4. Introduction
What is news...?
“When a dog bites a man
that is not news, but when a
man bites a dog, that is
news”
(Charles Anderson Dana, editor and proprietor, New
York Sun, 1882)
4
5. Introduction
What is news...?
“[News is] anything that
makes the reader say
‘Gee whiz’”
(quoted in Mott, 1950: 126)
5
6. Introduction
What is news...?
“[News is] anything that
makes the reader say
‘Gee whiz’”
(quoted in Mott, 1950: 126)
6
7. Introduction
What is news...?
“News is what somebody
wants to suppress; all the
rest is advertising”
(attributed to Lord Northcliffe in MacShane, 1979:
46)
7
8. Introduction
• Millions of events happen every day – but why are the
same stories replicated throughout the media?
8
9. News as routine
Golding and Elliot (1996: 405) note that news
production…
‘is for the most part the passive exercise of routine and highly
regulated procedures in the task of selecting from already
limited supplies of information’
9
10. Limited News Supply Because:
Historical decisions regarding what is thought to be
interesting to readers
Material thought to be inoffensive to specific advertisers
Material profitable to media companies
10
11. Rise of reporting
Venice (16th century): gazettes
see Allan, 1999/2004/2010
Content: military/political/trade events
Bookshops and coffee houses
(17th
century, increased literacy
New formats emerge:
• [Which] ‘brought sex and scandal, fantasy, sensationalism,
bawdiness, violence and prophecy to their readers:
monstrous births, dragons, mermaids and most horrible
murders; but they also brought items of news’.
(Craven, 1992: 3)
11
12. Popular press?
Emergence of ‘non-partisan’ (supposedly
neutral) reporting of issues in the ‘public
interest’
Legacy of ‘pauper press’ (UK) & ‘penny press’
(US) in 19th
century
(see Allan, 2010)
Pauper press actively campaigned for social
change
12
13. 13
Pauper press Traditional press
Working class Educated elite
1-2 pence 6-7 pence
Human interest Analytical
Revolutionary Respectable
Controversial Critical
14. 14
TABLOID Vs BROADSHEET
Pauper press Traditional press
Working class Educated elite
1-2 pence 6-7 pence
Human interest Analytical
Revolutionary Respectable
Controversial Critical
15. TABLOID Vs BROADSHEET
15
Pauper press Traditional press
Working class Educated elite
1-2 pence 6-7 pence
Human interest Analytical
Revolutionary Respectable
Controversial Critical
16. Important historical factors
1. market forces
2. human interest and sensationalism
3. political decisions and the public good
4. the speed at which ‘facts’ could be reported
16
17. What are news values?
Series of unwritten ground rules
“News values are meant to be the distillation of what an identified
audience is interested in reading or watching” (Richardson, 2007: 91)
17
19. Galtung and Ruge (1965)
19
• Journal of Peace
Research
• International news in
Norwegian papers
• Identified 12 factors
20. Galtung and Ruge (1965)
Eight principles of news
selection
(F1) Frequency
• The temporal unfolding
of an event has to
correspond with the
needs of the news media.
• Daily news focuses on
events rather than
longer trends.
20
21. (F2) Threshold
The bigger the event, the more
violent the murder, the greater
the casualties/fatalities in an
accident: the more newsworthy
it will be.
21
22. (F3) Lack of ambiguity
The clearer the meaning
of an event, the easier it
can be understood
(F4) Meaningfulness
Has to be of
significance, or be
meaningful, within the
given cultural
environment.
22
23. (F5) Predictability
“…this creates a mental
matrix for easy
reception” (Galtung and
Ruge, 1981: 55); or much
of the news is the
delivery of routine
information.
(F6) Unpredictability
Unexpected or rare
events are inherently
newsworthy
23
24. F7) Continuing news
• If something is already
newsworthy, it will continue
to be so: even if its impact
decreases.
(F8) Compositional value
• A balance of domestic,
international, celebrity and
sports news is required.
24
25. Cultural factors in news selectionCultural factors in news selection
(F9) “Elite nations” are more newsworthy
Economic power (i.e. Western Europe, USA).
Accusations of cultural “Eurocentrism” and a
corresponding “Orientalism” (see E. W. Said)
(F10) “Elite people” are more newsworthy
The political and financial elite; the “celebrities”
25
26. (F11) News should be presentable in terms of
the personal
•Focus on the “ordinary” person in exceptional
circumstances
(F12) Negativity
•Negative news is seen as unambiguous.
26
29. In summary…
• The more criteria an event satisfies from the list of news
values, the more likely it will be selected to be news.
• Once an event is selected, the factors which made it
newsworthy will be accentuated (or distorted)
• The process of selection and accentuation will occur at all
stages, from the event through to the readers.
29
30. Problems with Galtung and Ruge?
Very useful for identifying the formal elements within the construction of
news…
But what about the ideology behind the selection? How is news ‘framed’?
Are news values always aligned around daily news stories or only major
events?
Drawn from international news:
Applicable to domestic news?
Applicable to different formats?
30
31. Problems with Galtung and Ruge?
‘News values appear as a set of neutral, routine
practices: but we need, also, to see formal news
values as an ideological structure – to examine these
rules as the formalisation and operationalisation of an
ideology of news’
(Hall, 1973: 182)
31
32. ‘News Frames’
Refers to the ways in which articles shape readers understandings
of news events depending on how the intro/headline to a story and
the conclusion are framed
See Price, Tewksbury, Powers (1997)
Valkenburg, Semetko, & de Vreese (1999)
Article by de Vreese on SunSpace
32
33. Harcup and O’Neil (2001)
Galtung & Ruge Revisited
Re-tested news values – studied 3 British daily newspapers
33
• Concluded that “Galtung and Ruge ignored day-to-day
coverage of lesser, domestic and bread-and-butter news”
(2001: 276)
34. Harcup and O'Neill (1-3)
(1) The POWER elite
Stories concerning ‘powerful individuals,
organisations or institutions’ (2001: 278).
(2) Celebrity
Stories concerning the already famous
(3) Entertainment
Sex, show business, human interest, animals,
humorous stories or photos.
34
35. Harcup and O'Neill (4-7)
(4) Surprise
• Contrast (formerly Unpredictability)
(5) Bad news
• Negative overtones
(6) Good news
• Positive overtones
(7) Magnitude
• Significant numbers of people or
large impact (formerly Threshold)
35
36. Harcup and O'Neill (8-10)
(8) Relevance
…to readership (incorporates Meaningfulness and reference to Elite
Nations)
(9) Follow-up
Stories about subjects already in the news
(10) Newspaper agenda
Stories that fit the organisation’s agenda incorporates Continuing
news and Compositional value)
36
37. Harcup and O’Neil (2001)
1 The POWER elite Stories concerning
‘powerful individuals, organisations or
institutions’ (p 278). This makes a
distinction between world or business
leaders and reality TV contestants etc.
2 Celebrity Stories concerning the already
famous
3 Entertainment Includes stories about sex,
show business, human interest, humorous
stories or photos.
4 Surprise Stories with an element of surprise
and/or contrast (formerly Unexpectedness)
5 Bad news Negative overtones – conflict,
tragedy, etc
6 Good news Positive overtones – rescue, miracle
cures, etc
7 Magnitude Stories with significant numbers of
people or large impact (formerly Threshold)
8 Relevance Issues perceived to be relevant to the
readership (incorporates Meaningfulness and
reference to Elite Nations). Would now include
places like Magaluf, Ibiza and Ayia Napa, which
might be relevant to certain readerships.
9 Follow-up Stories about subjects already in the
news
10 Newspaper agenda Stories that fit the
organisation’s agenda (incorporates Continuing
news and Compositional value)
37
38. Harcup and O’Neill summary
Updated G & R study
Reduced news values from 12 to 10
More contemporary and relevant
E.g. Celebrity and Entertainment
Perhaps a more reliable and trustworthy methodology
E.g. Choice of newspapers
38
39. Conclusion
Range of historical factors impacting on professional
journalistic practice.
Factors reveal the often unspoken, unconscious
(ideological) mechanics of news room selection
News Values are limited analytical and critical tools
which should allow us to get behind the question of
‘what is news’ without always explaining HOW they are
reported
39
40. Bibliography
Anderson Dana, C., 1882, New York Sun, in Allan, S. 1999 NewsCulture, Buckingham: Open University Press.
Allan, S., 2004, News Culture, Buckingham: Open University Press .
Craven, L., 1992, ‘The early newspaper press in England’, in D.Giffiths (ed.) The Encylopedia of the British Press, London:Macmillan.
Galtung, J., and Ruge, M., 1981, ‘Structuring and selecting news’ inCohen, S., & Young, J. (eds.), The Manufacture of News: Socialproblems, deviance and the mass media: Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Hall, S., 1973, ‘The determination of news photographs’ in Cohen,S., & Young, J. (eds), The Manufacture of News. London: Constable,pp. 181 & 182.
Harcup, T. and O’Neill, D. (2001) “What is news? Galtung and Rugerevisited”, Journalism Studies 2: 261-280.
Richardson, J (2007) Analysing Newspapers. London: PalgraveMcMillan
40
Hinweis der Redaktion
Could say things that are relevant to a particular nation matters of public interest. E.g. Terrorism. Things we should and need to know – govt, education, employment, NHS – inform us to help us make sense of the world and entertain.
Could say things that are relevant to a particular nation matters of public interest. E.g. Terrorism. Things we should and need to know – govt, education, employment, NHS – inform us to help us make sense of the world and entertain.
Could say things that are relevant to a particular nation matters of public interest. E.g. Terrorism. Things we should and need to know – govt, education, employment, NHS – inform us to help us make sense of the world and entertain.
Could say things that are relevant to a particular nation matters of public interest. E.g. Terrorism. Things we should and need to know – govt, education, employment, NHS – inform us to help us make sense of the world and entertain.
Could say things that are relevant to a particular nation matters of public interest. E.g. Terrorism. Things we should and need to know – govt, education, employment, NHS – inform us to help us make sense of the world and entertain.
September 2012 – Megan Stammers disappeared – found with 30-year-old math teacher, Jeremy Forrest. Jailed in June 2013 on child abduction charges and placed on sex offenders list for life.
A review into the incident in December 2013 noted Forrest 'failed to see misconduct’ in his actions.
What’s important here is that the UK news media were unified on seeing this story as the day’s most significant – clearly is was newsworthy. But why? [ASK STUDENTS]
Links back to 16th century
Big money business – advertisers generate money – keep them sweet
Best story – will be seen across different newspapers because it is considered the most newsworthy thus generate most sales - money
Could argue that it is early tabloid style
The Sun Vs the Guardian
Different target audiences – Sun, working class and Guardian, ABC1 demographic, educated intellectuals like yourself, graduates
Sun, human interest – celebrity, real life stories/ Guardian, social commentators on current affairs, political and economic matters
The Sun Vs the Guardian
Different target audiences – Sun, working class and Guardian, ABC1 demographic, educated intellectuals like yourself, graduates
Sun, human interest – celebrity, real life stories/ Guardian, social commentators on current affairs, political and economic matters
The Sun Vs the Guardian
Different target audiences – Sun, working class and Guardian, ABC1 demographic, educated intellectuals like yourself, graduates
Sun, human interest – celebrity, real life stories/ Guardian, social commentators on current affairs, political and economic matters
Interested in – journalists use news values to prioritise news output. Not written down, exist in practice while learned on the job.
Mirror - sentastional
Guardian – stories of a political nature
Star – celebrity scandals and gossip
May 2nd 2011
MP’s scandal – the event unfolded and more MP’s were guilty, media acted as a moral voice
MP’s scandal – the event unfolded and more MP’s were guilty, media acted as a moral voice
Plebate – Andrew Mitchell (sept 2012) what he said outside Downing St. This week he is suing the Sun so it’s back in the news
Haiti, Fukashima – more devastation, the more newsworthy
(F4) Mumbai attacks, significant cultural meaning – reinforced fear of terrorism, reinforced the fear of Islam, further stories linking terrorists to Britain – also, the way in which they carried out the attack, laid back, calm - shocking
(F7) E.g. Swine / avian flu, recession, phone hacking, etc
(F8) broadsheets do this more than tabloids
Under Galtung and Ruge, Obama and Blair would be elites, but now you could argue that Cowell and the Beckhams are also elites too
More boxes it ticks, the more newsworthy the event
Haiti earthquake – Threshold (magnitude) – human interest, emotive, loss of lives, fire fighters from UK went to help (make it more personal to home) becomes more relevant
Hall is suggesting that although news values appear as a set of neutral, routine practices – we also need to look at the ideological meaning behind the text. What is the text trying to say/ how do the audience decode this meaning? How framed? How presented by the media group and how interpreted by us.
Hall is suggesting that although news values appear as a set of neutral, routine practices – we also need to look at the ideological meaning behind the text. What is the text trying to say/ how do the audience decode this meaning? How framed? How presented by the media group and how interpreted by us.
Galtung and Ruge focussed their investigation on three international crisis. Much has changed since.
Whereas Galtung and Ruge used Elite People, Harcup and O’Neill identified that celebrities should have their own news value – celebrity culture. Shows a changing of the times
4. All news is surprise, well most of?
5 & 6. Bad news – bank robbery rather than charity donation
7. Magnitude - Haiti
8. Relevance – terrorist attack in Columbia, not news, victim British – news. Closure of a national newspaper
9. Phone hacking saga as an ongoing story (since 2006!)
10. Political agendas