week 11 electronic journalism

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10/12/2010 1

CHAPTER 11

ELECTRONIC JOURNALISM: News In an Age of Entertainment

CHAPTER 11

ELECTRONIC JOURNALISM: News In an Age of Entertainment



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A Brief History of Electronic News


Newsreels

Newsreels were short films, usually around 10minutes long, about the news of the day. Theyincluded five or six items of current news, human

interest features, and sports events.The first newsreel was shown in a Paris theatre in1909 by Charles Pathé.

Newsreels mostly covered expected events, such asparades and beauty contests, and residual news ²

stories about events that are recurrent or long-lasting, such as floods, because it was expensiveand time-consuming to set up a film crew.

Newsreels

Newsreels were short films, usually around 10minutes long, about the news of the day. Theyincluded five or six items of current news, human

interest features, and sports events.The first newsreel was shown in a Paris theatre in1909 by Charles Pathé.

Newsreels mostly covered expected events, such asparades and beauty contests, and residual news ²

stories about events that are recurrent or long-lasting, such as floods, because it was expensiveand time-consuming to set up a film crew.



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Radio News

In 1933, the newspaper industry was powerfulenough to force radio networks into the Biltmore

Agreement:

No morning newscasts before 9:30 AM orevening newscasts before 9:00 PM.

No breaking news bulletins from the wireservices.

Newscasts could not be sponsored.

Radio commentaries , which were discussionsabout the news, were permitted.

Non-network stations were not party to theBiltmore Agreement, and several independent radionews services were created to service these stations.

Radio News

In 1933, the newspaper industry was powerfulenough to force radio networks into the Biltmore

Agreement:

No morning newscasts before 9:30 AM orevening newscasts before 9:00 PM.

No breaking news bulletins from the wireservices.

Newscasts could not be sponsored.

Radio commentaries , which were discussionsabout the news, were permitted.

Non-network stations were not party to theBiltmore Agreement, and several independent radionews services were created to service these stations.





10/12/2010 4 A Brief History of Electronic News


The Biltmore Agreement lasted less than one year.

Newscasters, such as NBC·s Lowell Thomas, H.V.Kaltenborn at CBS, and gossip columnist WalterWinchell became radio stars.

Radio showed propensity for on-the-spot news

bulletins and eyewitness reporting of breakingnews, including the 1937 explosion of the Germandirigible The Hindenburg.

Radio helped newspapers by whetting theaudience·s appetite for in-depth newspaper

coverage of breaking news heard over the radio.

The Biltmore Agreement lasted less than one year.

Newscasters, such as NBC·s Lowell Thomas, H.V.Kaltenborn at CBS, and gossip columnist WalterWinchell became radio stars.

Radio showed propensity for on-the-spot news

bulletins and eyewitness reporting of breakingnews, including the 1937 explosion of the Germandirigible The Hindenburg.

Radio helped newspapers by whetting theaudience·s appetite for in-depth newspaper

coverage of breaking news heard over the radio.





Radio audiences heard live reports of Hitler·s 1938annexation of Austria, the 1939 invasion of Poland,

and the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.Radio news expanded during WW II as Edward R.Murrow·s wartime newscasts became hugelypopular.

In 1946, 63 percent of Americans cited radio as theirprimary source of news.

In 1948, radio demonstrated its advantage over theslower-moving print media. Early editions ofnewspapers erroneously reported that Republican

Thomas Dewey had defeated Democraticincumbent Harry Truman in the presidentialelection, but radio accurately flashed the news thatTruman had won.

Radio audiences heard live reports of Hitler·s 1938annexation of Austria, the 1939 invasion of Poland,

and the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.Radio news expanded during WW II as Edward R.Murrow·s wartime newscasts became hugelypopular.

In 1946, 63 percent of Americans cited radio as theirprimary source of news.

In 1948, radio demonstrated its advantage over theslower-moving print media. Early editions ofnewspapers erroneously reported that Republican

Thomas Dewey had defeated Democraticincumbent Harry Truman in the presidentialelection, but radio accurately flashed the news thatTruman had won.





All-News Format

In 1960, San Francisco area station KFAX (´K-Factsµ) began presenting news 24 hours a day.

KFAX followed a ńewspaper of the airµ formatwhich was like reading an entire newspaper fromfront to back, including sports, cooking features,

and a ćomics page,µ consisting of comedyrecordings, but the format was a financial failure.

In 1964, Chicago·s WNUS (´W-Newsµ) adoptedan all-news format with top stories, sports andfeatures in regular rotation. WNUS was a success

and today all-news is one of AM radio·s mostpopular formats.

All-News Format

In 1960, San Francisco area station KFAX (´K-Factsµ) began presenting news 24 hours a day.

KFAX followed a ńewspaper of the airµ formatwhich was like reading an entire newspaper fromfront to back, including sports, cooking features,

and a ćomics page,µ consisting of comedyrecordings, but the format was a financial failure.

In 1964, Chicago·s WNUS (´W-Newsµ) adoptedan all-news format with top stories, sports andfeatures in regular rotation. WNUS was a success

and today all-news is one of AM radio·s mostpopular formats.



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Television News

After WW II many television executives believedthat people would continue to rely on radio news,and that TV would be used as an entertainmentmedium. But Edward Murrow at CBS believedotherwise.

By 1947, television network newscasts had regularsponsors. The Camel News Caravan, on CBS, wassponsored by Camel Cigarettes and forbade newssubjects, except Winston Churchill, to be shownsmoking cigars. Camera operators and editors had

to ensure that no ´No Smokingµ signs would beseen on screen.

Television News

After WW II many television executives believedthat people would continue to rely on radio news,and that TV would be used as an entertainmentmedium. But Edward Murrow at CBS believedotherwise.

By 1947, television network newscasts had regularsponsors. The Camel News Caravan, on CBS, wassponsored by Camel Cigarettes and forbade newssubjects, except Winston Churchill, to be shownsmoking cigars. Camera operators and editors had

to ensure that no ´No Smokingµ signs would beseen on screen.

A Brief History of Electronic News A Brief History of Electronic News



10/12/2010 8 A Brief History of Electronic News A Brief History of Electronic News

By the early 1950s the television networks were

maintaining film crews in important locations andrelying on stringers in other places. Film, however,remained expensive to process.

TV·s reliance on newsreel-type footage meant thatnews events occurring in places where film crews

were not available would not be covered.Networks became dependent on public relationspeople who planned pseudo-events that would nothave happened if the media had not been invited.

By the mid 1970s, videotape, which required no

processing, would help free television news from itsreliance on film.

By the early 1950s the television networks were

maintaining film crews in important locations andrelying on stringers in other places. Film, however,remained expensive to process.

TV·s reliance on newsreel-type footage meant thatnews events occurring in places where film crews

were not available would not be covered.Networks became dependent on public relationspeople who planned pseudo-events that would nothave happened if the media had not been invited.

By the mid 1970s, videotape, which required no

processing, would help free television news from itsreliance on film.




Murrow and the Television Documentary

In the early 1950s, Edward Murrow and FredFriendly of CBS started a television documentaryunit that produced such classics as:

´Harvest of Shame,µ about the mistreatment of

migrant farm workers.´The Case Against Milo Radulovich A0589829,µwhich examined McCarthyism through the storyof a U.S. airman who had been discharged fromthe Air Force because his father and sister read

´radical papers.µMurrow·s programs became the predecessor andmodel for TV news magazines such as 60 minutes.

Murrow and the Television Documentary

In the early 1950s, Edward Murrow and FredFriendly of CBS started a television documentaryunit that produced such classics as:

´Harvest of Shame,µ about the mistreatment of

migrant farm workers.´The Case Against Milo Radulovich A0589829,µwhich examined McCarthyism through the storyof a U.S. airman who had been discharged fromthe Air Force because his father and sister read

´radical papers.µMurrow·s programs became the predecessor andmodel for TV news magazines such as 60 minutes.



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Coverage of Assassinations and Civil Unrest

America·s first see-it-as-it-happens national newsevent occurred two days after the assassination ofPresident John F. Kennedy. Lee Harvey Oswald,the prime suspect in JFK·s murder, was shot on livetelevision by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby.

The Kennedy assassination marked the beginningof a turbulent decade that would include the 1968assassinations of Robert Kennedy and MartinLuther King, as well as a number of urban riots thatwere sparked by protests against racial

discrimination and the Vietnam War.

Coverage of Assassinations and Civil Unrest

America·s first see-it-as-it-happens national newsevent occurred two days after the assassination ofPresident John F. Kennedy. Lee Harvey Oswald,the prime suspect in JFK·s murder, was shot on livetelevision by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby.

The Kennedy assassination marked the beginningof a turbulent decade that would include the 1968assassinations of Robert Kennedy and MartinLuther King, as well as a number of urban riots thatwere sparked by protests against racial

discrimination and the Vietnam War.





Coverage of Vietnam

For fear of being considered unpatriotic, thenetworks refused to criticize the Vietnam policiesof President Lyndon B. Johnson·s administration.In 1966, CBS news president Fred Friendly resignedafter the network abruptly switched from

broadcasting a Senate hearing on Vietnam toshowing reruns of I Love Lucy and The Real McCoys.

Eventually, in-depth on-the-scene TV reportingfrom the Vietnamese battlefield began to includebloody footage of young soldiers being maimed

and killed. This created a credibility gap betweenthe Johnson administration·s attempts to managethe news and what the public believed to be true.

Coverage of Vietnam

For fear of being considered unpatriotic, thenetworks refused to criticize the Vietnam policiesof President Lyndon B. Johnson·s administration.In 1966, CBS news president Fred Friendly resignedafter the network abruptly switched from

broadcasting a Senate hearing on Vietnam toshowing reruns of I Love Lucy and The Real McCoys.

Eventually, in-depth on-the-scene TV reportingfrom the Vietnamese battlefield began to includebloody footage of young soldiers being maimed

and killed. This created a credibility gap betweenthe Johnson administration·s attempts to managethe news and what the public believed to be true.



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Cable News

Ted Turner adapted the format of all-news radioand launched Cable News Network (CNN) in 1980.

Several 24-hour-a-day news stories made CNN intoa true competitor for the networks:

The 1986 explosion of the space shuttleChallenger.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989

Comprehensive coverage of the first Gulf War in1991.

In 1997, Fox News was launched by RupertMurdoch and Roger Ailes as a conservativealternative to what they felt was a liberal CNN.

Cable News

Ted Turner adapted the format of all-news radioand launched Cable News Network (CNN) in 1980.

Several 24-hour-a-day news stories made CNN intoa true competitor for the networks:

The 1986 explosion of the space shuttleChallenger.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989

Comprehensive coverage of the first Gulf War in1991.

In 1997, Fox News was launched by RupertMurdoch and Roger Ailes as a conservativealternative to what they felt was a liberal CNN.




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Online News

There were several early attempts to use newtelevision technology to deliver news on demand .

V ideotext , a system for delivering electronicnewspapers via television sets was attempted butnever caught on with the public.

The release of the World Wide Web in 1993encouraged many newspapers to establish onlineeditions to take advantage of sophisticatedsoftware that included search functions, archiving,linking articles and the processing of readerfeedback.By 1995 there were some 150 newspapers online.Today there are thousands.

Online News

There were several early attempts to use newtelevision technology to deliver news on demand .

V ideotext , a system for delivering electronicnewspapers via television sets was attempted butnever caught on with the public.

The release of the World Wide Web in 1993encouraged many newspapers to establish onlineeditions to take advantage of sophisticatedsoftware that included search functions, archiving,linking articles and the processing of readerfeedback.By 1995 there were some 150 newspapers online.Today there are thousands.




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In the mid-1990s many entrepreneurs were also

providing original news content online:The Drudge Report, dealt in hearsay, rumorand speculation.

Other original online news services were

aggregatorsof other news sources; providing links

to wire services, newspapers, and other news sites.

Google News is one of the top news aggregators.

The articles are selected and ranked by computersthat evaluate how often and on what sites a storyappears online.

In the mid-1990s many entrepreneurs were also

providing original news content online:The Drudge Report, dealt in hearsay, rumorand speculation.

Other original online news services were

aggregatorsof other news sources; providing links

to wire services, newspapers, and other news sites.

Google News is one of the top news aggregators.

The articles are selected and ranked by computersthat evaluate how often and on what sites a storyappears online.




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Online TV News

By 2000 most network and local television newsorganizations were online with well-designed sites.

Online TV news sites were the leaders in video ondemand (VOD) which enabled users to call up

video clips of news events, both current andarchived.

VOD became a mainstream service in 2003 duringthe war in Iraq, when people connected to news

sites from workplaces where TVs were notavailable.

Online TV News

By 2000 most network and local television newsorganizations were online with well-designed sites.

Online TV news sites were the leaders in video ondemand (VOD) which enabled users to call up

video clips of news events, both current andarchived.

VOD became a mainstream service in 2003 duringthe war in Iraq, when people connected to news

sites from workplaces where TVs were notavailable.





Top Online News SiteTop Online News Site



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U nderstanding Today·s Electronic News IndustryU nderstanding Today·s Electronic News Industry

News Values

News is information about events that are currentlyhappening, or have happened so recently wehaven·t heard about them yet.

News has to have an impact on its intendedaudience. It might be important because it it isuseful in some way.

News has to grab the audience·s attention, and aprofessional will find a peg , or angle, to make

important, timely information interesting to theaudience.

News Values

News is information about events that are currentlyhappening, or have happened so recently wehaven·t heard about them yet.

News has to have an impact on its intendedaudience. It might be important because it it isuseful in some way.

News has to grab the audience·s attention, and aprofessional will find a peg , or angle, to make

important, timely information interesting to theaudience.



10/12/2010 18U nderstanding Today·s Electronic News IndustryU nderstanding Today·s Electronic News Industry

The Players

Viewers choose their local and network newscastsaccording to their favorite anchor , the newsreaderwho occupies the seat in the studio. This personusually has spent decades as a field reporter andcorrespondent.

On-camera reporters in the field are known ascorrespondents. They travel in vans withprominent satellite news gathering (SNG) antennason the roof. The cameraperson videotapes thecorrespondent with portable electronic news

gathering (ENG) equipment.For larger stories, television correspondents arebacked up by field producers who do interviews,research, and writing for the on-screencorrespondent.

The Players

Viewers choose their local and network newscastsaccording to their favorite anchor , the newsreaderwho occupies the seat in the studio. This personusually has spent decades as a field reporter andcorrespondent.

On-camera reporters in the field are known ascorrespondents. They travel in vans withprominent satellite news gathering (SNG) antennason the roof. The cameraperson videotapes thecorrespondent with portable electronic news

gathering (ENG) equipment.For larger stories, television correspondents arebacked up by field producers who do interviews,research, and writing for the on-screencorrespondent.



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Broadcast news consultants, who are ratingsspecialists brought in to increase a newscast·saudience appeal, do research and suggestchanges in areas including:

Length and types of stories.

Consideration of the newscaster·s popularity.

Graphics, music, and set design.

Technical specialists in Radio, TV and onlinework with digital and computer-basedtechnology.

Everyone in the newsroom has to have somecomputer skills because everything iscomputerized from copy to graphics, footage,logos, and in-depth audio visual databases.

Broadcast news consultants, who are ratingsspecialists brought in to increase a newscast·saudience appeal, do research and suggestchanges in areas including:

Length and types of stories.

Consideration of the newscaster·s popularity.

Graphics, music, and set design.

Technical specialists in Radio, TV and onlinework with digital and computer-basedtechnology.

Everyone in the newsroom has to have somecomputer skills because everything iscomputerized from copy to graphics, footage,logos, and in-depth audio visual databases.

U nderstanding Today·s Electronic News IndustryU nderstanding Today·s Electronic News Industry



10/12/2010 20U nderstanding Today·s Electronic News IndustryU nderstanding Today·s Electronic News Industry

The news audience differs by generation andgender:

Men follow news more than women.

People over 30 follow it more than youngerpeople.

Young people view news (newspapers and

online) less than older people.There are so many news sources that people canselect only news that interests them or expressesviews they believe in. Many critics believe that this

narrow perspective increases intolerance andbigotry.

The news audience differs by generation andgender:

Men follow news more than women.

People over 30 follow it more than youngerpeople.

Young people view news (newspapers and

online) less than older people.There are so many news sources that people canselect only news that interests them or expressesviews they believe in. Many critics believe that this

narrow perspective increases intolerance andbigotry.



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ControversiesControversies

Conservatives, through organizations such as

Accuracy In Media (AIM) claim journalists have aliberal bias because they are anti-big business, pro-big government, antifamily, antireligion and anti-Republican.

Liberal organizations, such as Fairness and

Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) claim the media oftenhave a conservative bias because they are bigbusiness and big business is inherentlyconservative.

Some critics insist the media have a centrist bias

because mainstream media will not report onradical points of view from either extremely liberalor extremely conservative sides.

Conservatives, through organizations such as

Accuracy In Media (AIM) claim journalists have aliberal bias because they are anti-big business, pro-big government, antifamily, antireligion and anti-Republican.

Liberal organizations, such as Fairness and

Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) claim the media oftenhave a conservative bias because they are bigbusiness and big business is inherentlyconservative.

Some critics insist the media have a centrist bias

because mainstream media will not report onradical points of view from either extremely liberalor extremely conservative sides.



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Creeping bias is a subtle form of slanting thatmanifests itself in understated ways such as:

The placement of stories.

The choice of photos and the captions that gowith them.

Conscious or subconscious language choices.

In 2003, during the War in Iraq, embedded journalists were given equipment and minimaltraining and considered a semi-official part of themilitary. Proponents believe the practice would

provide accurate information about the war.Opponents believe such journalists would slant thenews from the military·s point of view.

Creeping bias is a subtle form of slanting thatmanifests itself in understated ways such as:

The placement of stories.

The choice of photos and the captions that gowith them.

Conscious or subconscious language choices.

In 2003, during the War in Iraq, embedded journalists were given equipment and minimaltraining and considered a semi-official part of themilitary. Proponents believe the practice would

provide accurate information about the war.Opponents believe such journalists would slant thenews from the military·s point of view.




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Television news has been guilty of creating newsstories whose sole purpose is to promote

entertainment programs elsewhere on the schedule.CBS, for example, covered its program ´Survivorµextensively on its morning news show.

Electronic news organizations use polls forentertainment. On September 13, 2001, 62 percent of

respondents to a CNN/Time poll said Congressshould declare war. But 61 percent said they didn·tknow against whom war should be declared.

New organizations will often include disclaimersstating that results are not scientific, but

professional pollsters feel that people do not paymuch attention to this kind of warning.

Television news has been guilty of creating newsstories whose sole purpose is to promote

entertainment programs elsewhere on the schedule.CBS, for example, covered its program ´Survivorµextensively on its morning news show.

Electronic news organizations use polls forentertainment. On September 13, 2001, 62 percent of

respondents to a CNN/Time poll said Congressshould declare war. But 61 percent said they didn·tknow against whom war should be declared.

New organizations will often include disclaimersstating that results are not scientific, but

professional pollsters feel that people do not paymuch attention to this kind of warning.


week 11 electronic journalism

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