News Selection

1
Chapter 5

• News Selection

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• The news is what we say it is. Agree or
  disagree?
• News must be processed and distilled
• News judgment
• Blind Men and the Elephant
• Distinguish between stories that are serious and
  significant, essential, affect lives directly
  from those that are nice to know buy have little
  impact Stories that exist by themselves and
  stories that are manufactured. Examples?
• News judgment is affected by our background.
• Newsroom myopia pack journalism social
  isolation of news people.

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• Audience perspective
• News is a combination of meeting audience needs
  and wants. What does this mean? Development
  of infotainment.
• Crime coverage
• Television is driven by pictures violent crime
  provides good video white-collar crime is dull.
• People are concerned about crime .. heavy
  coverage affects public perception of crime.

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• Hard news vs. soft news
• Difference in hard news and soft news? Hard news
  is what people expect to see and hear soft news
  is optional. Examples?
• Lead stories
• What makes a story the lead story in a newscast?
  Affects or interests the most people in the
  audience.
• Always put most current developments at the top
  of the story.

5

• Line-up
• Should you group stories from most important to
  least important, from the start to the end of the
  newscast? Need strong lead stories for the start
  of each segment.
• Thematic blocking similar stories grouped
  together. Examples?
• End newscast or segments of newscast on a
  positive note why?

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• Content of Newscasts
• Stories to avoid?
• Minor crimes, fender-benders, suicides, minor
  court decisions, small fires. Exceptions?
• Spot News (?)
• Event that breaks out without warning.
• News doesnt change, only the names
• Use judgment. May be momentous, unusual in some
  way.