Part III

Global Journalism

 

Associated Press and International News

·Take reports from overseas correspondents (over 200) and package them for U.S. newspapers (over 1500) and TV/radio stations (over 6000)

·Serve subscribers to AP overseas - about 8000 subscribers in 112 countries

·Deliver news in 5 different languages

·American news represents about 20-25% of total news content

 

Major News Agencies

•*Associated Press (AP)

•*Agence France-Presse

•*Reuters

•United Press International (UPI)

•ITAR-TASS

 

* Provide 80% of news globally

 

International Print Media

•Newspapers

–International Herald Tribune

–NY Times

–Washington Post

–Financial Times

–Economist

•Magazines

–Time

–Newsweek

–Reader’s Digest

 

International Electronic News Media

•Radio

–BBC World Service

–VOA

–World Radio Network

•TV

–CNN

–BBC World Service TV

–Sky News

–Euronews

•Video News Agencies

–Reuters TV (VisNews)

–APTN (World Television News)

 

Impact of CNN

 

·First 24 hour/day news service

·Brings international news to U.S.

·Brings U.S.-journalism style to rest of world

· independent from government

·fact-based journalism

·short, tight stories

·visually oriented

 

 

Three “Stages” of CNN

·1980-1990 - establish itself as a professional news organization

·1990-2000 - establish itself as a global entity

•2000-? - establish a digital presence - in TV and Internet

 

CNN

•CNN

•CNN Headline News

•CNN Radio

•CNN International

•CNN World Report news exchange

•CNN Newsource

•Noticierio Telemundo - CNN

•CNN Radio Noticias

•CNN Airport Network

•CNN Interactive (CNN.com)

•CNN fn

•CNN SI

•CNN En Espanol

 

Non-English CNN Services

·CNN Deutschland

·CNN+ (Spain)

·CNNTurk

 

One of next targets is India (in Hindi)

 

 

CNN Competition

GLOBAL

·BBC World Service

·NBC Europe

·CNBC Asia

·Euronews

·SKYNews

·Fox

·Asia Business News

·Deutsche Welle

·Channel News Asia

 

DOMESTIC

·MSNBC

·Fox News

·CNBC (financial news)

·Bloomberg (financial news)

·ESPN (with CNN SI)

·Weather Channel

·Network News Service (NNS)

 

Criticisms of CNN

•“American” news

•little interpretation or analysis

•many only watch during “crisis”

 

note: CNN has cut back on hard-news staff during 2001

 

Negative Impacts of New Technology

•Being first more important than being right

•tendency to cover stories “live” even if not all that important

•updating done frequently even if nothing important to add

 

Too much information, too little knowledge, almost no wisdom.

 

Decreasing International News

•Despite the increasing impact of international issues on the U.S., almost every major news organization has cut back on its international bureaus and correspondents.

•Increased use of wire services, stringers, and parachuting reporters into hotspots.

 

 

Reasons for Decreasing International Reporting

•Cost of reporters and foreign bureaus

•Lack of interest (perceived and real) of international news by American public

•Ease of travel to parachute in reporters and crew when something of interest does occur

 

Why Events Make News

•distribution of news-gathering resources

•importance of host country

•ease of reporting

•content

 

International Business News

•Specialized financial news on the rise

–Reuters

–Bloomberg

–Financial Times

–Economist

–Dow Jones

 

Reasons for Rise in International Business News Coverage

•More investors have stock in international companies 

•Multinational companies affect everyone

•International context is needed even to understand national business news

Problems in International Financial News Coverage

•Allocate resources based on a region's importance in terms of world trade

• Priorities change with shifts in the global economy

•Over-reliance on stock market and international trade stories

 

Media Freedom 2005
www.freedomhouse.org

Most Free

Finland

Iceland

Sweden

Denmark

Norway

Belgium

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Switzerland

New Zealand

 

Least Free

North Korea

Turkmenistan

Cuba

Burma

Libya

Eritrea

Zimbabwe

Equatorial Guinea

Sudan

Belarus

 

Major Barriers to Good Journalism

•Government ownership and control

•Lack of legal protection

–Legal censorship

–Inability to obtain information

–Restrictive libel laws

–No protection for sources

•Physical intimidation by government, police, powerful private figures

•Economic pressures

–Advertisors

–Ratings

•Self-censorship

•Low-quality journalism

–No code of ethics

–Little training

 

The First Amendment

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievance.”

Freedoms Guaranteed by 1st Amendment

 

Freedom of Speech vs. Other Rights

•Security

•Obscenity

•Privacy

•Libel

•Access to information

•Source protection

 

 

Council of Europe - Article 10

“Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television, or cinema enterprises.”

 

“The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for the protection of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary

Bulgarian Constitution

Article 39.

(1) Everyone shall be entitled to express an opinion or to publicize it through words, written or oral, sound or image, or in any other way

(2) This right shall not be used to the detriment of the rights and reputation of others, or for the incitement of a forcible change of the constitutionally established order, the perpetration of a crime, or the incitement of enmity or violence against anyone.

 

“Freedom” of the Press in Swaziland

•Government ownership and control

•No constitution or bill of rights

–Legal censorship

–Difficulty in obtaining information

–Libel laws over-protect government figures

–Police intervention

–No laws to protect confidential sources

–Attitude of government towards media

 

Major Problems for Journalists
Stuart Loory, editor The Global Journalist

•Dedication to accuracy and perspective in these days of “political correctness”

•Participation in factual reporting and not simply spouting opinions and unverified information from “debriefings”

•Covering substantial, significant stories and not frivolous and unimportant ones

•Determination to keep reporters out of harm’s way in pursuing dangerous stories that threaten their lives

•Allowing news audiences to provide feedback in a manner that is respected

 

Journalism Education

•Skills vs. theory vs. liberal arts

•Critical areas

–Multiculturalism

–Media conglomeration

–Multimedia

–Internationalization