News Report (Ms. Namita Kohli)

How is news made?

News is not something that merely “happens”. It is something that is actively “put together” by reporters, editors and publishers. Gathering, selecting and writing news is subjective.

News Filters

In their book Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Media, Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman postulate five “filters” that determines the type of news that is presented in the media.

The five filters are –

1)    The size, concentrated ownership, owner wealth, and profit orientation of the dominant mass-media firms.

2)    Advertising as the primary income source of the mass media.

3)    The reliance of the media on information provided by government, business, and "experts" funded and approved by these primary sources and agents of power.

4)    "Flak" as a means of disciplining the media.

5)    "Anticommunism" as a national religion and control mechanism. In Indian context, this religion can be replaced with “pro markets”.

Please Note: Post September 11 WTC Attack, Chomsky and Herman updated the fifth filter to “War on Terror or Antiterrorism” and believed it operated in the same manner.

For detailed reading on these propaganda models or news filters, kindly refer to:

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Herman%20/Manufac_Consent_Prop_Model.html

The very first lecture of the session was with Ms. Namita Kohli on the basics of reporting. We started off by discussing what journalism stood for. Journalism basically sought to give voice to the “voiceless” or marginalized.  In this context it is also important to ask whose voices are we willing hear. It creates public opinion and brings forth key debates while also acting as a watching and empowering the citizens with information.

We next discussed what ‘news’ stood for. NEWS basically stands for “North, East, West, South” or everything which has any significance, a bit of drama, a surprise element, or concerns personalities makes news. Also scandals, large scale events and proximity of an event are important factors in determining the news. News is factual, objective, and lacks any bias. The various areas which make news can range from sports, crime, infrastructure, politics, legal issues, conflicts and calamities to fashion, entertainment, celebrities and lifestyle. Inside a newsroom, editors decide news according to its timeliness and define news as something readers care about.

We finally concluded by discussing how news is made. News is not something that merely “happens.” It’s actively “put together” by reporters, editors and publishers. Gathering, selecting and writing news is also a largely subjective matter.