SL NO:1 VOL NO: 5
About Global News Flow
Global news flow is a process
of broadcasting information
through various channels of
media
t o -
wards
its tar-
get au-
dience.
T h e
audi-
ence
can be
based
out of
India,
China, Australia, America, Rus-
sia or any part of the world yet
the information directly influ-
ences their action or the deci-
sion process.
With the advancement of In-
formation Communication
technology such as the inter-
net and other electronic de-
vices, news media and their
information network have in-
creased their output capacity
by fourfold. It is today possible
Global newsflow and opinion leadership
While all over the world the
news media may have access to
same news worthy story
such as: earthquake in
Japan, Wikileaks, LTTE, Pak-
istan and Terrorism etc, it is
the stand or the perspective
taken by the media on these
stories that formulates opin-
ion towards the matter
among its readers. For in-
stance, while Asian media
speaks of Japanese environ-
mental turmoil from possi-
ble natural repercussion in
their respective countries,
American media may point
out on the loss of its busi-
ness interest in the region.
Moreover there is ample evi-
dence to establish that major
news channels and agencies
around the world undertake
agenda setting and rest of its af-
16 MARCH,2011 Compiled by : Harsha Raj Gatty
Global newsflow and media
for any news media to report It must also be taken to note that The media baron and conglomer-
stories from any corner of the while even today media proclaims ates that have control over news
world by employing freelance itself to be the agencies
re- fourth estate or and other
the watch dog n e w s
of society; it mediums
would be super- have ab-
ficial for media solute
analysts to vali- control
date this claim. over flow
Since media of infor-
today is less of a m a ti o n .
watchdog and W h i l e
more an ex- these con-
tended arm to glomer-
the corporate, a t e s
porters, stringers, independ- political and support
ent agencies etc. The news other vested interest. news story in agreement with
flows around the world It won’t be surprising to note that their own political or economic
through different channels ei- the news stories reported all over views, they launch as series of
ther from news agencies such the world carry similar positive or negative campaign to those op-
as Press Trust of India, Xinhua negative connotation along with posed to it. For instance: the fox
or through other electronic it. This is because today media group in 2009 was charged for re-
media like television, radio, grown at a mammoth proportion sorting to blackmail techniques
newspapers etc. beyond nation, geography, gov- for obtaining latest information in
ernments or any other institution. high governmental departments
This has made media an omnis- in US and UK.
cient self-styled autonomous
body.
filiates and subordinates world violation of freedom of expres- have been regarded as the new
over follow suit blindly. For ex- sion was simple tagged as em- method of journalism was dis-
missed as unethical
practice by the same
major media houses
who earlier hailed the
daring acts of Wikileaks
initially.
The audience from
one region to another
may be a victim of cul-
tural shock over the in-
consistency in story
telling format of differ-
ent news agencies or
news media. For exam-
ple: a non critical Pak-
istan’s justification on
ample, CNN and BBC coverage bedded journalism that became terrorism in the media may be a
over war in Iraq remained silent an accepted norm in journalism cultural shock for an Indian
on the violation of press free- all over world. viewer who is fed a constant
dom in Afghanistan by the in- While what should have been as diet of Anti-Pakistan news in his
vading forces and the matter a celebrated act of whistle blow- home country.
was never in open forum. This ing by the Wikileaks that should