Selecting and Presenting the News (AQA A-Level Sociology): Revision Notes
Selecting and Presenting the News
The news might appear to be an objective record of daily events, but sociologists understand it as a social product shaped by various factors. Rather than simply discovering what happened, journalists actively construct the news through selection and presentation processes that reflect underlying values and practical limitations.
Practical constraints shape news content
News organisations operate under several practical limitations that determine what becomes newsworthy. These constraints significantly influence which stories make it to publication and how they are presented to audiences.
Time constraints
Deadline Pressure and Story Selection
Time constraints create a systematic bias towards easily accessible information sources and predictable events.
- Deadlines create pressure to use easily accessible stories
- Journalists rely on established contacts for quick information gathering
- Regular events that fit the "news diary" are favoured
- Stories must be available when needed for TV, radio or print schedules
Technical constraints
- Some locations are easier to reach with cameras and equipment
- Areas with better access become top stories more frequently
- Remote or difficult-to-access events may be under-reported
- Technical limitations can lead to disasters in distant places being ignored
Budget constraints
- News organisations operate within financial limits
- Stories from areas with existing reporters or contacts are cheaper to produce
- Many newspapers cannot afford numerous reporters, so they purchase stories from news agencies
- Cost considerations heavily influence story selection
Competition effects
- Newspaper editors aim to make their publication the most popular
- Stories are chosen based on what will sell more papers than rivals
- Sensationalised content or celebrity gossip often receives priority
- Commercial pressures override purely informational considerations
Journalist values guide news selection
News values are the professional principles that journalists use when deciding what constitutes newsworthy content. Galtung and Ruge (1965) identified these as guiding factors in media decision-making.
Understanding News Values
News values are not neutral criteria - they reflect cultural assumptions and professional practices that systematically favour certain types of stories over others.
Bureaucratic news values
These represent traditional journalistic standards:
- Current: Recent events take priority over older stories
- Simple: Stories must be easily understood by the general public
- Brief: Concise reporting is preferred over lengthy analysis
- Big news over small news: Major events receive more coverage than minor incidents
Cultural news values
These reflect broader social interests:
- Unexpected: Surprising or unusual events attract attention
- Focus on important people: Stories involving celebrities, politicians or influential figures
- Relevant to the audience: Content that affects or interests the target readership
- Bad news preferred to good news: Negative stories often receive more prominence
Key journalistic practices
Agenda-setting occurs when journalists and editors control what becomes news. Stories only gain news status when media professionals select them. This process involves choosing which angle to pursue when reporting events, directly affecting how audiences understand current affairs.
Gate-keeping in Practice
Gate-keeping, identified by Gans (1979), describes how editors function like gatekeepers, deciding which stories receive coverage and how much space they occupy. Dutton (1986) noted that editors philtre news by choosing which stories to print, effectively controlling public access to information.
Bias in news selection and presentation
Media bias operates through both the selection of stories and the way they are presented to audiences. Research has documented systematic patterns in how different perspectives receive coverage.
The GUMG study findings
Research Study: Glasgow University Media Group Analysis
The Glasgow University Media Group conducted extensive research on television news during the 1970s and 1980s, focusing on workplace strike coverage. Their detailed content analysis revealed systematic bias:
Selection bias findings:
- Coverage favoured dominant class values over working-class perspectives
- Voice-overs reflected management viewpoints rather than worker concerns
Presentation bias findings:
- Picket line violence received more coverage than police violence
- Leading terms like "trouble-makers" and "pointless strike" were frequently used
- Management received more media access than strike leaders
- Camera positioning often showed police viewpoints rather than worker perspectives
The GUMG research demonstrates that news production involves values and assumptions from those creating content. This bias becomes particularly powerful because news appears objective, making audiences more likely to accept presented viewpoints as factual.
Social construction of news
Media sociologists agree that news is socially constructed, though they debate which factors matter most. Understanding these different theoretical approaches helps explain why news coverage varies across different media outlets.
Different theoretical perspectives
Pluralist vs. Marxist Perspectives
Pluralist view: Practical constraints have greater influence than ideological bias. Journalist values generally reflect common societal values rather than specific class interests.
Marxist perspective: Ideological influences are most important, with practical constraints inseparable from ideology. Journalistic values form part of the dominant ruling-class ideology that maintains existing power structures.
New media impact on news production
Digital technology has fundamentally transformed how news is selected, produced, and consumed. These changes have created new opportunities and challenges for both journalists and audiences.
Changed consumption patterns
- People spend less time reading traditional newspapers, preferring online browsing
- Editors select interesting, scandalous or unusual stories with eye-catching headlines
- Clickbait headlines make stories appear more dramatic to encourage engagement
Interactive news environment
- Audiences comment on news stories via online platforms, email and social media
- This interactivity appeals to editors who may select stories that generate strong responses
- Audience engagement becomes part of story selection criteria
Citizen journalism emergence
The widespread use of smartphones with cameras and internet access enables ordinary people to document and share newsworthy events. Bowman and Willis (2003) described this as citizen journalism - public participation in news reporting.
Social Media and Citizen Journalism
Social media platforms like Twitter facilitate citizen journalism through:
- Hashtags that collect content on single subjects
- Immediate sharing of photos and comments from events
- Direct involvement of individuals in developing stories
Reliability Concerns with Citizen Journalism
However, citizen journalism can be unreliable as individuals may present rumours as fact or misinterpret events they witness. This creates new challenges for news verification and accuracy.
News website proliferation
Hundreds of news websites allow audiences to compare and contrast story presentations. Some stories receive coverage across multiple sites, while others appear only through press releases from news agencies.
Professional assumptions about audiences
Yvonne Jewkes (2004) argued that news content reflects how journalists construct stories based on assumptions about audience preferences. These assumptions significantly shape the final news product that reaches the public.
Media professionals make several key assumptions:
- They frame stories to appeal to their perceived audience
- They adopt specific tones and use strong images focusing on particular story elements
- They judge whether stories serve the public interest, though this often reflects what benefits the government rather than genuine public need
External influences on news content
News production doesn't occur in isolation - various external forces shape what stories are covered and how they are presented.
Advertiser influence
Commercial Pressures on Editorial Decisions
Herman and Chomsky (1988) noted that media outlets are profit-seeking and often rely on government and corporations for content. These relationships create potential conflicts of interest.
Edwards and Cromwell (2006) found that some advertisers avoided appearing alongside Iraq War coverage (2003-2011), leading to suppression of controversial images in favour of less serious content to maintain advertising revenue.
Media outlets may also omit criticism of UK government actions. The researchers noted that media blamed negative impacts of the Iraq war on those in power in Iraq rather than examining British involvement.
Government influence and press regulation
Media professionals operate within a self-regulated system through the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), but must still obey legal restrictions including:
- Contempt of court laws preventing publication of material that might damage court cases
- Libel laws stopping publication of false information
The Leveson Inquiry (2011-12)
Case Study: The Leveson Inquiry
This inquiry emerged after revelations that journalists from The News of the World had been hacking mobile phones of people connected to major news stories.
Key findings:
- The inquiry examined whether press self-regulation through bodies like the PCC was adequate
- Recommendation: Replace the PCC with a body having legal backing to make press self-regulation more effective
- No recommendation for direct government regulation of the press
Ongoing press freedom debate
The freedom of the press debate involves competing perspectives about the appropriate balance between press freedom and accountability:
Arguments for press freedom:
- Press has a duty to hold powerful people accountable
- Government regulation would limit the press's ability to fulfil this role
Arguments for regulation:
- Paul Hodkinson (2012) argued that press claims to represent "the people" against power are false
- The Leveson Inquiry revealed press cooperation with government and police that may not serve public interest
Key Points to Remember:
- News is not objective - it's a social product shaped by practical constraints including time, budget, technical limitations and competition
- News values (both bureaucratic and cultural) guide journalist decisions about what stories to cover and how to present them
- Agenda-setting and gate-keeping demonstrate how media professionals control what becomes news and how it's presented
- The GUMG study provided evidence of systematic bias in news coverage, particularly regarding industrial disputes
- New media and citizen journalism have changed how news is produced, consumed and shared, though reliability remains a concern
- External pressures from advertisers and government can influence news content, raising questions about editorial independence