Is news a construction created by journalists or a reflection of reality?
Normal 0 In “Is News a Reflection or a Construction,” the author writes that news is most decidedly a construction created by journalists and not a reflection of reality. This is a pretty easy argument to follow. For one thing, there’s news selection. The author points out that only a sliver of everyday events are covered, so journalists have already abandoned reflection via selection. Journalists also decide the focus and how the story is told. The author goes on to list some influences and constraints on the construction process. Commercialism, which is the first and possibly strongest influence, is a result of market competition between news organizations. This can cause journalists to abandon professional ideals and seek the story or angle that will grab attention or shock and avoid controversy that might alienate customers. Other influences listed in the article include story formulas, like the inverted pyramid, which tends to make news coverage similar; resource constraints which
