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Critical Case Study

How the presenter communicate a headline story to their audience.








Vittorio Falcucci
7th December
Helen Curstin
TV Production
Digital News Production
1304213

Contents Page

Intro ----------------------------------------------Page 3

Main Body ----------------------------------Page 3 to 6

Conclusion ---------------------------------------Page 7

Bibliography ------------------------------------Page 8

Critical Case Study

How the presenter communicate a headline story to their audience.

In this case study it is intended to analyse a resent major news story. The BBC
news at 10 and ITV news at 10 will be compared, in what style they introduce
their headline story, also how they go about covering the story, either for
entertainment, to educate or inform. This will also look at how a commercial
channel (ITV) differ to a government funded channel (BBC) in respect to what
their targets audiences are and how they are told to deliver the news in order to
maintain their viewing figures and if these accepts will affect the way in which
the story is presented.

It will look at theories suck, as the hypodermic needle theory and see how that
has influenced the news to portray what they think is news. Also looking at the
elite theory, to see if the power of a person or group of people can affect the
content of the news. The case study will focus on the two channels, with their
differences and how they present the headline from the 1st of December, a story
about a paediatrician who was jailed for 22 years for abused multiple patients in
his care. Further more, it will see the priorities for each channel and compare
what and whom they decide to present first and in what order they think that the
facts and information should go. More over what style they chose to show
contents in the story, I.e. factual, dramatically and for entertainment.


There are many different ways in which the BBC and ITV chose to cover stories,
the BBC focus on facts and figures to educate their viewers, while ITV limit their
facts and only use the most important parts and the rest of the story with
emotional and dramatic elements, to entertain their audiences as well as inform
them. The press are the viewers main source for information, thus the press have
a responsibility to provide the viewers with information, which is informative,
educational and entertaining and have human interest.

According to Fred Seibert, he says that the press were therefore given six tasks
to take on and output to the viewers. The first task states that,
Servicing the political system by providing information, discussion, and debate on
the public affairs. (1) (Seibert, 1963:74)
This is the very first aspect which viewer expect from news broadcasters, as they
believe its their duty to follow the guidelines set by the government and by the
viewers.

Another task set for news broadcasters is,
Safeguarding the rights of the individual by serving as a watchdog against
government (2) (Seibert, 1963:74)
This is stating, that we expect the news to be on the viewers side, which includes
them watching and reporting everything that could impact the viewers in any
way, especially with the government, the viewers expect to know all the
movements of the government in case changes are demanded. An addition to
these tasks Seibert states that another task is to,
Providing entertainment (3) (Seibert, 1963:74)
This is one of the most important tasks, as even with the facts and information
provided, the news broadcasters will struggle to keep viewing figure up if the
output material, bores the public. This has put intense pressure to news
broadcasters with how they choose their stories and which ones they choose to
priorities for viewers. However this has led to a world where the news priorities
have changed, suck as a national sports taking priority, I.e. the Olympics taking
priority over poverty in 3rd world countries. This is because they want to keep
viewer interest by showing stories that affect them rather than ones that dont.

In introducing the story, BBC use a presenter sat behind a desk and telling the
story first before introducing, facts and figures. The presenter has a calm voice
with no personal judgemental. This is indicating that she isnt forcing judgement
or being biased. However ITV starts the piece stood up, adding a dramatic affect,
as standing right in front of the camera, arguing the story forward. This makes it
more dramatical as by doing this hes putting himself right in control, acting as if
hes stood with the views telling them the story. Also it creates authority for the

presenter as viewers look up to him, therefore giving power. The tone of the
presenter is firm, direct and slightly disgusted, as he wants the audience to know
how he feels and wants the same emotion mirrored by the viewers.

This forces moral panic, as according to Stanley Cohen
Condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to becomes defined as a
threat to societal values and interests. (4) (Stanley,1972:27)
From this the presenter plays a huge role in encouraging moral panic as he
overreacts to situations, which they see to challenge the social norms. This is
referring to the elite theory, about the way in which the public looks up to news
broadcasters, believing everything they say. Thus the press is responsible for
how the public thinks and reacts towards certain subjects.

During their coverage of the story, they use interviews to provide more
information, entertainment and to add emotion or drama, which will help with
demands from the public. The BBC start with an interview of a victims parents,
this adds more information and facts to the story, which adds to their style of
broadcasting. ITV interview a lot of people adding to their emotional style. They
interview child protection, to get an expert opinion however, they interrogate
them saying that they dont do their jobs good enough and they could have
stopped the paediatrician sooner.

From the ITV pointing the finger at child protection they are giving something
for viewers to blame for the paediatrician, thus shooting views with their media
gun, which influences them to think the way they want. According to Steven J.
Kirsh, A magic bullet that upon hitting its target creates uniformity in though and
action (5) (Steven, 2010:27)
Referring to the hypodermic needle theory or the magic bullet theory, which
states that the media can influence the public in anyway they want. ITV want
their viewers to be against the paediatrician and blame Child Protection.
However the BBC want their viewers to know information about the story and to
let them have their own opinion.

The studio presenter is used in two different ways with the two channels, ITV go
for more on an anchorman approach, this include the presenter talking back and
forth between himself and interviews, this again help with the dramatic affect for
the programmed as they are acting like a TV show, as they go back and forth
finding out information to try and piece together the story. All this ties in with
their entertainment style of presenting, to keep viewers watching. With the BBC
they use a more presenter style, which is just sat talking to the camera. This way
of reporting relies highly on the presenter telling the story and fewer
contributors.

The impact of new media is a key aspect to how the channel chooses to present
stories, with ITV as they are an independent channel and depend on sponsors to
fund airtime. Therefor having to be entertaining for more views to watch,
because if figure drop, then so will their sponsors. This places pressure for the
channel to keep their figure high in order to maintain them. However with the
BBC, as they are government run, they dont have to worry about sponsors, but
still have to think about their figures, this also puts pressure on them as they
have to compete with ITV.

The BBC are a higher class to ITV and they choose to explain stories with to a
higher intelligence audience target, thus making it harder for people of lower
intelligence to follow the stories. According to Lisbeth Clausen,
The more the event concerns elite people, the more probable that it will become a
news item. (6) (Lisbeth, 2003:46)
From this it states that only the elite people, of either high education or wealth,
get a say in what they want be said and heard from the news and what stories
should be told and what angle should be portrayed. With the BBC as its
government run this comes into play as politicians of high education and wealth
control what is broadcasted.

In Conclusion, from this it is clear that with channel of different background i.e.
funding, the end result of the program and stories are very different. The BBC
introduces their headline stories with a factual and informative structure, and
tell the story in a non-biased way, however they communicate there stories
forward from a higher class of the elite personal, which means that only people
with higher statuses have a say in what is broadcasted. However with ITV choose
to go down the dramatic and entrainment style of presenting by using emotions
and influencing people to follow their views about stories and thus making the
viewers feel a certain way. The use of the magic bullet is ITVs most powerful tool
when tell the news as they choose how they want people to feel after viewing
what they want to portray as important news.

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Bibliography

(1) (2) (3) Siebert, Fred (1964) Four Theories of the Press. [Accessed on the 7th of
December]

(4) Cohen, Stanley (1972) Folk Devils and Moral Panics: [Accessed on the 7th of
December]

(5) Kirsh, Steven J. (2010) Media and Youth: A development Perspective:[Accessed
on the 7th of December]

(6) Clausen, Lisbeth (2003) Global News Production: [Accessed on the 7th of
December]