NDM: News Values Factsheet

• Immediacy: has it happened recently?
• Familiarity: is it culturally close to us in Britain?
• Amplitude: is it a big event or one which involves large numbers of people?
• Frequency: does the event happen fairly regularly?
• Unambiguity: is it clear and definite?
• Predictability: did we expect it to happen?
• Surprise: is it a rare or unexpected event?
• Continuity: has this story already been defined as news?
• Elite nations and people: which country has the event happened in? Does the story concern well-known people? 
• Negativity: is it bad news?
• Balance: the story may be selected to balance other news, such as a human survival story to balance a number of stories concerning death.1) Come up with a news story from the last 12 months for each of the categories suggested by Harriss, Leiter and Johnson:

Conflict - Syria: The story of the conflict: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26116868
Progress - http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/mma/watch-conor-mcgregor-celebrate-style-9253194
Disaster - http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/video-catches-moment-terrifying-76-9253831
Consequence - http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/donald-trump-memes-reaction-wins-9224489
Prominence - Trump elections http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/donald-trump-memes-reaction-wins-9224489
Novelty - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/hairball-woman-addicted-eating-hair-removed-from-stomach-a7349696.html

2) What example news story does the Factsheet use to illustrate Galtung and Ruge's News Values? Why is it an appropriate example of a news story likely to gain prominent coverage?

The Guardian article "British servicewoman dies after Afghan bomb blast ". It is an appropriate news story example which is possible to increase prominence since it has cultural proximity to British individuals we see the soldier as one of our own and for that reason it is more possible to view the story when it goes ahead the news. This kind of news story is additionally thought to be more newsworthy as it is something we would regularly hear which would make us need to listen to discover the points of interest of how it happened.


3) What is gatekeeping?

Gatekeeping is the process of filtering information prior to dissemination. This process is usually done via the editor, but the gatekeeping process could be seen to be more than simply an editor choosing one story over another, it could also refer to how journalist select certain lines of questioning, or use some words over others to describe people and event. In general, gatekeeping is about opening or closing the channels of communication and, in the case of news, it is a way for news institution to control the ‘flow’ of information passed on to the audience.

4) What are the six ways bias can be created in news?

• through selection and omission
• through placement
• by headline
• by photos, captions and camera angles
• through use of names and titles
• by choice of words

5) How have online sources such as Twitter, bloggers or Wikileaks changed the way news is selected and published?

Wikileaks' only agenda is to bring about ‘transparency’ and ‘freedom of speech’ and it offers a way for audiences to access news stories that may have been mediated or censored prior to being reported. The fact that Wikileaks only publishes raw material bypasses news values, therefore this method of NDM has altered news values quite a bit as this particular site disregards this and broadcasts information without and type of regulation, providing the "truth in full". However, it is unlikely mass audiences or casual news consumers will look closely at the Wikileaks data as a source of everyday news; it will be journalists who decipher this information and alter it to fit their own news agenda.

Twitter has also rid the need for censorship or regulation since people are free to post what they like whether that be a link to a published article or a self written one or even simply an opinion. This could, however, be dangerous as some people are more susceptible to take opinion as fact, than others therefore it could promote falsification of data amongst the masses therefore misleading anyone who can see the "news" on this site.

Similarly, bloggers can also do the same as on Twitter, accept on their own personal blog which is likely only yo be read by consistent readers of the blogger. Therefore, this will reinforce individuals' values and disregard news values, in the process of publishing personal bloggers' work and opinions.

6) Give an example of a news story from the last 12 months that was reported as a result of online technology - Twitter, Wikileaks or similar.

http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/safety-check-brussels-bombings/636384
This story regarding attacks in Brussels circulated on Twitter within the first 6 hours of the incident. It also made news on Facebook as part of their "Safety Check" feature which allows friends and family to receive news from places that their loved ones may be, to ensure they're safe and okay.

7) Complete the task on the last page of the Factsheet regarding Sky News and Twitter:
What does this reveal about how Sky views Twitter as a news source?
What does it say about how news is being produced?
What role does the audience have in this process?
Why might this be a problem for journalistic standards?

Final tasks

8) In your opinion, how has new and digital media technology changed Galtung and Ruge’s news values?

I think that Galtung and Ruge's News Values are still very relevant to and prominent in today's society. I definitely believe that these values are more subconsciously input when making decisions as opposed to purposeful. Therefore, I think hat, in NDM, it is quite common for these values, particularly immediacy, to play a role in the success of news. Due to citizen journalism, audiences are able receive truly "breaking" news as sites such as Twitter, Facebook and even online newspapers are updated by the second. These could also follow the conventions in terms of either predictability or surprise. In terms of whether or not the incidents have happned before, for example the many cases where black men and women have been arrested and/or killed unlawfully (eg. Sandra Bland, Philando Castel, Alton Stirling) this is what it will depend on whether audiences are surprised or used to the news - even if it is breaking news. This is because these are recurring stories that web users are accustomed to seeing. However, I think that without the presence of NDM, these stories would have gone unreported due to the stigma caused by it with police brutality being exposed.

I think that their theory of elite people being of interest, has been heightened as a result of NDM since many people use social media sites to spread news and share their opinions on "important" topics - two examples of this lie in the political scene - both BREXIT and the Presidential Elections have been more heavily promoted as stories than, I thin would, previously. Typically,the younger generations wouldn't have cared so much. However, due to the uproar caused by these events, broadcast on social media, younger viewers are likely to have a stronger awareness and opinion of the news story. This value has therefore been reinforced due to the progress of NDM in recent years.

9) How would you update them for 2016? Choose SIX of Galtung and Ruge's news values and say how each one has been affected by the growth of new and digital technology.


E.g. Immediacy is more important than ever due to news breaking on Twitter or elsewhere online. However, this in turn changes the approach of other news sources such as newspapers as the news will probably already be broken so different angles might be required. Newspapers now contain more comment or opinion rather than the breaking story.

Unambiguous: It is probably more vague and less specific since people often allow their opinions to transfer into "news", particularly citizen journalism.
Surprise: There is usually some element of surprise. However, some recurring themes such as terrorist attacks and police brutality have unfortunately become so common that people either turn a blind eye or are accustomed/desensitised to it.
Amplitude: Could be affected by even the audiences as opposed to just the people within the news story itself - the people who receive the news.
Continuity: How long the work is being spread for and how popular it remains for the public.
Balance: people can choose to view positive or negative content depending on their preferences on a variety of platforms.
Frequency: This could be influenced by how many people are commenting or sharing the news as opposed to how often the news is actually reported.