The Dissemination of News - Essay Example

Introduction The dissemination of news has been helpful to us in more ways than we could ever imagine. News keeps us well-informed of the happenings around our community and the world. With all the different kind of stories we hear and watch each day, it is probably the primary bringer of knowledge, hope, joy, sadness, and fear into our lives. The information that we get everyday from newspapers, television, radio, and the internet has become so much a part of ourselves that we can’t imagine going through the next day, week, or month without getting anything newsworthy from these medium of communication. What exactly is news? What is it about news that makes it an integral part of us? What is there in the words we hear and read that make us feel equal with almost every great leader and genius out there? Learning something from the news we hear and having the ability to discuss it with anyone make us feel as if we have become an important part of the world. And we are. This is the reason why we feel connected with almost every person, regardless of the color of our skin and the language of our tongue. With the ever-growing presence of technologies developed each day, there’s no reason for us to feel alone whenever something happens to us, may it be victory or tragedy, because we know that some people from the next town or halfway around the world share our feelings. A good story answers those questions above and contains all the elements therein to create and report complete and accurate news. And while there’s good news, there’s also the bad news, those that were badly written and reported. No reporter, writer, editor, and publisher can escape the production of bad news but there are always ways to avoid mistakes and errors. Defining and creating news There is a big definition of news out there that we can’t simply put them all in one complete line. In defining news, we have to consider the presence of all the elements in it that makes news. Otherwise, we could end up having something new and uncommon but doesn’t really make us care about it. It was like eating an unusual type of fruit for the very first time but the moment we try to make something big out of it, we realized nobody even bothered to care. That is not news at all. There are a number of elements to remember before we start writing about a person, an event, or a place. According to Parks (2006), these will serve as the guiding values when we write and present news stories. Anything that happened yesterday, this morning, or an hour ago tends to attract more attention than the events last year or the year before that. Timeliness is a key. We should give the reader or the listener something that happened now, or is still fresh enough to be considered as now. The fresher the news, the worthier it is for the people. It is also important to consider the proximity of the story that takes place to the people who are more likely to hear that news. A crime in a small community may be heard all over the world, but the local residents and neighboring towns or cities feel its impact more. Nothing draws the attention of the people more than a tragedy or a victory that happened nearby. And speaking of impact, this is where we asked ourselves, “how many people were affected?” Let’s take again the unusual fruit as an example. The experience of eating it alone for the first time is something big for ourselves, but not newsworthy at all. But the moment it poisoned a group of children who were innocently attracted to its bright color and beautiful texture, it becomes news. There’s a greater impact this time that called for an in-depth study and research by scientists and medical experts as to the origin, identity, and elements of the fruit. The prominence of a person should also be considered as well. It’s like comparing a corruption committed by a local banker and the town mayor. The mayor is more prominent, more popular, and more visible in the public eye. People are more intrigued and more affected by his crime so they are drawn to learning everything they could about him. And no matter how hard we try to protect ourselves from having a close encounter with a calamity or a tragedy, we cannot deny the fact that bad news intrigues us and probably sticks to our brains for a long period of time. This is the conflict of the story. It is simply a sad and interesting fact of life that for as long as everything is fine and good in the world, there’s nothing much to talk about and capture our attention. After getting familiar with the elements and values that make up news, it’s time to remind ourselves the importance of the five W’s and the H. To answer the basic questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how could be the first thing to put everything together in words, or in paragraphs (How to write a news story, n.d.). The information that we need as to who was involved, what was it all about, where did it happen, when did it happen, why is important, and how did it take place will be a guide to write and present a story orderly and clearly. Not only that. In every question, there must be a dozen questions lined up for a follow-up. We simply cannot stop on “who was involved?” or “what happened?” There must be: Who was the victim? Who was the suspect? Or the witness. What provoked the suspect to kill his boss? Why did the boss decide to stay up late in work that night? How did the security guard happen to be walking on the same corridor where the crime took place? All the questions and answers are the responsibility of the writer before presenting a news story to an editor. The standard presentation of news follows the inverted pyramid style. This is the news writing technique which puts the most important information on top, called the lead, and everything else follows from there. Editors have the tendency to reduce the size of a story, so the important thing any journalist should remember is that the first paragraph must answer the basic questions in a most direct and complete way as possible... The first paragraph or at least the upper part of the story should be informative enough to satisfy any reader who no longer has the time and effort to read the rest of the story. In an article written by Scanlan (2003), he cited another structure of news writing called the hourglass, which was originally named by Roy Clark in 1983. While the inverted pyramid style arranges the information from the most important to the least important ones, the hourglass has the top, the turn, and the narrative for its parts. The top contains the lead or simply the answers to a reader’s basic questions. This may contain a maximum of six paragraphs. The turn is a shift from the basic questions to a more detailed narration of the news. It introduces the beginning of the narrative, a part and format of the news that tells a story. This involves the description and explanation of things in chronological order. The narrative, being placed at the bottom part, serves as the overview of the whole story. The hourglass style is good with dramatic and incidental stories that need a detailed but concise narration of events. This is advantageous for a writer who is more inclined to write news in a storytelling fashion. The essence of good reporting Every professional journalist is fully aware that the first responsibility is always to the truth. When all the processes involved from the production up to the dissemination of news are centered on the truth, the journalist, editor, and even the news media owner are well on their way towards good reporting. For the truth may serve as the foundation of the roles and responsibilities of a reporter (Principles of Journalism, 2006). It presents not only the complete facts but it involves a reliable and accountable presentation of a story as well. Next to the truth are the people. The readers and listeners of news are the voices of democracy. They must be informed of what’s going on around them and they must be heard during their times of call and distress. News must be objective but a writer usually cannot escape the feeling of biases towards certain things. To avoid these feelings to show into words, journalists uses approaches and methods that separate and distinguish the facts from emotions. As much as possible, both sides from an issue must be closely looked into. People trusted more a story with a great number of witnesses and sources in them. The principles mentioned above apparently coincide with the ethics of journalism (Society of Professional Journalists, 2006). Truth must lead everything, followed by a deep concern and compassion for human dignity; freedom from friendships, gifts, and money offered by persons or organizations; and a responsibility and obligation for the words written and published. Online journalism, which increasingly became a popular medium of communication, is somewhat similar to the principles and ethics of journalism (Brayton, 2005) . Every editor wants a story handed over to him to be a hundred percent free from errors and inaccuracies. This is a scary responsibility for an ordinary writer considering he works for internationally acclaimed newspapers or television networks. So to avoid the anger and insults hurled by vicious editors, writers must be a hundred percent sure that the story is free from mistakes (International Journalists’ Network, n.d.). It’s never enough to know all the facts. Every data retrieved such as the names, dates, places, numbers and quotations must be reviewed repeatedly to check the accuracy. The words used to describe or explain, especially the uncommon ones, must be checked for exact definitions and meanings. When the facts have all been scrutinized, a fair and objective manner of presentation is the best style to complete a hundred percent error-free news story. In an interview with different publications editors conducted by Moloney (2006), she asked them what story they prefer to publish in the papers. They all agreed that they are more drawn to originality and the ability of a writer to obtain sources needed in a story. A disciplined attitude in terms of being accountable for the story submitted and in meeting deadlines is one thing they look for in personalities. According to them, some freelancers and writers are unable to stick to the basic and concise points of the story. The headline may not coincide with the story or vice versa. Even the simple rule of correct spelling and proper usage of words is overlooked. And when a story is not convincing enough for the editors, they turn to arrogance to cover for their embarrassment. A good story, they added, is always the one that answers the most basic questions in the shortest and clearest paragraphs possible. One interesting news story that a reporter can possibly present and deliver is the mistakes done by another reporter. People may find this entertaining, and in a way, it probably is, but the point of exposing the errors of reporting is simply to reveal the truth. It is not only the citizens’ obligation to check for damage done. Every person in the media business has the responsibility and freedom to correct a colleague or a rival. The article Reporting on the News (2006) featured the Mongerson Prize Awards that gives credit to reporters who were brave enough to disclose to the public the wrongly reported news. One winner quoted by the article was Michael Massing, who stood against the great New York Times for its news story about the war in Iraq. Massing said it wasn’t an easy thing for him to do but felt that it needed to be done. According to him, the thing with journalism these days is that reporters are satisfied with what they can deliver, oblivious to the accuracy of the story. Massing encouraged to break and change this attitude. To expose bad and wrong reports is to open a possibility of a new angle of a story. For all the anger and insults Massing received for his report on the Times, his efforts finally paid off when the publication publicly admitted its mistakes. Not all media organization, though, can do the same thing. The Deseret Morning News (2005), thru its website, published the letter of complaint written by Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. The mayor accused a writer of the paper for inaccurate and misleading reporting about money he used for entertaining special and prominent guests during a festival in the city. Mr. Anderson presented in his own way the facts to explain how the money was actually spent. The paper stood by what the writer revealed in the first place and thus refused to believe the mayor’s explanation. As mentioned earlier, no reporter escapes the perfection of objectivity. So the moment a report is delivered with more of a trace of bias in it, the media critics get on their feet and start criticizing this kind of reports. What’s funny though is that media have shown different expressions in reporting. It’s like being branded as warm and cold both at the same time. This is how the public has perceived media. In an article by Burns (2003), he wrote about how Walter Cronkite of CBS News labeled most of the reporters as liberal. Burns agreed with him but he viewed and explained Cronkite’s statement in a much clearer and different perspective. According to him, reporters these days enter the arena of news reporting not to deliver news but to make a change in the world. Thru the presentation of their stories, they wished to become a hope for everyone, and half admittedly prayed that the effect of their news will pay off not only for the people, but for them as well. Meaning, they want to be recognized by the tremendous thing they did. There’s no way to blame these reporters fully for what they feel. There were after all reporters in the past who have served as hope for the world and were successful for it. That is why Cronkite call these reporters liberals. Another article called the media differently. Groening (2004) discussed the head of Media Research Center (MRC) L. Brent Bozell’s statement about the presence of radicalism in the media. It has been MRC’s job to sniff check and the bias in the media. Bozell said that the once liberal media has now turned to radical presentation of news. He mentioned Reuters and ABC News as examples in the media that have expressed the ideas of anti-America in their delivery of news during the 9/11 attacks and the trial of Saddam Hussein, respectively. Looking at the top two cable news network Fox News network has done a terrific job in beating CNN in a competitive battle to stay in the top spot of news ratings. Fox News is known for its opinion reporting, focusing on debates about political and social issues. It was Fox News who led the trend of delivering news and making a conversation out of it. The people have gladly related to their style of journalism. The public has been entertained and it has given them a context where they too, can talk about the news and relate with what the top reporters are saying. Overtime the public, media critics and competitors have been studying how the journalistic style of Fox News has made it the people’s favorite among news networks in the country. With a shift from pure news to opinion reporting, some have predicted that objectivity may no longer work for some. The viewer’s favorable response to the way Fox delivers news is a perfect evidence of that. Because of this, another prediction has been made. There might be a possibility for other networks to work together and go up strong against Fox News (Johnson, 2004). But news networks dismissed this idea, saying it was just an absurd and impossible strategy to beat Fox. Fox’s style of reporting, though labeled oftentimes as conservative, has proven that opinions or sometimes debates can work alongside with factual information. It was a big step for the network to present a different style of journalism to the public. Fox News has been applauded by its competitors and rivals. Media critics called the strategy as something closer to the people’s hearts. It was a perfect symbol of democracy, where the public can freely express their grievances, and where they can be heard without feeling rejected and ignored. In the Fox led journalistic mainstream, CNN has found its way around to getting the public’s attention and has successfully remained on the second spot behind Fox. The battle for the number spot has been considered by CNN as a fair and friendly competition, admitting in public that Fox deserved the top spot. It was an honest appreciation of the other network’s success and style of journalism. However, CNN tried a different approach. While Fox became popular for its opinionated reports, CNN focuses on providing complete news with fewer opinions in them. As much as they want to continue to find ways to defeat Fox, CNN consider this programming as simply a way to separate itself and its style of reporting from opinion-led news networks out there. Programs have been changed and replaced inside CNN to give a clear promotion of purely news delivery. According to its top officers, it wasn’t a tactic for the people to see Fox and CNN as a competition fighting side by side. It was rather a move of CNN to give the public something new and fresh. Something they can discuss on their own without a previous idea and opinion that they usually get whenever Fox offers its opinion about the news on television. CNN does not want to provide this kind of situation for the viewers. It stays away from putting ideas and biases into people’s head. It’s not that Fox has primarily and intentionally been doing that in the past. It’s just that CNN simply stays away from that kind of reporting. To compare the marketing and advertising strategies of the two cable news networks, CNN has remained on top in the ratings. Fox News has been encountering problems in advertising sales in the past but with its strong presentation of conservative journalism, critics have predicted that this may turn out as good for Fox in the end. Advertisers have a common faith in the public that maybe news with opinion is now the trend for media communications these days. CNN in turn has strengthened its programming to reach a wider audience who are more familiar with CNN as a comfortable network of advertisements (Myers, 2005). The competition, rivalry, and even the bittersweet fight between Fox News and CNN go a long way to the history of the two network’s ambitious and remarkable owners, Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner, respectively. A book called Clash of the Titans: How the Unbridled Ambition of Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch Have Created Global Empires That Control What We Read and Watch compared the success of the two men. Their small dreams and efforts have turned into worldwide phenomena, leading all other media networks to promote journalism as a mode of communication. Richard Hack wrote the book and a review done by Offner (2003) described it as a biography of great leaders who have once been working citizens. They have a silent but very deep competition against each other that the best place for them to take on their fight was through the networks they own, Murdoch in Fox News and Turner in CNN. Ultimately, Turner was the liberal and Murdoch the conservative. Their own views and beliefs have reflected on the way their networks ran the programming. Their climb towards building their empires started during the 80s and from then on both have tried to beat the other out in the fight for the public’s attention. With their different approach in broadcasting and print, both have turned out so dynamic and effective in the media business. The book presented a clear battle of the two, with entertaining and poignant points that never failed to impress the readers. The recognition, fame, and even the scandals have been brought out, thus making a clear way as to how these two men, through CNN and Fox News, have remained leaders until today. Conclusion With all the presence of new technologies these days, there’s a big risk for us to lose our interest in the mass media of our society. The television or the cable that has once brought us so much joy may seem less appealing one day. We might neglect the books, newspapers, magazines, and other print medium in favor of the internet. These are all a big possibility, and one day may happen if we personally give up the old and effective mode of communication. May that possibility never come. For what better way to get all the information we need than on the media that have served us with reliability and confidentiality for the longest time. All the television, radio, and newspaper networks have done a tremendous job in promoting these type of communication for the people and have hoped in turn that the public would give their undying loyalty and support. If we are a citizen who cares and who continues to search for the truth around our society, then the right thing for us to do to get the information is to continually support the media who provide them. News gathering and news production is a lot of hard work. The truth may not come out easily for those who seek it because there may be some who maliciously distort and contort it for their own benefits. This is a big responsibility for the news business, to provide us with accurate information. As a public, let’s make the work easier for them. Let’s support the media, and when our turn comes to know something about the truth, we should not hesitate to reveal it. It also our duty to check and correct them for whatever they have delivered to us wrongly. It’s a constant cycle of helping out and being helped. If we want correct information to be handed down to us, we should do our part in encouraging others to work for the truth. References Anderson, R. (2005). News reporting reckless and deceptive. DeseretNews.com Retrieved Nov. 17, 2006 from http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635154076,00.html. Brayton, C. (2005). What are the ethics of online journalism? A USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review. Retrieved Nov. 17, 2006 from http://www.ojr.org/ojr/wiki/ethics/. Burns, E. (2003). Cronkite gets candid. FOXNews.com. Retrieved Nov. 17, 2006 from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,95494,00.htm. Groening, C. (2004). Media critic has sharp words for medias Radical style of news reporting. ChristiansUnite.com Absolute News. Retrieved Nov. 17, 2006 from http://news.christiansunite.com/Religion_News/religion01295.shtml. How to write a news story. (no date). Media College. 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