Media Studies
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Number 009
Broadcast News This flexibility and financial power allows news to be sold as raw footage for global broadcasters to edit into their own news features. When the footage has been edited it will suit the broadcaster’s style of news presentation, their targeted audience and the institutional ideologies. Therefore news agencies provide an important, flexible and profitable role in news gathering.
This aims of this Factsheet are to: • Provide an overview of Broadcast news • Examine the production and manufacture of Broadcast news • Investigate contemporary issues and debates surrounding Broadcast news
Reuters is the longest established and most successful British global news agency. Founded in 1851, Reuters’ successful reputation is based on its independence and neutrality. Due to Reuter’s this, Reuter’s journalists have been allowed to go to foreign areas that other news agencies and broadcasters have been denied access to. Reuter’s ideology of independence and neutrality is reflected in the news they collect and it is because of this ethos that their raw footage is easily edited by the broadcasters who buy it. Reuters now use live streaming technology to transfer raw video and packaged reports to its many broadcast journalism customers, making them even more accessible to broadcasters.
News is a fundamental area of study for media students and an important commodity for media institutions. This is because news attracts mass audiences who want to be informed of local, national and global events that are taking place around them. News is an element of media production that as an audience we often take for granted. When examining broadcast news more closely we can begin to understand what a difficult area of study it is. Broadcast news is gathered, edited, produced and distributed on two levels; by the institutions that broadcast it and independent news agencies who employ journalists to collect footage globally so news agencies can sell raw news footage to broadcasters. Broadcast news corporations and global news agencies are responsible for the creation of news into the accessible and informative segments that we receive via television, radio and the internet. The institutions that produce news output also help to shape audience responses towards current news stories, issues and social attitudes.
ITN is one of Britain’s largest global news agencies and produces both news and factual programming for all media channels including Radio, Broadcast News, Documentary and Mobile Phones. Initially ITN was funded by ITN’s many companies to collate news to be distributed among ITV’s news broadcasters mirroring the success of the BBC. ITN is now a successful and commercial global company and is responsible for distributing news across the globe to news broadcasters. ITN produces content for: • ITV • Channel 4 • London Tonight • More 4 • Google • News for all mobile phone operators • ITN Radio supplies news to Independent Radio News (IRN) who provides news stories to over 260 independent local radio stations. • ITN Radio also supplies news to commercial radio stations including Classic FM, Talk Radio and Atlantic 252
The Production and Manufacture of News Many news institutions and journalists do not like the connotations associated with the term manufacture as it suggests that the news is an artificial construction that contains little or no truth. This is an important point to consider when studying Broadcast news because many audiences assume that news appears because journalists arrive just in time to record it. Although journalists do gather news it is wrong to assume that stories occur just in time to be recorded for each news edition. The truth is, news occurs every minute of every day and the way it is reported, edited, constructed and transmitted is not just the responsibility of the journalist. News is big business and it is heavily monitored by both the institutions responsible for its production and the authorities that monitor its output. [Image: www.news.bbc.co.uk]
The BBC is unique because it is both a news agency and news broadcaster. The BBC is a global company and is funded through a licence fee and other commercial ventures. Because of its economic and institutional strength the BBC can distribute journalists globally to source, edit and broadcast news. Because the BBC is both an agency and broadcaster it is entirely responsible for how its news is collected, produced and broadcast throughout its global franchises. Because of its Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) status the BBC must maintain impartiality and promote positive representations of both minority and majority groups. Therefore the BBC will at times buy some images or footage from outside commercial news agencies to make sure it can satisfy these PSB obligations. [Image: www.lou2002.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk]
News Agencies News agencies and broadcast journalists perform different roles in news production. Because news is gathered by both news agencies and broadcast journalists there are distinct differences between the ways these separate organisations gather and select news. A news agency is a commercial company who research, collect and distribute news to broadcast news institutions. News agencies employ and deploy journalists and crews globally to record every possible event that is occurring.
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Media Studies
009 - Broadcast News
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
News Production and Construction
Activity
The production and construction of a news article is a complicated process that includes a lot of research and editing skills. Stories can sometimes take months to research and then have to be edited to convey the whole story in a time span of around 5-10 minutes. This means the broadcaster has to ensure that all the right elements are contained in the story so the tone and emotion of the story can be quickly be communicated to the audience. In order to do this effectively the broadcaster must consider the use of narrative, representations, location shots, witness accounts and on occasions non-digetic sound to help quickly position an audience. [Image: www. bbc.co.uk/.../gallery1_203_bbc.jpg ]
Because of its PSB status the BBC caters to a very wide and varied audience. Aside from the production of terrestrial and digital television programmes the BBC also produces a large amount of radio output to try and cater to its audience needs. Listen to the news on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 1, and consider the following questions: • Both stations are produced by the BBC but how do they differ? Consider class, age and demographics • Which news stories are given priority? • What narrative structures are used in their news features in order to reach their target audiences? • Can you work out who their intended target audiences are from the way the news is constructed and presented?
News Broadcasters News broadcasters such as ITV, Channel Four and Five News buy news from agencies and edit the raw footage to suit the news features being shown and their audience’s various needs. Broadcast institutions generally employ in-house journalists to gather national and regional news because economically it is cheaper to buy raw global footage from news agencies. By using a mixture of news footage, broadcasters remain up-to-date with world events without jeopardising the broadcast institutions finances by deploying in-house journalists to areas that may not have any relevant news stories. [Image: www.answers.com]
Definition News saturation occurs when an event dominates the news agenda and news coverage. Recent examples of news saturation are the July 7th Bombings of 2005 and the more recent 2006 terror scares in Britain’s airports. Saturation coverage of these events affected both the regional and national broadcast news programming and little else was given priority over these stories for nearly a month. News output varies each day and it is the responsibility of the news editor to continue follow up stories and plan the day’s news events. The majority of news is pre-scheduled and the editor will have a diary outlining the week’s events. Events such as Party conferences, PR and charity organised events can sometimes be planned in a year ahead. The remaining news will be the result of surprise events such as natural disasters and terrorist attacks. Such events can alter the news agenda for the day either saturating coverage or pushing the original headlining stories down the list of importance and news editors must quickly change and deploy their journalist teams when such events occur.
News Sources As an audience we often have little or no idea of how news is sourced and collected. The construction of news is a fluid and well organised procedure and it is the responsibility of the broadcast journalist to collect, edit and produce a news story. The use of news agency footage is the decision of both the broadcast journalist and the editor but it is important that we appreciate the role of the broadcast journalist and that a broadcast journalist must also source news themselves. Below is a diagram showing how a broadcast journalist could source news (Fig 1): Fig 1
Journalist
Courts Educational Institutions Local Business
Sports Clubs
European Parliament
Armed Forces
Parliament
Emergency Services
Trade Unions
Pressure Groups
Local Councils
Hospitals
Press Briefings
Diary Stories Industry Private Contacts
Press Releases
News Agencies
Members of the public
Publicity Stunts
News Conferences
Charity Organisations
Combining the above sources with additional footage bought from an agency will allow a broadcast journalist to develop and create a varied and current news features.
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Media Studies
009 - Broadcast News
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
The Role of the News Editor
Categories of News Stories
A news editor’s role is to decide on the priority news events of the day. These events will be constructed through a variety of ways using news agencies, freelance journalists, broadcast journalists and news sources. Certain events are given priority over others and it is left to the news editor ’s professional judgement which stories should feature. The news editor acts as a gate keeper for news stories (Fig 2). The news editor will check the day’s diary for events that have been pre-booked into the news. If no surprise stories have occurred the news editor will select news stories for the day from the news sources available. The editor will then direct their reporters and film crews to the locations specified. All resources must be utilised and the editor must not just rely on their instinct for good news stories but also address what their competitors will be covering for the day and how they can compete against them. Ultimately the news editor is in control of news agenda setting and the selection process of news features. [Image: www.apple.com]
News is often categorised as being either hard or soft news stories. Hard news refers to events that are happening at the time that it is being reported. Hard news can be anything from the death of a high profile figure, interest rate increases, and acts of terrorism, war or serious accidents. Soft news stories are generally in the form of human interest stories. These can involve anything from lottery winners through to daredevil charity events. The aim of soft news stories is to provide light relief from hard news stories, while allowing audiences to imagine how they would react in a similar position. News constantly tries to get audiences to identify with and connect to the events that are happening and hard news stories cannot always engage the audience as well as softer news features. [Image:www.tvradiobits.co.uk/idents/ News2403studio1.jpg]
News Values Now we are aware of the selection process involved with news gathering we can see how the theory of news values can be applied to the news bulletins. News values were identified by Norwegian academics Galtung and Ruge in 1965 during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Fig 2. White’s Gate-Keeping Model
Incoming Information
X1 Æ X2 Æ X3 Æ X4 Æ X5 Æ X6 Æ
ËX1 ËX4
X2 X3 X5 X6
Æ Æ Æ Æ
Selected Information
Although these values are still a useful guide in helping us to understand news agendas, many academics and examiners now feel they are no longer in touch with today’s current news climate. Bennett, Slater and Wall (2006) believe Tony Harcup’s news values build on the news values of Galtung and Ruge but reflect the current trends in British and global news making them more appropriate to our current news climate when analysing a news feature. [Image: www.news.bbc.co.uk]
White’s Gate-Keeping Model is a useful theory in helping us to understand the role of the news editor. The figures X1-X6 all represent news stories that the editor could potentially use in a news broadcast. The role of the editor is to give priority to the stories they feel will fit into the current news climate and the audience they are targeting. Figures X2, X3, X5 and X6 all represent stories that will feature in that news broadcast, while X1 and X4 represent stories that are not seen as being newsworthy.
Harcup’s News Values •
Activity
•
If you were the editor of a news programme aimed at a target audience of 17-25 year old students you would have to make a decision regarding which of the six potential news stories below would be deemed ‘newsworthy’ to your audience; you could organise the news the following way:
• •
X.1 Taxes have been raised by 1.5%. X2. A high profile celebrity couple have announced their divorce. X3. The government have announced a new road law penalising young drivers. X4. A new planet has been discovered: X5. Scientists believe they have discovered a gene that helps dictate your natural weight. X6. The growth of free newspapers is harming the environment.
• • • • • •
The stories X2, X3, X5 and X6 all affect a younger target audience’s interests or lifestyles. The stories featured in X1 and X4 may have relevance to a younger target audience but they do not represent the majority of that audience’s interests and lifestyles.
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The Power Elite: Bulletins regarding powerful individuals, organisations and institutions. Celebrity: Bulletins that focus on people who are already famous Entertainment: Bulletins that focus on sex, show business, human interest, animals, unfolding dramas, or offer opportunities for humorous treatment. Surprise: Bulletins that have an element of surprise and/or contrast Bad News: Bulletins that have predominately negative associations Good News: Bulletins that have predominately positive associations Magnitude: Bulletins which are significant regarding the volume of people involved or in potential impact. Relevance: Bulletins concerning issues, groups and nations that are of relevance to the audience. Follow-ups: Bulletins on subjects already featured in the news News Agenda: Stories which set/fit the news organisations own agenda such as information/entertainment.
Media Studies
009 - Broadcast News
www.curriculum-press.co.uk
Activity Apply Harcup’s news values to a broadcast news programme of your choice. What are the main values of the programme and channel involved? How relevant are Harcup’s news values when analysing the news agenda of your programme? Do you feel your programme had a specific news agenda?
Objectivity and Self-Regulation: BBC and Ofcom Charters Ofcom are responsible for governing the public service responsibilities placed on all broadcasters. Many audiences believe because of these regulations that broadcast and radio media are the most objective and reliable in regards to truth and balance. Ofcom’s charter asserts that all broadcasters must retain balance and impartiality towards the construction and output of broadcast media. This means that both sides should always be represented fairly and no one viewpoint should be favoured especially regarding the government and other political parties [Image: www.membres.lycos.fr] Due to its PSB responsibilities and since The Hutton Enquiry, the BBC has installed a number of self-regulatory systems including the news programme Media Watch and its radio equivalent Talk Back. Both programmes analyse the BBC’s weekly news output and their coverage of the week’s news events. The BBC’s reporting of the events is analysed by radio and broadcast audiences and the programmes journalist. Both programmes are interactive and cover all issues raised by audiences regarding their coverage of controversial issues such as the BBC’s alleged prejudice concerning Muslim groups through to audience preferences over whether news readers should stand or remain behind their desks.
Activity: Realism, Truth and Meaning Realism is an important area to consider when analysing news features. Media language (technical, visual and audio codes) plays an important role in measuring how realism is conveyed to audiences. Consider and discuss why these scenes are repeatedly used in news features. What is the media language trying to convey to its audience? • Speaking to a victim in the hospital following a vicious attack. • Images of a bereaved parent visiting the grave of their murdered child. • Suspects and perpetrators being filmed refusing to contribute and/or hiding themselves from the camera. • Footage of a scene where a violent attack or robbery took place.
Contemporary Issues and Debates Exam Hint: AQA, OCR or WJEC? Although all exam boards state that broadcast news is an A2 topic area, it is important you get a sense of how news is constructed so you can analyse the genre objectively. All the boards have used broadcast news clips as a textual example for the unseen exam. Your response should focus upon the following: • What media language is being used to help construct the news story? • Which institution is producing the news story? How will this help shape the text? • What representations and ideologies are contained in the story? • How does the text relate to its generic codes and conventions? • How is the narrative organised? How do news values fit into the narrative? • Who is the target audience? What evidence do you have of this from the text?
Digital news technology has revolutionised news broadcasting, by providing sharper pictures, increasing the volume of programmes, live news streaming of breaking news stories while also allowing audiences to interact with news institutions. The BBC, ITV, Channel Four and Channel Five all use text and e-mail voting and opinion polls as a tool to measure audience interest and participation. ITV also have a section in their afternoon news that relies on viewers voicing their opinions via mobile video messages. News is now available 24 hours a day on both the internet and digital channels. Terrestrial channels offer 24 hour news on TeleText services and their optional digital news stations. Because of its accessibility 24 hour news has made breaking news and current affairs a regular event in everyday life.
Acknowledgements: This Media Studies Factsheet was researched and written by Emma Cairns Curriculum Press. Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, TF1 1NU. Media Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or students, provided that their school is a registered subscriber. No part of these Factsheets may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any other form or by any other means, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISSN 1351-5136
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