Wednesday, April 05, 2023

Journalism is a profession. There are standard and ethics. Outside of those is tabloid news.

Rachel Maddow stands for the best in journalism ethics and professional standards. Trump is a propagandist that considers Vladimir Putin more important than the national security of the United States of America. He is not newsworthy except for his prosecutions.

FOX News and CNN have failed the ethics and professionalism standard falling to the category of tabloid news. Tabloid news is not newsworthy, it is grossly inaccurate entertainment exploitation. The problem is that it is the primary information network of some Americans. I guess if one chooses, an American can live in La La Land and never enjoy the real America where our democracy is a beautiful portrait of human strength dignity. They constantly vote against their own best interest and their poverty stricken lives a proof.

BOOM! Rachel Maddow (click here) REFUSED to air Trump’s post-arrest remarks on MSNBC because they weren’t “newsworthy.” “As far as we can tell…he is repeating his same lies and allegations against his perceived enemies,” she said. The most significant part of her decision was that it stood apart from other networks. While MSNBC completely ignored Trump’s speech, Fox News predictably carried it in full, and CNN aired most of the address. Giving Donald Trump full coverage has led to disaster before. We are VERY lucky to have journalists like Rachel Maddow!

There are many schools of professional journalism in the USA, this is the website of Perdue University and "The Components of "Newsworthiness" (click here). One has to be able to read to comprehend the meaning though.

GATLUNG AND RUGE, 1973

  • Relevance - How relevant is a news story to the audience in question? For example, a California earthquake is almost always more relevant to a West Coast audience than to an audience in Calcutta.
  • Timeliness - How recently did the event unfold? Timing is of the utmost importance in today’s 24-hour news cycle. Recent events, or events in the making, are most likely to lead the news.
  • Simplification - Stories that can be easily simplified or summarized are likely to be featured more prominently than stories that are convoluted or difficult to understand.
  • Predictability - Certain events, such as elections, major sporting events, astrological events, and legal decisions, happen on a predictable schedule. As the event draws closer, it typically gains news value.
  • Unexpectedness - On the other hand, events like natural disasters, accidents, or crimes are completely unpredictable. These events are also likely to have significant news value.
  • Continuity - Some events, such as war, elections, protests, and strikes, require continuing coverage. These events are likely to remain in the news for a long time, although not always as the lead story.
  • Composition - Editors have to keep in mind the big picture—the sum of all content in their media outlet. For this reason, an editor might select soft human interest stories to balance out other hard-hitting, investigative journalism.
  • Elite People - Certain individuals, like politicians, entertainers, and athletes, are considered, by virtue of their status, more newsworthy. If someone throws a shoe at an everyday person, it’s probably not news. If someone throws a shoe at the President of the United States, it will likely be in the news for weeks.
  • Elite Countries - Famine, drought, and national disasters are more likely to draw attention if they are happening in wealthy, developed countries than if they are happening in developing countries.
  • Negativity - Generally speaking, editors deem bad news more newsworthy than good news.

SHOEMAKER ET AL., 1987

  • Timeliness - Shoemaker et al. also recognize timeliness as a critical news value.
  • Proximity - Similar to Gatlung and Ruge’s “Relevance.” The closer an event takes place to the intended audience, the more important it is. This is why huge local or regional stories might not make the national news.
  • Importance, impact, or consequence - How many people will the event impact? Issues like climate change have become big news in recent years precisely because environmental changes affect the entire planet.
  • Interest - Does the story have any special human interest? For example, the inspirational story of a person overcoming large odds to reach her goal appeals to a fundamental human interest.
  • Conflict or Controversy - Similar to Gatlung and Ruge’s “Negativity.” Editors generally deem conflict more newsworthy than peace.
  • Sensationalism - Sensational stories tend to make the front pages more than the everyday.
  • Prominence - Similar to Gatlung and Ruge’s “Elite People.” The actions of prominent people are much more likely to make the news than non-public figures.
  • Novelty, oddity, or the unusual - Strange stories are likely to find their way into the news. Dog bites man—no story. Man bites dog—story.