Conference presentation
News in a Spin: An analysis of how mainstream online news media use Queensland Government media releases
2011 University Research Conference Program Book, p.11
USC Research Conference, 2011 (Sunshine Coast, Australia, 18-Jul-2011–22-Jul-2011)
University of the Sunshine Coast
2011
Abstract
News media and governments have a symbiotic but uneasy relationship. For centuries, the media have acted as government watchdogs and analysers of government decision-making and information. And for centuries, governments have relied on the media to communicate with the public they serve. As a way of assessing whether the media was acting simply as a government courier of information, and whether the government relied on that lack of scrutiny, research was conducted into how mainstream media outlets used government media releases and whether or not they applied other journalistic principles and activities before presenting the information as news. This research project: • tracked Queensland Government-generated media releases to observe how the mainstream online media incorporated them into news stories • assessed how the government-issued releases were used in news stories • measured resulting stories against an accepted set of news values • established which of those news values was most evident in the news reports analysed. The research project used case study and content analysis. It traced the use of 10 media releases on topics deemed broadly interesting to the public. Of the 43 news stories that resulted from those releases, 11 (or 30.6 percent) were found to mirror the government-provided information and angle without any notable change or extra inclusion. The remaining 32 stories deviated from the government-provided angle, including information from other sources. Possible reasons for the deviation were explored. The study has broad implications for the journalism and government public industries. Given the study found that a high proportion of government-issued releases were presented as news to the informationhungry public, it raises concerns about whether journalists are adequately performing their historical role as government watchdogs.
Details
- Title
- News in a Spin: An analysis of how mainstream online news media use Queensland Government media releases
- Authors
- Jane Fynes-Clinton (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
- Publication details
- 2011 University Research Conference Program Book, p.11
- Conference details
- USC Research Conference, 2011 (Sunshine Coast, Australia, 18-Jul-2011–22-Jul-2011)
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast
- Date published
- 2011
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Creative Industries - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99449566602621
- Output Type
- Conference presentation
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416 Record Views