1) TV News case study 1: Channel 4 News
2) TV News case study 2: BBC News at Six
3) TV News case study 3: coverage of the General Election across different news programmes
4) TV News case study 4: independent case studies (BBC3 60 Second News and Newsround)
5) The 6 News Values
6) TV News audience - creating a running order
7) TV News representation - analysing Sky News coverage of the 2011 riots
Era's Media Blog
Thursday 14 May 2015
Representation and Bias
Representation and gatekeepers
The term ‘gatekeeper’ refers to people in the media who make important decisions about what reaches the audience.
The News Editor is the main gatekeeper in TV news any.d decides what stories will be covered that da
Citizen journalism and bias
Citizen journalism has been credited with adding balance to coverage as people can film events on their phones to ensure a fair report is shown.
There have been important examples recently in America such as the killing of Walter Scott in South Carolina. This Sky World News report has the story:
Citizen journalism removes the power of the gatekeepers in TV news because video can be put on YouTube and audiences can share it using social media.
Other examples include the Chelsea fans in Paris and Eric Garner who died while being arrested in New York (“I can’t breathe”). Once the video is on YouTube and goes viral, it is very difficult for TV news not to cover the story in some way.
Representation and bias blog task
Watch this Sky News report from the London riots in 2011 and answer the questions below:
Extension task: Find another news story on YouTube that offers a particular representation of young people. You could look for a story such as the three South London schoolgirls who ran away to Syria to join ISIS. Embed the video on your blog and write an analysis of the representation of different people and groups in the clip.
The three girls in this report are represented as three girls agreeing withwhat the ISIS believes in and this gives these three girls a bad representation and this is because that is how ISIS is represented. However there is no other way to report them seeing as putting them on TV would be achieving what they want which is recognition and everyone to know what they stand for, however we cannot understand what they are rioting for what they believe in and until we know people will carry on assuming that they are only causing harm.
Most people also assume that people in the ISIS are Muslim because of how they are dressed or how they look, this gives a negative representation towards the Islamic race which is not fair on the Islamic race because ISIS is made of all different people who have different religions and backgrounds however the only thing that really joins them together is what they believe in.
The term ‘gatekeeper’ refers to people in the media who make important decisions about what reaches the audience.
The News Editor is the main gatekeeper in TV news any.d decides what stories will be covered that da
Is news biased?
TV news is supposed to be balanced and fair but has been accused of bias.
A gatekeeper can create certain representations in TV news through the decisions they make. For example, gatekeepers can create bias in TV news:
- Bias through selection/omission
- Bias through placement
- Bias through images/video
- Bias through names or titles
- Bias by choice of words
News and narrative theory
News gatekeepers also try to create narrative to make TV news more accessible. Remember our narrative theories from Assignment 2:
News gatekeepers also try to create narrative to make TV news more accessible. Remember our narrative theories from Assignment 2:
Todorov: news is largely concerned with disequilibrium.
Propp: news creates heroes and villains to make stories easy to follow.
Barthes: news uses enigma codes to keep people watching until the end.
Citizen journalism and bias
Citizen journalism has been credited with adding balance to coverage as people can film events on their phones to ensure a fair report is shown.
There have been important examples recently in America such as the killing of Walter Scott in South Carolina. This Sky World News report has the story:
Citizen journalism removes the power of the gatekeepers in TV news because video can be put on YouTube and audiences can share it using social media.
Other examples include the Chelsea fans in Paris and Eric Garner who died while being arrested in New York (“I can’t breathe”). Once the video is on YouTube and goes viral, it is very difficult for TV news not to cover the story in some way.
Watch this Sky News report from the London riots in 2011 and answer the questions below:
- Whose perspective have Sky News used to present the story? (Clue: it’s in the opening line)
- How are the police represented in this coverage?
- How are young people represented in this coverage?
- What images and videos are selected by Sky News to accompany the story?
- What choice of words is used to present this news event?
- What aspect of the story is chosen as the most important detail and included at the very beginning of the report?
- How is narrative used to engage the audience with this news story?
- How can we apply Todorov’s equilibrium theory to this coverage?
- What examples of Propp’s character types can we find in this coverage? Are there heroes and villains?
Propp's theory in this coverage can be used as the police being the heroes who are trying to create peace for the people who are not rioting and feel at risk, the 'heroes' in this case the police are fighting against the 'villains' who in this case are the rioters who are causing all of this chaos.
- How might citizen journalism have been used to provide a different angle on this story?
Extension task: Find another news story on YouTube that offers a particular representation of young people. You could look for a story such as the three South London schoolgirls who ran away to Syria to join ISIS. Embed the video on your blog and write an analysis of the representation of different people and groups in the clip.
The three girls in this report are represented as three girls agreeing withwhat the ISIS believes in and this gives these three girls a bad representation and this is because that is how ISIS is represented. However there is no other way to report them seeing as putting them on TV would be achieving what they want which is recognition and everyone to know what they stand for, however we cannot understand what they are rioting for what they believe in and until we know people will carry on assuming that they are only causing harm.
Most people also assume that people in the ISIS are Muslim because of how they are dressed or how they look, this gives a negative representation towards the Islamic race which is not fair on the Islamic race because ISIS is made of all different people who have different religions and backgrounds however the only thing that really joins them together is what they believe in.
Wednesday 13 May 2015
Creating A Running Order
- Name the TV news programme you created a running order for in this morning's lesson.
- List the five stories you chose and explain why you chose each one.
Prince Harry announcing his engagement,
Cheryl Close is pregnant,
Miley Cyrus telling a fan to 'get a life' starting a Twitter bomb,
David Cameron meeting up with Obama.
I chose these news story and placed them in this order because Newsround is known for presenting happy news instead of tragic news and this is because they have such a young target audience, so they do not want to upset them. However when they do report tragic stories they present them educationally. For example with the plane disappearing in Australia they could of used maps to educate the children of where Australia is and what cities it is close to.
- Use the Uses and Gratifications theory to explain why ONE of the stories appeals to the target audience for that programme.
- Now choose one of the other TV news programmes we have focused on and choose a five-story running order for that programme. The four TV news progammes are:
- Channel 4 News
- BBC News at Six
- BBC3 60 Second News
- BBC Newsround
- The available stories are:
- A tweet by Miley Cyrus telling a fan to ‘get a life’ has started a ‘Twitter storm’.
- Israel has shelled a residential area of Gaza killing around 25 civilians.
- Gunfire has been reported on the streets of Moscow although no there are no details as yet regarding who has opened fire or why.
- A well-known politician has been named on Twitter as being investigated by police for fraud.
- Cheryl Cole has announced she is pregnant.
- David Cameron’s office has announced he will be visiting Washington next week to meet President Obama.
- An anti-austerity march against government cuts has been held in London today and was attended by 50,000 people. The protest was calm.
- A new series of BBC drama Sherlock achieved record viewing figures last night.
- Lady Gaga is in London and has been spotted jogging in Hyde Park.
- A woman has been convicted of murdering her husband. He was a wealthy banker and she a stay-at-home mum.
- Two prisoners convicted of armed robbery have escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison in West London.
- 20 people were killed in 15 different road accidents over the previous weekend.
- Place the top five news in the running order.
A passenger plane disappeared at The South Pacific towards Australia.
Israel has shelled a residential area of Gaza killing around 25 civilians.
An anti-austerity march against government cuts has been held in London today and was attended by 50,000 people. The protest was calm.
A well-known politician has been on Twitter as being investigated by police for fraud.
Buckingham Palace has announced Prince Harry's engagement.
I chose these news stories
- Explain why those stories fit the target audience for the programme you have chosen.
The reason why I chose these stories for Channel 4 News is because Channel 4 always presents International news first as their top stories unlike BBC 6 o'clock News which is all about the UK, Channel 4 is always concentrating on the international breaking news stories. However they do also include National news seeing as their are based in UK.
The 6 News Values
The reason I chose this story as a negative story is because of what happened at the Colorado Cinema Massacre 'On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside of a Century movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Night rises. A gunman, dressed in tactical clothing, set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others.' This is negative news because of how many people were killed/injured.
Negativity
The reason why I chose this story as a Closest to Home story is because the elections is a big report and story especially in England.
Closest to home
The reason as to why I chose this story for Immediacy is because it just shows how fast stuff and information can be spread out on social media.
Immediacy
I chose this story for simplicity because it is a simple story to follow and there is not complex explanation behind it.
Simplicity
I chose this story for uniqueness because you don't see stuff like this happen everyday and also this is a very unusual story.
Uniqueness
I chose this story for elite nations because America is close to home in this topic seeing as three girls from London left home to join the Al Qaeda.
Elite Nations
Negativity
The reason why I chose this story as a Closest to Home story is because the elections is a big report and story especially in England.
Closest to home
The reason as to why I chose this story for Immediacy is because it just shows how fast stuff and information can be spread out on social media.
Immediacy
I chose this story for simplicity because it is a simple story to follow and there is not complex explanation behind it.
Simplicity
I chose this story for uniqueness because you don't see stuff like this happen everyday and also this is a very unusual story.
Uniqueness
I chose this story for elite nations because America is close to home in this topic seeing as three girls from London left home to join the Al Qaeda.
Elite Nations
BBC Newsround and BBC3 60 Second News
BBC Newsround
The presenter is usually facing and looking at the camera they then cut off with footage or images relating to the stories they are reporting and then they cut back to the presenter talking to the camera.
BBC3 60 Second News
During the programme a hashtag is shown on the headlines at the end the hashtag is also joined by @BBCNEWS
- How does Newsround use the key conventions of TV news?
- Who are the presenters for BBC Newsround? Why do Newsround have a variety of presenters?
- Are any other presenters or reporters used?
- What does the studio look like? How is technology used in programme?
- What is the opening sequence to Newsround? Does it fit the key conventions of TV news?
- How does Newsround typically present a news story? (E.g. presenter to camera, reporter on location, interviews, graphics, images, video etc.)
The presenter is usually facing and looking at the camera they then cut off with footage or images relating to the stories they are reporting and then they cut back to the presenter talking to the camera.
- Who is the target audience for Newsround? You may want to research this online.
- Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme? Do young people feature in the news programme at all?
- What news stories are covered in the broadcasts you have watched? List ALL the stories that are covered AND the order that they appear in. How long does each story appear for?
BBC3 60 Second News
- How does the BBC3 60 Second News use the key conventions of TV news?
- Who are the presenters for the BBC3 60 Second News? What do you notice about their age and how they are dressed?
- Are any other presenters or reporters used?
- What does the studio look like? How is technology used in programme? How are graphics used in the presentation of the news?
- What is the opening shot of the BBC3 60 Second News? Does it fit the key conventions of TV news?
- How does the BBC3 60 Second News typically present a news story? (E.g. presenter to camera, reporter on location, interviews, graphics, images, video etc.)
- Who is the target audience for the BBC3 60 Second News? You may want to research this online. Why does the BBC feature news on a predominantly entertainment-based channel?
- Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme? Do young people feature in the news programme at all?
During the programme a hashtag is shown on the headlines at the end the hashtag is also joined by @BBCNEWS
- What news stories are covered in the broadcasts you have watched? List ALL the stories that are covered AND the order that they appear in. How long does each story appear for?
- Officials know that the Alps plane crash pilots suffered from depression (6 seconds)
- Goodluck Jonathan is no longer president (10 seconds)
- Iran Nuclear talks extended (10 seconds)
- Woman is racist towards two black men (9 seconds)
- Selfie of shoes are shown (9 seconds)
Wednesday 6 May 2015
Election Coverage on 4 different TV News Channels.
Questions??
- 1) What is the angle of a news story? Give an example to explain your answer.
An angle of a news story is the perspective of which a story is presented in. Changing the angle can effect the way a news story is reported. For example, when the 2011 Riots were happening the news, the BBC reported this story by only showing the rioters causing damage however what they didn't show was that the police was responsible for the riots because the police used force. However when the story was reported the BBC showed footage of the rioters causing trouble and the police reacting even though it was the other way around.
- 2) What is the difference between tabloid and broadsheet news coverage?
- 3) What would be an example of a tabloid-style TV news programme?
- 4) What would be an example of a broadsheet-style TV news programme?
- 5) What is the difference between international, national, regional and local news coverage?
National: United Kingdom
Regional: London/ Yorkshire/ Scotland
Local: West London / Leeds / Edinburgh
BBC News coverage of the election story.
- 1) Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
- 2) What angle does the report take on the story?
- 3) Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?
The report on this news story is a broadsheet-style of news coverage and this is because the BBC reported this story with balanced views.
- 4) What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?
Sky News coverage of the election story.
- 1) Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
- 2) What angle does the report take on the story?
- 3) Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?
- 4) What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?
STV(Scottish)coverage of the election story.
- 1) Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
- 2) What angle does the report take on the story?
- 3) Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?
- 4) What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?
Channel 4 News coverage of the Election Story.
- 1) Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
- 2) What angle does the report take on the story?
- 3) Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?
- 4) What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?
Wednesday 29 April 2015
BBC News @ Six Case Study
Basic details
Presenters
Analyse the opening 2 minutes of the programme.
Studio mise-en-scene
How news stories are presented
Running order
- What do the letters BBC stand for?
- How is the BBC funded?
- What is the BBC's famous mission statement? (Clue: it's three words)
- What is BBC1's programme remit?
- How does the BBC News at Six fit into BBC1's remit?
Presenters
- Who are the presenters of BBC News at Six?
- What are the presenters wearing? What does this communicate to the audience?
The male presenters wear suits however they do not always wear ties with their suits, the female presenters also wear suits however they mostly wear skirts instead of trousers. The fact that the presenters wear suites gives the audience a good impression that the presenters are sophisticated. Suits also show that the presenters are ready for business. The fact that the presenters do not always wear ties means that they are also a little relaxed and like to have a laugh when appropriate, it means that they are not always serious.
- Why might a TV News programme use a variety of presenters?
- How are other reporters or presenters used in the TV news programme?
- Is there a balance between male and female presenters? What about race/ethnicity? What effect might these aspects have on an audience?
Analyse the opening 2 minutes of the programme.
- What is the very first shot?
- How does the opening sequence use graphics or images to grab the attention of the audience?
- How is music used in the opening sequence?
- How are news stories introduced in the opening two minutes? Is there just one story or are the audience told what will be coming up later?
Studio mise-en-scene
- What aspects of the studio can be seen by the audience?
- Are the presenters standing or behind desks? Why do you think this is?
- Are journalists or technology visible? What might these things suggest to the audience?
- How does the studio use colour?
How news stories are presented
- How does the news programme typically present a story?
- What difference techniques does the programme use to present the news? (E.g. presenter to camera, reporter on location, interviews, graphics, images, video etc.)
- What types of news does the TV News programme typically cover? Give five examples (e.g. politics, international, sport etc.)
- Give two real examples of how news stories are presented to keep the interest of the audience.
Running order
- What is the top story?
- How long does the top story last for?
- What are the other stories the programme does or will cover? List them in the order they are presented in (the ‘running order’).
On Line Pedophile Report
The Hacker In America and finally
The UK Elections.
Audience
Institution
TV News and New/Digital Media
- How long is each story shown for?
- Why do you think each story was shown for the time it was?
Audience
- What is the target audience for this BBC News at Six? Research online – you should be able to find plenty of suggestions to the target audience if not the official target audience of the programme.
- What are the viewing figures for BBC News at Six?
- Why might someone choose to watch this TV news programme over others?
- Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or comment?
- What audience pleasures (Uses and Gratifications theory – Blumler and Katz) does the programme offer?
Institution
- What other news programmes and services does the BBC offer in addition to the BBC News at Six?
- What role does OFCOM have in making sure TV News is fair and accurate?
- The BBC has been accused of 'dumbing down' the News at Six. What does this mean? Do you agree with the accusation that the news is 'dumbed down'?
TV News and New/Digital Media
- Does the TV News programme have a dedicated website?
- What does the website offer viewers?
- Does the TV News programme have a Twitter feed?
- How does the Twitter feed promote the programme?
- Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or submit news stories?
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