Definition of News and journalism according to various scholars (Roll no: 125)
Definitions of news according to different scholars
Ø “News is a social construction that provides a mediated reality of events and issues that are selected, framed, and presented by news media professionals.” (McQuail, 2010)
McQuail was Emeritus Professor at the School of Communication Research (ASCOR) University of Amsterdam and Visiting Professor in the Department of Politics at the University of Southampton. According to the definition given by the scholar McQuail, 2010 news is the creation that supplies a superset of augmented reality, mixed reality and virtual reality which are preferred, enclosed and granted by news media professionals. When certain issue is recognized and if it is suitable for making news then due to various process it is presented by media house by different media professionals. There are different events and incidence that occurs in our social setting on a daily basis. These events are based on reality that can be mediated. The mediated reality augmented reality, mixed reality and virtual reality and many others. Among these various mediated reality certain topics are selected and processed to prepare various news. McQuail emphasizes that news is not just a direct representation of reality; it involves a process of selection, interpretation, and organization. Media organizations decide what is newsworthy based on various factors, including the perceived relevance to their audience, the potential for audience engagement, and the media's own organizational interests. To sum up everything that has been started so far, McQuail notes that news is often shaped by institutional routines, cultural norms, and political influences, which ultimately influence how events are presented to the public.
l Source of definition: Mass Communication Theory
Ø News is a form of communication that informs the public of current events, issues, and trends in society.” (Croteau & Hoynes, 2014)
David Croteau, William Hoynes, and new co-author Clayton Children take an interdisciplinary approach with a sociological focus to answer questions like How do people use the media in their everyday lives? According to the definitions given by Croteau and Hoynes, 2014 news is a form of communication that is communicated to the general population. This communication includes various events and issues of society, currently trending practices and incidence that occurs in our society in daily basis. It is a way of sharing information about events and issues among general people. This helps general people to learn about new trends of the world. It also inform and provide messages about various incidences new technology and changes about the services. Their definition highlights the idea that news is a product of institutional and cultural processes, where journalists and media organizations decide what is "newsworthy." This involves the selection, framing, and presentation of stories in a way that aligns with the interests and values of the media institution, often reflecting broader societal structures and power relations. Therefore, news is shaped not just by facts, but by how those facts are interpreted and communicated within the context of a given society. To sum up everything that has been started so far, They argue that news is a social construction that is shaped by media institutions, societal norms, and power dynamics. According to them, news is not simply a reflection of reality but is the result of a selection process influenced by a range of factors, including economic interests, political agendas, and cultural values.
l Source of definition: Understanding Media and Culture
Ø “News is a means of communication that provides citizens with information and knowledge necessary for their democratic participation and decision-making.” (Lippmann, 1922)”
Walter Lippmann, an American journalist and philosopher, defined news as the "pictures in our heads"—a concept referring to how news is not simply the raw facts of an event but the interpretation and portrayal of those events through media. . His definitition actively demonstrate that when a general population gets the exact knowledge and information about the event and trends they can freely choose among different ideas and information . People also can have democratic participation in social setting to choose among different section, services, ideas or organization . This actively demonstrate that after getting exact knowledge and information about any events or trends by the general citizen they also can have various types of democratic participations. Those can be provided by various types of social organizations, section, services or various ideas. In his influential work, Lippmann argued that the media shape the way the public understands the world, constructing simplified versions of complex events that influence public perception. He emphasized that the news is a construct, shaped by media institutions, and is often a representation of reality rather than reality itself. In this sense, news is something that the media creates and frames for consumption, reflecting the perspectives and biases inherent in the media's selection, presentation, and interpretation of events. To sum up everything that has been started so far is, general citizens can make proper decisions after getting proper, complete, true etc news information from any source.
l Source of definition: News Reporting and Writing
Ø “News is a genre of journalism that reports on events and issues of public interest, emphasizing the timely and relevant aspects of those events and issues.” (Tuchman, 1978)”
Gaye Tuchman is a professor emerita of sociology at the University of Connecticut.In her 1978 work "Making News: A Study in the Construction of Reality," sociologist Gaye Tuchman provided an influential definition of news. She approached news as a social construct, emphasizing the processes and routines involved in selecting, framing, and presenting news stories. According to the definition given by Tuchman, 1978 actively demonstrate that news is the genre of journalism. The news keeps the record of events and issues according to public interest. It empasize on timely and relevant aspect of any types of events or incidences. She argued that news is not simply a direct reflection of reality but is shaped by the media's institutional practices, including editorial decisions, production constraints, and audience expectations. According to her, news is the result of newswork the work done by journalists and editors to decide which events are considered newsworthy. According to her there are different perspective related to news. Some of them are News is a construction, The newsroom as the site of power, Newswork, Routine nature of news production and so on. To sum up everything that has been started so far, Tuchman defined news as a socially constructed phenomenon, created by journalists within a framework of organizational routines and institutional practices. News is influenced by these processes and is not a straightforward mirror of reality.
l Source of definition: Understanding Media and Culture
Ø “News is a product of a news organization, conveying information to an audience about recent events, developments, and issues.” (Galtung & Ruge, 1965)”
Johan Galtung and Mari Ruge's study began life as a paper presented at the First. Nordic Conference on Peace Research, which took place in Oslo in January 1963.In their seminal 1965 study, Galtung and Ruge put forward a system of twelve factors describing events that together are used as defining "newsworthiness." Galtung and Ruge's definition of news is based on their 1965 theory of news selection. They identified several factors that influence whether an event is deemed newsworthy by the media. Their work focuses on the subjective nature of news selection, emphasizing how media organizations choose which events to report and which to ignore. The definition actively demonstrate that news is commonly known as the product of any type of organization. According to them news is the product of organization which provides information to the audiences about frequent events.Events that occur quickly or in a short time frame are more likely to be reported. In the news according to them events that have a clear, straightforward message are more likely to be seen as newsworthy. There are some factors which describe their news perfectly, they are frequency, threshold, meaningfulness, consonance, unexpectedness, continuity so on and many more. To sum up everything that has been started so far, these factors help explain how and why certain events are selected for news coverage, while others may be ignored or given little attention. Galtung and Ruge's theory highlights the role of editorial judgment and the way media framing shapes the perception of news.
l Source of definition: The Journalism Handbook
Definitions of Journalism according to different scholars
Ø Journalism as a process of communicating information to inform, educate, entertain, and influence the public.( David K Berlo)
David Kenneth Berlo (1929 – February 23, 1996) was an American communications theorist. He is a communication scholar, defines journalism as a process of collecting, verifying, and presenting news and information to the public in an objective and balanced manner. He emphasizes the role of journalism in serving as a bridge between the government, organizations, and the public, ensuring that individuals are informed and can make decisions based on accurate and timely information. His definition of journalism actively determines that journalism is the process of communicating information. It inform, educate, entertain and influence the general public which helps to take information to the public. He doesn't have a single, direct definition of journalism in his works, his broader communication theory and models highlight the importance of effective communication, credibility, and the responsible dissemination of information all key elements of journalism.This definition highlights the dual roles of journalism: providing information and serving as a tool for influencing society. It acknowledges the responsibility of journalists to provide balanced, well-researched stories while recognizing the influence media has in shaping attitudes and behaviors. To sum up everything that has been started so far is, journalism provides information in educative, entertainment and such a way which is liked by the general citizens.
l Source of definition: Understanding Media and Culture
Ø Journalism is the collection, verification, and presentation of news.(David Merritt)
David Merritt is a journalist with more than two decades of experience reporting and editing news around the world. According to the definition of journalism given by David Merritt actively demonstrates that journalism is he process of collecting, verifying and presenting the information in various ways. His definition reflects the understanding of the core values that guide professional journalism: accuracy, truth, and the importance of delivering reliable information to the public.The definition emphasizes the core functions of journalism: gathering information, ensuring its accuracy, and presenting it to the public. This focus on verification, especially in an age of information overload, highlights the growing need for journalists to be vigilant in separating fact from misinformation and ensuring that the news they provide is based on solid, factual evidence. His perspective on journalism emphasizes the critical process of ensuring that news is gathered carefully, verified for credibility, and presented in a way that the public can trust. Firstly the information is collected from various sources, then it is verifies by the various professionals and during the phrase of verification many improvements, corrections of errors are done by the various media professionals and that information is shared to general citizens which provides them knowledge which are very important for everyone. To sum up everything that have been started so far is according to his definition is gathering information, ensuring its accuracy, and presenting it to the general public is the main theme of this definition.
l Source of definition: The Journalism handbook
Ø Journalism is a process of communication that facilitates the flow of information from various sources to a mass audience. (James Carey)
James William Carey (7 September 1934 – 23 May 2006) was an American communication theorist, media critic, and a journalism instructor at the University of Illinois, and later at Columbia University. According to the definition given by James Carey actively demonstrate that journalism is the process of communication. This communication facilitates the flow of information. That information is flowed from various sources to the mass amount of the viewers or audience. His definition reflects his broader understanding of journalism not just as a simple act of reporting but as a key social process. The definition emphasize that it's a dynamic system, where information is collected, processed, and then shared with the public. This flow of information plays a vital role in shaping public opinion, influencing democratic processes, and providing people with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions. He also highlighted the importance of understanding how communication systems (including journalism) function within a larger cultural, social, and political context. The definition highlights the role of journalism in disseminating information, making it a vital component of society’s communication networks. The vital function of journalism as a process of communication, one that facilitates the spread of news and knowledge from diverse sources to a wide audience. This is crucial in ensuring that the public stays informed, engaged, and able to contribute to democratic discourse. To sum up everything that have been started so far is simply journalism is the process of communication in which information is flowed through various sources to the mass public.
l Source of definition: Understanding Media and Culture
Ø Journalism is a social practice where professionals gather, evaluate, and communicate information in a timely manner, ensuring that the public is informed about important issues. (Zelizer & Allan)
Barbie Zelizer is Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania. Stuart Allan is Professor of Journalism in the Media School, Bournemouth University. According to the definition given by them actively determines that the journalism is the social practice. Firstly they gather information. Journalists actively collect facts, data, and insights from a range of sources. This process involves research, interviews, and observation, allowing journalists to provide an informed view of events.They must critically assess the reliability, accuracy, and relevance of the information. This evaluation is crucial to separating fact from misinformation and bias. For this process they evaluate the information. Once the information is gathered and evaluated, it is then disseminated to the public, often through various media platforms. The goal is to ensure that the public is informed, which in turn supports democratic decision-making. Journalism is characterized by the need to communicate information promptly. In a fast-paced world, being first to report on important events can significantly impact public perception.The ultimate goal of journalism, according to this perspective, is to ensure that the public is well-informed about important issues that affect society. This aligns with the social role of journalism in a democracy, where the media serves as a bridge between events and the public's understanding of them. To sum up everything that have been started so far the definition focuses on journalism as a professional practice with societal responsibilities to keep the public informed.
l Source of definition: The Journalism Handbook
Ø Journalism is a set of practices that help to construct the social reality of the world, ensuring that it is interpreted, evaluated, and disseminated to the public. (Michael Schudson)
Michael Schudson, a sociologist, investigates the role of the mass media in public life in the United States. The definition given by him actively demonstrate that Journalism is a set of practices that help to construct the social reality of the world, ensuring that it is interpreted, evaluated, and disseminated to the public. His definition underscores the idea that journalism is not just about reporting facts, but also about making sense of those facts, offering context, and fostering a deeper understanding of the world. It positions journalism as an intermediary that connects individuals to larger social, political, and global narratives, helping them navigate an increasingly complex and interconnected world. Journalism functions as a crucial institution that bridges the gap between individuals' direct experiences and the broader world. It provides information, explanation, and interpretation, offering insights into events, developments, and issues that individuals may not encounter firsthand. By doing so, journalism helps people understand the complexities of the world beyond their immediate surroundings, shaping their perceptions and enabling informed participation in society. The definition highlights journalism’s role in creating a shared understanding of the world through a social constructionist lens. To sum up everything that have been started so far it describes that Journalism is the social institution which concerts with information, explanation and interpration to the public.
l Source of definition: News Reporting and Writing
Comments
Post a Comment