News Outlets:How People Get Their News

• Television – 61%

• Internet – 14%

• Newspaper – 11%

• Radio – 10%

• Social Media – 3%

• Word of Mouth – 1%

• Something Else 1%

Allows audience to identify with the person

It also can help make a really complex and confusing event easier to understand

EX: “Charity Runners Begin Signing Up For 2014 Boston Marathon To Honor Bombing Victims”

http:/www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/30/charity-teams-boston-marathon_n_4697467.html?utm_hp_ref=boston-marathon-bombing

Drama

• Has vivid, emotional, conflicting, or

striking interest or results

• Malaysian Flight 370

Conflict

• Feature a fight, battle, or struggle

• Ideological, political, physical

• Might overemphasize violence

• Kenyan Mall Massacre• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX_EPI8Grbo

Action

• Part of the whole story

• Different perspectives

• EX: The Malaysia Airlines Missing Jet

Novelty

• Features an aspect that is new or

unique

– Unpredictable events more likely to be

covered.

• Man in Thong Steals Costume– http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/09/man-wearing-thong-

steals-batman-costume_n_4929582.html?utm_hp_ref=weird-news

Deviance

• Statistical• Frequency of an event

• Normative• Violation of social and legal norms.

– Considered more newsworthy

• Motorcycle Gang Attack - NYC

Events with current themes of interest are

more likely to get new coverage

Some current examples:

› Identity Theft

› Health Care

› Gay Marriage

The Prevalence of Negative

News• Peacetime vs.

Wartime– Bad outweighs

good.

• Bad news results in higher stimulation

• Local News vs. National News

Hyper-attention On A Particular Event,

Issue, and Mantra.

Production of Fake News Reports.

Omission of Facts and Alternative

Opinions.

In 1978, New Orleans

Media Outlet Percent of

Newscast

Local News

Stations

80%

Local

Newspapers

45%

Police Reports 12.4%

On March 11, 2014

Media Outlet Number of

Murder Stories

Number of

Robbery Stories

Huffington Post

(“Crime”

Section)

20 2

CNN (“Justice”

Section)

9 1

Associated Press 6 0

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/preliminary-semiannual-uniform-crime-report-january-june-

2013/tables/table_3_january_to_june_2012-2013_percent_change_for_consecutive_years.xls

Images in the media affect the ability to

interpret and recall information.