Broadcasting: Concepts and Contexts Week 9 ‘NEWSWORTHINESS’

‘Newsworthiness’ News agenda is not random Agenda setting Prioritize some stories over others

Editors and journalists: -professional criteria used as benchmarks to determine a story’s newsworthiness -Stories not containing some of the traits deemed newsworthy will not appear on the news agenda -Not deemed as ‘newsworthy’

News Values Value judgments that editors and journalists make about: Public appeal of a story Public interest

Public appeal>>>celebrity/sensationalist/dramatic component Public interest>>> Chilcot Inquiry (2009- )

First study of news values and ‘newsworthiness’: Galtung and Ruge (1965/1973) Journal of International Peace Studies Focus: International News

Galtung and Ruge- 12 key factors that determined ‘newsworthiness’ of story including e.g. events more likely to be reported if: Unexpected Close to home Significant threshold in terms of dramatic impact Negative stories

Study re-evaluated by: Harcup and O’Neill (2001/2010) Stromback, Karlsson & Hopmann (2012) Jewkes (2011) – focus on crime news

Crime News (Jewkes 2011) 12 factors: Threshold Predictability Simplification Individualism>>human interest angle Risk Sex Celebrity/high status persons Proximity Violence/conflict Visual spectacle/graphic imagery Children Conservative ideology and political diversion

Increasing emphasis on the visual: James Bulger (1993) Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman (2002)

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (2007) The disappearance of Madeleine McCann (2007)

Jewkes (2011) “Newsworthy story par excellence’ (p.64) Why was this deemed a ‘newsworthy’ story?

Sarah Stillman (2007): ‘The Single White Girl Syndrome’

Bob Franklin (1997): ‘Newszak’ Sensation/Dramatic Celebrity Culture Trivia/Entertainment Threat to liberal democratic society

21 st Century : What constitutes ‘newsworthiness’ with advent of Internet and social media? Citizen Journalism