Social construction of news News values: newsworthiness scale

1) Frequency 2) Threshold

- Total/absolute intensity - Increasing intensity

3) unambiguity 4) Meaningfulness

- Cultural proximity - Relevance

5) Consonance - Predictability - Demand

6) Unexpectedness - Unpredictability - Scarcity

7) Continuity 8) Composition 9) Reference to

- elité nations - Elité people - Persons - something negative

Social construction of News: Ideology of Consensus

POSITIVE VALUES

• Legality

• Moderation

• Compromise

• Co-operation

• Order

• Peacefulness

• Tolerance

• Constructiveness

• Openness

• Honesty

• Realism

• Rationality

• Impartiality

• Responsibility

• Fairness

• Firmness

• Industriousness

• Freedom of choice

• Equality

NEGATIVE VALUES

• Illegality

• Extremism

• Dogmatism

• Confrontation

• Chaos

• Violence

• Intolerance

• Destructiveness

• Secrecy

• Corruption

• Ideology

• Irrationality

• Bias

• Irresponsibility

• Unfairness

• Weakness

• Idleness

• Monopoly/uniformity

• Inequality

ACTIVITY

Analyze the articles indicated in the web link according to:

• STEREOTYPE • NEWSWORTHINESS SCALE • IDEOLOGY OF CONSENSUS • ACCESSED VOICES • http://business.guardian.co.uk/economicdispatch/story/0,,1936049

,00.html • http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_headline=saddamned-to-

hell%26method=full%26objectid=18049803%26siteid=94762-name_page.html

• http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/food_and_drink/news/article1959052.ece

• In a statement, her husband Jonathon Thompson and mother Margaret Simpson said: "Vikki was only 30 years old. She was a loving wife and mother to Matthew and Jennifer. Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage /news/2694410/Man-is-charged-over-Vikki-killing.html#ixzz0Uel3M0Oy

• Mr Griffin claimed the BBC was 'institutionally biased' towards him but praised the corporation for allowing him to appear: 'Thank you, Auntie.'

• He also said the BNP had enjoyed its 'best ever single day' with telephone donations on Tuesday after he compared Britain's military generals to Nazi war criminals.

• Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222106/Nick-Griffin-Thanks-BBC-stupid.html#ixzz0UevgRASH

What stereotype?

Berlusconi 'snubs King of Jordan in favour of Vladimir Putin birthday party'

Silvio Berlusconi was accused of spurning a chance to help the Middle East peace process last night after apparently snubbing the King of Jordan in favour of a party with his old friend Vladimir Putin.

Opposition politicians in Rome demanded to know why the Prime Minister had cancelled a meeting with King Abdullah, choosing instead to fly to St Petersburg to discuss energy projects between Russia and the EU — and, it was alleged, to attend a private party in honour of Mr Putin’s 57th birthday on October 7. La Repubblica newspaper reported that Mr Berlusconi would “carry fine wines” as a gift for Mr Putin.

The Russian Prime Minister’s spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, said that it was “a private visit but with working content”. He denied that a party was being held at Lake Valdai, south of St Petersburg, but acknowledged that Mr Berlusconi, 73, would travel to the city. “I can’t exclude that they certainly will be somehow celebrating his birthday, but it’s not the main reason for the visit,” he told

[The Times. 22 Oct. 2009] http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6884726.ece

The illusion of the audience’s oral language: THE MODE OF ADDRESS

• Typography

– Phoneme

– Contrastive stress

– Intonation

– Orality (short information structures)

• Register

– Lexis/vocabulary

– Naming and address

• Syntax

• Deixis

• Speech acts

• Modality

The illusion of the audience’s oral language: the mode of address- TYPOGRAPHY

(1) Er, Nick... that’s your bruv’s ex

(2) Business minister Pat McFadden said there were now so many alternatives to the Royal Mail that any strike would be "self-defeating".

Appalling

From The Sun 22 Oct 2009:

A DRUNK girl staggers along the street with her knickers around her ankles - in a shocking illustration of booze-riddled Britain.

The picture emerged as experts warned British women are now binge-drinking TWICE as much as any other nation.

And it is not just youngsters who are getting out of their heads. The number of middle-class, middle-aged women being taken to hospital with alcohol-related conditions has surged.

The knickerless girl was seen in the centre of Cardiff after a heavy session.

Cops in the city, where boozing often spills over into violence, yesterday launched new powers that will enable them to confiscate alcohol from unruly outdoor drinkers and arrest them if they fail to comply.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2694096/UK-binge-culture-exposed-as-safe-drinking-levels-are-ignored.html#ixzz0UfiaSfR0

The illusion of the audience’s oral language: the mode of address: REGISTER

– Lexis/vocabulary

“in a shocking illustration of booze-riddled Britain” [THE SUN – October 22, 2005]

• binges

• shopped until she dropped

• Shame on Hoon

• a Lacky boy

– Naming and address (First names and nicknames)

• Man is charged over Vikki killing [THE SUN – October 22, 2005]

• Camilla /Lady D

• Maggie /Ronny/ Barak /Barro – also called ‘The One’

The illusion of the audience’s oral language: the mode of address: SYNTAX

• Cheryl Cole's £455 mini: What you'd look like in the patterned dress [Mail 22 Oct 2009]

• City workers: 'We’re worth our bonuses‘ [Times – Oct 22, 2009]

• Tina (Michelle Keegan) doesn't twig he means Gail Platt (Helen Worth) who is to wed her dad Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale). [Sun – Oct. 22, 2009]

• Best to leave the glamour to Alex, Katie.

• So in love ... Eva Longoria and Tony Parker

[Sun – Oct. 22, 2009]

The illusion of the audience’s oral language: the mode of address: DEIXIS

DEIXIS:

A man appeared in court today charged with murdering a young mother more than 14 years ago.

Mark Weston, 34, was arrested yesterday in connection with the death of Vikki Thompson, who disappeared while walking Daisy, her dog, down a country lane.

[The Times - Oct. 22, 2009]

The illusion of the audience’s oral language: the mode of address : DEIXIS

Nick Griffin has thanked the BBC and praised the “hysterical” reaction of the political elite for giving his far-right British National Party unprecedented publicity.

In an interview with The Times, he said that the bitter row over the decision to invite him on to this evening’s Question Time had attracted record donations for the party.

Peter Hain, the Welsh Secretary, understood that his invitation was “a very important symbol”, he said. “I thank the political class and their allies for being so stupid. The huge furore that the political class has created around it clearly gives us a whole new level of public recognition.

” Although the BBC was “institutionally biased” against him, he believed that it had shown a degree of principle in allowing him to appear. “Thank you, Auntie,” he said. [Times 22 Oct 2009]

Locutionary vs Illocutionary • Consumers and businesses face a fresh

wave of postal strikes at the end of next week, it emerged today, as thousands of Royal Mail sorters and drivers joined picket lines in the first of a series of rolling stoppages in the run-up to Christmas.

• […]

• As millions of letters gathered dust in sorting centres, Gordon Brown urged Royal Mail management and postal workers to get "round the table" to solve the dispute.

[The Times - Oct 22, 2009]

• STRIKING post workers were accused of having a "death wish" last night as they began a 48-hour walkout that will cause chaos for millions - and could kill off the Royal Mail.

• […]

• Pension cheques, benefits and hospital appointment letters will all be delayed after marathon talks aimed at averting the strike broke down last night. Pickets were set to appear at depots around the country from midnight as the Communication Workers Union began the national walk-out - the first in a rolling campaign.

• [The Sun – Oct 22, 2009]