News Frames and Issue-Specific Frames
News frames help in classification of news reports (Cunninghan & Turner, 2010). The news report in the analysis has various frames employed to prepare it. First is the issue-specific frame which bases on a particular issue in question. The specific issue tackled by the report is research on addiction as the worst vice. The issue-specific frames point out that the article looks at precise issues affecting the society (O'Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2008). The use of the frame gives the reader a sneak preview of the contents of the paper. It forms a basis for selection of the report for readers since a person interested in the topic will easily locate information on the same. Issue-specific frames are important as they guide the reporter to tackle a specific issue without digressing to insignificant areas.
The Narrative and Impact of Addiction
The narrative present in the report is that addiction is a common disturbing behavior in the society (Stiles, 2015). The commonness of the narrative has triggered a research to evaluate the issue. Many reports give the statistics that the Australian population is performing poorly in the area of addiction. The narrative here is that the society needs to change to reduce the impact of addictions in the community. Another common narrative is that the young population is adversely affected by addiction. The narratives give the perceptions of researchers regarding addition in Australia. The narratives also give room for accurate findings to the possible causes of the inclination of the society. The trouble that the narratives pose is that the society will have fixed views of itself and change becomes difficult (Tapscott & Williams, 2010).
Ideologies and Perception of Addiction
Several ideologies are present in the news report. First, the society has the ideology that addiction only encompasses only drug-related issues (Stiles, 2015). For this reason, there is a lack of statistical data on all the behaviours meeting the criteria of addiction. A specific example is web-oriented gaming. The ideology leads to more denial that the society is suffering from addiction. Another ideology is that online vices are barely addictive to the society. However, several young people consume online vices such as online pornography. The denial that online vices are hardly addictive makes the vices thrive. The ideology is considered as a major driving force for the increasing consumption of the materials. The presentation of the ideology gives the deluded perception of the society regarding addictive behaviours.
Hegemonic Values and Addiction
Hegemonic values demonstrated in the representation encompass the addiction levels among different nations. Australians have the idea that fewer of them compared to the British as well as the Americans are problem drinkers (Stiles, 2015). The nationals, therefore, have an influence on the adversely affected nations regarding alcohol consumption. America, as well as Britain, sees the need to change their drinking patterns due to the influence they receive from Australia. Smoking among Australians is also a source of influence to America and Britain. Being lighter smokers than the two nations, Australia influences them to positive change in reducing their consumption of cigarettes. The hegemony makes Australia seem better in many ways that other nations. However, illegal drug consumption in the nation is quite high. Even so, the nation adversely suffers from web-related addictions.
Representation of Research and Accuracy
The representation of the research in the news article is accurate. The presentation gives the research question formulated which form the direction that the survey takes. Showing the research question employed is necessary for the representation of any news article (Cunninghan & Turner, 2010). For this reason, the issue-specific news framing plays a vital role in the article. Additionally, the news article points out the main factors the research investigates which are the 'big four'. Giving the points of focus of an investigation contributes to the accuracy of the representation. The research representation also includes a breakdown of the statistics used in the survey. The statistics inform the discussion of the research and representing them gives the accuracy of the article in its aim.
Objectivity and Balance in the Representation
The research representation is not only objective but also balanced. First, the representation gives solely the ideas contained there in the survey. These ideas include the thoughts of the various sources regarding addiction. Thoughts of precious investigators are also included in the representation which makes it balanced. A balanced representation includes not only present but also past findings (Napoli, 2009). The past finding is that the big four are a menace to the society. A current finding included is the emergence of internet-oriented addiction behaviours. The title of the article, however, points out to its non-objectivity. The title gives a subjective idea of the contents of the article. It is important to note that different people have different ideologies concerning their addictions. A common addiction that the title may point to but not contained in the research is food. A few people consider themselves addicted to some foods yet this kind of addiction is not included in the research yet the title adequately covers it.
Legitimate Perspective on Addiction
The perspective taken is legitimate as it is highly compatible with widely shared views (O'Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2008). Most people acknowledge that they are addicted one way or another to some substance. The majority of the people are addicted to drugs mainly alcohol and cigarettes. Another pattern that is rampant in the society and widely testified by parents is internet gaming. Reports by education departments attribute poor performance in schools to addictive behaviour that the students engage in. It is also widely agreed that the dynamic society suffers addiction from new trends which affect the society adversely. The article is legitimate in categorising addiction as a vice ailing the society.
Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods
Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in peer-reviewed research. The news article represents this information adequately. First, the article shows the statistics used in the discussions which pints out the quantitative research frameworks applied (Stiles, 2015). The article points out the numerical percentages of Australians, Americans and British consuming alcohol and smoking. The qualitative research presents itself in the article as compulsive behaviours. The article qualifies various behaviours such as shopping as compulsive which alludes to the qualitative data. The article also portrays video gaming as heavy which is a quality demonstrating the intensity of the behaviour. Addiction has been named as a bad habit pointing to the qualitative data employed in the research.
References
Cunninghan, S. " Turner, G. (Eds) (2010). Introduction: the media and communications today. In The media and communications in Australia (pp.1-11). Crows Nest, NSW: Allen " Unwin.
Cunninghan, S. " Turner, G. (Eds) (2010). Introduction: the media and communications today. In The media and communications in Australia (pp.1-11). Crows Nest, NSW: Allen " Unwin.
Cunninghan, S. " Turner, G. (Eds) (2010). Introduction: the media and communications today. In The media and communications in Australia (pp.1-11). Crows Nest, NSW: Allen " Unwin.
O'Shaughnessy M., " Stadler, J. (Eds). (2008). Chapters 8 " 9 (partial). In Media " society (pp.133-148;153;156-161), South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.
O'Shaughnessy M., " Stadler, J. (Eds). (2008). Chapters 8 " 9 (partial). In Media " society (pp.133-148;153;156-161), South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.
Napoli, P. (2009). Chapter 12. Media economics and the study of media industries. In J. Holt. " A. Peren(Eds), Media industries: history, theory and method. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Stiles, J. (2015, May 12). Australian Vice:our worst addictions revealed. The New Daily. Retrieved from https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2015/05/12/australian-vice-favourite-addictions/
Tapscott, D. " Williams, A. D. (2010). Chapter 11. The demise of the newspaper and the rise of the new news. In D. Tapscott " A. D. Williams, Macrowikinomics: Rebooting the Business and the World. London: Atlantic Books.
