News values: notes

In 1965, media researchers Galtung & Ruge analysed news stories to find out what factors placed them at the top of the news agenda.

They came up with the following list of news values - a kind of scoring system to work out what might become news. A story which scores highly on each value is likely to be at the top of a TV news bulletin. Some of the news values they suggested include:

Negativity
Bad news - involving death, tragedy, natural disasters or political upheaval - is rated above 'positive' stories (royal weddings etc.)

Closeness to home
Audiences relate more to stories that are close to their home, or involve people from their country.

Immediacy
How recently did it happen? TV news is very competitive about breaking news – although it is now beaten by social media.

Simplicity
Simple stories are preferred by TV news.  Palestine is complicated, a plane crash is easy to follow.

Uniqueness
‘Dog bites man’ is not news. ‘Man bites dog’ is. Unusual stories make it into the news – especially if there is good video to go with it.

Elite nations or people
Stories that focus on important countries or people are likely to make the news. Obama and USA = news, Outer Mongolia not so much.


24 hour TV news

There are some critical differences between a regular news bulletin and 24 hour news:

• A bulletin contains carefully constructed ‘news packages’ and fully scripted presentation
• 24 hour TV news is perfect for live, breaking news as it happens
• 24 hour TV news is more dependent on dramatic pictures or video that will grab the audience and keep them watching

News values blog task

For each of the six news values we have learned, find a clip on YouTube from Sky News (24 hour news) and explain how it fits that news value. The Sky News YouTube channel is here.

Example:

Negativity

 
The Germanwings plane crash fits many of the news values but particularly negativity. Any major transport disaster that kills a large number of people is likely to become a huge news story. This is because it contains death, tragedy, dramatic images and also creates questions for the audience in terms of what went wrong and why the plane crashed.

Extension work

Use the Mediaknowall website to research the other news values that Galtung and Ruge came up with and find examples from Sky News for each of those.

News Values

Negativity 

This is a clear example of a 'negative' news story as it shows an example of a bad news story as it is an example of a couple of death's this is proven through the way in which they announce it. Besides the fact that the shooting was in Texas because it is big news it is a big news story










Closeness

This is a clear example that is close to home which was a very important news story regarding Great Britain as a new baby was introduced into the royal family and was named straight away which is a very  important story as it is based in the UK/England where many London citizens will be glad to see it. Also, due to the fact that it is situated in London and they had their baby in a hospital in London it makes it important news and big news.








Immediacy

This is a successful example of an 'immediate' news story as the General Election had made a huge build up of the General Election 2015 therefore any 'new' news that is announced is important and is counted as immediate news as most national viewers would want to be aware of what the government is doing and would want to be 'up-to-date' with the General election as it could also, affect the way in which the UK live their everyday lives.






Simplicity

Besides the fact that this is a sad story, it is easy to follow as the main headline for this story was a tragic earthquake in Nepal. This is a simple story due to a wide range of audiences know where Nepal is and know what an earthquake is therefore as the news presents small details as they unravel over the days in which aid and help is being given to Nepal everyone is capable to follow the story.






Uniqueness

This is a successful example of a 'unique' story as it peculiar for a random women in Australia to kiss the Prince of England, this is what strangely makes it news as no one would expect this to make news, however due to how unpredictable the story is makes it news. This was something that the member of the audience and also Prince Harry didn't predict or didn't almost expect to happen.

Planning a TV news running order: blog task

Name the TV news programme you created a running order for in this morning's lesson.
BBC News at six
List the five stories you chose and explain why you chose each one.

1. A passenger plane has gone missing whilst flying over the south pacific towards Australia. Four British people are believed to be on board.
2. Buckingham Palace has announced Prince Harry's engagement.
3. A women has been convicted of murdering her husband. He was a wealthy banker and she a stay-at-home mum.
4. An anti-austerity march against government cuts has been help in London today and was attended by 50,000 people. 
5. A well known politician has been named on Twitter as being investigated by police for fraud. 

Use the Uses and Gratifications theory to explain why ONE of the stories appeals to the target audience for that programme.
'A passenger plane has gone missing whilst flying over the south pacific towards Australia. Four British people are believed to be on board.' this is an example of uses and gratification: Blumer and Katz theory of surveillance as it is important news which should be informed to the audience of the British which is useful news.  
Now choose one of the other TV news programmes we have focused on and choose a five-story running order for that programme. The four TV news programmes are:

• Channel 4 News
• BBC News at Six
• BBC3 60 Second News
• BBC Newsround

The available stories are:

• A tweet by Miley Cyrus telling a fan to ‘get a life’ has started a ‘Twitter storm’.
• Israel has shelled a residential area of Gaza killing around 25 civilians.
• Gunfire has been reported on the streets of Moscow although no there are no details as yet regarding who has opened fire or why.
• A well-known politician has been named on Twitter as being investigated by police for fraud.
• Cheryl Cole has announced she is pregnant.
• David Cameron’s office has announced he will be visiting Washington next week to meet President Obama.
• An anti-austerity march against government cuts has been held in London today and was attended by 50,000 people. The protest was calm.
• A new series of BBC drama Sherlock achieved record viewing figures last night.
• Lady Gaga is in London and has been spotted jogging in Hyde Park.
• A woman has been convicted of murdering her husband. He was a wealthy banker and she a stay-at-home mum.
• Two prisoners convicted of armed robbery have escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison in West London.
• 20 people were killed in 15 different road accidents over the previous weekend.

The stories in which I would use for Channel 4 News from the list above are (in order):

1. A passenger plane has gone missing whilst flying over the south pacific towards Australia. Four British people are believed to be on board.
2. A women has been convicted of murdering her husband. He was a wealthy banker and she a stay-at-home mum.
3. Buckingham Palace has pronounced Prince Harry's engagement.
4. Israel has shelled a residential area killing around 25 civilians.
5. Two prisoners convicted of armed robbery have escaped from wormwood scrubs prison in West London.

5) Explain why those stories fit the target audience for the programme you have chosen.

These stories fit the target audience for the programme; Channel 4 News as the target audience for Channel 4 News is: 

• 18 - 45 years
• ABC1
• Educated
• Graduated
• More males than female 

Therefore, for example with the story of "Israel has shelled a residential area killing around 25 civilians." this would be a chosen story for Channel four news as it gives an educational approach as it is informing the public about what is also happening abroad and not only national news. Also, since the majority of the target audience is either educated or most likely to be graduates, it would be suitable as they will be aware and know about the technical language in which they would have to use in order to talk about what is happening in Gaza. Lastly, since the target audience age range is 18-45 it would be likely to talk about things in more death such as the killing in which the Israelis went through. 

Casestudy: BBC News

BBC Newsround

1) Watch yesterday's Newsround on BBC iPlayer (it's on the CBBC channel) plus the YouTube clips here:

 

 

How does Newsround use the key conventions of TV news?
Newsround uses the key conventions of:

• Music whilst they introduce the key headlines 
• The headlines are introduced before they go into detail on each one
• They have the presenter talking to the camera during the package
• They are not biased when introducing stories

Who are the presenters for BBC Newsround? 

Why do Newsround have a variety of presenters?
It is important to have a variety of presenters to appeal to a wider audience also, since BBC is a British broadcasting cooperation it is important to have a wide representation of the UK 

Are any other presenters or reporters used?

What does the studio look like? 
The studio is very futuristic as it has the colour scheme of: White, Blue, purple and pink which also appeals to a young audience as they are bright colours which would appeal MORE to a younger audience than an older audience.



How is technology used in programme?
Technology is used to show the detail of the news stories for example in a TV Bulletin about the UK Election 2015 they had an interview with a significant member of the Labour Party and the children who were interviewing the member all had tablets which influences the idea that they can get more information from online, also, after this interview was finished they had an animated tablet on the screen showing how the audience can get more information about the topic - UK Election 2015 - this was shown through an animated person using it which was shown on the screen.

Another way in which technology is used in the programme is when the presenter (__) announces a new headline the animated screen behind him shows a moving picture relating to the topic that was announced.

Lastly, the programme also uses technology of giving the website for the users to use for more information on the show: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround
What is the opening sequence to Newsround? 
The opening sequence to Newsround is of the presenter talking to the camera about the headlines (fast paced music in the background), this also contains short clips of footage of the related topic
Does it fit the key conventions of TV news?
This fits the key conventions of TV news as it starts of with the Presenter introducing himself to the camera (audience) which almost all TV News programmes start of with, then the presenter leads on to what the headlines of the day is and what s alos coming up.
How does Newsround typically present a news story? (E.g. presenter to camera, reporter on location, interviews, graphics, images, video etc.)
Newsround tend present a news by:

1. Presenter talking to camera 
2. Still image with presenter talking over it
3. Video footage 
4. Animated screen with more details on the 'tablet' 
5. Presenter in the studio

Who is the target audience for Newsround? You may want to research this online.
Target audience for newsround is:

• 6-12 year olds
• Girls and boys equally 
• Living in the UK

Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme? 

Do young people feature in the news programme at all?
Young people feature in the news programme quite often as they are the main target audience so they can understand and relate in some circumstances with the young people featured in the programme 
What news stories are covered in the broadcasts you have watched? List ALL the stories that are covered AND the order that they appear in. How long does each story appear for?
2nd February 2015 

1. Elderly disabled man was robbed outside of his home so a girl raised £280,000 to help him.
2.  Journalist freed after being in jail - friends still in prison
3. Important scroll that could 'unlock' hidden writing  

BBC3 60 Second News

1) Watch these YouTube clips of the BBC3 60 Second News:

 
 
How does the BBC3 60 Second News use the key conventions of TV news?
BBC3 60 second news uses key conventions of TV news as they talkk about news, they introduce the headlines and they have music in the background , however BBC3 60 second is very different to news such as 
Who are the presenters for the BBC3 60 Second News? What do you notice about their age and how they are dressed?
Sam Naz on weekdays and Ben Mundy on Fridays, 
Are any other presenters or reporters used?
There aren't another other presenters or reporters used during the show which is inefficient to some extent as you have the same presenter each time the show is aired which could get boring. 


What does the studio look like? 
The studio is completely animated which would appeal to a younger audience as they have loads of different things happening at the same time on the screen 




How is technology used in programme? How are graphics used in the presentation of the news?
Technology is used in this programme a lot as they repetitive have the banner across the bottom of the screen to go to "the BBC news app, the twitter page or the website" this is encouraging the audience to use technology aswell as using it themselves which is an effective way of using it.

6) What is the opening shot of the BBC3 60 Second News? 
The opening shot of the BBc3 60 second News is of the presenter introducing her/his name informally to the audience and the first news bulletin is introduced due to the fact that it is only 60 seconds long 
Does it fit the key conventions of TV news?
This doesn't completely fit the key conventions of TV News as usually TV news programmes tend to have an introduction of all the news headlines that they will talk about then have a short animation almost like the identity of the TV news programme, therefore this 60 second news is different to a lot of usual TV news and the way that they open their news programme. 
How does the BBC3 60 Second News typically present a news story? (E.g. presenter to camera, reporter on location, interviews, graphics, images, video etc.)
BBC3 60 second News typically present a news story by:

• Presenter talking to camera
• Two screens showing separate video footage 
• Presenter talking over the story

Who is the target audience for the BBC3 60 Second News? You may want to research this online. 

• 18-34 year olds
• UK based
• educated
• Voter 

Why does the BBC feature news on a predominantly entertainment-based channel?
BBc feature news on a 'predominantly entertainment-based channel as it has to fit their remit of -Educated, inform and entertain' and since their comedy based programmes are entertaining they need a short, snappy way of also informing and educating which has been very successful.
Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme? 
There isn't an oppurtunity for young people to get involved in the programme however they do announce a twitter page, a website and an app that young people can use to associate themselves with the programme.
Do young people feature in the news programme at all?
Young people themselves don't tend to feature in the news programme themselves however story's about them are featured for example on the 2nd February 2015, they introduced a story on whether or not the audience knew their 12 times table which  wwas relevant for young people as they are now meant to know their 12 times table by the age of 11 years old. 
What news stories are covered in the broadcasts you have watched? List ALL the stories that are covered AND the order that they appear in. How long does each story appear for?
Journalist who were held in prison for presenting false news 
The famous tennis player Djokavic 
Extension activities

1) Find as many episodes of both Newsround and the BBC3 60 Second News online and embed the videos in your blog.

2) List the stories that each broadcast covers and why these might appeal to the audience for these programmes.

3) Choose the three most memorable stories as examples that you can use in Task 1 in the exam. Why are they good examples that reflect that programme's style?

Casestory: Stories

What is the angle of a news story? Give an example to explain your answer.
An angle of a news story is the perspective that the news provider takes on a certain event. Changing the angle can significantly alter the way a news story is reported. 
For example, when the 2011 Riots were happening the news, especially BBC, reported this story against the teenagers but didnt include why they were doing such a thing which made the authority's look a lot better than they actually are as they didn't understand why they were doing it.
What is the difference between tabloid and broadsheet news coverage?
Difference between tabloid and broadsheet:
Tabloid: Less serious content, focusing instead on celebrities, sports and crime stories
Broadsheet: serious news; politics, economic, international news
What would be an example of a tabloid-style TV news programme?
ITV news as they have a less important sense to the programme as they include a large majority of humour and celebrity news for example when Kim Kardashian died her hair to blonde they had a discussion about it.
What would be an example of a broadsheet-style TV news programme?
Channel 4 news as they go into a lot of detail when it comes to important stories for example when the migrants drowned in the Mediterranean sea channel spent 14 minutes talking about it  
What is the difference between international, national, regional and local news coverage?
International: World News
National: UK- Wide news
Regional: London/ Yorkshire/ Scotland 
Local: West London / Leeds / Edinburgh 

BBC News election story - via YouTube

Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
This is a national news. I can tell this is national news because it is politics and has views about what David Cameron and Ed Miliband were going to do also, their election is affecting the whole of the UK regardless
What angle does the report take on the story?
In this news stories they have a strong angle towards what they will do for the UK. Besides this they give equal sides to the election as they show some of what David Cameron has to say and some of what Ed Miliband has to say which is important especially to BBC's regulations hat they have said they will follow. 
Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?
This news story is more Broadsheet as it is formal and has basic news to what a class of AB would understand due to the type of politics they are talking about. This is a very formal story 
What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?
The type of audience I would expect to watch this type of TV News programme is:
Professionals,
UK Citizens,
Class of AB
Sky News election story not available online - use your notes

Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
This is a national news story as it is polictics and they are only talking about changes for Britain. 
What angle does the report take on the story?
This story gives an angle of a more, conservative point of view as they show more of David Cameron's point of view
Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?
This is a more tabloid coverage of the story 
What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?
I would expect an audience of:
The class AB
25-45 year olds
Managers and professionals

STV (Scottish) coverage of the election story

Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
This is an international story as it is abased on what Scotland are going to do (mainly) but also what the mp's of London are going to do regarding the election also
What angle does the report take on the story?
The news provider, STV (scottish) are in more favour with Scotland's party and talk more about what they are going to do with the election and what they have to offer which is very biased especially considering that their TV news provider is Scottish therefore it doesn't give a fair coverage of all the different parties. However toward the end the did have a small mentioning about the conservative party and the labour party
Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?
This is a broadsheet-style coverage as there ar politics and a high level of formality however there are also aspects of a tabloid-style coverage for example there were selfies taken in the bulletin, David Cameron on his way to Buckingham palace but most importantly there were animations giving the dates in which there was something important done and said. 
What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?
I would expect a wide majority of Scottish audiences to watch this type of TV News programme, also, I would expect it to be family based due to the mixed language and animations making also younger viewers to understand also.
Channel 4 News coverage of the election story.

Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
This is an intentional and a national story as the MP's are making choices for certain things in the UK to change, also, UKIP leader announced Europe during this news Bulletin 
What angle does the report take on the story?
To ebgin with the story starts with the information and dialogue of what David Cameron had promised and done before the actual election had started which lasted two minutes and 11 seconds, this then lead to Labour's leader, Ed Milliband talking about what he wants witmembers of the public talking about the labour party and their views onto it - this story was mainly about the rivalry between David Cameron and Ed Miliband as they talk about the two for the rest of the 4 minutes.
Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?
This is a tabloid due to the humour and the animation at the end of the bulletin however due to the long interviews it could also be proven to be a broadsheet-style coverage 
What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?
The kind of audience this type of TV News programme expect to appeal to are:
18-45 year olds - as you can vote at that age 
UK citizens

BBC

Basic details
What do the letters BBC stand for?

British Broadcasting Cooperation
How is the BBC funded?

A conundrum in public service is how to ensure that a publically-funded broadcaster can remain independent from political control, 

What is the BBC's famous mission statement? (Clue: it's three words)

Inform, educate and entertain
What is BBC1's programme remit?

They have a remit to be the BBC's most popular channel and attract high viewing figures
How does the BBC News at Six fit into BBC1's remit?
Presenters
Who are the presenters of BBC News at Six?

Sophie Raworth and George Alagiah
What are the presenters wearing? What does this communicate to the audience?

The presenters of BBC News at 6pm wear smart casual clothes as Sophie Raworth wears dresses to show that she is smart but also casual to be presenting the news. George Alagiah wears a suit with a tie which shows that he is smart and intellectual enough to present the news and to show to the audience that he means business and that he is mature to present such important information to the members of the public
Why might a TV News programme use a variety of presenters?

The TV News programme might use a variety of presenters to make sure the viewers do not listen to just one presenter throughout the whole of the 28 Minutes which is good otherwise the audience will get bored of just listening to one voice to receive their news from
How are other reporters or presenters used in the TV news programme?

Other reporters/ presenters are used in the TV News Programme to present other news such as sports and celebrity news, also when they are doing a wider insight on news that are elsewhere from the studio they would use a presenter to show the location or show a different scenery than what the viewers are used to seeing.
Is there a balance between male and female presenters? What about race/ethnicity? What effect might these aspects have on an audience?

There is a balance between male and female presenters in this News Programme as they have one female and one male presenter that is always seen on the show which makes it easy and shows to the audience that they are a diverse company and programme. They are also equal regarding race and ethnicity as BBC News hasa variety of race and ethnicity's.

Opening sequence: Analyse the opening 2 minutes of the programme.
What is the very first shot?

The first shot is of Sophie R. sitting at her desk talking about the top story (on the 22nd April 2015 - the top story was Tesco's 6 and a half billion pound loss)
How does the opening sequence use graphics or images to grab the attention of the audience?

The opening sequence uses graphics and images to grab the attention as the animated screen is visible to the viewers which they can see the images and animated videos which gives more of an insight and a more entertaining aspect to what the presenter is talking about.How is music used in the opening sequence?

Music is used in the opening sequence, (tense music), to show when a news story is introduced which helps the audience know that it is a new topic. this happens throughout the whole of the programme which makes it more consistent
How are news stories introduced in the opening two minutes? Is there just one story or are the audience told what will be coming up later?

News stories are introduced in the opening two minutes to inform the audience what they will be talking about later on in the show which is convenient to the viewers so they stay watching until te story they are interested in comes on.


Studio mise-en-scene
What aspects of the studio can be seen by the audience?

The audience can see:
     - The workers at their computers - presumed to be collecting the news 

     - The camera's filming the presenter 

     - The presenter at the desk

     - The workers behind the desk through the glass screen

Are the presenters standing or behind desks? Why do you think this is?

During the opening sequence the presenters are sitting behind the desk whereas after the animation and the date appears on the screen the presenters are standing close to the animated screen which is convenient which makes the viewers see and hear what the presenters are talking about and can also see more information (important information)
Are journalists or technology visible? What might these things suggest to the audience?

Journalist are visible during the TV News programme, before the actual news headlines are mentioned, the journalist are shown through a crane shot of the studio, at their desk, this shows what they are always finishing new news for the viewers and that it is new and updated.How does the studio use colour?
The studio uses he colours, red and black.

How news stories are presented
How does the news programme typically present a story?
The news programme typically presents a story by:

1. The presenter talking to the camera about the news headline
2. They have animations giving more information with the presenter talking over the animation
3. Interviews with a significant person or members of the public
4. Back to the studio with the presenter

What different techniques does the programme use to present the news? (E.g. presenter to camera, reporter on location, interviews, graphics, images, video etc.)

1. Presenter talking to the camera
2. Reporter at a different location
3. Interviews with significant people or members of the public
4. Animations on the animated screen 

What types of news does the TV News programme typically cover? Give five examples (e.g. politics, international, sport etc.)
Political
International
Local (UK)
Sport
Celebrity 
Give two real examples of how news stories are presented to keep the interest of the audience.
The election
The migrants 

Running order: Watch the first 15 minutes of the programme – as recent as you can find.
What is the top story?
Tesco's £6.4bn lossHow long does the top story last for?
3/4 minutes
What are the other stories the programme does or will cover? List them in the order they are presented in (the ‘running order’).

1. Tesco's loss
2. Migrants
3. On-line Paedophiles
4. The Hacker in America
5. Election 2015

How long is each story shown for?
2/3 minutes each Why do you think each story was shown for the time it was?
The less importance the story has to the UK the less time BBC tends to spend on it 

Audience
What is the target audience for this BBC News at Six? Research online – you should be able to find plenty of suggestions to the target audience if not the official target audience of the programme.

• 16-35 Year olds
• Living in the UK
• Educated
• Class of AB

What are the viewing figures for BBC News at Six?
5.3 million views 
Why might someone choose to watch this TV news programme over others?
It is a famous TV News channel for tradition 
Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or comment?
Depending on the type of event there usually isn't an opportunity to get involved in the programme or comment 
What audience pleasures (Uses and Gratifications theory – Blumer and Katz) does the programme offer?

1. Diversion: shows entertainment as it gives the viewers something to watch
2. Personal Relationship: Due to the presenters way of talking to the camera many members of the audience could appeal to this
3. 
   

Institution
What other news programmes and services does the BBC offer in addition to the BBC News at Six?
BBC News at 10pm
What role does OFCOM have in making sure TV News is fair and accurate?
OFCOM makes sure that certain rules are not altered with as it shows that they cannot be showing anything that is explicit after 9pm if they do OFCOM have the right to sue them
The BBC has been accused of 'dumbing down' the News at Six. What does this mean? 
'Dumbing down' is an accusation the public has made when the BBC are framed for changing up the way in which they report news to suit their audience for example if they have unnecessary animations on the screen then they would use this as an example of 'dumbing down
Do you agree with the accusation that the news is 'dumbed down'?
I don't agree with the accusation that the news is 'dumbed down' as it still informs the public about what is happening in the world it just has a different approach to suit their target audience as their target audience is more wide now than before as they are appealing to a more young audience 


TV News and New/Digital Media
Does the TV News programme have a dedicated website?
Yes, it is very popular as it has a modern layout for the BBC News to give their news out not only on TV but on the go also via the internet
What does the website offer viewers?
The website offers viewers more of an insight to the news stories as they give more confidential detail and more of an insight.
Does the TV News programme have a Twitter feed?
Yes, where more discussions are made for a younger audience 
How does the Twitter feed promote the programme?
The twitter feed gives more of a discussion and gives more of a young 'vibe' to the show which could promote the programme to a younger audience.                                                                   
Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or submit news stories?
There isn't an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or submit news stories which doesn't appeal to a younger audience.