After having a closer look into the surveys we asked people to complete recently, we compiled a list of things that people didn’t like about news coverage. The most common things that came up were the exhaustion of stories and the sensationalism of news. We decided to look into and question why the media does this, as well as take a quick look into news values and the quality vs. quantity of news.
EXHAUSTION OF NEWS:
When we read over the surveys we found most people commented that they wanted new news; they were sick of the media hanging onto a story for more than a couple of days. When a big story breaks, it is only natural that the public will want full and detailed coverage, and it is inevitable that the media will give the public what they want, but the question needs to be asked: how much is too much?
A prime example of running a story to the point of exhaustion is the Beaconsfield mining disaster. When Todd Russell and Brant Webb were discovered alive, journalists flocked to the small town. The media sensed the massive rating potential and created a minute-by-minute report on the smallest details that occurred at Beaconsfield. Much of what occurred at the Beaconsfield disaster is applicable to the recent coverage of the Victorian bushfires. The problem with running a story for over a week or more is that the audience becomes desensitised to the event, which is especially sad when the news relates to a tragedy such as these. News organisations were having a field day, squeezing every possible angle out of these stories they could, packaging it into a ‘feel good’ article or story of despair. These events were over run. Yes, we want to hear about them but to be told basically the same thing one day after the next gets tiring. We want to hear about new stories and a variety of them.
This poses the question, if the public become sick of a story they will stop watching the news/buying the papers therefore media outlets lose numbers, is this not the worst result any media empire could dream of? What makes these media outlets risk their ratings to continue following a story? And when do they decide enough is enough?
SENSATIONALISM:
The exhaustion of news stories can run hand in hand with the sensationalism of news. In order to keep the public interested media outlets intensify the story. It’s no secret that the media is a profitable organisation; while they have a responsibility to keep the public informed it is a business that needs to make money to survive.
During the Beaconsfield disaster journalists would ruthlessly hunt down emotionally distraught relatives and friends for a chance at that one sensational scoop. This led to the disaster not only being about the trapped miners, but the public questioning the morals and principles of journalists. No matter how much we criticised, the media had created a story that had become addictive. The media made us feel as if it were our brother, our uncle or our father down the mineshaft. They did this through extensive profiles on the two men and their families and never-ending interviews with the locals. It was a technique that engaged the audience, and this engagement inevitably led to higher ratings. According to the media blogs and opinion polls at the time, the media was wearing thin on the Australian public. Beaconsfield is a prime example of how journalists are not just reporters, but marketers and business people.
Not only does sensationalism happen in major disasters but also in everyday news. Tabloid papers are full of sensationalism. They contain lots of pictures, simple stories, gossip and are cheaper to make. When we conducted our survey we found over half complained about the large amount of celebrity gossip. They were keen to hear about stories affecting the nation and the world, not about Paris’ latest scandal. Yes, there is no denying that the celebrity cult has millions of people hooked but there is a time and place for it. Sensationalising news stories gets on people’s nerves, they just want to hear the story for how it is and if it isn’t interesting enough with pure facts then the question arises, should it be in the news at all?
QUALITY VS. QUANTITY
The fast pace of today’s society has caused us to trade in quality for quantity. We do with food, shopping and even our relationships, as seen through the social media trends. And now it is evident that we are sacrificing the quality of our news. The need to juggle multiple tasks throughout the day has caused the public to become less patient and consequently the demand for in-depth, informative material has virtually ceased. Instead, the public are wanting as much as they can get in the littlest amount of time possible, hence the slow and painful death of quality news. Fast disappearing are the days where journalists would spend hours of their time providing in-depth, breaking, investigatory reports for the public. Now it has become a race to break the story, regardless of how little information the journalist has or how verified it is. Without quality is there any point to news?
EVALUATING NEWS VALUES:
As journalism students one of the first things we learn about are news values. However looking at some of the news that is reported, many of them don’t seem to be followed. Competition between media outlets seems to be the number one priority news value, even before looking at the reasons for choosing a story. If the other channel/paper is running a story more often than not the other media outlet will report on the same event, without even considering news values. Everyone seems so wrapped in beating everyone else that nothing else matters.
Many respondents to our survey said they were sick of soft news. While news associations may be skirting around the heavy issues that we are facing at the moment to keep the public happy, they must be reminded that this is not their job. News media is NOT a form of escapism.
Thanks for your time and let us know what you think about these issues and any other areas you would like us to discuss.
Caterina Fraga Matos
Erin Somerville
Stephanie Borys
Natalie Whiting
Elyce Kolder
Natalie Howarth
