1. The social construction of news
Introduction
What counts as news is necessarily selected, processed or constructed by a range of social influences - not
every event that occurs can be reported or covered. News is not a neutral, objective reality that exists in a
vacuum ready made and separate from those in the news that report it. News is an ideological term which
suggests that some events in society demand our attention because they are more important than others.
Hegemonic sociologists, such as those working for the GUMG, who adopt a neo-Marxist orientation to the
media assert that news productions are inevitably and ‘normally’ the result of selection, interpretation and
therefore bias. From their point of view, a dominant ideology establishes what are reasonable and ‘common
sense’ views and explanations of the world. Neo-Marxists point out that events are only considered important
by the public if they are presented by the media as being important news in the first place.
Link to main body of essay
A number of influences can be identified on the media in the process of the creation or social construction of
news values.
Main body
• News values. Different news organisations will have different news values which guide the overall look or
feel of a newspaper or television news programme. News values are the assumptions that guide editors and
journalists in deciding what to report and what to leave out.
• Refer to work of Galtung and Ruge
• Use case study examples in support e.g. 9/11, McCann disappearance, tsunami
• Outline and explain the relationship between agenda-setting, gatekeeping and norm-setting.
• Consider the relative importance of the professional culture of journalists.
• Consider the relationship between owners and journalists. Use key ideas such as ‘hierarchy of credibility’
and ‘primary definers’.
• Outline the difference between traditional and neo-Marxist viewpoints.
• Contrast with the pluralist view.
• Do journalists challenge the system?
• Assess the importance of the work of the GUMG on bias and false reporting.
• Issue of moral panics.
• Explain how the impact of new technology has affected the way in which the news is selected and
presented.
• Practical factors that affect the content of news.
Conclusion
The mass media generally present only partial and biased view of the world. The selection and presentation
of the news is, in many ways, carried out within a framework of the dominant ideology in society. However, it
must also be recognised that journalists do occasionally expose injustice and corruption.