News and Information

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News and Information

• 4/3/06

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Quick Review

• Initial Assumptions of 160 ?
• Mass communication depends on an electronic
  medium.
• Mass communication communicates to a large and
  diverse audience.
• Generalizes about the audience
• We have a limited attn span
• We prefer to be entertained vs. enlightened
• We quickly lose interest in intellectually
  demanding subjects

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Ongoing Assumption

• Who is the product?_______________
• Delivered to whom?_______________
• Even with news? _________________
• News sources give us a lot of infotainment.

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Infotainment

• News programs inevitably emphasize violence,
  mayhem, death, and destruction
• Visual
• Compelling
• Dramatic
• News programs accommodate our shortened attention
  span

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What is news?

• News creates a reality for us
• Which stories become news?
• Which point of view and which details are
  included?
• Every news story is a reflection of the reporter
  who tells the story

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A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

• Differences in language of pictures from oral /
  written language crucial for understanding TV
  news.
• Ideas and abstractions cannot be talked about
  with only pictures.
• Now cant be identified w/pictures.
• Language gives pictures specific meaning

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News Reporting of Presidential Campaigns

• Voters often unable to identify candidate
  positions on issues (or even on issues)

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News Reporting of Presidential Campaigns

• New York Times Study
• Focus on the race itself
• Story significance not considered
• Policies/Issues lack novelty after 1st
  reporting
• Focus on character issues
• More flashy than policy issues (unchanging)
• Space used for race/character cant be devoted to
  more important policy issues!

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Other News Reporting of Presidential Campaigns

• Focus on campaign strategy (interpretive
  /subjective)
• Safer!
• Strategists for retired gen. Wesley Clark and
  Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman say they plan to
  take part in nationally televised debates in
  Iowa, but its very unlikely they will devote any
  time or resources to the state.
• Coverage reads more like reviews than news
• Includes performance criticism
• WHO SHOULD BE CRITICIZING?!

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Examples

• Race coverage candidate's comparative standing
  among contenders
• Opinion Poll
• Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri has overtaken
  former Vermont governor Dean as leader to the
  Democratic presidential nomination in Iowa,
  according to a Des Moiiici Register poll. The
  Iowa poll shows Gephardt is the first choice of
  27 cf Iowans who say they definitely or probably
  will attend the precinct caucuses Jan. 19.
• Spending expenditures of campaign funds
• The North Carolina senator Edwards has spent
  more than 1.5 million in Iowa and New Hampshire
  combined.

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More Examples

• Fund raising donations obtained to finance
  campaign expenses
• President Bush has raised nearly 84 million
  since beginning his re-election campaign in May,
  and he has 70 million of that loft to spend.
• Wesley Clark raised more than 3.5 million in the
  first two weeks of his Democratic presidential
  campaign. That was more than some rivals who have
  been in the race for months.

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Examples

• Endorsements statements by others advocating
  support of a candidate in the election
• Gephardt has 21 endorsements from unions with
  total membership of more than 5 million.
• Campaign Events campaign rallies, debates (who,
  when, where, format but not what candidates said
  in debates), spots (not including what candidates
  say in spots), other appearances
• Where to tune in. The first debate among the
  nine Democratic presidential candidates will air
  at 135 p.m. Saturday on ABC News Radio.

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Other News Reporting of Presidential Campaigns

• Reporting w/a negative tone
• attacks are reported disproportionately more in
  these stories than they are used in the
  candidates' own messages
• Could affect democracy
• Could affect campaigns themselves
• Examples.

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Other News Reporting of Presidential Campaigns

• News more journalist (less candidate) centered
• Sound bites
• Opinion journalism

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Are You Watching TV?
Or Is TV Watching You?

• Adjust your relationship with TV news shows
• Watch news shows w/a firm idea of whats
  important
• Remember its called a show
• Learn something about the economic and political
  interests of those who run TV stations

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What you can docont.

• Pay special attention to the language of
  newscasts
• Reduce by at least 1/3 the amount of TV news you
  watch
• Reduce by 1/3 the number of opinions you feel
  obligated to have
• Teach others how to watch a TV news show (even
  school children!)