How Language Influences News - Essay Example

How language influences news Introduction News refers to a report of investigations that seek to inform an audience on occurrences around the world. News is therefore s systematically structured report that seeks to communicate specific features of an event to a particular public. The definition of news thus makes the use of language vital in the composition and presentation of news. The choice of language and its presentation enhances the effectiveness of news since this does not only help identify he audience but also enhances the consumption of the news (Harcup, 2009). News targets the public indiscriminate of the various factors of stratification such as age and level of both education and experience in different fields. This implies that the language employed by the journalists must enhance the understanding of the news. Among the basic objectives of journalists is to inform the public. The communication technique journalists adopt in this context is direct and simple as they use direct quotes and simple grammatical structures. Journalists deliberately minimize the use of jargons in a bid to enhance the public’s understanding of the news. As explained, language helps define the target audience, the level of technicality in language siphons particular individuals from the public who comprehend the type of language used by a media. This helps siphon the public thereby influencing the audience for each media. Different newspapers have audiences most of who identify with the type of language that the media uses in preparing its news. The combination of words that journalists use in presenting their news influences the consumption of the news contents by the audience. Among the key journalistic principles is objectivity a feature that commands that journalists provide a factual presentation of the events they cover. The selection and combination of words influences the level of objectivity in news presentation a feature that dictates that journalists consider various factors before using a word. Some words are sensational thereby portraying the either the journalist or particular media institutions as biased. Journalists strive to minimize sensationalism in news coverage as they strive to remain both objective and detailed as they present their news articles. Journalists must desist from taking sides while covering events. Language can easily portray one as biased despite the absence of such motives especially when covering such vital topics as terrorism. Currently, the missing Malaysian plane is a major international news with different groups of people exhibiting varied interests in the case. As an international news story, different media have covered the event with varied interests with journalists adopting varied angles in order to decipher the mystery. In order to sustain their audience, different media institutions adopt varied angles and provide the story with varied prominence thereby heightening the speculation surrounding the disappearance of the ship. Such an issue is a trivial occurrence that tests the journalistic skills journalists portray in the coverage of such events. The families of the victims of such events are worried and keep hoping for the best. Journalists must therefore exhibit humane attitude and use words that best present the situation in a manner that may not cause further harm to the families of the victims. Bloggers and gutter press have minimal ethics and therefore present the news anyhow; this should never be the case with established media institutions such as the BBC and CNN among many others. Despite such clear distinctions, the established media institutions contributed to the heightening speculation about the missing plane with numerous media claiming the incident was a terrorist attack among other possible myths. Other possible myths included the presence of the plane’s debris in far-flung waters like the Indian Ocean. Such unresolved issues contribute to the heightening speculation thereby creating a conducive environment for journalists to enhance the spread of rumors. On April 5th 2014 for example, China’s liberation newspaper stated that a search team aboard Haxian-01, a Chinese ship searching the missing plane picked up signals from the plane’s debris on the Indian Ocean. The search team could not however record the signal since it occurred suddenly. Other papers in China reported that the signal lasted fifteen minutes. The paper’s authority was an interview by one of the men who was on the ship. The English Sky on the other hand reported that the Malaysian government had confirmed that search team picked up signals from the debris. On its online version, the BBC wrote, “The search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has entered its most intensive phase yet as dozens of planes and ships continue to scour the southern Indian Ocean.” An in-depth analysis of the different reports by the numerous newspapers and television channels portray a difference in the use of language as the media strive to sustain their audience. Sources give authority to news reports. Journalists must always name their sources in order to validate the claims they present. Chinas Liberation newspaper for example uses the men in the search ship as its sources; the men have information owing to their unparalleled access to the information. However, presenting the information requires authorization by the government owing to the amount of public interest the case has drawn. The Sky attributes its information to the Malaysian government. While the two reports may both be factual, Sky’s account is more believable owing to the authority of the government who is the source of the news. The decision to use the report by the search men is populist and seeks to sensationalize the story. The report from the search team that has spent time in the ocean sounds interesting and therefore interests the public. However, the report from the government is more factual owing to the number of checks the government has and the structure governing the flow of information in governments. News must always invoke public interest. Public interest contributes to the newsworthiness of an occurrence. However, journalists must determine newsworthiness and distinct such from an issue that may interest the public. The Malaysian government responds to the public thereby addressing issues that are of public interest, the search team on the other hand issues sensational reports without the official authority of the government (Campbell, 2010). The lead paragraph by the BBC above portrays a systematic use of language as the reporters and editors select their language strategically with the view of communicating the gist of their message as quick as possible. The article portrays the size of the search party as a way of depicting the intensity it describes later. The news story is descriptive as the reports strive to create a mental image of the search process in the minds of the audience as a way of enhancing conceptualization of the message. Unlike televisions that display videos, newspapers rely on the descriptive nature of their reports in enhancing conceptualization of the stories. Newspaper reports often provide still images of the action but their ability to depict the action relies on the ability of the reporters to describe the action. This explains the descriptive nature of the above report in which the reporter uses words that does not only depict the action but also describes the intensity of the action. Language is the medium of communication used by journalist. The inverted pyramid, which is a major concept in news development and reporting dictates that journalists report their news in the order of descending importance, the technique dictates that journalists place as much vital information within the first few paragraphs (Kristina, 2002). Such requires effective use of language in order to present the facts effectively in an unbiased manner. Additionally, the selection and combination of words in the construction of news reports must portray objectivity in the manner of reporting. However, the size of the audience relies on the manner of presentation a feature that motivates some journalist to sensationalize their reporting as has been the case in the reporting of the missing Malaysian plane by different local and international media. Unknown to such journalists, sensationalizing a news story does not only eliminate objectivity but it also perpetuates different stereotypes. Among the prominent sensational reports about the plane reported by different media, include the claim that the pilot was a terrorist and the entire disappearance of the plane was an act of terrorism. Such nonfactual stories portray the weaknesses in the security apparatus in numerous countries within the eastern bloc. The pilot had worked with airplane for years and neither the company nor the government could determine that he was a terrorist. Additionally, the systematic operation of terrorist in Kuala Lumpur and the entire Eastern bloc portrays their unpreparedness (Maniam, 2009). Such sensationalized coverage of events has severe effects on the economy of such countries since they affect trade and portray the countries poorly. It thus becomes vital that the media investigate their news sources and desist from the temptation of sensationalizing their stories. Objectivity as a journalistic principal dictates that journalists maintain fairness and consider the effects of their reports before disseminating them (Scannell, 1991). The principle guides the process of developing a story thereby validating the existence of several gatekeepers in the form of editors who should influence the composition of stories in order to safeguard the integrity of news reports. References Campbell, W. J. (2010). Getting It Wrong: Ten of the Greatest Misreported Stories in American Journalism, Berkeley : University of California Press. Harcup, T. (2009). Journalism: Principles and Practice. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications. Kristina, B. (2002). Into the Buzzsaw. Leading Journalists expose The Myth of a Free Press. New York: Prometheus Books. Maniam, V. S. (2009). A Life in Journalism. New York: Yes Dee Publishing Pvt Ltd. Scannell, P. (ed). (1991). Broadcast Talk. New York: Sage Publications. Read More