We could say that unmediated news allows us to get the truth first hand. An event that unfolds in real time through a feed is about as unmediated as it comes. Shocking events such as the World Trade Center are memorable as they were shared by viewers in real time. As the second plane hit the viewing audience were transfixed to the unfolding events on screen. Most people can remember exactly where they were when this news ran.
Social media still mediates news but the control is less obvious and it is hard to say that they are the new 'gatekeepers'. The difference is that traditional news media controlled the news to suit their own agendas or ideology. This can still be seen in traditional media today.
Lets look at the newspapers for today.
The main news items are;
- David Cameron avoiding questions about his father's involvement in tax evasion
- The Panama Papers
- Teenage killers of a vulnerable woman.
The front pages of newspapers look like this;
The news agenda is set depending on the owner's political allegiance and their moral compass.
Some choose to pursue the potentially explosive story about tax evasion by the Prime Minister while others choose to avoid it completely. Some right wing papers serve up a diet of headlines about illegal immigration and the threat of terrorism. Why do you think they do this?
On Tuesday these two front pages show how far apart the political divide is in representation of the news in traditional media such as newspapers. The owners have the power to manipulate the message and to force feed us the news. This striking anomaly even went viral under the heading 'Walnuts' as it was such a stark reminder of the manipulation of traditional media
The big question is has social media changed news media completely so that the power of these 'gatekeepers' has gone?
What power do the owners of news media still retain?
Who are the new gatekeepers?
How do you receive your news?
In what ways has social media transformed the way that we recieve the news?
The news story continues today as Cameron finally admits to once holding interests in a tax haven.
Here are today's headlines;
What does this mean for the PM?
What do you think of his position in this affair?
What does this story show about the role of the news media industry ?
What can traditional media (newspapers) do with such a news story that online media cannot ?
Apply the theory of We Media by Dan Gillmor (Book: We The Media)
No comments:
Post a Comment