THE NEWS

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THE NEWS
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Gatekeeping

• Of the millions of news events occurring each
  day only a few will be reported
• Someone must decide which stories are reported,
  and which are not
• News editors, news producers, news directors make
  those decisions
• They are the gatekeepers

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What opens the gate?

• If it bleeds it leads.
• Compelling video
• The second day, the second hour, the second
  minute
• Newsworthiness

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Newsworthiness

• Controversy
• Unusual
• Proximity
• Interesting
• Timeliness
• Impact

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Ethics

• Journalistic ethics should address some of the
  danger zones that journalists much watch out
  for
• unsubstantial or fluffy writing
• sensationalism
• off-the-record information
• investigative reporting
• photomanipulation

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Privacy

• When should journalists protect the individuals
  right to privacy?
• Juveniles
• Accident victim
• Crime victim (certain crimes)

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Dealing with sources

• Attribution
• Background
• Deep background
• Not for attribution
• Protecting sources
• Shield Laws

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History

• The modern newspaper was born in 1835 The New
  York Herald
• Not party-controlled
• Independent journalism
• Simple writing
• Penny paper
• Organized into bureaus

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Civil War

• Wire services
• Inverted Pyramid style writing
• Photojournalism
• Objectivity

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Early 20th Century

• Yellow journalism
• Named for Hogans Alley comic strip
• Printed in yellow ink
• Came to mean sensationalism
• Stunts
• Sex
• Scandals

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Shifting Media

• Radio and then later TV usurped the dominance of
  newspapers as primary source for news
• CNN changed the way news is reported with its
  24-hour news cycle
• In 2008, the Internet became the primary source
  for news for most Americans

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Current problems

• News manipulation is easier with new technology
• Emphasis on celebrity crowds out issues
• Audiences unable to distinguish between fact and
  opinion

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Specialized Journalism

• Sports
• Weather
• Economics
• Agriculture
• Business
• Etc.