Setting: Media outlets determine which topics receive attention
2. Framing: How news stories are presented can affect interpretation
3. Priming: Media coverage can influence the criteria by which people evaluate issues or leaders

Definition: Media influence refers to the power of mass media to affect public opinion, behavior, and societal norms through the selection and presentation of information.

Roles of Media in Society

The media serves several crucial functions:

1. Information dissemination
2. Watchdog role $holding power to account$
3. Entertainment
4. Cultural transmission

Highlight: The media's role as a watchdog is essential for maintaining transparency and accountability in democratic societies.

News Presentation and Its Effects

How news is presented can significantly impact public understanding and reaction:

• Use of visuals and graphics
• Tone and language choice
• Story placement and prominence

Example: A front-page headline will likely have more impact on public opinion than a small article buried within the newspaper.

Media Ownership and Control

The concentration of media ownership can lead to:

• Limited diversity of viewpoints
• Potential for bias in reporting
• Conflicts of interest between news and business interests

Vocabulary: Media conglomeration refers to the process by which a small number of large companies come to dominate mass media outlets.

Challenges in the Digital Age

The rise of digital media has brought new challenges:

• Spread of misinformation and "fake news"
• Echo chambers and filter bubbles
• Declining trust in traditional media sources

Quote: "The internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had." - Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google

Government Control and Modern Media Landscape

The final page examines the government's role in media regulation and the evolving nature of news consumption in the digital age.

Vocabulary: Consumer data analytics refers to the collection and analysis of user information to personalize content and advertising.

Highlight: Modern advertisers use sophisticated data collection across platforms to target content and predict audience interests.

The relationship between government regulation and media freedom represents a crucial balance in maintaining journalistic integrity while ensuring responsible reporting.

Selection and Presentation of the News

The news we consume is not a direct reflection of reality, but rather a social construction shaped by various factors. This page introduces key concepts in understanding how news is selected and presented.

The Social Construction of News

News is created through people applying their values and biases to events, rather than being an objective representation of reality. This process is influenced by:

1. Setting and profit pursuit
2. Agenda setting by news companies
3. Norm setting that reinforces societal conformity

Definition: Social construction of the news refers to the process by which events are filtered, selected, and presented as news based on social, cultural, and economic factors rather than purely objective criteria.

News Values

Galtung & Ruge $1965$ proposed a set of criteria that determine newsworthiness:

• Frequency
• Familiarity
• Negativity
• Unexpectedness
• Unambiguity
• Personalization
• Meaningfulness
• Elite nations/persons
• Conflict
• Consonance
• Continuity
• Composition

Highlight: The more criteria an event meets, the more likely it is to be reported as news.

Organizational Influences

News production is affected by:

• Presentation methods and reliance on news agencies
• Deadlines, especially in 24-hour news channels
• Economic factors and ownership
• Advertising considerations
• Journalists' backgrounds $often middle-class$

Example: Bagdikian noted that advertising influences can lead to the avoidance of certain topics to prevent offending advertisers.