This week our focus is news media. In class we talked about the news (who decides what is 'news', how Americans get their news, the rise of interactive media and journalistic freedom), as well as discussing the influence of television on American popular culture.
In order to prepare for our field trip to CNN, please read the following short descriptions of research by the Pew Internet and American Life Project (a group that conducts large research projects regarding American life and their use of the Internet).
Understanding the Participatory News Consumer
News Consumption 2010
You should also view the following video...
This video is VERY important for us to consider. Although journalists in the United States have quite a bit of freedom regarding what they write about, the public still is concerned about whether the stories published are 'truthful' or are 'biased'.
Questions and items to consider for the field trip:
1. What is the 'process' used to produce a CNN report?
2. How do they come up with story ideas?
3.Who assigns stories to be researched?
4.Who is in charge of designing how the final story segment will look (how long it will be, what it will say, etc...)?
5. What happens during a 'live' report?
Based on the answers to those questions, do you think that American media is biased? Why or why not?
Today's trip is really fantastic! I've never been there somewhere like that before. The big "earth" is interesting, and the studio is big and full of high-tech equipments. The guide talked so fast that I wondered if he could catch his breath...I think American media is biased. Because I think there's no media that is absolutely true. The editor or producer or headquater of the media company would have influence in the reports more or less. That's something inevitable.
ReplyDeleteHi Danny,
ReplyDeleteI’m Cathy.
I had been longing for this trip for a long time and finally we maked it. I was really excited to see the studios and anchors in a short distance and got to know a little about how a CNN report is made before it is sent to millions of families. I was amazed by the efficiency of CNN: a report can be made within several minutes. But I believe it’s far more slower than the speed of the tour guide…sometimes I could hardly catch what he said: )…Let’s pull back to the topic…personally speaking, American media must be more or less biased like any other media in the world, this is a common problem that can’t be avoided. Take The 2010 World Cup as an example, the elimination of teams like Italy and France(which are considered to be very competitive but actually not strong enough) were not that unexpected as many news media had put, many pseudo-fans were easily misled and likely to follow the exaggerated sports news which aimed at attracting more attention. In addition to this, media companies tend to publicize their sponsors and cooperation partners consciously or unconsciously, which can also cause bias. However, I believe the American media is responsible for the audience and tires its best to be less biased.
Looking forward to the Coca-Cola trip! : )
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ReplyDeleteHello, Danielle
ReplyDeleteI'm Sean
I wonder why once again I am the third to post comment...
I tried to understand the tour guide, but he just seemed to be so bored according to his tongue. I bet it is really a silly job to talk to people of the same content again and again and again and again...
My favorite part of the trip is the closing, which was a video of several CNN staff talking about their opinions towards the news business. Actually, I knew none of them except Larry King... However, their speech was so touching that it almost aroused my impulsion to became a journalist for a second...Well the other parts of the trip are interesting as well, but I just feel it was a pity that we did not get the chance to watch the CNN staff working in close range.
Talking about the bias, well it is really not a contentious issue because any news media serve some interest groups,and there exist the bias, no matter in my country or in the US. Furthermore, the freedom of speech may become the asylum of discrimination and hate speech. Well, I genuinely hope that it will not go that far.
Thank you Dr. Lawson. It is indeed a fantastic trip.
Hi, Danny, I'm Turbo. I’m very appreciated to have a so nice trip to headquarter of CNN. It's really awesome there. I was surprised to receive a Chinese translation of the guide paper. Thanks to it, I can basically catch up the guide. I have never been to place like there which contains so much professional equipment. The well-designed one-hour tour made me have a general conception about how TV news works, and what a good story should be like. In my opinion, American media is also biased, just like Chinese media. The difference is that there is not one group of opinions expressed. It depends on which sides the news advocates. As a result, it would influence a group of people. So people can judge which side they are for. I think only by doing this can a piece of news be more attractive than completely objective.
ReplyDeleteCNN, as a profitable company, absolutely has to run the business under the rules, both written and hidden. And that may make the news more or less biased. The process of exploring the news in CNN seems very professional as well as stressful. The editor room is quite crowded and busy. News most from the US, and some from world wide rush into this office. But at last only a tiny part would be on the screen. So the manager will finally get the right to choose partly according to his taste.
ReplyDeleteHowever, news can’t be told in a totally fair way, though the way that American media doing this job may not be the ideal way. It’s still one of the best ways in the world. Comparing with Chinese ways of working on this, Americans are doing too well to blame.
To be honest, I was not that much into the trip. I was so excited before we got there because the skyscraper, the fame of the CNN and all news stuff. I was curious about what would be inside the building and I did be impressed in the first place. However, the following offices that have all the same screens, computers and all kinds of news bothered me and I don't think that the tour guide had more patience than I did. I can see news in naked and then out dressed. As we have all kind of taste, the news in dresses can not be pleasant to all. So it may be much better for us to keep an open eye and avoid seeing things without thinking.
ReplyDeleteHi,Danny. This is Yanna. The building of CNN is fabulous. It's not only a working place but a tourist site as well. The hall is well-designed and decorated with a huge earth and many national flags, which represents news from all around the world. During making the CNN news, there always is a director taking care of the whole process and giving orders. We cannot hear him on TV, but he plays an important role in making news. New technology is applied to the live show. Once they used "green screen" for live show background, and now they used multi-point touch screen for that. I learned a lot about the process of making news during the trip. That was an amazing trip!
ReplyDeleteTo tell the truth, I was impressive more by the tour guide more than other procedure he introduced to us. At first, I went through a hard time because he spoke too fast to follow him, and things became better when I got used to the way he told a story or did a brief speech. In spite of that case, I still couldn’t get some joke he told which some students from SHJTU could understand it easily. I was very impressive by that. I think if I work harder and make more efforts on my weakness in English, maybe someday in future I can do as well as them. Sometimes you do have to push yourself to learn more and get improvement
ReplyDeleteAfter the trip, I basically know how the news comes out. It gone through an preset process before its officially on air. We also saw the HLN and an Spanish-speaking live for some other district, it’s amazing trip and the picture I took will recall the memory of the CNN field trip.
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ReplyDeleteGood afternoon, Danny! Sorry to make comments so late…But I still want to say something.
ReplyDeleteMy trip to CNN is much earlier than anyone else in our class ‘cause I woke up early that morning and arrived at CNN at about 10 am. I spent almost 2 hours on the first floor, reading the important news on the wall and all finding that there are people from different part of world working here. Compared with that, the trip of the afternoon was really in a rush. The guide spoke so fast that I could hardly catch up with him. Yet I can come to the conclusion that CNN is famous and authoritative with large numbers of employees and high technology. Though CNN is authoritative, I still believe that media can hardly be totally truthful. That is because every journalist has his or her own characteristics and values. They may view the exactly same thing from different side and then come to different conclusions. But I think trying one’s best to tell the public the truth is just OK since one can hardly avoid it.
Hi, Danny~~
ReplyDeleteThe trip to CNN is short, but really impressed me. Many funny things and meaningful ones - such as the CNN coin machine, the director’s talking in the control studio, the green screen – more or less affected me.
The generalization of my feelings is that - everything in America is COMMERCIAL. Right, nearly everything is. Originally, I supposed that CNN must be a place full of pressures. But when I stepped into the CNN center, I knew it is far from my imaging. It is like a mall or a company, or actually, it is a company. People here are working comfortably and freely. They don’t seem to be as serious as their programs. All the journalists, editors and hosts are enjoying their work.
That may affect the American news. In my opinion, American media is to some degree unbiased. They view liberty as the basic principle. They advocated freedom. Most important of all, government has no control over media; I knew this from Dr. Danielle last week and this impressed me a lot. THX :). Media should have more freedom if they separated from authority. (In China, there are great differences.)
Admittedly, media are also influenced by the wealthy business. But CNN is operating as a company, so I think there is no ground for blame. Moreover, different financial groups represent different benefits. Public can tell the truth among the liberal media by themselves.
“No forever friends, only forever benefit.” From my perspectives, that may be the central value of American media.
This is a very exciting trip. I have dreamed to get into the CNN when I'm still a little girl. This trip let me have a chance to know how are TV shows made, and we also met a lot of famous persons who we often can see on television. I also made a coin that one side has a signal of CNN. I love it very much and I believe it will help me to remember this wonderful trip.
ReplyDeleteHello Danny.
ReplyDeleteI'm Anna.
It is unforgetable to visit CNN.You know, it's very amazing to know something about how news is produced,What happens during a 'live' report and so on. What impress me most is the fianal experience, seated in a room like a cinema watching reporters telling their idea about giving reports and telling stories on the screem. It is really fantastic and thought-provoking.I also walk around CNN with other classmates and take some photos.
So what is the 'process' used to produce a CNN report? Firstly, they should gather information. Then they should produce news. Lastly editors should write and edit the news.
Hi，Danny,I'm Jackson(Shixiang Zhang).I am glad to visit BBC which gives me unforgetable experience.The BBC's domestic programming and broadcasts are primarily funded by levying television licence fees (under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949), although money is also raised through commercial activities such as sale of merchandise and programming. The BBC World Service, however, is funded through a grant-in-aid by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. As part of the BBC Charter, the Corporation cannot show commercial advertising on any services in the United Kingdom (television, radio, or internet). Outside the United Kingdom the BBC broadcasts commercially funded channels such as BBC America, BBC Canada, and BBC World. In order to justify the licence fee, the BBC is expected to produce a number of high-rating shows in addition to programmes that commercial broadcasters would not normally broadcast.
ReplyDeleteHi Danny, I'm Ashley, I'm sorry to post this comment so late, but the trip to CNN still fresh in my mind. First I want to say I have a wonderful trip to CNN, it is an interesting tour and give us a chance to know how the news coming out before it shows on TV. I heard how the director told people to do on live shows. The green screen surprised me , it is very funny, if you cover your body ,it looks like there is just you head hang there. And I like the feelings that look at the editors through the window, but I am not sure if this will interrupt them. There a little pity, the tour guide speak very fast I can’t catch up with him. After I came back my friends told me that to can use your own coins to make a new Anniversary coin, what a pity , maybe I will be there one more time.:)
ReplyDelete