INTRODUCTION
Television and the internet are gaining in importance as media sources for news in terms of access and news. Television news refers to the broadcast of information regarding current events and happenings through the medium of television. The majority of news stories are pre-recorded reports edited and pieced together by the television networks, while live reports are represented by reporters on the scene, often with the help of a studio reporter. Producers determine what stories are included and excluded, and they thereby influence the outcome of a newscast.
In the current scenario of global news media, the Cable News Network (CNN), British Broadcasting Company (BBC), Al Jazeera currently dominate the share of TV news viewers around the world. In this particular research paper, Al Jazeera is taken as a case study with reference to the content analysis of the show Talk to Al Jazeera.
“Al Jazeera English (AJE) is an international state-funded 24-hour English-language
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The station broadcasts news features and analysis, documentaries, live debates, current affairs, business, technology, and sports, and claims to be the first global high-definition television network. Al Jazeera English is the world's first English-language news channel to be headquartered in the Middle East. The channel aims to provide both a regional voice and a global perspective for a potential world audience of over one billion English speakers who do not share the Anglo-American worldview. As of 2009, Al Jazeera's English-language service can be viewed in every major European market and is available to 130 million homes in over 100 countries via cable and satellite, according to Molly Conroy, a spokeswoman for the network in
The mass media has an essential role in today’s society as a channel of valuable information. Lots of people rely on media as the epicenter of information and as the yardstick on which they form their decisions and opinions (Agner, 1999). Any selection of messages in the mass media would have a profound impact on the entire society, this is according to Cultural selection theory. In the short story “Gray Noise”, Rojo uses this story to express his annoyance toward technology, but more specifically his most effective critic is on how society has overpowered valuable news with “dramaturgically crafted news” (Vettehen) and competition while desensitizing their viewers. Since competition has also stiffened up in are of mass media as the attention of readers, TV-viewers and listeners are fought for by every journalist. For this reason, every news media has turned to other strategies such as scandal-mongering and entertainment as tools of making a profit since a large audience is assured of such news even if they are not correct. Rojo’s views on critics of technology are widely shared among many people including the authors of the following studies, “Research Note: Sensationalism in Dutch Current Affairs Programmes by Paul Hendriks Vettehen
In “Reporting the News” by George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry, the main idea is how the media determines what to air, where to get said stories that will air, how the media presents the news, and the medias effect on the general public. “Reporting The News” is a very strong and detailed article. The authors’ purpose is to inform the readers of what goes on in the news media. This can be inferred by the authors’ tone. The authors’ overall tone is critical of the topics that are covered. The tone can be determined by the authors’ strong use of transitions, specific examples, and phrases or words that indicate analysis. To summarize, first, the authors’ indicate that the media chooses its stories that will air
Over the centuries, the media has played a significant role in the shaping of societies across the globe. This is especially true of developed nations where media access is readily available to the average citizen. The media has contributed to the creation of ideologies and ideals within a society. The media has such an effect on social life, that a simple as a news story has the power to shake a nation. Because of this, governments around the world have made it their duty to be active in the regulation and control of media access in their countries. The media however, has quickly become dominated by major mega companies who own numerous television, radio and movie companies both nationally and internationally. The aim of these companies is to generate revenue and in order to do this they create and air shows that cater to popular demand. In doing so, they sometimes compromise on the quality of their content. This is where public broadcasters come into perspective.
Both CNN and Fox News influence these immense populations with how each utilize pathos, ethos and logos in the topics discussed during the broadcasted show. For example, Fox News 's audience seems to be primarily conservative, while CNN’s audience seem to be more liberal (Engel). So each network’s stories “focus on the issues that” conservatives or liberals “want to watch and talk about” (James). These topics are used to develop a more conservative or liberal fan base in the respective news networks. As the dominant news network on cable television, Fox News impacts the greatest quantity of citizens, bringing in an audience of over two million for primetime (James). Therefore, Fox News influences the largest percentage of Americans listening to news networks by effectively using these manipulative literary techniques. However, CNN has a younger audience than Fox News (Carter), which contributes to CNN’s audience growing from 350,000 a night, in 2013 (Agee), to 629,000 viewers a night (James). CNN and Fox News compete with each other to influence the greatest amount of people and the public’s opinion of current events. Each network appeals to pathos, logos and ethos differently and similarly to coax the greatest amount of listeners each night.
Through the efforts of globalization, television has grown to be more than just a source for the facts. Presently, television cable channel stations seem to be more interested in capturing viewers interest and ratings than reporting the most significant events of the day. More than likely, without thinking about it, viewers fail to recall that cable network stations are in the business of making money first, then attempting to keep the public “infotained”. In other words, keeping you well informed with quality news broadcasting while simultaneously entertaining you at the same time.
Overall, in the last few months of working in mock news days, I have learnt the true factors behind what we see on our television screens. It is a very narrow view on the world, and often a mixture of logistics and legislation prevent some news from even entering our televisions. I found that sometimes the most interesting and valuable of news topics is not picked in order to prevent things such as copycat behaviour and also because a person in unavailable. Broadcast journalism is heavily based on pictures for our viewers to be told the story, and that words are used just to enhance the story. Overall, I believe our mock news days have truly reflected what it is like to work in a real life broadcast environment, and the stress and pressures journalists work through in order to put news on our screens.
This is where the world of communications finds its grey area. Nothing is ever black and white. That is truly shown by the way humans communicate ideas with each other. One story seen by three different people means that there are three stories. Although that is mathematically logical, perspective is everything. For example, Johnny, Kate, and Alex all saw an incidence occur. All three of them go tell their friends but what they saw and what they say may not fully align because humans do not recall 100% of the information they see. Johnny will interpret and analyze the situation that occurred and it could be a total 180 degrees of what Alex said that she saw. Many things influence stories. This rings true on a worldwide platform as well. A news anchor reports information that was given to him or her about the scenario. By the time the story actually gets through to the news anchor’s hands, it has had multiple edits. What the viewer is taking in from watching the six o’clock news is not the original story that actually
USA Today has been a widely successful company. When newspapers were the only form of read news, USA Today cornered the market in the national newspaper arena. As the digital age came about, it was time for change. New companies were emerging as leaders in the online news arena, and even established companies were moving towards online news. USA Today had to move in a different direction. They had to deal with staying ahead, or even with the competition.
For years, the population has been exposed to different forms of media. Newspapers, magazines, television, films, radio, and more recently the Internet are ways of promoting ideas, spreading news, and advertising products.
News channels are now being broadcasted on social media also. Instead of staying home to watch it, you can now watch it live on Facebook or other sites.
Watching the newscast from a critical perspective made me more aware of the role local television news programs play in our lives. I now see that they give people a brief overview of the day's events on the national and local scenes. Because people in today's society have many demands on their time – work, family, school, leisure pursuits – they need to get their news quickly. They rely on their favorite television news programs to keep them informed. They should be aware, however, that the time constraints of a 30-minute local newscast limit the amount of information it can give its viewers. For more in-depth coverage they should supplement the TV news with other media sources, such as newspapers, magazines, and radio news programs. As long as viewers take the inherent limitations into account while they watch the evening news, it is a quick, easy way to stay informed on daily events and unfolding or ongoing stories in their own and surrounding communities.
In recent years, the importance of news broadcasts has increased. More people need to access the news to stay in touch with the rest of the world’s affairs. More TV channels have developed to give viewers more news. Both commercial and government networks are used to present the news to the general public. However, because of the different fundings and target audiences, different networks will focus on different aspects of the news, to make as many people of their target audience watch their particular broadcast. Therefore the separate channels can bring in a far larger audience, and take away another channels audience, therefore reducing competition.
Newspapers have been around since the early 18th century, gaining prominence after 1790 during the colonial era. Magazines followed right behind newspapers and gained popularity as well, television followed last, booming with popularity in the 1960’s. Television is still the most often used source for news and other information such as the weather. But new forms of mass media are on the rise, such as channels, blogs and podcasts, which have been around since the early 2000’s but are now picking up momentum and gaining prominence as a news source. There are similarities as well as differences between the old media and the new media, and while the new media is more modern and accessible it does not have to push old media out of the picture, the two can be combined for the benefit of the consumers and
Consequently, today’s audience is considered non-captive and far more empowered. This comes with challenges as well opportunities for journalists. Part of the challenge is that those who stick to a specialty area like radio or television, risk broadcasting themselves out of relevance. So, “rather than undermining the traditional narrative, the Internet is an opportunity to experiment with multi-dimensional storytelling and new narrative approaches that provide context and depth and also are more compelling and engaging.” (Grabowicz 2014) This requires the ability to reach the audience using more than one platform.
The purpose of journalism is to report a story accurately; simply to tell it like it is. Over the past two decades, with increased tension over political and religious ideologies, the media’s original purpose is being lost. Yes, being well-informed remains an asset in the world today. Our now, globally-focused world will always value knowledge and awareness. With the television, internet, newspaper- all mediums of entertainment- available at the snap of a finger, we have non-stop access to news. One problem with this is the blatant bias of news networks. Every news source has a bias. Viewers typically recognize the platform of the major sources, therefore deterring them from certain networks. When reporters feed viewers the same opinion through different stories, the viewer isn’t getting a balanced intake in terms of overall understanding. In today’s society, viewers are truly at the mercy of what those in authority provide. Think of George Orwell’s 1984 where the all-powerful “Big Brother,” through “The Party” oversees every little piece of information that passes through the telescreen (along with everything that passes by the telescreen on the other end.) The citizens of Oceania are essentially clueless to the truth because they have no access to it. The television: typically a source of entertainment, transformed itself into an instrument for controlling. Yes, the modern technology is