1. About the News we Trust on Television

2.  A successful television news item is _____, and is usually _____, ______, and _______. News reports are seldom longer than ____ and a 15 minute news broadcast of about _____ stories is presented in about _____words.

3.  A successful television news item is brief, and is usually compelling, dramatic, and moralistic. News reports are kept as short as possible (seldom longer than 30 seconds) and a 15 minute news broadcast of about 25 stories is presented in about 1800 words.

4.  Television has become the medium of communication which provides us with the main source of information about the world. With the power of the camera, TV news provides a dramatic sense in news coverage. It can influence our attitude about important issues.

5.  What are the advantages and disadvantages of television as a news source?  How much of TV news is intended as entertainment?  How much is the function of a news anchor person to entertain?

6.  the lead story and its topic  the number of stories in the newscast  the average length of a story  the subject matter of each story  the number of international stories  the number of national stories  the number of local stories  the order of the stories  the number of commercials  the time devoted to sports  the time devoted to weather  the age, gender, race, and tone of the newscaster  the intended audience demographics  the language used to describe events