Exploring contextual influences on the architectural structure of South African television news programmes This article is partly based on a paper presented at the International Broadcasting Content Regulation Conference,Johannesburg, 27–29 May 2005

Abstract

This article uses a qualitative textual analysis of in-depth interviews with senior news processors as a methodology to explore the unique contextual dimensions that may influence the architectural structure of South African television news programmes. The discussion rests on the basic assumption that news will always present a mediated and constructed version of reality. Six communicative frames categories have been selected to investigate operational processes and issues organising the production process of news: short, straight-forward, ‘objective’ news reports; single-sourced news items based on one major voice or main perspective; investigative news reports; marketable news chosen for financial potential; news items based on community and cultural events; and mythic tales. The findings indicate that the interface between contextual factors and journalistic practices contributes to the unique challenges facing the industry in South Africa. The article concludes with an appeal to news processors to reflect on the consequences and effects their programmes have on audiences’ perception of reality, and proposes recommendations to enable audiences to become more empowered and engaged viewers.     

F.H. (Terry) Terblanche (17 June 1939 – 30 April 2014)

ABSTRACT

Research shows that there is a perception that gender equity in the South African news media has reached maturation and that the power female journalists hold in the newsroom equals that of their male counterparts. these perceptions might be attributed to the fact that South african news media have reached near gender parity in terms of the workforce. However, the question is whether this translates into women having equal power to influence news agendas and to extend the broader public discourse.

Through interviews with journalists from a cross-section of the South african english- and afrikaans-language media, the study shows that despite improved gender equity in the workforce, female journalists do not think they have the same power to alter news agendas as their male counterparts. Furthermore, the study shows that despite women and men often covering similar beats and stories, they emphasise different story angles and also articulate their role in society differently.     

Measuring the Media Agenda

Measuring media attention to politically relevant topics is of interest to a broad array of political science and communications scholars. We provide a practical guide for the construction, validation, and evaluation of time series measures of media attention. We review the extant literature on the coherence of the media agenda, which provides evidence in support of and evidence against the emergence of a single, national news agenda. Drawing expectations from this literature, we show the conditions under which a single national news agenda is likely to be present and where it is likely to be absent. We create 90 different keyword searches covering a wide range of topics and gather counts of stories per month from 12 national and regional media sources with data going back to 1980 where possible. We show using factor analysis wide variance in the strength of the first factor. We then estimate a regression model to predict this value. The results show the conditions under which any national source will produce time series results consistent with any other. Key independent variables are the average number of stories, the variance in stories per month, and the presence of any “spike” in the data series. Our large-scale empirical assessment should provide guidance to scholars assessing the quality of time series data on media coverage of issues.     

Film noir’s ‘gal producers’ and the female market

ABSTRACT

This article surveys publicity surrounding the work of three female producers active in Hollywood in the 1940s and early 1950s: Joan Harrison, Virginia Van Upp, and Harriet Parsons. All three produced key titles in the cycle of film noir that emerged during this period. Publicity that emphasized their work behind the scenes on these productions was part of broader attempts to cultivate a female audience for film noir. Marketing campaigns suggested that ‘gal producers’ catered to unconventional feminine appetites for criminality and violence, all the while celebrating their ascendance in the traditionally male-dominated profession of producer. Such profiles would have been particularly appealing to female moviegoers during the Second World War, when many women held jobs previously dominated by men, and in the immediate postwar period when they sought to retain those lucrative positions.     

当前我国报纸新闻娱乐化倾向探析

在市场经济的驱动下,新闻娱乐化成为当今大众传播活动中的普遍现象。我国自20世纪90年代以来,新闻娱乐化现象有愈演愈烈之势。当前,我国报纸新闻具有娱乐化倾向,各类报纸新闻娱乐化的表现形式不同,娱乐化的程度也各有不同。大报也有一定的娱乐化倾向,但是这种倾向更多地体现在形式上,如报道标题字号的大小和报道所采用的文体,而在报道对象的选择和报道内容的取舍上,仍在努力坚持新闻报道客观、理性的原则。     

我国体育新闻侵权的涵义界定及其路径解读

体育新闻侵权涵义的界定应以新闻侵权的定义为基础，对新闻本质的剖析有助于确定新闻侵权的涵义。依照属加种差的逻辑定义方法，结合体育新闻的特性，可将体育新闻侵权定义为新闻单位、出版单位、作者和体育新闻提供者，以体育新闻传播为目的，在采访、写作、编辑和报道的过程中，违法采访或不当报道侵害体育组织或体育个人的人格权益以及与体育相关的专有技术的行为。     

从负面涉警报道的应对析警察媒介素养教育的目标与途径

在现代社会,负面涉警报道屡见不鲜,公安机关一般都能正确对待,积极应对。但也有一部分干警不能以积极、平和的心态去对待新闻机构和媒体报道,暴露出了一些问题,体现了警察媒介素养的缺失。公安院校应该准确定位警察媒介教育的培养目标,明确警察媒介素养教育的内容和途径,指导干警进行媒体应对能力训练。     

新闻隐性采访的道德思考

新闻的隐性采访是一类有争议的新闻现象。对此类现象的研究主要涉及对隐性采访的定义与评价及其道德层面的思考。     

落地新闻与纸质媒体的生命力

落地新闻是一种全新的新闻操作手法，是纸媒体与网络媒体竞争的产物，用好它，是纸媒体的生命力所在。     

论电视新闻的情境真实

情境真实是电视新闻的必然追求，它的具体内涵包括时空环境以及特定的新闻事件和人物关系。电视记必须属守真实理念，捕捉一切有用的信息，灵活彩包括隐性采访手段在内的多样方法以实现情境真实。