The Journalist Role

in Shaping News

Influences on News Coverage

Functions of Journalists

Report the News “rough draft of history”

Monitor Power (i.e. government, business, etc.)

Uncover Injustice “bring to light”

Tell Stories “delight & amaze”

Sustaining Communities “conversation with itself”

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Journalists…

News reporters?

OR

News shapers??

Do journalists reflect or mold public opinion?

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Expectations of Journalists

Citizens have a right to expect journalists to:

Have a priority of truth.

Be loyal to citizens.

Practice a discipline of verification.

Be independent from those they cover.

Serve as an independent monitor of power.

Provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.

Make the significant interesting and relevant.

Keep news comprehensive and proportional.

Exercise their personal conscience.

• from The Elements of Journalism: What News people Should Know and the Public Should Expect

by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel

What journalists DO:

Agenda-settingplacing issues on the public agenda for discussion

Gate-keepingprocess of determining what becomes news

Navigationguiding audience through information to solid meaning

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Being “in the Know”

News Media is responsible to know

the news

Research

Sort & Sift

Inform

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Editorial Influences

Time constraints

Space constraints

Advertising space

Research & sources

Editorial priorities

Local focus

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Shaping News

Selecting topics audiences read & hear

News agenda sets public agenda

Molding &reflecting public opinion

What news highlights infers significance

prominence + emphasis = importance

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The News Process...

Which news do

we cover?

Ignore?

Rejected

Gatekeeping

Function

Not all that pass

through the “gate” get

equal treatment

Agenda setting

Function

Framing

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Setting the Agenda...

Framing = taking a particular perspective on a story

tone, language

sources used

treatment of sources/differing sides

omitting a particular view or perspective

positive vs. negative words

OTHERS?...

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Other Influences on News...

Commercial Interests

Editorial Boards & Standards

Ethical Codes

Personal Perspectives of Journalists

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This raises the questions…

Isn‟t news suppose to be objective?

Aren‟t journalists suppose to be

unbiased?

Myth of Objectivity

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What is Objectivity?

“Best obtainable version of the truth”

Presenting info without reflecting any

personal or corporate bias.

Scientific concept of neutrality

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History of Objectivity

Post-WWI (1900s) Reaction to sensationalism/propaganda

1947 Hutchins Commission on Freedom of the Press “A free society needs from journalists „a truthful,

comprehensive and intelligent account of the days‟ events in a context which gives them meaning‟.”

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Accepted Journalistic Standard:

Objectivity:

- observable facts

-reporting free of biases

Became a journalistic ideal.

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Challenge to Objectivity

Hard to get facts

Hard to tell what facts mean

Hard to tell what a fact is

Often reporters often have only a few hours to learn as many facts as possible to write a story that will then be edited down to half the size.

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Challenge of Objectivity

Journalists are human and have opinions.

Complete objectivity implies neutral/no values.

Many admit total objectivity is impossible.

U.S. Society of Professional Journalists

dropped "objectivity" from code of ethics in

1996

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NEW STANDARDS:

Accuracy & Fairness

Accuracy: paying attention to detail & being precise in relaying information Context as important as details.

Fairness: allowing all available and viable viewpoints opportunity for response Avoid following own biases

Seek different viewpoints

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Standards of Fairness

Emphasis on impartiality

Journalist's opinion should not be visible

Avoid promoting a particular point of view

Do not set out to prove something

Report significant viewpoints fairly

Consider all key players

Present complete & honest picture

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Journalists must:

Be aware of own opinions • keep in check

Avoid telling one-sided stories• look for contrasting views

• seek out differing opinions especially when facts are in dispute

Verifying assertions with facts

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Selects topics audience will read & hear

Leads public to judge what is important

• Molds public opinion

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In Summary…

The media has influence over what is news.

Being a journalist = being a news maker

Process of news creation is limited and has biases.

Journalists need to strive for fairness & accuracy.

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Source

(Michael Schudson in Discovering the

News)

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Activity

Looking at lead/main story in the section:

• What make this a front page news story?

• What factors may have played a role in how this

particular story was told [framed]?

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History of Objectivity Post-WWI (1900s)

Journalists try to make sense of world

Societal influences:• Shift in traditional values (i.e. Freud)

• Emerging economic forces (i.e. Marx)

Reaction to sensational, opinion reporting Shift emphasis to observable fact

“Transparent” techniques to pursue truth • Disclosure of objectives & methods

1947 Hutchins Commission on Freedom of the Press “A free society needs from journalists „a truthful,

comprehensive and intelligent account of the days‟ events in a context which gives them meaning‟.”