Media coverage of events is essential in ensuring that society is informed of the current issues in the country or the world. Poor coverage may result in the media companies losing their credibility and rise in misinformation (Pavelka, 2014). However, despite that the media may have first-hand information on the events, each company may choose to present different views to the audiences to provoke a particular response. According to research, objectivity is accomplished by eliminating the characterization of people in a good or bad way (Pavelka, 2014). The media houses evaluated in this paper are the CNN, Sidney Morning Herald, and Aljazeera. Despite covering the same news item, the presentation of the story by the media companies differs significantly.
Keywords: Media coverage, sources, objectivity, sensationalism.
Media Coverage Around the World
Media coverage of the same news items in the US and around the world may differ significantly due to factors such as politics and the ability to attract more readers (Strömberg, 2015). Although most of the media companies undertake extensive research before publishing an article, they also aim to be better than their competitors to increase their revenues. Reporting a news item without bias is one of the ways to attract more readers (Strömberg, 2015). However, the media outlets may rush to publish an article before the other competitors without conducting enough research. Such media outlets may rely on untrustworthy sources to make their claims which may result in partiality. The media story to be analyzed in this paper is the Donald Trump 2016 US elections victory. The news outlets that covered this event include the CNN in the US, Aljazeera in the Middle East, and The Sidney Morning Herald (SMH) in Oceania. Even though the three outlets covered the same event, there are differences in how they presented the news to their readers.
Sources Used
A news source is defined as an individual, document, or a record that offers timely information to the person covering a particular news item (Tandoc " Thomas, 2017). Large media houses employ many journalists to ensure that they have timely information on most news events around the country or the world. However, the ability to employ a particular number of journalists depends on the financial ability of the organization. Among the three media companies that covered Donald Trump 2016 victory, CNN has the highest number of employees (O'Reilly, 2016). However, due to the significance of the event, all the three media houses used their journalists to cover most of the news items.
The SMH media used Paul McGeough as their source for the US elections event (McGeough, 2016). According to the company’s website, the journalist is the chief foreign correspondent of the media (McGeough, 2016). However, most of the images used in the article are sourced from other media companies. For instance, the picture showing Hilary Clinton talking to her husband was from the Associated Press (AP) media while the picture of Donald Trump supporters celebrating was from The New York Times.
The article by the CNN was published by Stephen Collinson, the White House reporter of the organization (Collinson, 2016). CNN did not use any outside sources while reporting the victory of Donald Trump. The media also used in-house projections to indicate the number of votes each presidential candidate got.
Aljazeera, a media company with headquarters in Qatar, used two sources in its article (Sarhan, 2016). The first source was an internal journalist named Jessica Sarhan. According to the Aljazeera website, Jessica Sarhan is the organization’s reporter who covers events and stories in North American (Sarhan, 2016). The second source used by the article is the US census data from the United States Census Bureau. The reporter used this information to show the number of Millennials that were living in the country at the time of the elections.
Writing and Presentation Style
The presentation style of news items encompasses the way in which the event or story is presented to the readers or viewers regarding the intended audience and relative importance (Pavelka, 2014). In some cases, a media company may choose to cover a few aspects of the information due to the significance of the item or political affiliations. For larger media organizations, it is essential to remain neutral when covering an event to avoid offending or losing their viewers and readers (Pavelka, 2014). However, on some occasions, the media in other parts of the world may present a news item depending on how the residents will receive it.
The writing and presentation style of the Donald Trump win by the three media house differs slightly from each other. The SMH media chooses to mostly cover the reaction of supporters of both candidates around the country (McGeough, 2016). The headline of the article does not exaggerate the event and only highlights the victory of the US president. The CNN article focuses on the accomplishments of Donald Trump and his plans after the victory (Collinson, 2016). The article also indicates the issues surrounding Hilary Clinton, and how her loss may mean in the future. The Aljazeera article presentation aims to capture the young audience by highlighting the reception of the Trump victory by the American youths (Sarhan, 2016). The headline of the article emphasizes the shock of the youths in the Washington DC.
Objectivity
According to research, objectivity means the ability of a reporter to remain neutral while covering news events (Tandoc " Thomas, 2017). Objectivity in the media is achieved by avoiding characterization of institutions or people in a good or bad way. The reporters should also use a neutral language while covering the news stories. Research shows that frequent use of adjectives by reporters while covering events may indicate their feelings to the subject (Tandoc " Thomas, 2017). Additionally, a news reporter should ensure fairness by giving equal space to differing viewpoints in a news story.
Even though the SMH media had a fair headline presentation, the objectivity of the article indicates that the writer is opposed to the results of the elections. For instance, when addressing Donald Trump victory, the editor points out how the candidate was endorsed by the organizations that promote white supremacy in the US (McGeough, 2016). The author says that “…the US was set to transition power from its first black president to a candidate endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan” (McGeough, 2016). The use of this language indicates that the author is not neutral to the results of the elections.
The CNN coverage of the news story remains neutral and tries present opinions from both sides of the event. For instance, the article begins with the highlights of the win and how Donald Trump was able to overcome all negativity to win the elections race (Collinson, 2016). The author also indicates how Trump’s campaign was built on falsehood and rage, and how Hilary’s failure to reassemble her coalition led to her loss. The news article remains objective throughout the story since the author offers facts rather than personal opinion. Additionally, the author gives roughly equal space to each side of the event.
While the Aljazeera article chooses to highlight the feelings of the young voters and the general public, it does not give equal space to both viewpoints. The author chooses to cover the feelings of those who lost and how it impacts their lives (Sarhan, 2016). Additionally, the author’s viewpoints indicate a generalization of the public opinions. For example, Jessica (2017) says that “…America looked set to awaken on Wednesday to face an uncertain future” which shows that she generalizes the viewpoints of the voters.
Differences in the Presentation of the News Event
The primary difference in the presentation of the news event by the three media companies is the objectivity of the authors. While the CNN article remains impartial throughout the news event, the other two media companies are sensational in their presentation. The SMH and the Aljazeera authors also use personal opinions regarding the election outcome.
According to research, sensationalism is a process of overhyping news stories to present a biased report to the readers or viewers (Kilgo, Harlow, García-Perdomo " Salaverría, 2016). Sensationalism in the mass media may result in the manipulation of the truth by the authors. Some of the tactics used by news editors to offer sensational stories include being controversial, omitting facts, and appealing to the emotions (Kilgo et al., 2016). The coverage done by SMH media on Trump’s victory presents controversial statements that result in the winning side appearing in a bad light to the readers. The Aljazeera coverage of the event appeals to emotions by showing how heartbroken the losing side was after Trump’s victory. While sensationalism may be based on facts, it may be aimed at discrediting a particular issue, especially when it covers one side of the event.
News Emphasis
The three media companies have differing emphases on the news events. Mostly, they focus on how the election results will affect different classes or groups of people in the US. The emphasis of a particular news story can be shown by how much a reporter focuses on a specific issue (Kilgo et al., 2016). Additionally, the emphasis of a news item may be based on personal opinion or facts.
The SMH media emphasizes the effects of the election of Donald Trump to the minority groups in America (McGeough, 2016). The author indicates that the white majority in the US elected Trump to ensure that their culture is preserved and protect themselves from the “job-stealers,” terrorists, and the black and brown communities.
The CNN news story focuses on the effects of the election’s outcome to the former president and the competing candidate. For instance, the author says that despite Obama, the former president, publicly denouncing Trump he will be forced to greet his successor in the inauguration day (Collinson, 2016). The article also highlights how the election’s result will affect Hilary’s investigations by the law enforcement agencies.
The Aljazeera news story emphasizes the effects of the election results on the American youths. According to the author, the youths are concerned about the lives of the women, immigrants, and the black community due to the election results (Sarhan, 2016). The article serves to educate the readers on how the American youths feel towards the victory of Trump.
Use of Words
Journalists may use specific words when reporting a news event to indicate how they feel towards the issue. In some cases, these words intend to elicit a particular reaction from the readers or viewers (Strömberg, 2015). Factors that affect the use of these words by journalists include political stance, the significance of the event, or the type of coverage.
The Sidney Morning Herald article has used various phrases and words that show the attitude of the author to the subjects. The author, for instance, says “a candidate endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan” to show that he has mixed feelings regarding the outcome (McGeough, 2016). The CNN’s headline reads “the ultimate triumph” which indicates that the results were unexpected to the author (Collinson, 2016). The Aljazeera article headline includes the word “shock” to highlight the turn of events for many residents (Sarhan, 2016). The author also says “whatever mechanics may have been behind…” when describing the results of the elections to show disbelief in the outcome.
Importance of the News Story
The importance of an event can be demonstrated through various ways media companies present a story. For instance, an important story is likely to be detailed and included in the main categories of topics that the media covers. News stories that are brief are less likely to be relevant to the news agenda of the media company (Strömberg, 2015). The event of the 2016 US elections has been portrayed as necessary to the news agenda of the three media companies. For example, the SMH media includes the article in the analysis section of their news category (McGeough, 2016). On CNN, the story is included in the politics section of the website and is detailed enough to eliminate ambiguity (Collinson, 2016). Additionally, the CNN article is written by their White House correspondent, which means that the event is crucial. Aljazeera demonstrates the importance of the news story through the use of their North American correspondent to collect and analyze the views of the voters (Sarhan, 2016). Additionally, they incorporate various sources in the article to ensure clarity.
Cultural Factors
Editorial content in most media companies is determined by factors such as the culture of the readers and viewers. Failure to consider cultural factors may result in the readers making assumptions about the author of the media organization, especially when covering political news (Tandoc " Thomas, 2017). Cultural factors that may impact the news coverage include beliefs, values, customs, and laws. In the coverage of the US elections by the three media houses, a cultural factor that impacts their differences is the belief in freedom of expression. All the three media houses have few restrictions on what they can cover in their countries.
Emphasis on the Source and Perspective
The CNN does not incorporate any foreign sources in their election results coverage. However, the author has included the perspective of the foreign countries on the matter such as China and Mexico. For example, the author indicates that the behavior of the new president will be closely watched by world leaders (Collinson, 2016). The emphasis of this perspective is indicated with a bold subtopic. The SMH media has used three US sources to cover the news item (McGeough, 2016). This shows that the organization trusts sources deliver accurate news on a sensitive matter. Aljazeera has used the perspective of American youths to cover most of the news story (Sarhan, 2016). This indicates a significant emphasis on the perspective of the population on the issue.
Conclusion
Even though media companies in different parts of the world can cover the same news item, the presentation of the story is likely to differ due to various factors. Companies with more journalists and capital rarely rely on outside sources to cover significant events such as the US presidential elections. In most cases, they have white house correspondents who are responsible for providing the information on any event that might take place. Presentation of the news stories and objectivity of the journalists determines the credibility of the item. Using adjectives frequently while presenting information may indicate that the journalist is biased. Cultural factors such as beliefs may also impact the extent of coverage done by the media house. A comparison between the CNN, SMH, and Aljazeera shows how media companies in different regions of the world can cover the same news item differently.
References
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