3. Q: How do you
know which
stuff is news?
A: Don’t know.
It’s just instinct.
4. Q: How do
journalists
know which
stuff is news?
A: They learn from
other journalists
A: They follow the
unwritten rules of news
values
5. Gatekeeping
How decide:
• This is news -- allowed through the gate
• That is not news -- not allowed through the gate?
News values (Galtung & Ruge; O’Neill & Harcup)
6. News values
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Power Elite: Stories about powerful individuals, organisations or institutions.
Celebrity: Stories concerning people who are already famous.
Entertainment: Stories about sex, showbiz, human interest, animals, an unfolding
drama, or offering opportunities for humorous treatment, entertaining photos or
witty headlines.
Surprise: Stories that have an element of surprise and/or contrast.
Bad News: Stories with particularly negative overtones, such as conflict or tragedy.
Good News: Stories with particularly positive overtones such as rescues and cures.
Magnitude: Stories that are perceived as suffi ciently signifi cant either in the
numbers of people involved or in the potential impact.
Relevance: Stories about issues, groups and nations perceived to be relevant to the
audience.
Follow-up: Stories about subjects already in the news.
Newspaper Agenda: Stories that set or fit the news organization’s own agenda.
Harcup & O’Neill (2001)
7. Other factors affecting story selection
• A topic that won’t get the journalist arrested
• A topic that can be covered cheaply
• A topic supporting the national interest
8. Are news values …
• Neutral, objective?
• Biased to the status quo and the powerful?
9. ‘Accidental bias’ caused by working
methods (Tuchman)
e.g. News Frames (journalists call them ‘angles’)
2 Israeli frames for Israel-Palestine conflict:
• Peace process
• Security/terrorism
Both are true – which one do journalists
emphasise?
11. Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshipers Dead
Indian devotees fall into a river and drown after panic spreads at
a spot where 500,000 people had gathered for a Hindu festival.
Possible frames:
• Tragic accident
• Police stupidity kills worshippers
• Chaotic organisation leads to temple deaths
• Deadly stampedes keep happening, no one stops them
12. Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshipers Dead
Indian devotees fall into a river and drown after panic spreads at
a spot where 500,000 people had gathered for a Hindu festival.
Possible frames:
• Tragic accident
• Police stupidity kills worshippers
• Chaotic organisation leads to temple deaths
• Deadly stampedes keep happening, no one stops them
14. Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshippers Dead
Possible frames
Too few police
Innocent worshippers
Rumours caused panic
Poor crowd control
2nd deadly stampede in 7 years
Corruption
Politicians distracted by elections
Proof there is no god
Police to blame
Greedy, careless temple authorities
Politicians distracted by electioneering
More than 100 dead
Judicial inquiry launched
Grief
Bridge rebuilt after 2007 stampede
Previous deadly stampedes
Tragic accident
Worshippers to blame
Prime Minister’s sadness
15. Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshippers Dead
Possible frames
Too few police
Innocent worshippers
Rumours caused panic
Poor crowd control
2nd deadly stampede in 7 years
Corruption
Politicians distracted by elections
Proof there is no god
Police to blame
Greedy, careless temple authorities
Politicians distracted by electioneering
More than 100 dead
Judicial inquiry launched
Grief
Bridge rebuilt after 2007 stampede
Previous deadly stampedes
TRAGIC ACCIDENT
Worshippers to blame
Prime Minister’s sadness
16. Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshippers Dead
Possible frames
Too few police
Innocent worshippers
Rumours caused panic
Poor crowd control
2nd deadly stampede in 7 years
Corruption
Politicians distracted by elections
Proof there is no god
Police to blame
Greedy, careless temple authorities
Politicians distracted by electioneering
More than 100 dead
Judicial inquiry launched
Grief
Bridge rebuilt after 2007 stampede
Previous deadly stampedes
TRAGIC ACCIDENT
Worshippers to blame
Prime Minister’s sadness
17. Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshippers Dead
Possible frames
Too few police
Innocent worshippers
Rumours caused panic
Poor crowd control
2nd deadly stampede in 7 years
Corruption
Politicians distracted by elections
Proof there is no god
Police to blame
Greedy, careless temple authorities
Politicians distracted by electioneering
More than 100 dead
Judicial inquiry launched
Grief
Bridge rebuilt after 2007 stampede
Previous deadly stampedes
TRAGIC ACCIDENT
Worshippers to blame
Prime Minister’s sadness
18. Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshippers Dead
Possible frames
Too few police
Innocent worshippers
Rumours caused panic
Poor crowd control
2nd deadly stampede in 7 years
Corruption
Politicians distracted by elections
Proof there is no god
Police to blame
Greedy, careless temple authorities
Politicians distracted by electioneering
More than 100 dead
Judicial inquiry launched
Grief
Bridge rebuilt after 2007 stampede
Previous deadly stampedes
TRAGIC ACCIDENT
Worshippers to blame
Prime Minister’s sadness
19. Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshippers Dead
Possible frames
Too few police
Innocent worshippers
Rumours caused panic
Poor crowd control
2nd deadly stampede in 7 years
Corruption
Politicians distracted by elections
Proof there is no god
Police to blame
Greedy, careless temple authorities
Politicians distracted by electioneering
More than 100 dead
Judicial inquiry launched
Grief
Bridge rebuilt after 2007 stampede
Previous deadly stampedes
TRAGIC ACCIDENT
Worshippers to blame
Prime Minister’s sadness
20. Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshippers Dead
Possible frames
Too few police
Innocent worshippers
Rumours caused panic
Poor crowd control
2nd deadly stampede in 7 years
Corruption
Politicians distracted by elections
Proof there is no god
Police to blame
Greedy, careless temple authorities
Politicians distracted by electioneering
More than 100 dead
Judicial inquiry launched
Grief
Bridge rebuilt after 2007 stampede
Previous deadly stampedes
TRAGIC ACCIDENT
Worshippers to blame
Prime Minister’s sadness
21. Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshippers Dead
Possible frames
Too few police
Innocent worshippers
Rumours caused panic
Poor crowd control
2nd deadly stampede in 7 years
Corruption
Politicians distracted by elections
Proof there is no god
Police to blame
Greedy, careless temple authorities
Politicians distracted by electioneering
More than 100 dead
Judicial inquiry launched
Grief
Bridge rebuilt after 2007 stampede
Previous deadly stampedes
TRAGIC ACCIDENT
Worshippers to blame
Prime Minister’s sadness
23. Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshippers Dead
Sources for frames
Too few police
Innocent worshippers
Rumours caused panic
Poor crowd control
2nd deadly stampede in 7 years
Corruption
Politicians distracted by elections
Proof there is no god
Police to blame
Greedy, careless temple authorities
Source: Survivor distracted by electioneering government
Politicians
Source: State
More than 100 dead
Judicial inquiry launched
Grief
Bridge rebuilt after 2007 stampede
Previous deadly stampedes
TRAGIC ACCIDENT
Worshippers to blame
Prime Minister’s sadness
Source: Police
Source: Prime Minister
24. Temple Stampede: At Least 109 Worshippers Dead
Sources for frames
• Mainly official, powerful people
• Easy to contact
• Their version is usually the first version – ‘primary
definers’
• Journalists more likely to trust official sources
Source: Survivor
Source: Police
Source: State government
Source: Prime Minister
25. All sources are not equal
Journalists distinguish between …
‘Arbiter’ sources, who set terms
of debate and are seen as
disinterested or authoritative
‘Advocates', associated
with a particular
position
(Deacon & Golding 1994)
26. Journalism for war or peace?
Unintended consequences of
journalistic work habits
Journalists need …
Peacemakers need …
27. Journalism for war or peace?
Unintended consequences of
journalistic work habits
Journalists need …
Peacemakers need …
Immediacy
Patience
28. Journalism for war or peace?
Unintended consequences of
journalistic work habits
Journalists need …
Peacemakers need …
Immediacy
Drama, threats, violence
Patience
Calm environment
29. Journalism for war or peace?
Unintended consequences of
journalistic work habits
Journalists need …
Peacemakers need …
Immediacy
Drama, threats, violence
Patience
Calm environment
Simple events
Understanding of complexity
30. Journalism for war or peace?
Unintended consequences of
journalistic work habits
Journalists need …
Peacemakers need …
Immediacy
Drama, threats, violence
Patience
Calm environment
Simple events
Understanding of complexity
Goodies vs. baddies, ‘us’ and
‘them’
Understanding of the other
point of view
31. Journalism for war or peace?
Unintended consequences of
journalistic work habits
Journalists need …
Peacemakers need …
Immediacy
Drama, threats, violence
Patience
Calm environment
Simple events
Understanding of complexity
Goodies vs. baddies, ‘us’ and
‘them’
Understanding of the other
point of view
Journalist’s choice:
To frame the story as conflict, or a search for peace
(Wolfsfeld 2001)
32. Factors in media impact on
peacemaking
(1) amount of consensus among political elites
in support of peace
(2) number and intensity of crises associated
with the process
(3) shared media, used by both sides of the
conflict
(4) level of sensationalism in media ecology
(Wolfsfeld 2001)
33. Israel/Palestine vs. Northern Ireland
Factor
Israel/
Palestine
Northern
Ireland
Consensus for peace among political
elites
No./intensity of crises
No
Yes
Many
Few
Shared media
Sensationalism
No
Yes
Yes
No
(Wolfsfeld 2001)
35. Journalist as selector
Gatekeeper
Selecting bits of reality,
making them news
But … The best
journalists seek
out less powerful
sources, so the
stories of the
less powerful are
heard.
News values
This is news, that
is not – creating
a news agenda
(agenda setting)
Q: Whose story is
told first and
loudest?
A: The story told by
people in power.
Selecting story
elements/
frames/angles
Easy availability
of sources
dictates
availability of
frames
Notas del editor
News values – research based on Western journalism
Frames used in Sky video
Frames used in Sky video
Frames used in Sky video
Frames used in Sky video
Frames used in Sky video
Frames used in Sky video
Frames used in Sky videoOrdering/sequencing of frames important – gives message about relative importance
Frames used in Sky videoHow much is missed out
What’s the source for grief? – reporter’s observation/interpretation?
3 out of 4 sources are official, powerfulHigh-status sources give the first version of a story -- Hall et al (1978): 'primary definers' of realityWolfsfeld: ‘The news media’s almost exclusive dependence on institutional sources severely limits the range of public debate and marginalizes public opinion.’
What journalists need … they would say it’s also what audiences need. Is that true?
What journalists need … they would say it’s also what audiences need. Is that true?
What journalists need … they would say it’s also what audiences need. Is that true?
What journalists need … they would say it’s also what audiences need. Is that true?
What journalists need … they would say it’s also what audiences need. Is that true?
What journalists need … they would say it’s also what audiences need. Is that true?
Should journalists have a commitment to peace, or a commitment to their national interests?
Wolfsfeld12 ‘When a wide level of elite consensus exists , one frame tends to dominate media discourse , and few questions are raised about its validity. As the level of opposition grows, alternative frames emerge, and this competition is reflected in changing media coverage.’Vietnam: started with Cold War frame – anti-war frames ignored or labelled deviant