Key Elements of TV News

1
Key Elements of TV News

• Consider the following information when you
  analyze TV news.
• (14 slides)

2
THOROUGHNESS

• (4 slides)

3
Thoroughness (1 of 4)

• News reports that are not thorough or credible
  may not be giving you all the information that
  you need to form an opinion.

4
Thoroughness (2 of 4)

• Thorough news reports answer six basic questions
  
• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?
• How?

5
Thoroughness (3 of 4)

• When evaluating the thoroughness of a news
  report, notice how much time is devoted to the
  story and how much background information is
  provided.

6
Thoroughness (4 of 4)

• Pay attention to the sources for news stories.
  Are reliable sources experts or eye-witnesses
  interviewed? Are original sources cited to
  support factual claims?

7
FAIRNESS

• (2 slides)

8
Fairness (1 of 2)

• While good news reports usually focus on one
  angle, or aspect, of a story, they should not be
  slanted, or biased.

9
Fairness (2 of 2)

• Be aware of these types of bias in TV news
  reports
• Loaded Language sometimes reporters use words
  with positive or negative connotations
• Sources and Facts biased reporters may only use
  sources or facts that support one side of the
  story
• Sound Bites brief statements from an interview
  or speech can be used out of context, changing
  the meaning of what the source said
• Video Footage may be selectively edited to
  appeal to viewers emotions or to support a
  certain viewpoint

10
NEWSWORTHINESS

• (4 slides)

11
Newsworthiness (1 of 4)

• Since they dont have the time to report
  everything, TV journalists must decide which
  stories to cover and which ones to ignore.

12
Newsworthiness (2 of 4)

• TV journalists often consider whether a story is
  timely and whether it has widespread impact,
  emotional appeal, or compelling video footage.

13
Newsworthiness (3 of 4)

• TV stations may prefer to air dramatic or
  sensational stories because they think
  sensational stories will keep viewers interested.

14
Newsworthiness (4 of 4)

• Just because a story makes the news does not mean
  its newsworthy. Determine your own criteria for
  what you think should be covered. Consult
  multiple news sources to get a better sense of
  important stories in the news.

15
REPRESENTATION OF THE WORLD

• (3 slides)

16
Represenation of the World (1 of 3)

• Viewers who are consistently exposed to stories
  with high drama, emotional appeal, and catchy
  visuals might get a distorted view of the world.

17
Representation of the World (2 of 3)

• By covering certain types of stories and
  neglecting others, TV news can affect how viewers
  think, act, or feel about issues and events.

18
Representation of the World (3 of 3)

• Be aware of how your understanding of the world
  is influenced by what you see on TV news.