A brief powerpoint on broadcast journalism specfically in Malaysia

1. BROADCAST JOURNALISM
Introduction

2. Muhammad Raqib Mohd
Sofian
Senior Lecturer, Communication
Program, Faculty of Leadership &
Management, Universiti Sains Islam
Malaysia
Journalism, Media studies,
Representation of Islam
m.raqib@usim.edu.my

3. INTRODUCTION
 Digital age: news bulletins and programmes that used
to be on TV and radio sets are now available on your
laptop, mobile phone and tabs.
 The news demand: on your finger tip.
 Transformation: people are move to the new trend –
downloading film and TV programmes and read news
on PC/HP/Tab’s screens.

4. INTRODUCTION (CONT.)
 Public access: almost anyone can produce a video
report and put it on a website for anyone to view.
 Limitation: the advance of technology is not journalism
 Broadcast journalism: gather and publish news and
information.

5. INTRODUCTION (CONT.)
 Good journalism: storytelling is at the heart of good
journalism.
 Challenge: broadcast journalist NOT citizen journalist
 Broadcast journalism: make judgments based on
professional experience.
 Content provider: Journalists’ job but…

6. THE NEWSMAKERS
 Who? – Journalist – set/frame the news agenda
 Source: preferred, which is reliable.
 News value: careful, journalist may spin the angle of
the news.

7. ESSENTIAL SKILLS
 Skills: writing and storytelling
 Source: preferred, which is reliable.
 Value added: always be curious!
 Interest: news and current affairs
 ‘on air miles’: help to become comfortable in front of the
mic.
 Working hours: expecting long hours.
 To succeed: need determination and persistence.
 Tang on to people: learn from experience
 Don’t be afraid: start from bottom and work all way up.

8. NEWSWORTHY
1. Timelines:-
 The word news means exactly that - things which are new.
 Topics which are current are good news.
 Consumers are used to receiving the latest updates, and there is so much news
about that old news is quickly discarded.
 A story with only average interest needs to be told quickly if it is to be told at all.
 If it happened today, it's news.
 If the same thing happened last week, it's no longer interesting.
1. Proximity:-
 Stories which happen near to us have more significance.
 The closer the story to home, the more newsworthy it is.
 For someone living in France, a major plane crash in the USA has a similar news
value to a small plane crash near Paris.
 Note that proximity doesn't have to mean geographical distance.
 Stories from countries with which we have a particular bond or similarity have the
same effect.
 For example, Australians would be expected to relate more to a story from a distant
Western nation than a story from a much closer Asian country.

9. NEWSWORTHY
3. Prominence:-
 Famous people get more coverage just because they are famous.
 If you break your arm it won't make the news, but if the Queen of England
breaks her arm it's big news.
4. Conflict:-
 Controversy and open clashes are newsworthy, inviting attention on their
own, almost regardless of what the conflict is over.
 Conflict reveals underlying causes of disagreement between individuals and
institutions in a society.
3. Unusualness:-
 The unusual, unorthodox, or unexpected attracts attention.
 Boxer Mike Tyson’s disqualification for biting off a piece of Evander
Holyfield’s ear moves the story from the sports pages and the end of a
newscast tot he front pages and the top of the newscast.

10. NEWSWORTHY
6. Impact:-
 The significance, importance, or consequence of an event or trend;
 the greater the consequence, and the larger the number of people for whom
an event is important the greater the newsworthiness.
7. Currency:-
 Occasionally something becomes an idea whose time has come.
 The matter assumes a life of its own, and for a time assumes momentum in
news reportage.
8. Significance
 The number of people affected by the story is important.
 A plane crash in which hundreds of people died is more significant than a crash
killing a dozen.
9. Human interest:-
 Those stories that have more of an entertainment factor versus any of the above
- not that some of the other news values cannot have an entertainment value.

11. THEORIES OF THE NEWS PRODUCTION
 The audience may be the ultimate judge of news
content – they’ll switch off if they don’t like what
they hear – but they don’t decide what is
newsworthy.
 There has been a lot of questions on the
relationship between journalists and their sources.
 There are many ways of getting the story.

12. NEWS SOURCES
 Traditionally
 Reporters and their contacts
 Calls and voice banks
 Press releases
 Pressure groups
 Staged events
 Agencies and freelances
 Wire services
 Monitoring other media

13. NEWS SOURCES
 Contacts
 Contacts are very important for journalist
 It could be anyone who might be a source of news
 All journalists keep a contacts book (have back-up list)
 Stay in touch with your contacts – cultivate them
 Don’t compromise impartiality
 Anonymously information – need to be checked with other
sources before it can be broadcast.

14. NEWS SOURCES
 Calls
 Routine check calls to the emergency services
 Call regularly
 Always try to speak to a real person (the press officer) –
recorded information is second-best.
 adopt a friendly telephone manner and develop a
rapport with the person on the other end of the line.
 This is an old-fashioned of gathering the news but it is a
good relationship between the media and the
emergency services.

15. NEWS SOURCES
 Freelances and Agencies
 Freelance reporters, either self-employed or working for
agencies, are an important source of news copy and
story tip-offs for most news organizations.
 The Freelancers also known as ‘stringers’ or
correspondents.
 They will cover news that the broadcasters can’t afford
to send their own reporters, e.g. court cases.
 Freelancers are the reporters, photographers or
videographers.

16. NEWS SOURCES
 Press Releases
 Supplied by pressure group, politicians, government,
and community organizations, sports clubs – in fact,
anyone who has a story to tell.
 Each contains a potential news story but not all will be
worth following up.
 Maintain the objectivity when considering press release.
 Electronic press releases – one way info, and need a
strong on-screen disclaimer.

17. NEWS SOURCES
 News Conferences
 Press conferences are set-piece events staged by
organizations wanting to make news.
 Organized by government, pressure groups, celebrities
and sport stars – controlled by the organization (news).
 Try to find the story behind the ‘spin’
 Use media events as a chance to and improve your
contact.

18. NEWS SOURCES
 Protests and Demonstrations
-Demos focus attention on issues, but don’t be
manipulated.
-Consult editorial guidelines if you are concerned that
the protestors, or even the BJ might be breaking the
law.
-In Malaysia this is always organised by NGOs or
opponent parties.
-An ethical dilemma – the organiser will let the press
informed in advance for publicity.

19. NEWS SOURCES
 News Processing
 An Editor’s (assignment) tasks – rewrite press releases
or make new versions of stories that other people have
gathered and written.
 The news or the information received will be questioned
– need to check it out with primary sources wherever
possible.
 In TV – teamwork – reporters, senior correspondent,
producer, assistant producer – need a research
especially from wires.

20. NEWS SOURCES
 Courts and Tribunals
- Journalists learn the rules governing the various court
cases and tribunals.
- Check court listings regularly.
- Prepare for a court visit as you would for any media
event.
- Know the law on court reporting and contempt – no
video camera is allowed – be imaginative.
- Be aware of the broadcasters’ problems (TV) face when
reporting court proceeding.

21. NEWS SOURCES
 Government Bodies
- Every government department has its own teams of
press officer.
- Has to be beware, because political influence- they
might ask you to ‘spin’ the story.
- Cultivate national and local politicians and government
officials as contacts.

22. NEWS SOURCES
 Politicians
 Source for news through press releases or press
conferences.
 Important for them to promote themselves, but as a
journalist, see whether it is worth to report.
 Remain politically impartial.
 Remember the need for balances reporting.
 Know the guidelines on election coverage.

23. NEWS SOURCES
 Councils
 Local government is a prime source of controversy, a
mainstay of local news reporting.
 Headlines – planning rows, controversial policy
decisions and corruption.
 The coverage from local government suits for raising
public awareness of citizens’ rights is part of their brief.

24. NEWS SOURCES
 Communities
 Any news from schools, voluntary residents’
associations, clubs, societies and special interest
groups.
 Try to find stories from groups who are not normally
represented in the media.
 Cultivate local contacts.

25. NEWS SOURCES
 Tip-Offs
 Tip-offs to journalists take many forms.
 A tip might be information from:
 Trusted freelances
 A call from a member of public
 anonymous tip-offs
 Beware of anonymous sources – need 2nd source for the
story
 Off the record
 Question the motives of people offering tip-offs
 Understand the meaning of ‘off-the-record’
 Protect your sources.

26. NEWS SOURCES
 Other News Media
 Reading newspapers, watching TV, listening to radio,
checking news blogs, etc.
 Know what the competition doing – check them out
regularly
 Never use other media organizations’ information
without checking it.
 Be confident – don’t let other media set your agenda.
 Always aim to be first – and accurate.

27. NEWS SOURCES
 Interactive News/Citizen Journalist
 Interactive news as a source – check facts wherever possible
– use secondary sources.
 Citizen journalists are valuable news source – as a witness for
an accidents (Tsunami), events, etc.
 Blogs (amateur) – beware of hoaxer – if in doubt, leave it out.
 Blogs by journalists – to engage with audience.
 Citizen journalists – challenging – copyright.
 Learn which internet sites that can be trusted – maintain
objectivity – don’t get caught up in rumour.

28. NEWS SOURCES
 Forward Planning
 Forward planning is essential to any news operation.
 The diary is the central point of reference for the
newsroom.
 Keep the diary up-to-date.
 Apply early for accreditation to events.
 Know whereto find your press passes.

29. NEWS SOURCES
 Freedom of Information
 Beware of the laws – The Media Right, etc.
 Extra caution is needed when using information from the
public.
 Check the health and safety implications – amateur will
danger themselves.
 Study the ‘skills’ – for ethical, cautious and newsworthy.

30. THANK YOU.
THAT’S ALL.