Is Television News a ‘Window on the World’?

Is television news a ‘window on the world’?

It is difficult to say how accurate and impartial television news actually is. In this following essay, I will be explaining the thoughts about if the news is genuinely a ‘window on the world’ or if it is just a narrative structure, set out just like in ‘classic Hollywood’.

Firstly, the news states that it shows us ‘reality’ through the opening sequence with certain iconography, such as clocks, phallic symbols, showing us the world from space, fast paced music and rushing camera movements. However, I think this is all just a representation- and again is just stating and trying to show us that the news is a ‘window on the world’ through connotation and iconic symbols. This is because even though the symbols are reflecting on what the news is supposed to be showing us; in contrast it is difficult to tell how impartial and realistic the news generally is from the stories themselves. We are unable to tell how accurate these broadcasted stories are, as we have to trust the news/reporters and the actuality footage they provide. Actuality footage itself suggests that the footage is ‘actual’ and therefore real, however this is not the case. I believe that we can only call it ‘real’ if we are experiencing the event for ourselves- therefore, the footage we see is just a representation from the event.

This point can also link with the studio set up and the news reporters themselves. In some cases during the opening sequence, you can see the complete studio- complete with all the equipment and the surrounding area. This is different and contrasts with classic Hollywood, as in films you are very likely not to see any equipment at all, and this is because films are fictional stories and are not meant to be, in most cases, presenting reality. Basically, the news is trying to set it self up and show reality through the sets and presenters and connotations. The presenters are usually either white, middle class, middle-aged males or white, middles class, young (30s) females, while they also use Standard English and have Received Pronunciation. The reason for the age difference is because in this sexist culture, the men being of older age is connoting wisdom and authority, whereas the woman’s age is generally connoting the loss of physical attraction.

The connotations of news are therefore shown through the presenters- as they them seem serious, smart, important and neutral (mainly with the way they speak). This is therefore trying to make us, the audience, believe that the news is a ‘window on the world’ by trying to persuade us that the presenters are presenting facts. The audience also take news presenters more seriously by their mode of address to the viewer. Their mode of address is direct and formal which is also putting emphasis on the importance of communication and the facts they are giving us. We can take them seriously as they usually have a limited range of emotion (not usually smiling until the end of the news), which is reinforcing the "neutrality". Media professionals often are also heard talking about the neutrality and the balance of TV News, however many criticise the news calling it biased. This mainly links to the narrative structure of TV News as a whole, which will be a later point.

Next, the legal and regulatory framework of the news is trying to show us how the news and the law should be impartial by rules. The regulations and regulatory bodies link with this too. However, it is believed that the news is only trying to be impartial.

Impartiality laws were brought together by libel laws, D Notices and various Broadcasting acts, such as from 1973: “ITV news will show due impartiality” and also from the BBC Royal Charter, stating that the corporation will not express its views or opinions on matters of public concern,” – this means that the news is not providing any opinion. However, I believe that it is practically impossible for any media product to be impartial; therefore the codes of practice and laws are just over simplistic. This is mainly because all media is just a representation of reality, and this representation just involves much selection which obviously does include somebody’s point of view and opinion which are determined by beliefs, ideologies and values which is subjectivity. News therefore simply cannot be a ‘window on the world’, as showing the world impartially (with the sense of showing reality too) is just logically impossible. 

Regulatory Bodies include Ofcom and the BBC Trust.

Ofcom regulate TV, satellite and cable (and also some radio and some of the BBC). On their website, there are ‘rules’ to “ensure that news, in whatever form, is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality” (source of quote:

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/impartiality).

The BBC Trust is the main, un-independent regulatory body for the BBC, and they mainly work on ensuring that the BBC provides good value and high quality. Just like Ofcom, there are many impartiality laws from this body too, stated on their website. Quoted from their website, “it applies to all our output and services - television, radio, online, and in our international services and commercial magazines”, and they also imply that there is “due impartiality” to all subjects and “due impartiality is often more than a simple matter of 'balance' between opposing viewpoints” (source of quotes: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/page/guidelines-impartiality-introduction). Again, the fact that each news story is selected suggests that the news does include somebody’s point of view and opinion, meaning that these websites are just stating how the news should be impartial and are hiding the fact that there is news selection, narrativisation, structure and mainly, opinion.  

Objectivity is not having any personal opinions; however, this is obviously not the case as news is heavily selected meaning that the news actually includes subjectivity. Overall, it is impossible for any media (also including print media, which has the Press Complaints Commission as a self-regulatory body) to be impartial and a ‘real’ ‘window on the world’. 

A way that the news is not like reality is because it includes a news selection process. Each news story undergoes a selection process, which helps select which stories are the most important and which should be broadcast. Although this does mean that the balance between national and international stories are more equal as there is more construction, being more global and ‘a window on the world’. Part of the news selection progress was composed by Galtung and Ruge, who came up ‘news values’ (see picture, right) which helps select the stories for the upcoming news and which stories are more important than others, but this means that there is opinion and choice to which stories should be presented therefore not being impartial. However, this also means that many stories and events both nationally and internationally may never be documented, and that the audience are still missing huge news from anywhere in the world which links to the fact that television news is not a ‘window on the world’.

Stories are often selected by the importance of the news values. For an example, for ‘Elite Nations’ this means that certain places in the world are more important than others. This means that you are more likely to see a story about America than Bangladesh, for example, and this is the same for people (Elite Persons). People, who are more important and newsworthy, will be included in the news rather than others. If a story is only focusing on one person, this makes them an Elite Nation and also gives the story more personalisation. Lastly, if a story has been reported on before and there are developments of the story, then you can show continuity by broadcasting an update. Usually, this happens to the top stories that effect many people or very important countries, such as the North Korea Crisis from 2013.

Different television news programmes are usually in competition with each other for getting better ratings on showing the ‘better’ story, for an example, ITV and the BBC. This also links to the point that certain stories are not shown as these companies are in competition with each other to get the best news story and get there first and get the best footage. This is also why many news programs broadcast the same stories.

The news construction progress includes a narrative structure (narrativisation), linking back to the presenters earlier. TV News is very much like and reproduces the Hollywood Narrative structure (see above) as after the selection the way the stories are constructed is much like fictional narratives. News Stories actually do seem to include that ‘classic realist’ narrative structure (based on the ideas of the theorist Todorov). For an example, sometimes winning sports stars and even ordinary members of the public are represented of the hero of the stories broadcasted. This means that if news stories and events are presented in such as narrative structure similar to fiction, this means that it is hard to determine whether the news is ‘factual’ television and how these stories differ from fiction, and overall if the news is a ‘window on the world’.

Studio News Readers gives us the facts without commenting on them, meaning that they are being impartial and not bias. They then hand over to on-location or ‘Field’ Reporters who give us more detail and elaborate on the facts and their closeness to the event/area suggests their knowledge. There are then links back to the studio which is beginning to create the ‘hierarchy of truth’, which is what TV News seems to be organized into. This is starting to try and show us how the news is real and trying to show us that it is a ‘window on the world’. Then, there are possible interviews and witnesses or experts which suggest that the news is being more in depth and therefore giving more evidence and being more real. Next, there is actuality footage which is evidence of what the reporter has just given us. Actuality footage is already suggesting that the footage is ‘actual’ which is incorrect, as it would only be ‘actual’ and ‘reality’ if us, the audience, were at the event/news ourselves. The footage is always a representation of the event, which the audience has to trust. The reason why the news is always a representation is because there are always implicit decisions about what to shoot and film and how to film. This includes what shots to take, and also how to edit them. This shows that the news has a very strong selection process and is actually more like a Hollywood Film, which again is showing that the news is not ‘a window on the world’ but more like a story and constructed.

News stories actually go through a news construction process themselves, this including the report structure. This can include the fact that the news is genuinely a narrative. Individual stories are structured much like a fiction or a Hollywood Narrative and also the complete news as a whole is constructed too. Each story starts off with ‘Normality’, and then the story builds up with ‘Enigma’ which is most likely a problem or something that needs to be solved. Next is the ‘Path to Resolution’ which, in other words is the ‘Quest’. Usually, there is also a Hero and an ‘Agent of Change’ which both come together on a ‘Quest’. Both of these ending with ‘closure’ we can see how this structure is used both for Hollywood and the news. This structure is used for the news as a whole, as the beginning, 1^st story of the news is usually the story that is, in a way, ‘furthest away from reality’, and the stories that follow are slowly bringing the news back to normality, the news usually ending on the weather or sport- suggesting the closure/normality. 

The narrative structure includes also the fact that the news is ‘hiding’ the constructed nature of the text thought editing and continuity. For an example, using an editing technique called a cutaway is used to create more ‘realism’, however this is not the same as ‘reality’. The news is basically taking the footage and re-editing it such as you would in fiction, so this again questions the fact of how real the news is as even just a representation. Therefore, the news shows many conventions of fiction as it is re-edited and each news program has a realistic structure edited just like a fiction story. I believe, with news, the audience just accepts what they’re watching, ignoring any cutaways and hiding away the construction etc. which suggests that the news is not being real or showing us a ‘window on the world’.  The technical codes of TV News and TV Fiction also link to this. The main technical codes here are continuity editing, where the shots are combined and flowing. The conventions of this include, the 180 Degree Rule, establishing shots, close ups for characterisation, reaction shots, match cutting on eye line and shot-reverse shots. Many of these shots are used for continuity in fiction, but are also used for News stories, meaning that news is very much structured and re-edited such like in fiction, meaning that news stories may be showing the conventions of ‘classic Hollywood-style continuity. Using such continuity editing is hiding the facts and reality, which is actually dishonest. So, this overall means that TV News is not reality or a ‘window on the world’. 
The news itself is therefore highly selected which questions the fact that the news is ‘a window on the world’. This kind of construction and selection is showing us that the news is not representing reality but is highly selected and contains implicit viewpoints. The viewpoints are generally from middle class, white, males.

However, after this, it is hard to determine whether this really matters and if there is anything we can do about it. In my personal opinion the news does provides information and gives us a representation of the news events in a factual way. However, the news should not claim how much of a ‘window on the world’ it is, and therefore how actual it is. I personally do not think this is a problem however there has also been an impact from new technology mainly being from online blogging, and Twitter. From this new technology, people can receive constant updates, and the news is constantly updating. 

However, in my opinion, this is taking television news itself away from the professionals. If this therefore continues, I believe that we could be receiving news in a faster, more up-to-date fashion with more freedom of what actually becomes news. However, there would be no structure and, for example, not as much actuality footage. But, the news we then receive may be more of a ‘window on the world’ than television is now in this modern day. The only problem this may make is that the internet is most likely more impartial and bias than television news as it would be more opinionated.

In conclusion, I believe that the news cannot be impartial or show a ‘window on the world’ as representing reality in the media is impossible without selection or editing, which also includes opinions and subjectivity. Therefore, it is just trying to be impartial and tries to be a ‘window on the world’, but I overall think that this does not affect the viewers as clever continuity editing, such as in fiction, hides these facts.