This week we read Brendan Nyhan's article titled Covering Facts Versus the 'Narrative'. In this article he discusses how reporters paint events as 'scandalous' instead of reporting on facts of the event. There seems to be a shift from reporting solely the facts of what is happening into making it a big show. As Nyhan points out, reporters are taking narratives (such as so-and-so is too aggressive, or too lenient) onto larger issues that are occurring. There are so many different ways to get news these days (TV, radio, newspaper, online, social media) that reporters need to draw people in. By putting these spins on stories, they can grab someone's attention. Social media gives reporters even more chances to do this. Reporters are no longer limited to just their presentations on TV, they can now posts things at all times during the day, and about things they would not normally talk about on air.
Social media gives reporters a larger audience (and more 'air time') to discuss their feelings on a story. They can also create new angles to stories that are not there. As Nyhan stated, reporters can relate things together that are not really related. Social media gives reporters easy access to people and stories all over the world. To stand out on social media, something has to be big and shocking. This gives reporters even more incentive to give more drama to a story. They want as many followers as possible; they want to beat the competition, so using one extreme (on either side) will get more shares, likes, and followers.
When looking at news stories (especially political ones), look at all the actual information and try to see past the 'scandalous' story lines.
I agree that most news sources tend to push for drama rather than deliver facts when it comes to "scandalous" situations. Just because people can broadcast their opinions on something at all times doesn't mean that it is helpful to the situation. Very often the way that a story is delivered can also influence how the audience perceives the event. A change in tone can make something much more dramatic than it actually is.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you Emily! Journalists and media outlets seem to worry way more about viewership way more than credibility now. When we first began the chapter we discussed the inflated profit lines of media companies and how after that media always try to reach those same profit lines. Media acts like a typical business now whose only concern is making money
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