In a world where the mainstream media is dominated by major Western companies, news and information services are becoming increasingly important. Moreover, global media has a global reach. In fact, China Central Television (CCTV) has 18 channels and reaches more than a billion viewers worldwide. Iran’s Press TV and Russia Today branded as RT have multiplatform presences. Even Henry Ford’s epoch-making automobiles are newsworthy.
Content analysis of a news story
A content analysis of a news story involves analyzing the story for information. This type of analysis has different techniques and designs depending on the purpose of the study. Using the method of directed content analysis, researchers can focus on a single topic and identify the key concepts in the story. In addition to identifying the main concepts, this type of analysis is very useful for determining the underlying causes and effects of a given news story.
Selection of a story
Editors choose stories based on a number of factors, including their quality, significance, and cross-border relevance. A story may be chosen to be featured in a newspaper, magazine, or online publication if it meets at least one of these three criteria. A story may be selected based on its quality alone, or it may also satisfy the requirements of the sponsor. Usually, stories are highlighted according to their news values, but editors may also choose to bury them in a less-read section.
Strength of a story
Generally, length of news story has little to do with its strength. In fact, a strong story can be written in a few sentences, whereas a minor one can take up much space. However, the bottom point of the inverted pyramid is the same for all stories regardless of their length, indicating their newsworthiness. To help you understand the differences between these two categories, let’s examine how news values determine the strength of a story.
Value of a story
There are several criteria for determining the value of a story in news. For instance, sudden events are more likely to be reported than those that develop gradually and are more convenient to report at a later time. Long-term trends are unlikely to be reported. Generally, negative news is more newsworthy than positive news. However, in some cases, good news may have news value. We will examine the value of stories below.
Reliability of a source
While there are many factors to consider in evaluating a news source’s reliability, a few key criteria can consistently be assessed. When used in conjunction with other factors, these indicators can indicate the level of bias and reliability in news content. Using the criteria below can help you judge a news source’s reliability and trustworthiness. To begin, you should start with an evaluation of the content itself. Is it unbiased or biased?
Ethics of reporting
Despite the fact that journalists are supposed to be objective, many journalists still tend to present slanted or biased news. Although journalistic objectivity used to be considered the ultimate goal, it is not an accurate description of the truth. While objectivity once held high regard, it has since fallen out of favor. Reporters always report through the lens of their own experiences, background, beliefs, and culture. Thus, the ethics of reporting news and other news must be kept in mind.