Thursday, 27 October 2011

Annotated Bibliography

JOUR1111
Annotated Bibliography
Sarah Clarry
28th October 2011

Annotated bibliography
Using the framework of Harcup and O’Neill’s 2001 definition of news values this annotated bibliography aims to display what angles or pathways are taken in displaying an important news story across three differing news mediums. The current news story focused on in this annotated bibliography is the earthquake in Turkey. This article will examine a news story from SBS radio, an article from ABC news and a video from BBC: News Europe.

Harcup, T. (2009). Journalism: Principles and Practice: Second Edition. London: SAGE Publications.
Tony Harcup is an author, editor and researcher whose two main works ‘The Ethical Journalist’ and ‘Journalism’ have become staple texts for most universities. A major milestone in Harcup’s career was in 2001 when he and fellow researcher O’Neill revisited the news values of Galtung and Ruge and adapted them for a more modern audience. On page 39 Harcup states that his selection of news values ‘are an attempt to update and develop an earlier taxonomy of news values’ (Harcup, 2009). In his book Harcup writes about the way journalists decide on what is newsworthy and what angle should be taken on a particular story. Chapter three in particular focuses on the way gatekeepers, news frames, news pegs, news values and the construction of the news all play a part in the selection process. In the text Harcup backs up all his arguments with examples, quotes and citations throughout the text. He also offers the reader with opinions from other researchers that do not agree with his ideas and responds to their claims. Harcup uses the studies of ‘Randall’ and ‘Galtung and Ruge’ to further his points on newsworthiness by using elements of their studies in his own. At the end of each chapter Harcup provides a summary of the chapter, questions to make sure the text has been understood and further reading suggestions.

Ross, M. (2011, October 27). Despair and hope among Turkish quake survivors. ABC News, Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-27/aid-worker-on-turkish-earthquake/3603530
Monique Ross is a journalist for ABC News Online and has been working there since 2009.
The author in this piece presents the preliminary facts upfront stating the magnitude of the quake and the death toll. To help readers locate the geographical location, a map of Turkey is provided to readers with markings of the affected areas. After the introduction the focus is then shifted to the recovery efforts of the people. These are displayed though a series of pictures taken of the locals trying to rebuild their lives. The pictures are taken by the director of international disaster relief, David Darg, which gives the pictures credibility. Under each image is a small description of the image and following this are quotes from David Darg on the situation in Turkey. An Example is as follows:
Photo: Turkish children laugh in a tent city in Ercis (Flickr: David Darg, Operation Blessing)
“But at the same time you see these kids in the camps and some of them still manage to put on a smile and remain joyful. It’s pretty amazing when you see the hope on people’s faces after everything they’ve been through.” David Darg
This article uses its images to inspire hope in its readers and sympathy for the badly injured. It is informative and appeals to the reader’s sentiment.


Twomey, Enda. (Reporter). (2011, October 24). CCTV shows moment when earthquake struck Turkey [Video Footage]. BBC: News Europe, Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15437414
Enda Twomey is a reporter for BBC news and previously covered the London Bombings. Enda Twomey specializes in coverage of world news through both audio and visual mediums.
This video provides the viewer with video footage through street cameras of when the earthquake hit turkey. It shows terrified citizens congregated in the middle of streets and other running from their houses. Twomey provides a voice over as the video plays stating the death count, the magnitude of the quake and the amount injured by the falling rubble. The information is presented in a serious manner befitting the situation with no sign of stress in the voice. This video provides its viewer with very close insight into what happened in Turkey and gives a very bleak outlook. This piece constructed as a more emotive piece than informative. The language used in the piece acts as a description set in the present tense.
“ As the earthquake takes hold trees begin to shake and crowds of terrified people begin to rush onto the streets” Enda Twomey
This language gives the viewer a feeling of being in the disaster and the idea that this is occurring right now. The video is used in this way to shock the viewer and gain a reaction.

Atkinson, Clare. (News Speaker). (2011, October 27, 11.02am). Latest Radio Bulletin [Radio News Bulletin]. SBS radio one, Retrieved from http://www.sbs.com.au/radio/
Clare Atkinson is a Sydney based journalist who currently works for SBS radio- World News.
The speaker provides the listener with an informative view on the earthquake in Turkey. The speaker uses the geographical information to give the reader a better idea of location stating the worst affected area in the city of Van (Ercis), as well as stating the magnitude and the amount believed to be injured and dead. The speaker furthers this news by mentioning the help of the neighbouring Israelis and their aid efforts. The speaker provides information about the diplomatic tensions from previous events between the countries and provides the listeners with an excerpt from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which gives credibility to the story. This use of a famous and powerful voice in the radio bulletin brings the story up to another level. This Bulletin approaches the natural disaster in a diplomatic and informative manner that leaves the reader feeling satisfied that the information they are receiving is credible and correct.

By completing this analysis of each of the news stories it is evident that each had a different intention and accordingly used a different angle to its news story. The ABC story sought to inspire hope and sentiment in its reader. The story in Turkey is original newsworthy for the fact it is classed as ‘Bad News’ and ‘Surprise’ news. (Harcup & O’Neill, 2001). The ABC article ads to this two more news values: ‘Good News’ and ‘Follow-ups’. (Harcup & O’ Niell) Because the issue has already been a big news story the fact that this is a follow increases its newsworthiness. The fact that this story gives the reader positive overtones as well as negative can also increase its newsworthiness because everyone likes to see a happy ending.
The video clip from Enda Twomey sought to shock audiences with footage of the earthquake occurring. By doing this the video emphasises on the fact that the earthquake is bad news which increases its newsworthiness.
The SBS radio Bulletin gave its listeners all the facts. It was informative and to the point giving the listeners confidence in the news. The radio bulletin used ‘The power elite’ to increase the newsworthiness of the segment (Harcup & O’Neill, 2001). The segment used the speech of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to highlight some of the efforts being made by other nations to help turkey in its struggles.

APA STYLE REFERENCE LIST
Atkinson, Clare. (News Speaker). (2011, October 27, 11.02am). Latest Radio Bulletin        [Radio News Bulletin]. SBS radio one, Retrieved from                                              http://www.sbs.com.au/radio/
Harcup, T. (2009). Journalism: Principles and Practice: Second Edition. London:               SAGE Publications.
Ross, M. (2011, October 27). Despair and hope among Turkish quake survivors. ABC        News, Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-27/aid-worker-on        -turkish-earthquake/3603530
Twomey, Enda. (Reporter). (2011, October 24). CCTV shows moment when earthquake    struck Turkey [Video Footage]. BBC: News Europe, Retrieved from                     http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15437414


Monday, 24 October 2011

Investigative Journalism

Investigative Journalism

"An investigative journalist is a man or woman whose profession it is to discover the truthand to identify lapses from itin whatever media may be available. The act of doing this generally is called investigative journalismand is distinct from apparently similar work done by police, lawyers, auditors and regulatory bodies ...” (2000)

Investigative Journalism should be: 

Investigative
Intellegent
Informed
Intuitive
Inside
Invest

Role of Investigative journalism1. Critical and thorough journalism
Critical= The Journalist is an active participant

Thorough= Journalist makes a substansive effort, time spent, sources consulted ect.


2. Custodians of conscience
Investigation takes society’s morals and norms and holds breaches up to public scrutiny; in other words, what they call ‘civic vice’ is exposed for society to respond.

3. To provide a voice for those without one and to hold the powerful to account
Social Justice –power to the powerless, voice to the voiceless.
"PUBLIC INTEREST" –the key idea.
4. Fourth Estate / Fourth Branch of Govt/ "Watchdog"
Journalists represent the interests of those without power to balance the power of government. Journalists ensure free flows of information necessary for the functioning of democracy by interrogating the judiciary, executive and legislature. Journalists make accountable public personalities and institutions whose functions impact social and political life
TYPES OF INVESTIGATION INTERACTION
Interviews
Observations
Documents
Briefings
Leaks
Trespass
Theft
INVESTIGATION METHODS

Interviewing
Numerous interviews with on-the-record sources as well as, in some instances, interviews with anonymous sources eg. whistleblowers

Observing
Investigation of technical issues, scrutiny of government and business practices and their effects. Research into social and legal issues

Analysing documents
(law suits, legal docs, tax records, corporate financials, FOI (Freedom of Information) material)

Threats to investigative journalism

ONLINE NEWS: Less Money = Less Journalists + Less Time = Less Investigative Journalism

Amy Winehouse Album to be released

This was the news I had been waiting for. So, yes Amy Winehouse has always been in the news and her recent death, post mortem results and other stories have all been at the forefront. but finally some good news. Amy winehouses new album should be released around Christmas.

More information: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2056135/New-Amy-Winehouse-album-Lioness-Hidden-Treasures-released.html

Adgenda Setting

Adgenda Setting- Donald Shaw, Maxwell Mcombs, Renita Coleman and David Weaver

Adgenda Setting: "the process of the mass media presenting certain issues frequently and prominently with the result that large segments of the public come to percieve those issues as more important than others."

This article goes into great depth about the impact and the mechanics of adgenda setting in the media. An interesting point raised is that the theory of adgenda setting has been adopted by other disiplines such as health communication, political communication and business.

I also found it interesting that the development of the adgenda setting theory rose from those who were wrried about the influence of the 'pictures in our head'. Whenever I think about the influence of the media I always arrived at the radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds broadcast. To get such an immense reaction from the spoken word ia really amazing. It is A lot easier than people think to influence others through the media.

Reading this article make me wonder what would happen if the focus of the news was slowly changed and things that are of little impotance of the news were brought to the forefront. I also wonder what the relevance sometimes of the latest Lindsay Lohan trial when there are so many other stories that could be covered.

I thought a good point covered was a consumers 'need for orientation'. People use the media to understand the events that are happening around them. I think the problem with some is that they take what is said as truth. Even if something seems clear people must realise that there is more than one way to look at things.

News Values

News Values

News Values: The degree of prominence a media outlet gives to a story, and the attention that is paid by an audience.

News Values
1. IMPACT
2. AUDIENCE IDENTIFICATION
3. PRAGMATICS
4. SOURCE INFLUENCE

"A sense of news values is the first quality of editors they are the human sieves of the
torrent of news, even more important even than an ability to write or a command of language."


"The College of Osmosis"

Evans (2000)

News Values
Impact- The facts and events that have the greatest effect on the audience are the most newsworthy
Weight- The significance of a particular fact or event lies in its value with respect to other facts or events
Controversy- Arguments, debates, charges, countercharges, and fights increase the value of news
Emotion- Take into account human interests that touch our emotions
The Unusual- When a dog bites a man it's not news. But when a man bites a dog, it is news.
Prominence- More prominent individuals are given more attention
Proximity- Concentrate on news that is of local interest; the closer to home the better
Timeliness- Emphasize what is new
Currency- Take into account what is on people's minds
Usefulness- Help the audience answer questions and solve problems in their daily lives
Educational Value- Make readers more knowledgeable rather than merely informed

Tensions of newsworthiness
  1. Journalism / Commercialization of media and social life
  2. Journalism / Public Relations
  3. Journalism‘s ideals / Journalism‘s reality

Golding and Elliots News Values
  1. Drama
  2. Visual attractiveness
  3. Entertainment
  4. Importance
  5. Size
  6. Proximity
  7. Negativity
  8. Brevity
  9. Recency (exclusives, scoops)
  10. Elites
  11. Personalities


Galtung and Ruge News Values

Value
Description
Negativity
Bad news - involving death, tragedy, bankruptcy, violence, damage, natural disasters, political upheaval or simply extreme weather conditions - is always rated above 'positive' stories (royal weddings, celebrations etc)
Closeness to home (Proximity)
Audiences supposedly relate more to stories that are close to them geographically, or involve people from their country, or those that are reported that way(eg '12 Hong Kongers aboard Australia Crash Plane'). News gatekeepers must consider carefully how meaningful a story will be to their particular audience
Recency
Newspapers are very competitive about breaking news - about revealing stories as they happen. 24 hour news channels such as CNN and BBC World also rate this value very highly. However, as we have seen with the events of September 11, stories may take a while to develop, and become coherent, so recency is not always the best value to rate.
Currency
This is almost opposite to recency, in that stories that have been in the public eye for some time already are deemed valuable. Therefore a story - for instance about the abduction and murder of a child - may run for weeks and weeks, even if nothing new really happens.
Continuity
Events that are likely to have a continuing impact (a war, a two week sports tournament) have a high value when the story breaks, as they will develop into an ongoing narrative which will get audiences to 'tune in tomorrow'.
Uniqueness
'Dog Bites Man' is not a story. 'Man Bites Dog' is. Any story which covers a unique or unusual event (two-headed elephant born to Birmingham woman) has news values
Simplicity
Obvious, but true. Stories which are easy to explain ('Cat stuck up tree') are preferred over stories which are not (anything to do with the Balkan or Palestinian conflicts)
Personality
Stories that centre around a particular person, because they can be presented from a 'human interest' angle, are beloved of newspapers, particularly if they involve a well-known person. Some say this news value has become distorted, and that news organisations over-rate personality stories, particularly those involving celebrities ('Posh Goes Shopping'). What do you think?
Expectedness (Predictability)
Does the event match the expectations of a news organisation and its audience? Or, has what was expected to happen (violence at a demonstration, horrific civilian casualties in a terrorist attack) actually happened? If a news story conforms to the preconceived ideas of those covering it, then it has expectedness as an important news value
Elite Nations Or People
Any story which covers an important, powerful nation (or organisation) has greater news values than a story which covers a less important nation. The same goes for people. George Bush is newsworthy whatever he does.
Exclusivity
Also a major factor when setting the news agenda. If a newspaper or news programme is the first and only news organisation breaking a story, then they will rate that very highly. The UK Sunday papers are very fond of exclusives, and will often break a story of national or international importance that no one else has.
Size
does matter when it comes to news stories. The bigger impact a story has, the more people it affects, the more money/resources it involves, the higher its value. This is also known as threshold

London Riots Recreation- Art

Locked in time: London riots scenes recreated in tiny clocks featuring looters, riot police and street-sweepers

By Stephen Hull
I found the concept of using the london riot scenes in this way as interesting and a the same time contentious.

The link and some of the pictures are as follows: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2038824/London-riots-2011-Scenes-recreated-tiny-clocks-featuring-looters-police.html

Adgenda Setting and Constructing Reality

Adgenda Setting

Agenda Setting is a theory, but like all good, solid theories is all a bit obvious really
Redman, 2011

The media play a large role in ‘constructing’ or ‘mediating’ the social world as we understand it.An individual’s conception of reality is socially constructed through a process of communication using shared language. Reality exists, but the way we come to know it, talk about it, understand it, is mediated through social life.

The four agendas in media
1) PUBLIC AGENDA -the set of topis that members of the public perceive as important.
2) POLICY AGENDA -issues that decision makers think are salient. (i.e. legislators)
3) CORPORATE AGENDA -issues that big business & corporations consider important.
4) MEDIA AGENDA -issues discussed in the media.

“Agenda setting is the process of the mass media presenting certain issues frequently and prominentlywith the result that large segments of the public come to perceive those issues as more important than others. Simply put, the more coverage an issue receives, the more important it is to people.”
(Coleman, McCombs, Shaw, Weaver, 2008)


“Propaganda is used as a tool to help shape images in the minds of human beings in support of an enterprise, idea or group. Propaganda can be used to substitute one social pattern for another.”

http://blog.15minutephilosophers.com/2010/11/19/walter-lippmann.asp

Two Levels of Agenda Setting
First Level Agenda Setting Theory: This is for the most part studied by researchers and emphasizes the major issues and "the transfer of the salience of those issues." At this level the media suggest whatthe public should focus on through coverage.
Second Level Agenda Setting Theory: This is essentially, how the media focuses on the attributes of the issues. The media suggests howpeople should think about an issue.

Components of Agenda Setting
1. Media Gatekeeping
2. Media Advocacy
3. Agenda Cutting
4. Agenda Surfing
5. The diffusion of News
6. Portrayal of an Issue
7. Media Dependence
Agenda Surfing - The media "surfs" on the wave of topics originally mentioned in the opinion-leading media.
The Bandwagon Effect -public opinion influences others towards that opinion

The most common media dependency is Facebook/Twitter. It has become a way of life as people are constantly feeling the need to check Facebook or Twitter every couple of minutes.

Strengths
•explanatory power because it explains why most people prioritize the same issues as important.
•predictive power because it predicts that if people are exposed to the same media, they will feel the same issues are important.
•can be proven false. If people aren’t exposed to the same media, they won’t feel the same issues are important.
• meta-theoretical assumptions are balanced on the scientific side.
• It lays groundwork for further research.
• It has organizing power because it helps organize existing knowledge of media effects.

Weakness'
Media users may not be as ideal as the theory assumes. People may not be well-informed, deeply engaged in public affairs, thoughtful and skeptical. Instead, they pay casual and intermittent attention to public affairs, often ignorant of the details.
•For people who have made up their minds, the effect is weakened.
•News cannot create and conceal problems. The effect can merely alter the awareness, priorities and salience people attach to a set of problems.

Public Media

Public Media Notes

Public media:
  • not so much taxpayer support media but media that serves the general public
  • media whose mission is to serve or engage a public. 
  • publicly-funded broadcasters and networks
  • distribution mechanisms- Internet, podcasting, blogging. 

Public Media Players
SBS
SBS radio
TripleJ
ABC: Local Radio
ABC: Radio National
ABC: Classic FM
ABC 2
ABC
ABC 3
ABC 24 news
SBS 2

International Public Media
BBC -  UK funded by a license fee
PBS - US
NHK- Japan
4 - UK Public media
NPR - US
ARTE- France
DR - Danish
TVNZ -New Zealand
HK - Hong Kong
CBC- Canada

Public Media
  • Lots of journalists start careers in local media
  • For example: 4zzz - Four Triple Z - Triple Z
  • Public medias role in terms of democracy is to support the public in democratic decisions.
  • Public media needs to have public value.

In 1985 the Broadcasting Research Unit defined public service broadcasting as involving:-Geographical universality. Broadcast programmesshould be available to the whole population.
-Universality of appeal. Broadcast programmesshould cater for all tastes and interests.
-There should be special provision for minorities,especially disadvantaged minorities.
-Broadcasters should recognisetheir special relationship to the sense of national identity and community.
-Broadcasting should be distanced from all vested interests, and in particular from those of the government of the day.
-Universality of payment. One main instrument of broadcasting should be directly funded by the corpus of users.
-Broadcasting should be structured so as to encourage competition in good programming rather than competition for numbers.
-The public guidelines for broadcasting should liberate rather than restrictbroadcasters
.

ABC programs
- Rake
- Australian Story
- Hungry Beast
- Angry Boys
- Catalyst
- Compass
- ABC news
- Radio Australia
- Dig music
- The Chasers War on Everything
- The Gruen Transfer

SBS programs (Hybrid model of funding)
- Wilfred
- Fat Pizza
- World News
- Insight
- The World Game
- Rock Wiz
- Living Black

Function of public media include ; nation building, national identity, national, conversations and national heritage.

Style and Aims of Public Media
  • Serious
  • 'broadsheet' style
  • importance over interest
  • considered, not quick and unchecked
To produce quality –while the budget might be tight PM need to produce programming that people want to watch (less commercial imperative)
To make themselves relevant (do they have a role to produce programs that mass audiences want to watch (ratings and audiences numbers?)
To engage with the democratic process (to provide programs that give voice and access to the political process, both mainstream and niche)
To Inform the public (hard and soft programming, accurate and balanced, reflective of the nation.)
To be independent (regulators and independence of funders government)

Challenges
The media is not owned by the government but is funded by it. This can cause tension between the government and the public media that acts as a watchdog.

The government exercise indirect control in two ways:
Legislation: stipulates what the ABC / SBS can and can’t do. Places guidelines on program content. Prevents advertising (though some on SBS).

Funding: Both, how much funding, and what the funding can be used for. Funding is increasingly not ‘block’ but for individual and specified programs like rural media or commissioning independent work.

There is always pressure to maintain independence.
Funding is always an issue.