News Values
Name 3 news values.
timeliness, proximity, conflict, impact, prominence, unusual, human interest (these news values help journalists determine what stories to follow)
What is the purpose of the SMELL test?
To detect bias and determine a source's reliability.
How is bias harmful to news?
Bias can change the facts and the story in general.
What is soft news?
Lighter, more fun topics.
What is the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate visual messages?
Visual Literacy.
What makes the news more likely to be published?
Having the most news values in a story.
What are the three possible motivations according to Don't Be Fooled?
To persuade, to inform, to entertain. (the goal of news should be to inform)
Name two social fault lines.
Race, Class, Geography, Gender, Generation, Political party. (These social fault lines determine where bias could come from)
What is hard news?
Important, need to know topics.
What does information give people?
Power. (People can manipulate information to gain power)
What news value is soft news?
Human Interest. (This is because celebrities' lives and other soft news categories aren't essential, but people still find them interesting)
What are the two types of persuasion?
Principled persuasion and unprincipled persuasion. (Even when someone is trying to persuade, their goal should be transparent)
Name three reasons why we have bias.
Individual differences, Our vantage point, Our specific focus, Imposed meaning, Confirmation bias. (All of these things can lead to bias)
What are the two different types of news stories?
General and Breaking news / hard and soft news
What news value shows how much it affects peoples' lives?
Impact.
What are the two types of primary sources?
Individual witnesses and information from institutions.
What is it called when we look for information that aligns with our pre-existing beliefs?
Confirmation bias
What is it called when a writer is trying to persuade the audience about an issue?
Opinion or Editorial.
Name one of three key forces causing a shift away from journalism.
New technology, Conglomeration, Globalization.
What news value does the quote “if it bleeds, it leads” apply to?
Conflict.
What does SMELL stand for?
Source, Motive, Evidence, Logic, Left Out.
What is it called when a person experiences discomfort because information is inconsistent with a person's already held attitudes?
Cognitive dissonance
Name two examples of hard news and two examples of soft news.
Hard - Politics, War, Economics, Crime Soft - Celebrities, Technology, Travel
What are the four ways bad social statistics are made?
Guessing, Defining, Measuring, Sampling. (All of these can lead to manipulated statistics)