Making News Communicating news information News reporting is

Making News

Communicating news information Ø News reporting is a genre with its own specific characteristics Ø Its characteristics have evolved owing to: ● The function of newspapers: i. e. reporting information on world facts and events ● The particular type of relation with the readership ● The limitations of the medium: q. Constraints of time (the need to deliver information fast), space on the page, etc.

Traditional roles in the newsroom Ø Chief reporter, journalist, subeditor and editor have rather fixed roles in news-making: ● The journalist writes the article ● The chief reporter revises and checks the article (for factual accuracy, language, etc. ) ● The subeditor and editor edit the article and make decisions on the article prominence, its layout, headline and photos/pictures, its allocation in the issue, etc.

How are journalism and journalists’ practices changing?

Factors affecting the media industry Ø Ø Ø Ownership Economic pressures Technological innovations Professionalization Quality of journalism Recent Changes due to: ● Mergers and acquisitions ● The Internet ● Digitalisation ● Increased media production

Media ownership Ø Global media organizations control the majority of newspapers worldwide: ● In Britain, 8 owners dominate the national press ● In the US, 8 companies control the majority of the media ● In the world, 6 multinational companies effectively control the leading media Ø ‘Alternative’ press, often with strong political, religious, ethnic affiliations Ø Ownership influences media content, political stance and editorial perspective

Economic Pressures Ø The need to make profits has a major impact on media production Ø Advertising is a major source of profit for newspapers, hence: ● The need to sell advertising space ● The need to keep sales and circulation high ● Meeting readers’ expectations is a way to keep sales and circulation high Ø Free papers and most Internet papers rely wholly on advertising to make profits

New Technology Some characteristics of new technology Ø Digitalization Ø Server-based production Ø Non-linear editing ● Faster production process ● Automation ● Products are publishable in multiple formats

Effects on journalism Ø Fewer journalists Ø Less investigative journalism ● The Internet is a news-gathering tool Ø Tighter production times Ø More editions during the day Ø More competition between different media (e. g. print and electronic)

Effects on journalistic practices Ø Multi-skilling: ● Editing, video journalism ● Multimedia Ø Time is still a constraint: ● Later deadlines but more tasks to perform ● Less time for analysis Ø More control over the final product: ● Fewer people involved Ø Audience feedback from interactive media

Changing audiences Ø Audiences are no longer passive consumers ● Interactivity allows audiences to voice their opinions ● Audiences contribute to creating news products (videos, pictures, blogs, etc. ) Ø Audiences have expectations about content and formats ● Better educated, informed readers Ø More sources of information available Ø Less loyalty to brands

A changing profession? Ø Journalists need to be versatile and be able to perform multiple activities ● Converging forms of news products (print, audio, television, or online) Ø Ø Increased workload Lack of specialisation Leading to better journalism or a threat to the profession?