SCLY3 Mass Media: Selection + Presentation of the News, The social construction of the news

The social construction of the news

Williams (2003):

1). The power of who actually works in the media

2). The day to day organisation + routine of media companies

3). The culture of society- its wider norms and values

The influence of media workers

White(1950):

He argued that editors of newspapers play a significant role in the selection process individual prejudices of editors influence the content

 ~ They act as gatekeepers, only allowing their preferred stories to pass  through the gate into the news.

 ~ The social characteristics of news reporters can influence the news content.

The influence of organisational structures:

News Values:

Sociologists argue that practises of the news organisations and the professional socialisation of journalists are vital in explaining the content of the news .

Journalists learn the kinds of events seen as newsworthy in the course of their professional socialisation. They pick up a set of informal rules or news values which allow them to identify what is newsworthy.

Hetherington(1985)came up with seven values

1). Significance: social, political, economic

2). Drama: the excitement, the action and entertainment in the event.

3). Surprise: Unpredictability, freshness

4). Personalities: Royal, political, showbiz, etc

5). Sex, scandal, crime: popular ingredients

6). Numbers: the scale of the event, numbers…