Perceived Source Credibility of Local Television News: The Impact of Television Form and Presence

An increasing number of local news stations are producing and broadcasting their newscasts in high-definition television (HDTV), but to date there has not been an investigation of audience perceptions of news in high definition. This study presents the results from an experiment investigating the influence of television form (image quality and field of view) on presence and audiences' perceptions of source credibility for news anchors and local news. The results demonstrate that improved image quality (HDTV) has a positive influence on audience perceptions of source credibility and the overall credibility of newscasts. Implications are discussed.     

Credibility of Radio News

This study used a statewide sample of 400 Alabama residents to analyze the relative credibility of local radio news, as compared to local television and local radio. The results indicated that local radio news has a level of credibility that is lower than that of local television, but is comparable to that of local newspapers. This finding confirms previous studies that have noted that media consumers tend to have a higher regard for television than any other news medium, but this difference was not as dramatic as those reported by studies that have used forced-choice questions. Local television is indeed more credible than local radio news, but not dramatically so.     

The Influence of Television News Depictions of the Images of War on Viewers

Results of an experiment about the influence of network television news coverage of combat in Iraq on viewers indicated that, compared with a control condition which featured news stories about combat operations in Iraq described by news anchors, news reports also featuring footage of combat operations increased viewer involvement levels about the war and reduced viewer support for continued military presence in Iraq. Television news footage of combat operations also reduced viewers' pride in U.S. military presence but did not affect other emotions. However, regardless of how news stories were packaged, women experienced greater emotional response to network news stories about combat operations than men. The results also shed light on the potential of inoculation to deflect such influence.     

Best Practices for Journalistic Balance: Gatekeeping,Imbalance and the Fake News Era

ABSTRACT

The concepts of balance and fairness are considered pillars for ethical journalism. However, balance is not clearly defined within the working profession, and more importantly, the construction of a balanced news story is often subjective to its creator and institution, leading to calls of imbalance by both the public and political figures. This study examines the construct of balance and if there is a connection between imbalance and fake news from the perspective of news journalists within the United States. Interviews with television journalists across the U.S. show the definition of balance is widely varied, with a need to expand beyond the traditional two-sides-of-the-story model; a recognition that the expanse of the Internet has created a force of un-vetted gatekeepers allowing for imbalanced reporting, and that the threat of fake news could seriously harm balanced journalism.     

Informing Citizens: How People with Different Levels of Education Process Television,Newspaper, and Web News

This experiment tested the interaction of media channels (television, newspaper, and the Web), time delay, and the education level of audience members, using three memory measures. The lower education group encoded, stored, and retrieved television news information best while they showed less memory capacity for newspaper and Web news. For the higher education group, the opposite pattern emerged. They had better memory for newspaper and Web versions of news, compared to television. With time delay, these patterns persisted. They were also robust when controlling for participant evaluations of the news stories in terms of interest, informativeness, and understandability.     

Race and Ethnicity in local Television News: Framing,Story Assignments,and Source Selections

Because local television has become the primary source for news, this study examined race and ethnicity in news stories, story assignments, and source selections. A content analysis of local newscasts found Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans were virtually invisible as anchors, reporters, and subjects in the news. Although African Americans anchored and reported the news in some markets, overall there was segregation in story assignments. Rarely were Latinos, Asian Americans, or Native Americans interviewed as news sources. African Americans were used as news sources more than other racial and ethnic groups when 2 or more people were interviewed.     

Innovating Radio News: Effects of Background Music Complexity on Processing and Enjoyment

In one experiment, listeners hear radio news delivered by a male or female anchor with either no background music or with music of differing complexity. Memory for and enjoyment of the news are assessed. Findings suggest that adding a simple beat makes the news more memorable and enjoyable, whereas highly complex music hinders both message processing and enjoyment. Anchor voice determines the results for moderate complexity. A second experiment further explores anchor voice and message processing and, together, the two experiments suggest that both pitch and number of auditory structural features should be considered when enhancing radio news with music.     

Chain Versus Independent Television Station Ownership: Toward an Investment Model of Commitment to Local News Quality

Using empirical measures, a pilot test of an investment model of commitment to television news quality yielded statistically significant results supporting four hypothesized relationships between types of broadcast station ownership. The findings indicate that the news department operated by a small media group produced more local news, more locally produced video, more use of on-air reporters, and fewer news promotions than the larger chain-based broadcast groups investigated, suggesting a deeper commitment to local news quality. The results support the policy position that stricter ownership limits would enhance the quality of local television news.     

Embedded Reporting During the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq: How the Embedding of Journalists Affects Television News Reports

This study compared embedded and nonembedded (unilateral) television news coverage during the invasion and the occupation of Iraq. Content analysis was conducted of ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN news during the invasion and during the occupation examining whether embedded and nonembedded news reports were different and, if so, how. The results revealed that compared to nonembedded reports, embedded network television news stories were more favorable in overall tone toward the military, more favorable in depictions of military personnel, and featured greater use of episodic frames which, as a result, elicited somewhat more positive relational cues. In addition, the results indicated that compared to network news coverage of the occupation, news stories of the invasion were more positive in tone and employed more episodic framing.     

Exemplars as Argumentative Strategy in Broadcast News: Analyzing the Case of Chile

ABSTRACT

On television news, exemplification is almost inevitable, as newscast cannot represent reality but through a particular object that is caught on camera: the only way to signify something abstract on television is precisely through a concrete particularity. The present study analyzes the main stories in a sample of national broadcast news in Chile, where broadcast news remains the most important source of information. Based on a content analysis, results show that particular case reports are widespread in Chilean television news, especially in hard news stories about the economy and crime. They also further evidence on the homogenization of television coverage between commercially run private and public broadcasters. Findings are linked to past research in the Latin American theoretical tradition that underscores the relevance of vivid and emotional representation on television.     

Attention-Getting and Comprehension-Raising Attributes in Visuals in Dutch and American,Public and Private Television News about Violence

This content analysis of 251 Dutch and American, public and private, television newscasts draws on empirical research to measure whether elements of visuals, identified in other studies as aiding in recall, are used in news about violence. A literature review on the contributions of visuals to television news learning pointed to a paradox: although getting attention is necessary for comprehension, over-emphasizing attention attributes may impede comprehension. This study concludes that although visuals from public broadcasters contain more elements identified as increasing the comprehensibility of a news item, visuals primarily have attention- gaining attributes, regardless of country or broadcast system.     

Embedding Journalists in Military Combat Units: How Embedding Alters Television News Stories

This study compared television news coverage provided by embedded and nonembedded reporters during the first 5 days of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Content analysis was conducted of television news broadcasts about OIF by ABC, CBS, CNN, and NBC to determine whether news reports were different and, if so, how. The results indicated that, compared to nonembedded stories, embedded reports were more favorable in overall tone toward the military and in depiction of individual troops. Also, embedded news stories were structurally different from nonembedded reports: compared to nonembedded stories, embedded reports featured more episodic frames and, as a result, conveyed more positive affect and more positive relational messages.     

电视"说"新闻的度

电视"说"新闻是新生事物,它的出现给电视界带来了一股清新的风,活跃了荧屏,这也是经济发展带动上层建筑变化的一个体现."播"新闻是中国电视自产生之日起就存在的一种状态,从它自身发展的规律来看,适应了我国新闻发展各阶段的不同要求,但其不足之处也是很显而易见的.综合来讲,我们不能单一地认为是"说"好还是"播"好,根据不同事件、不同的新闻背景的需求,二者的共存是必然的.我们要用辩证的眼光具体分析、具体对待,充分发挥"说"新闻和"播"新闻各自的优势,让我们的电视荧屏更加精彩.     

论电视新闻故事化人文精神的彰显

当前电视新闻故事化十分盛行,为了增强电视新闻故事化的传播影响力,电视新闻要彰显人文精神,在选题上要注重人性化,在采制时要有平民视角,在报道中体现人文关怀。     

Competition in Danish Television News

We studied competitive behavior within Danish network television news to determine differences between broadcasts of the government-funded, public network and the commercially funded, private network. Denmark offers a unique opportunity to study the effect of competition and commercialism on national television news broadcasts because the country had a state monopoly television network until 1988, when a commercial network was introduced. Results reveal there is differentiation between the news broadcasts, but we argue that competition has not had deleterious effects on content but, conversely, has resulted in improvements in the content of state television.     

Media Multitasking,Second Screening,and Political Knowledge: Task-Relevant and Task-Irrelevant Second Screening during Election News Consumption

This study tests the role of second screening during election news consumption in factual political knowledge. Data from an online survey conducted before the 2016 U.S. presidential election show that task-irrelevant second screening during election news consumption on television is negatively related to factual political knowledge, whereas the influence of task-relevant second screening is positive. Data also show that the relationships between task-relevant and task-irrelevant second screening and factual political knowledge are moderated by how much attention one pays to election news on television.     

Primacy of Broadcast News: A Mediation Analysis of Recall,Attitudes, and Voting Intentions

This study examines how the order and proportion of scene valence within a television news story influence viewers' processing of political information. The results of the study, based on structural equation modeling and Sobel's mediation analysis, suggest that, in a news story about a political candidate, positive information on the candidate is recalled better if he or she is praised at the beginning of the story and then criticized at the end than if he or she is criticized first and praised later. In addition, there was a strong proportion effect. Stories with a high proportion of positive scenes were more likely to increase the participant's recall of positive information and induce his or her favorable attitudes and voting intentions than those with a low proportion of positive scenes.     

Second Generation Net News: Interactivity and Information Accessibility in the Online Environment

This study assesses the ways in which local television news operations and major metropolitan newspapers in the top 40 U.S. media markets are making information accessible and structuring interactive experiences online as the industry transitions into a third generation of Internet news. As Net news approaches its first decade of existence, online news sites are assumed to be evolving from a noninteractive, passive model of information delivery into an environment of increased immediacy, content richness, and user control. To investigate this question, a content analysis was performed in 2 waves, once during fall 1998 and again during fall 2000. For comparative purposes, differences across years are examined. In addition, the efforts of local television news sites are contrasted with the online activities of dominant newspaper sites, which have assumed a commanding lead in building a local online audience. The analysis argues for valuing Net news sites less from a profit-loss standpoint and more for the nonmonetary contributions they make in relation to the broader news mission, namely, enhanced coverage, brand loyalty, and news credibility.