Representation and Bias

Representation and bias blog task

Watch this Sky News report from the London riots in 2011 and answer the questions below:

1) Whose perspective have Sky News used to present the story? (Clue: it’s in the opening line)

The Sky News have used a police perspective to present this story about the London Riots.They also mention that 8 policemen are in hospital which shows that they are not guilty and the young people have done all the bad.

2) How are the police represented in this coverage?

The police are represented as heroes ,this reinforces the stereotype about police being good and helpful.

3) How are young people represented in this coverage?

IN this News story,young people are represented as villains which reinforces the stereotype about young people being bad and aggressive.

4) What images and videos are selected by Sky News to accompany the story?

The videos that are selected by the Sky News are videos of the riot in which you could see young teenagers throwing petrol bombs as well as the policemen on horses.The is also a part where you can see the fire fighters trying to put out a fire.This is also a part where teenagers are throwing stones at the policemen and young teenagers stealing clothes as well as technology from shop. 

5) What choice of words is used to present this news event?
They didn't use many sophisticated words. However, they did repeat a few words such as 'young people'  which could suggest that young people played a massive role in the 2011 riots.

6) What aspect of the story is chosen as the most important detail and included at the very beginning of the report?

The most important detail of the story is that 8 policemen have been taken into hospital because they have been injured during the London Riots. 

7) How is narrative used to engage the audience with this news story?

Narrative is used to engage the audience because they use enigma codes as well as action codes to make the audience ask questions as of why it happened and why are young teenagers engaged in the riots.Also,it makes the audience wonder what the police are doing about it and how will they stop the riots.

8) How can we apply Todorov’s equilibrium theory to this coverage?
We can only apply one part of the Todorov's equilibrium because there is no balance at the beginning and there is nothing positive at the end of this coverage.The only thing that is shown in this coverage is the disequilibrium.

9) What examples of Propp’s character types can we find in this coverage? Are there heroes and villains?

The examples that we can find in this story is heroes who are the policemen trying to save the people and stop the riots.The villains that are in this story is the teenagers that are starting the riots and lighting things up.

10) How might citizen journalism have been used to provide a different angle on this story?

To provide a different angle to this story, citizen journalism clips of police officers attacking young people could have been used to make the young people look more vulnerable. They could also use citizen journalism to show that the police are to blame as well for the aggressiveness in the riots as well as for the violence and not only the young people.

TV News Index

 TV News case study 1: Channel 4 News

 TV News case study 2: BBC News at Six

 TV News case study 3: coverage of the General Election across different news programmes

TV News case study 4: independent case studies (BBC3 60 Second News and Newsround)

 News Values blog task

 TV News audience - creating a running order

 TV News representation - analysing Sky News coverage of the 2011 riots

News Values for Sky News

Negativity

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

The Three dead after Migrant Boat run aground fits many of the news values but particularly negativity. Any major transport disaster that causes death 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 happened and how was this accident caused.

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

This is related to closeness to home because it happened in London and this also makes this story national. This is because it contains Ed Miliband from the Labour Party that is in Uk.This is also important because it is to do with the 2015 elections that happened not long ago.

Immediacy

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

The 7/7 incident shows the value Immediacy. They had to change the text on screen after the police had gotten the idea of what had caused the explosion wrong. So this shows the emergency to show this kind of news to the public before the full facts were confirmed by the officials.

Simplicity

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

This story is very simple to put to the news.It will attract high viewing figures and can make an exclusive. The only way a full report can be give is that it has to be shown on TV news. Any incident that involves a crash with hundreds of people dying is easy to put on the news

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.

The Baltimore Mum disciplines Son for taking part in the Riots fits many of the news values but particularly Uniqueness. Any story that is unusual and has a good video with it ,is likely to become a huge news story. This is because people have not seen a story like that before and it will make the audience ask questions about the woman and why she did it.There is also an interview with the mother.

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.

This is an important country because other countries are trying to aid it because of the earthquake that took place there not long ago. Also this is important well as negative news because a lot of people are injured and some are even dead.

Planning a TV news running order

Planning a TV news running order

1) Name the TV news programme you created a running order for in this morning's lesson.

The TV News programme that I created the running order for was Newsround.

2) List the five stories you chose and explain why you chose each one.

The five stories that we have chosen to broadcast on Newsround were:

• Buckingham Palace has announced that Prince Harry got engaged.
• Cheryl Cole has announced that she is pregnant
•  A tweet by Miley Cyrus telling a fan to 'get a life' has started a 'Twitter storm'.
• Davis Cameron's office has announced he will be visiting Washington next week to meet President Obama.
• A passenger plane goes missing over the South Pacific Ocean while flying to Australia. There were 4 British People.

We have chosen these story because Newsround is mostly know for entertainment news and they are mostly positive.We also decided to include the plane that has gone missing because even though it is a sad story is also informs and educates the young people that are watching.

3) 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 4 British people that have been on board of the plane.

 

4) 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 TV News programme that I have chosen to focus on is Channel 4 News and the stories that I would put on the programme would be:

-Buckingham Palace has announced Prince Harrys engagement.

-A passenger plane goes missing over the South Pacific Ocean while flying to Australia. There were 4 people.

-Israel has shelled a residential area of Gaza killing 25 civilians.

-Two prisoners convicted of armed robbery have escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison in west London

-A woman has been convicted of murdering her husband.

 

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.

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

These stories fit the target audience well because most of the audience is middle aged people and they are also interested in stories outside the country ,this would be international news as well as national news.

BBC Newsround and BBC3 60 Second News Case Study.

BBC Newsround

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

2) How does Newsround use the key conventions of TV news?
The Newsround uses the key conventions of TV News by including animated graphics and also text on screen.

3) Who are the presenters for BBC Newsround? Why do Newsround have a variety of presenters?

The presenters that present for BBC Newsround are Martin Dougan ,Hayley Hassall ,Jenny Lawrence,Ayshah Tull. The reason why BBC Newsround and a variety of presenters is because they all have different skill and they all have different roles to do. 

4) Are any other presenters or reporters used?

Other reporters are used on different days.Also different presenters are used to interview different people for different stories and also this is because they want to show that even though you are different and are a different ethnicity ,they are still all equal.

5) What does the studio look like? How is technology used in programme?
The studio is more colourful compared to the BBC News at Six and it also has a similar colour scheme to the Channel 4 News.Also BBC Newsround includes more technology then any other News Programme.The BBC Newsround is less formal than the other News Programmes. 

6) What is the opening sequence to Newsround? Does it fit the key conventions of TV news?

The opening sequence is the introduction of the presenter and then a brief introduction of the news stories.Music is played as all the stories are shown.Then the main story is introduced.

7) How does Newsround typically present a news story? (E.g. presenter to camera, reporter on location, interviews, graphics, images, video etc.)
Newsround usually presents a story by having images and videos at the beginning and then presenter to camera talking about the story.They also sometimes include reporters on location which give more depth about the story.

8) Who is the target audience for Newsround? You may want to research this online.
The target audience for Newsround would be probably children and teenagers aged from 11-16 because it is less formal and the Newsround is there to educate the young audience.

9) Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme? Do young people feature in the news programme at all?

10) 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?

BBC3 60 Second News

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

2) 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 ,They also uses presenter to camera,also BBC3 60 second is very different to news

3) 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. They are dressed casually to show professionalism.

4) 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

5) What does the studio look like? How is technology used in programme? How are graphics used in the presentation of the news?
The studio looks very modern and they used technology because a tablet and a computer is used while the presenter presents.

6) What is the opening shot of the BBC3 60 Second News? Does it fit the key conventions of TV news?

The opening shot is the animated graphics showing the logo of the programme.

7) 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.)

They show images or video footage of a story and they ahve a voice over

8) Who is the target audience for the BBC3 60 Second News? You may want to research this online. Why does the BBC feature news on a predominantly entertainment-based channel?

The age group is 18-34.

9) Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme? Do young people feature in the news programme at all?

Yes, social media hashtags are shown as well as website links.

10) 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?

Officials know that the Alps plane crash pilots suffered from depression (6 secs)

Goodluck Jonathan is no longer president (10 secs)

Iran Nuclear talks extended (10 secs)

Woman gets reacist to 2 black men (9 secs)

Selfie shoes are shown (9 secs)

 

Case Study about the Election

Testing what you've learned...

1) What is the angle of a news story? Give an example to explain your answer.

The News angle 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,for international stories ,TV News programmes will often try to find a British angle or perspective. 

2) What is the difference between tabloid and broadsheet news coverage?

The tabloid news has a less serious content and it focuses on celebrities more.As well as sport and crime.However,the broadsheet news is more serious including politics,economics and international news.

3) What would be an example of a tabloid-style TV news programme?

An example of a tabloid style TV News programme would be Sky News because they use more graphics than other TV News programmes

4) What would be an example of a broadsheet-style TV news programme?

An example of a broadsheet style TV News programme would be BBC News because BBC is serious news and it includes politics and economics.

5) What is the difference between international, national, regional and local news coverage?

The International News are world news.
The National News are UK wide news
The Regional News are in main cities like London,Yorkshire and Scotland.
The Local News focus more inside the cities like West London,Leeds and Edinburgh.

Answer the questions on the election coverage clips...

BBC News election story - via YouTube

1) Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
This is National News as they look at all that the parties have to offer to all the general public.

2) What angle does the report take on the story?

The angle that this report takes on the story would be UK Government angle as well as UK in general.

3) Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?

This is more a broadsheet style coverage because BBC News is serious and it includes more news about politics and economics. 

4) What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?

The type of audience that you would expect to watch the BBC News programme would be mature adults and teenagers because this News programme is serious and it includes serious news.

Sky News election story not available online - use your notes

1) Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?

This is more regional news as they are only focusing on Politics that concern London. David Cameron visited the Queen which is in London

2) What angle does the report take on the story?
The angle that this report takes on the story would be a David Cameroon's angle and also the angle of this report is unbalanced because we only get an angle of the Conservatives and not the other parties.

3) Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?

This is more of a tabloid style coverage because Sky News includes animated graphics of the calendar and they also include a shot of Larry the cat that lives in 10 Downing Street.

4) What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?

The type of audience that would be expected to watch Sky News would be teenagers and young adults.The age range would be 16-40.I think his would be because Sky News is serious as well as casual.

STV (Scottish) coverage of the election story

1) Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?
This is a National story because they only focus on the Scottish parties and not any other parties.

2) What angle does the report take on the story?

The angle that this report takes on the story would be a Scottish angle because it focuses on the Scottish parties-Scottish Labour and SNP.

3) Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?

I think that this is more tabloid because they use animated graphics to present the news

4) What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?

The kind of audience that I would expect for this type of TV news would be adults aged25-50 because this is more about politics and teenagers aren't really interested in politics and also this story shows serious statistics which would attract older audience. 

Channel 4 News coverage of the election story.

1) Is this international, national, regional or local news? How can you tell?

I think that this is more of an national story because it only reports about locations that are in London.

2) What angle does the report take on the story?

This report has an equal angle on the story because it shows all the parties and they have an equal time to talk about the stuff that they want the people voting to know.

3) Is this more tabloid or broadsheet-style coverage?

I think that this is both because they show both side of the different parties but they also use animated graphics which shows that this could be tabloid news.

4) What kind of audience would you expect to watch this type of TV news programme? Why?
I would expect an audience of maybe 16-70 because they do use sophisticated language but it also applies to a younger audience because of animated graphics.

BBC Case Study

Basic details

What do the letters BBC stand for?

The letters BBC stand for British Broadcasting Corporation.

 How is the BBC funded?
The BBC is funded by the license fee that is paid by the public.

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

The BBC's famous mission statement is to inform, educate and entertain.

What is BBC1's programme remit?

The BBC1's programme remit is to be the most popular channel and to attract high viewing figures.

How does the BBC News at Six fit into BBC1's remit?

The BBC News at Six fits into the BBC1's remit because it attracts high viewing figures.

Presenters

Who are the presenters of BBC News at Six?

The presenters that present for the BBC News at 6 are Fiona Bruce,Sophie Raworth and George Alagiah which  is currently on leave.

What are the presenters wearing? What does this communicate to the audience?
The presenters usually wear smart close so that they look professional but sometimes they wear suits but with a tie, they do this so that they can look casual and attract younger audience.

Why might a TV News programme use a variety of presenters?
They use a variety of presenters because they each have a different role to play in presenting the news and they have a different personality or race so they might attract a wider audience as more people are likely to relate to the presenters

How are other reporters or presenters used in the TV news programme?
Different reporters are used in the programme, because they all have different roles as well as different skills. They all specialise in different things.

Is there a balance between male and female presenters? What about race/ethnicity? What effect might these aspects have on an audience?

No, there are more female presenters. This may attract a wider female audience as females are more likely able to relate to the presenters. The male presenters might not want to watch the news because they wont be able to relate.

Opening sequence

Analyse the opening 2 minutes of the programme.

What is the very first shot?

  Is a reporter summarising stories about the Nepal earthquake.

How does the opening sequence use graphics or images to grab the attention of the audience? 

The opening sequence graphics are of the world probably to show that they cover news from around the world. 

How is music used in the opening sequence? 

The music begins at the beginning of the graphics and fades into the beginning of the coverage of the first news headline.

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?

Most of the time is taken up by the top story however some information about the other stories that are to be shown are given.

Studio mise-en-scene

What aspects of the studio can be seen by the audience?
The cameras, microphone, lighting and the desks of people working in the background of the studio in the Establishing shot.

Are the presenters standing or behind desks? Why do you think this is?
The presenter is behind the desk at the start and then standing up when delivering some stories. This is because they use the screen behind the presenter to show statistics using the animated graphics.

Are journalists or technology visible? What might these things suggest to the audience?
The technology is visible in the Establishing shot which suggest to the audience that this is live and the news they are getting is new.

How does the studio use colour?
The studio use the BBC's news colours which is red and white. It is established throughout the studio.

How news stories are presented

How does the news programme typically present a story?
The news programme presents a story by slowly giving details. They use animated graphics to show statistics or other key details about a story.

What difference techniques does the programme use to present the news? (E.g. presenter to camera, reporter on location, interviews, graphics, images, video etc.)
They do use presenter to camera and also, reporter on location, interviews, animated graphics, images, videos and also use members of the public to give their views.

What types of news does the TV News programme typically cover? Give five examples (e.g. politics, international, sport etc.)
They cover: World/International, Business, Politics, Sport and Education.

Give two real examples of how news stories are presented to keep the interest of the audience.
During the story about Tesco and their losses BBC News at Six use an interview and stats at the start of the programme that last about 10 seconds and then show other stories. As this was the main headline it came first and they use an interview in short bursts throughout the whole story to create a timeline.

Also during the story about Syria using chemical weapons, BBC News at Si used interviews and also the Syrian's view about whats happening on their side. It shows that they are trying to stick to their remit and OFCOM'S expectations.

Running order

Watch the first 15 minutes of the programme – as recent as you can find.

What is the top story?
The main story is about an earthquake that happened in Nepal.

How long does the top story last for?
This story lasts for about 10 minutes.

What are the other stories the programme does or will cover? List them in the order they are presented in (the ‘running order’).
The other stories that are mentioned during the programme are:
The Assaults by Australian Nurse
General Election.

How long is each story shown for?
All of the stories where shown for about 5 minutes each.

Why do you think each story was shown for the time it was?

I think that those stories were shown for 5 minutes because they are not the main one which happened very recently.

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.

The BCC News at Six target audience is 13 years old to around 75 years old.

What are the viewing figures for BBC News at Six?

On average they have around 4 million viewers.

Why might someone choose to watch this TV news programme over others?

They us more modern methods to show/inform the public about the news. They use animated graphics to show statistics rather than bullet points.They also use presenters that wear casual clothes and for people who watch that type of news feel that they can relate to them as they might wear casual clothes in their life.

Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or comment?
The audience can comment and talk on the social media and website links that are shown in the bar on the bottom on the headlines and other news

What audience pleasures (Uses and Gratifications theory – Blumler and Katz) does the programme offer?

Out of the 4 theories, BBC News at Six have used: Surveillance and possibly personal identity.

Institution

What other news programmes and services does the BBC offer in addition to the BBC News at Six?

In their services the BBC owns channels such as: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBBC, CBeebies, BBC News, BBC Parliament, BBC Alba.

They also own BBC Red Button which is on all the BBC Channel. It's like their Teletext services that they used to own which was called Ceefax.

What role does OFCOM have in making sure TV News is fair and accurate?

The OFCOM makes a set of rules for every programme that is displayed on the television. For the News programme the rules are set in Section 5 in the Ofcom rules.

The BBC has been accused of 'dumbing down' the News at Six. What does this mean? Do you agree with the accusation that the news is 'dumbed down'?

'Dumbing Down' means using more modern methods of telling. showing the news e.g. using animated graphics to show statistics rather than using bullet points on a screen to show them with the presenter sitting down at a desk rather than standing holding an iPad.

I do agree that the BBC News at Six has dumbed down. But because this is a family show they use more modern methods to make it understandable.

TV News and Digital Media

Does the TV News programme have a dedicated website?

They do not have a dedicated website however they do have a link to their show on the main BBC News website and the link is here. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bksEHCdz7JY&list=PLrxXqHDadmdfsjqZ_TBNuMJMoIEqDuyDa&index=23 

What does the website offer viewers?

The website offers last night news for people who have missed it and it is available until midnight. Also it offers clips from the current news show.

Does the TV News programme have a Twitter feed? 

They do not own a twitter account however they use the main News Channel account which is @BBCNews.

How does the Twitter feed promote the programme? 

The twitter feed promotes the programme by showing clips of the news as well as different stories. Also they give news from the other programmes.

Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or submit news stories?

The is an opportunity for the audience to get involved by comment their opinions as well as their stories on twitter using hashtag @BBCNews.