News Selection and Presentation

Selection and presentation of news in sociology

Why study the selection and presentation of news in sociology?

Denis McQuail (1992) stated that news is socially constructed and is not an objective way of viewing current affairs. News is influenced by the selection made by media professionals (such as editors and journalists) and how they represent the selected event.

It follows that the content of news largely depends on the decisions made by media professionals, reflecting the biases of the creators. Events that do not get reported are not determined as 'newsworthy ' as they have little or no news value. The higher the news value, the more prominence will be given through media coverage.

Fig. 1 - Sociologists argue that news is presented based on newsworthiness.

News selection criteria

Not everything makes it onto the news - an event or story is reported if it is newsworthy. As such, networks often have strict news selection criteria. Let us consider a definition of newsworthiness:

The more news value a subject has, the more coverage it gains over a medium, for example, a newspaper or news program. In turn, this can help the medium attract more readers or television viewers.

Factors that determine 'news value' with examples

Spencer-Thomas (2008) noted that media professionals use news value(s) to determine whether a story is newsworthy. What may be newsworthy for one media platform may not be newsworthy for another; the readers and/or audience would be considered before reporting an event or story.

Galtung and Ruge (1965) suggested the following categories of news values that help determine an event's newsworthiness. We will go through each of these in turn.

Extraordinariness and news value

Extraordinariness is how unpredictable, unusual, or rare an event is. An event with an element of surprise is more likely to gain coverage than a routine event.

Threshold and news value

The bigger the event, the more media coverage it is likely to get.

Negativity and news value

News that is dramatic or causes agitation or excitement is generally considered more newsworthy than positive events. This is because it is more likely to grab the attention of larger audiences.

Unambiguous news and news value

The simpler and easier to grasp an event is, the more likely it is to be included in the news agenda over complex news stories.

Personalisation and news value

Personalisation is the breakdown of an event as occurring due to the actions of individuals. This is so the audiences may be able to identify with the event, which increases its newsworthiness.

Factors affecting news selection

Organisational or bureaucratic factors which affect news selection are logistical considerations that affect which news events are covered and which are limited.

Aside from the news value, other factors can influence the selection and presentation of news content. This includes the way the newspaper or television channel is organised.

Financial considerations of news

Financial considerations change the type of news companies produce. For example, investigative journalism and overseas reporting are considered expensive news-gathering processes.

As entertainment plays an increasingly important role in selecting news content, media platforms can provide 'infotainment' as it achieves larger audiences, which brings more advertising revenue and income.

Time considerations in news

The news content needs to be tailored to fit the time and space allotted in the magazine or newspaper article, or news channel.

According to neo-Marxists, time slots often limit the number of perspectives that can be given on a news item by restraining audience readability. This contributes to the biased news agenda.

News deadlines

For newspapers and magazines, the events reported usually happened the previous day. There is usually a daily or weekly publishing deadline (a cut-off point) by which a news story must be submitted. Otherwise, it cannot be included in the next release. This is less significant for television channels, as they can usually update news stories.

Immediacy and accuracy as news criteria

A news item is more likely to be included if it can receive live coverage and if famous or respected individuals can comment or offer sound bites on the subject.

Audiences of the news

The content of the news can be altered or changed to reflect the interests of its audience.

News content and writing style can also change depending on the audience's age group, for instance.

Journalistic ethics in the news

Ethics also constrain the type of new content and its process in reporting or presenting.

Objectivity of news

Aside from the practical aspects of news selection, sociologists also seek to examine the viewpoints that news represents - alongside the impacts that these representations can have on wider audiences. This calls into question the objectivity of news.

News agendas

News companies often depend on advertisers for revenue, so the news does not generally criticise the capitalist system - choosing to remain in its favour.

A large portion of news content is devoted to business and economics, where corporate experts and business professionals are positively represented. Newspapers include sections that favourably portray business interests and economic growth but rarely address issues regarding poverty or inequality, thus validating capitalist society.

Owners' influence over the news

According to Marxists, the content of news primarily reflects the views and interests of the elite and middle class. They believe that the owners play a role in shaping the content by setting company policies and influencing the news's nature and structure.

The owners deliberately first appoint senior professionals who share similar ideologies as them, as well as lower-ranking media professionals. The lower-ranking media professionals avoid publishing content that might annoy the seniors for fear of risking their jobs.

Hierarchy of credibility in the news

Stuart Hall argues that elite and high-ranking professionals like government officials, academic experts, CEOs and celebrities are often invited to express their views on news items rather than those who are 'ordinary' members of society. As a result, they become the 'primary definers' of the agenda.

Journalists consider the elite and people with higher positions in the professional world as more credible sources of authority than those belonging to the lower or working classes.

Social classes of news journalists

About half of journalists are from middle-class backgrounds and have been educated in private schools, which implies that these journalists identify with middle-class ‘establishment’ views.

Consequently, they prioritise middle-class issues and highlight them as general issues or opinions of the mass audience.

Churnalism and the news

Churnalism refers to a process where journalists over-rely on 'facts' without checking or doing independent research while producing news content.

These types of news are based on information, or sources churned out by government spin doctors, public relations consultants, and other experts.

Fig. 2 - Marxists believe elite and middle-class interests greatly impact news media.

News presentation example

If we want to turn to a sociological news presentation example, we might examine how that piece of news is biased. Let's take a look at moral panic theory.

The term 'moral panic' refers to an outburst or exaggerated public reaction to an issue related to the morality or behaviour of a particular group. Let us go through the study below to understand the theory better.

In 1972, Stanley Cohen, influenced by labelling theory, studied the fights that happened during one bank holiday in the UK between two youth subcultures: the Mods and the Rockers. His primary focus was on the media's response to that event.

According to Cohen, the media presented extremely exaggerated reports about the event. Cohen argued that the media's narrative featured the Mods and Rockers as folk devils, the target of exaggerated public outbursts and concerns.

This generated panic among the public. Cohen reported that the media created a story that increased public fear - a moral panic. The police then responded strictly to conflicts involving the future Mods and Rockers (such as arresting youths for deviant behaviour), causing further disputes.