News, as I have said, is a construction, not a reflection of events.
So what influences this construction?
There are many factors : commercialism, story formulas, resource constraints, organisational forces, advertisers, use of sources, deviance, and geographical focus are some important ones.
Commercialism
One of the strongest influences on the construction of news is its commercial nature. In the 21st century, news organisations are businesses that compete with each other for audiences and advertisers. A successful media house is one that reaches the greatest audience and that bags the greatest revenue from advertisers.
Earlier, journalists regarded themselves as having a professional responsibility to inform the public about the most important and significant events of the day, so that people could use the information to make better decisions as citizens of their society.
Today we have 'media workers' or 'news workers' replacing journalists who operate under a marketing perspective. they try to produce stories that grab the attention of large audiences by shocking them or highlighting the unusual. They are careful not to alienate potential audience members or advertisers as well. The influence of commercialism has moved the news away from the 'professional responsibility perspective' and has placed it squarely in the 'marketing perspective'.
Have you watched a show like Arnab Goswami's 'News Hour' carefully and critically? All that shouting and heckling that the anchor does, in the name of 'presentation' is just to create an atmosphere of a brawl, that grabs the attention of a channel surfer and keeps them watching. It is rather like the way a crowd gathers on a street corner to watch two women fight over a public water tap! Postman and Powers (1992) illustrate the growing commitment of news channels to 'entertainment' when they point out that what TV news says it is presenting and what it actually presents are two different things!
Some news programmes are like advertisements for the media house. Haven't we all been treated to news about the 'social work' and 'tie ups' that have taken place between the news houses and the corporate sector. NDTV and its tie up with Coca Cola for its school campaign is one such example. There are several such instances to be seen if you observe different news channels carefully.
[to be continued]
So what influences this construction?
There are many factors : commercialism, story formulas, resource constraints, organisational forces, advertisers, use of sources, deviance, and geographical focus are some important ones.
Commercialism
One of the strongest influences on the construction of news is its commercial nature. In the 21st century, news organisations are businesses that compete with each other for audiences and advertisers. A successful media house is one that reaches the greatest audience and that bags the greatest revenue from advertisers.
Earlier, journalists regarded themselves as having a professional responsibility to inform the public about the most important and significant events of the day, so that people could use the information to make better decisions as citizens of their society.
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| THIS 'SENSATIONAL' PHOTOGRAPH OF GANDHIJI DANCING IS STILL UNEARTHED FROM TIME TO TIME.THE FACT THAT 2015 IS A JUBILEE YEAR FOR THE MAHATMA MEANS THAT HE'S A HOT NEWS ITEM ALL OVER AGAIN! |
Have you watched a show like Arnab Goswami's 'News Hour' carefully and critically? All that shouting and heckling that the anchor does, in the name of 'presentation' is just to create an atmosphere of a brawl, that grabs the attention of a channel surfer and keeps them watching. It is rather like the way a crowd gathers on a street corner to watch two women fight over a public water tap! Postman and Powers (1992) illustrate the growing commitment of news channels to 'entertainment' when they point out that what TV news says it is presenting and what it actually presents are two different things!
Some news programmes are like advertisements for the media house. Haven't we all been treated to news about the 'social work' and 'tie ups' that have taken place between the news houses and the corporate sector. NDTV and its tie up with Coca Cola for its school campaign is one such example. There are several such instances to be seen if you observe different news channels carefully.
[to be continued]
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