News Program Analysis - Research Paper Example

?Journalism, mass media and communication research paper. Topic: News Program Analysis Paper The paper will address the following a television news program analysis of three separate news programs. A. X- Will indicate CNN, found at website (http://www.cnn.com) Y- Will indicate CBS, found at website (http://www.cbs.com) Z- Will indicate MSNBC, found at website (http://www.msnbc.com) The instruction includes watching the three news programs on the same night and addressing some questions. This will include and analysis of this students findings. How are the three different forms of coverage portrayed and how the segment framed with regard to the presentation and the bias? X- Reports the floods in the south are historic this May 19, 2011. It crested at 57.1 feet Thursday, and the weather service predicts the crest will hold through at least Saturday morning in Vicksburg. The flood also claimed the first victim in the state. Vicksburg resident Walter Cook, who died after pulled from floodwaters, according to the Warren County coroner, who said Thursday it is not clear how Cook results in them. For some, the cresting floodwaters, which damaged hundreds of homes and displaced 2,000 Vicksburg residents, was cause for relief. For others, it was a reason to celebrate. Y reports VIDALIA, La. - Natchez, Mississippi occupies a prominent bluff overlooking the big river. Tourist attractions, the city is well off and mostly dries, reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds. Just across the water, in the lowlands, lies Vidalia, Louisiana. A, working class town, is on the edge of a ruinous flood. At least 300 people are out of work and riverfront businesses there are out of commission. The convention center, the hotel, hospital, and medical building are inches from inundation and losing as much as $1 million a month. The flooding on the Mississippi River is sure to cost billions of dollars in damage and lost business and diverting floodwaters away from New Orleans may not reduce the cost of this disaster by much. How much will the flooding cost the southern-flooded areas and the rest of the U.S.? CBS News business and economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis said on "The Early Show" Tuesday that the area affected by flooding is very significant to the national economy because of its gasoline resources. Z reports, Eddie Simmons relieved to hear that the Mississippi River crested slightly lower than expected north of him in Vicksburg LA, confident his house would survive the flooding that is plaguing many states. Simmons, a retired logger, is recovering from hip-replacement surgery and can barely leave his bed. Despite water swamping his front yard and creeping beneath his house in Port Gibson, he has decided to ride it out. "It's God's work. You have to deal with him. You can run to high ground, but if God wants to come there, he can come there. You might as well stay put, he said". The Mississippi River crested at more than 14 feet above flood stage in Vicksburg on Thursday, slightly lower than expected, easing worries about water potentially spilling over a nearby levee and inundating thousands more acres of farmland. Still, officials warned that the flood was by no means over. The river expected to stay at its crest for several days before beginning a long, slow retreat. It could remain above flood stage until mid-June. Television stories are subjective or objective, informal or formal to represent the TV story reporting a certain approach. The definition of objective and subjective: Objective/formal this statement is completely unbiased. The speaker’s previous experiences or tastes have nothing to do with the report. It is verifiable by looking up facts or performing mathematical calculations. Subjective/informal the character of the speaker or writer colors this statement. It often has a basis in reality, but reflects the perspective through with the speaker views reality. It cannot be verified using concrete facts and numbers. We use our examples listed above, X appears to have an objective point of view. This uses support with facts and numbers. Y appears to take the same objective view as X supporting the facts with numbers. Z, on the other hand used one fact only stating that the Mississippi River crested more than 14 feet above flood stage (http:www.ph.answers.yahoo.com). X demonstrates the point of view as definition of objectivity by stating facts and numbers that substantiate the bases of the story. Y appears to take the same view or formal view using statistics to support claim where as Z are informal not stating facts or statistics. Z subjected the viewing audience with a personal perspective of a logger that had built his own home. When asked to evacuate Simmons refused. They included speaking about a recent hip surgery. Simmons was unable to leave his bed. This is not necessary for the world audience. Z did not give any facts or statistics about where the river is now and how long they expect it to remain. B. Explain how various social groups are represented in the news segments People in groups need something relatable to talk with one another. A system of common understanding of concepts and ideas required to have the ability to be outside of a particular meaning for that group of people. Words have a way of imbedding themselves with special meaning within particular social groups. Every news program has a particular set of viewers. Those viewers understand and become relatable to the programming. CNN is an all day 24- hour a day news program. It continues to pack the audience will facts and figures of certain events that occur around the globe. The number one most significant issue is that the meaning through a system of social negotiation instead of a fixed negotiation approach is therefore, defined in the news program. The interpretation may well require an understanding of many additional approaches by reviewing the social environments the program. The example of CNN used above to demonstrate that MSNBC and CBS have a different viewing audience. Who is the audience becomes, especially important to the content of the news program. Much of the news media business has to do with the diversity of several ethnic cultures. CNN feels a huge obligation to talk specifically to the different ethnic cultures that exist in this new global viewing audience. It is now believed that sites like Face book, and Link it, are getting messages out of countries that do not allow such social media. If they have a cell phone, the message can get out through some type of social media. C. Are news segments taken at face value CNN and CBS take much of the same viewpoint in terms of the content in their news broadcasts. MSNBC seems to do a lot more sensationalizing for the mire entertainment value it presents. Sensationalizing seems to ever present in almost every news broadcast. The shock factor is forever increasing in the news world. The blood spatter seems to be everyway one looks. Reporters from each of the news feeds presented shows on the ground killing of children and adults without as much as a tear. The viewing public continually subjected to these types of horrific scenes that occur in our living rooms every day and every night. CNN was the first station to show the devastation in Bagdad when Saddam Hessians "statue," pulled to the ground with a rope by his own people. MSNBC turns every-day news, into a platform that they develop purely to entertain to viewer. Chris Hansen is a regular on the program when he captures sex-offenders in different areas of the United States. Personal values affect the children that watch the news. Programming use to say if this is too graphic please have the children step-out of the room. In this authors opinion this policy is not strictly adhered too. Many parents maybe too lazy or too busy or both in properly setting their televisions so that the children cannot watch this type of programming and news segments become the worst of the offenders. Personal values affect what we see and how we view certain events. Statistics maintain the fact that these values start at very young ages. The events such as the Columbine Killings occur as they did in Denver, Colorado. Many children remember the names of the killers in the case. Gangs do not seem to have the pouch they use to have but gang mentality continues to plague our schools, classroom, and colleges. Without personal values, our society continues to be in jeopardy. When viewing the news we see that personal freedom is erupting all over the world. Many people want a democratic society as we enjoy in the United of States of America. Without personal values, we are nothing. 9-11-2001, was a testament the destruction of a violent society when airplanes flown by extremists hit the trade center in New York City. Reference website http://www.cnn.com http://www.cbs.com http://www.msnbc.com http:www.ph.answers.yahoo.com Read More