Representation and bias

1) Whose perspective have Sky News used to present the story? (Clue: it’s in the opening line)
Sky News used the police's angle, perspective and point of view to present the story.


2) How are the police represented in this coverage?
The police are represented as innocent officers and are presented to make it seem like they were people who were trying to help the local citizens. 

3) How are young people represented in this coverage?
Young people are presented as a disgrace because they are shown to be causing havoc to the area.
 
4) What images and videos are selected by Sky News to accompany the story?
Sky News selected videos throwing petrol bombs at the police to back up their point. This suggests that young people at the time as inconciderate people who are causing harm to local surroundings and innocent residents.  Also, they showed videos of burning buses and buildings along with local shops being looted. 

5) What choice of words is used to present this news event?
The presenters used words such as "it appears" and "claim". This suggests that they are taking the police's side as they are trying to show that young people were 'looting' stores. This sets an bad image of young people.

6) What aspect of the story is chosen as the most important detail and included at the very beginning of the report?
Sky News think the the most important aspect of the story is that 8 police officers were hospitalised and injured due to the riots. 

7) How is narrative used to engage the audience with this news story?
Narrative is used in order presenting the story to keep the viewers engaged.

8) How can we apply Todorov’s equilibrium theory to this coverage?
This news story had an equilibrium and a disequilibrium however there is no new equilibrium as it does not show what is going to happen.

9) What examples of Propp’s character types can we find in this coverage? Are there heroes and villains?
The police officers are presented as heroes and young offenders are presented as villains.

10) How might citizen journalism have been used to provide a different angle on this story?
If citizen journalisim was used to present this story then this story would been less biased and would have both sides of view as there was only one point of view and that was the police's.

Planning a TV News running order

Planning a TV news running order: blog task

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

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

• Two prisoners convicted of armed robbery have escaped from Wormwood Scrubs prison in West London.
• 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 well-known politician has been named on Twitter as being investigated by police for fraud.
• David Cameron’s office has announced he will be visiting Washington next week to meet President Obama.
• 20 people were killed in 15 different road accidents over the previous weekend.

3) Use the Uses and Gratifications theory to explain why ONE of the stories appeals to the target audience for that programme.

Personal identity appeals to the target audience because the news stories involved could apply and effect us. We may be victims of what is going on. 
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 progammes are:

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

News stories available:

• 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.

4) Channel 4 News: The running order I have chosen is:

• 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.
• 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.
• Cheryl Cole has announced she is pregnant.

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

These stories fit the target audience for the programme I have chosen because they are international stories and are mainly broadsheet. 

Case study 5

Negativity

This is a obvious example of a 'negative' news story as it shows an example of a bad news story which is a couple of death's. This is proven through the tone of which they announce it. 

Closeness

This is a good example that it is close to home which was very important regarding people who live in the UK as a new baby born baby was added into the royal family and was named straight away.


Immediacy 



This is a good example of immediate news story as the General Election had a build up to the upcoming Election. This is a good example because national viewers would want to be kept informed and up to date as some changes could also affect their daily lives.


Simplicity 

 Even though this is a very sad story, it is quite easy to follow as the main headline was 'tragic earthquake in Nepal'. Thia is fairly simple to understand and to follow on.

Uniqueness

This is unique because this news story is very unusual and something you wouldn't expect. This is what makes news as it is strange and unexpected. Also, Prince Harry didn't expect or predict that to happen.

Case study 4

Newsround

1) Newsround doesn't use the key conventions of TV news as they don't present their sports story last, they present it at the beginning with the serious stories.

2) The presenters of Newsround are Jenny Lawrence, Hayley Hassall, Martin Dougan and Sonali Shah. Newsround has a variety of presenters so that they don't get told that they are only employing one race and one gender of presenters. They are trying to have a variety of ages, races and both male and female to widen their viewing figures. 

3) John Craven was the original presenter however he died.

4) The studio is quite colourful and the presenter sits on a sofa while presenting news which shows that the programme is quite informal and friendly unlike BBC News which is formal and traditional news. Technology like an iPad is used in the programme to read the news from. The presenter has a laptop and iPad in front of them most of the time.

5) The opening sequence to Newsround fits the key conventions of TV news because it has graphics and lasts around 3 to 5 seconds.

6) Newsround typically presents a news story with the presenter to the camera and then shows clips of the news story that it is presenting. It has many graphics and makes the story clear and understandable.

7) The target audience for Newsround is 8 to 15 year olds.

8) There is an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme by visiting the website and sending in their views. Young people are always featuring in the programme. For example, they were interviewed about what they thought about Scotland becoming and independent country. They were also given the chance to interview a labour party politician. This indicates that the programme's target audience is young children as they could have chosen adults to be interviewed or ask questions however they used children which indicates that the audience is supposed to be a young audience.

9) The royal baby is first story covered which explains why the baby was called 'Charlotte Elizabeth Diana'. The second story was a positive representation of the migrants in the sea trying to find a safe place to live. The third story was a story about what children thought about Scotland becoming an independent country. The fourth story was a sports story. The fifth story was of young children interviewing a labour party politician.

BBC Three 60 second news

1) BBC 60 second news does not use key conventions of TV news as it is completely the opposite of a normal TV news programme. It's news is presented on two graphic and animated iPad's. They do not have TV news packages and they present their news stories really fast. They have words written on the bottom of the screen that go really fast and are written informally when telling serious news.

2) The main presenter is Sam Naz. Previous presenters include Tasmin Lucia-Khan, Andy May, Matt Cooke, James Dagwell and Claudia-Liza Armah. Their ages vary and they are dressed formally.

3) No.

4) The studio is not brightly coloured however the presenter wears formal clothing and presents the news formally but once the screen changes to two iPad's, which the news is presented on, the news and everything that is presented becomes informal. Graphics are used in the presentation of the news throughout the whole programme as there are many things shown on the screen at once.

5) The opening 30 seconds of 60 seconds news do not fit TV news' key conventions. The first 3 seconds are the graphics and 4 after that are of the presenter presenting the news.

6) BBC 60 Second News typically presents a news story with graphics, animations and images.

7) The target for 60 second news is mainly a young audience of 12-20.

8) People can get involved with the channel by sending in their views and news stories. They can visit their website to find out more.

9) The stories that they cover are about the elections and the royal baby.

Case study 3

Testing what you've learned...

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

One angle would be national and an example for this would be the elections and the different parties all around the UK.

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

The difference between tabloid and broadsheet is tabloid is a bit of fun so not so serious where as broadsheet in much more serious.

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

Sky News would be an example in some aspects.

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

BBC News would be an example for this.

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

International is world news.

National news is UK based news.

Regional is based in London, Yorkshire, Scotland ect.

Local would be West London, Leeds, Edinburgh ect.

Answer the questions on the election coverage clips...

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

National because it is done in the UK.

2) What angle does the report take on the story?
It is more broadsheet due to the fact that it is taken in a much more serious tone and formal representation.

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

Broadsheet as the news stories are cobered in a much serious and formal way.

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

18+ because you have to be that age or over in order to vote therefore it would only attract people over the 

age of 18.

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 a national news story as it is politics and they ae only talking about changes to the UK.

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

It is not balanced and its from an government angle.

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

Tabloid.

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

The class AB,25-45 year old's,Managers and professionals.

STV (Scottish) coverage of the election story. 

1) 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.

2) 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.
3) 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. 
4) 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 news story.

1) 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.
2) What angle does the report take on the story?
To begin 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.

3) 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.

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

18-80 UK audience as it would appeal to them because they have to vote.

Case study 2

BBC News At Six

Basic details

What do the letters BBC stand for?

British Broadcasting Corporation.

How is the BBC funded?

The BBC are funded by the licence fee that is paid by the public.

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

To 'Inform, Educate and Entertain'. 

What is BBC1's programme remit? 

To be the BBC's most popular and attractive channel with high viewing figures. 

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

It attracts high viewing figures.

Presenters

Who are the presenters of BBC News At Six? 

Fiona Bruce, Sophie Raworth and George Alagiah. 

What are the presenters wearing? What does this communicate to the audience? 

The presenters are looking sharp and formal as they are wearing smart clothing e.g. suit and tie. However, sometimes the presenters lose the tie. This method could be used to communicate and attract a younger audience with the atmosphere that they are remaining casual as BBC News At Six is watched by families.

Why might a TV news programme use a variety of presenters? 

They may use multiple presenters because each individual has a specific role to abide while presenting and they have different personalities or race so the audience is more likely to relate to the presenters, which will attract a wider audience and will boost their viewing figures. 

How are the other reporters or presenters used in the TV news programme?

There are different reporter/presenters that have different roles. Some may be at the scene of crime or a specialist that interviews people e.g. the public or people in the parliment. 

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

I disagree, there are more female presenters. This may attract a wider female audience as females are more likey to relate to the presenters. The majority of male audience may not feel involved if no male reporters/presenters are involved in the show. 

Opening sequence 

What is the very first shot? 

The first shot is the presenter towards the camera. 

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

They use graphics to show statistics to notify the audience of how large the story is e.g. Tesco has lost £6.4 Billion. 

How is music used in the opening sequence?

The drums are played every time they introduce a new topic/breaking news in the opening sequence. 

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? 

The audience is informed briefly about what breaking news stories they have to offer and explain them in more depth later on in the show, based on most important to least important.  

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 the presenter talking to the camera about the news headline. They have animations giving more information with the presenter talking over the animation. Interviews with people or members of the public. 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.)

Presenter talking to the camera, reporter at a different location, interviews with people or members of the public, 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 £6.4 loss

How long does the top story last for?
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’).

Tesco's loss

Migrants

On-line Paedophiles

The Hacker in America

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.
The target audience is mainly families.

What are the viewing figures for BBC News at Six?
4 million viewers.

Why might someone choose to watch this TV news programme over others?
Someone might choose to watch this TV News programme over others because it is more traditional news and has been running sucsessfully for many years therefore it is trustworthy and reliable.

Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or comment?
What audience pleasures (Uses and Gratifications theory – Blumler and Katz) does the programme offer?
There is an opportunity for the audience to get involved with the TV News programme as it has a website people can visit and they also provide you with email services to keep you updated.


Institution

What other news programmes and services does the BBC offer in addition to the BBC News at Six?
BBC offers BBC News at One, BBC News at Ten, CBBC and Cbeebies.

What role does Ofcom have in making sure TV News is fair and accurate?
Ofcom has a set or rules which is called the broadcasting code and they make sure the TV news is fair and accurate by letting viewers contact for complains about what they have seen so Ofcom can review it.

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'?
I agree with this statement because in one of their shows the showed a down arow on a animated receipt when it clearly said decrease beside it.


Tv News and New/Digital media 

Does the TV News programme have a dedicated website?
It has a website named BBC News.

What does the website offer viewers?
It offers a chance for visiters to get involved with new by sending them emails and the audience can send photos and videos to them.

Does the TV News programme have a Twitter feed?
Yes.

How does the Twitter feed promote the programme?
The Twitter feed promotes the programme by tweeting what is going on for it to then go on to be shown when the next programme airs.

Is there an opportunity for the audience to get involved in the programme or submit news stories?
Yes, the audience can get involved in the programme and submit news stories.

Case study 1

Channel 4 

1. Channel 4 news is on 7 pm to 7:55 pm, Monday to Friday.
2. The programme was first broadcast on 2 November 1982.
3. The list of awards Channel 4 have been awarded are: International Emmy Award for news, British Academy television for best news coverage and British academy television for best current affairs journalism.
4. Channel 4 is produced by tax papers and the government.

Presenters 

1. The presenters of Channel 4 are: Jon Snow, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Cathy Newman and Matt Frei.
2. The presenters are looking sharp, smart and formal however they are wearing quite bright colours This communicates with the audience as they would think that it's not too formal which can make it boring to watch.
3. They may use a variety of presenters to show equality for gender and ethnicity.
4. They communicate through the microphone through multiple platforms and they are used to represent a different cultural news stories.
5. There is a use of male as well as female presenters which represents equality to a minority group such as woman which are not always treated fairly. Different ethical presenters are used to present different races which show a wide range of cultures. This may attract wider audiences of different cultures as they would feel more involved. 

Opening Scene 

1. Channel 4 logo. 
2. There is a animation of channel 4 news logo changing to show new stories that will appear later on during thee programme. 
3. The music in the opening sequence is used to familiarise people that channel 4 news is on as they would have probably heard it a lot. 
4. In the opening, they preview their upcoming news stories from most important at the start to least important at the end. They summarise the news briefly informing us about what current affairs have been occurring. 

Studio mise-en-scene

1. Viewers will see some of what's behind the scenes with some of the lighting and tech that is currently being used. The surroundings of the studio is covered with the purple colour scheme making it consistent throughout. There is also the desk which is present and towards the centre of the studio as well as the screen at near the desk.

2. The graphics are used to make the opening and transitions more visually appealing. It is also used to make some of the piece to camera sections in the programme look better as it could signify that the news is on the move. 

3. The technology is visible during the introduction  of the programme to show that this programme uses state of the art equipment to bring the news to their viewers or to show technological supremacy. The journalists are also visible which can suggest to a viewer that the topic is about to be discussed in detail.

4. The studio uses colour consistently with purple being the main colour that they are recognized with. Even for subheadings, purple is the main colour used throughout.

How news stories are presented

1. News programmes typically present the story with the presenter introducing the story to the audience by giving a brief summary as to what is happening. the piece to camera will soon transition to either an interview or some footage with a voice-over describing the scenario. And it goes on to show different views on the situation that is at hand. And it finally transitions to the presenter where it then changes story.

2. The varied techniques that they use by having the reporter on location to suggest to an audience that their source is coming out new. 

3. The type of news to typically appear would be politics, international, controversial e.g. Habbo, sport, and business related news.

4. In the intro of their show, they give a brief summary of Tesco's loss that could attract the audience to watch the rest. Also, a summary for the "feared death of 700 migrants" by just giving a small sentence and proceed on ton the show.

Running order

1. The top story is Tesco losing £6.5 billion

2. The story lasts for about 5 minutes

3. The other stories involve the food bank problem, migrants and the Mediterranean sea, the elections, and an interview with Robert Downey Jr about Age of Ultron.

4. Tesco: 5 mins, Mediterranean: 10 mins, Wall Street: 2 mins Elections: 15 mins, RDJ: 7 mins

5. I think that the Elections have the most time since it's an important topic that many are affected by.

Audience

1. The target audience is young adults at 16+

2. people may choose to watch Channel 4 as it challenges controversy as well as look modernized for a younger audience to enjoy.

3. There doesn't look to be any form of interaction during the programme

4. The programme successfully does surveillance for the uses and gratification theory so people are informed about what's happening.

Institution

1. Ofcom owns Channel 4 News and regulates what is happening to ensure that no one is offended.

2. Ofcom also has ITV and Channel 5 News.

3. The programme fits by having a select time and makes it unique so that Channel 4 News is different and makes a different viewing experience.

4. Ofcom checks to see that stories aren't biased but impartial by having two sides of the story.

TV News and New/Digital Media

1. Channel 4 News has a dedicated website with catch-up available.

2. It offers catch-up and clips from the show so that people can be informed of the news.

3. Channel 4 News has a twitter feed.

4. The Twitter page helps promotion by posting parts of the show  so that people maybe intrigued.

5. People cannot use twitter to get their stories on the programme.