JOUR 100

Evaluating Three Nights of Local News

The news media is facing a paradigm shift in the way Americans consume news.
Advances in technology are changing how, when and where many Americans chose to get
their information fix. Even in the face of this changing environment, according to Pew
research, most adult Americans still get the majority of their news from local television
broadcasts. It remains the central tenet of journalism to provide citizens with accurate and
reliable information so that they may, in turn, function in a free and democratic society
(journalism.org). Local network-affiliates are granted, from the federal government, free
broadcasting licenses in return for a promise to transmit consequential information that will
supposedly allow Americans to make informed decisions and function in society at large.
What kind of information do they consider consequential? Furthermore, how would local
network-affiliate broadcasts stack up against the Principles of Journalism, as established by
Pew Research? Over the course of three nights, one Los Angeles area network-affiliate
grossly over-reported local crime stories and provided little information of consequence,
outside of the weather. While it may be dangerous to extrapolate to the larger news media
based on such a small sample size, the results are not encouraging.
The news media in America is a privately-owned industry and as such, news
organizations answer to many constituencies, including advertisers and shareholders,
(journalism.org). However, according to the Principles of Journalism, the journalists in those
organizations must maintain allegiance to citizens and the larger public interest above any
other if they are to provide the news without fear or favor. (journalism.org). It is this

allegiance to the citizens and public interest that develops trust and is essential in establishing
the credibility of the news agency. This credibility tells the audience that the news they are
receiving is genuine and not adulterated by political agendas, advertising or other business
interests. To quote Pew Research, The theory underlying the modern news industry has
been the belief that credibility builds a broad and loyal audience, and that economic success
follows in turn. In that regard, the business people in a news organization also must nurture
not exploit their allegiance to the audience ahead of other considerations. (journalism.org).
Over the course of the three nights observation, one local news affiliate's thirty minute
program consisted of a roughly fifteen to eighteen minute news-hole, with the remaining time,
totaling between forty and fifty percent of the broadcast, filled with commercials and teasers
for network programming. Approximately twenty percent of the news-hole was dedicated to
sports alone, combined with weather, fully one-third of the news-hole was filled. Conversely,
an average thirty minute television show, a sit-com for instance, is interrupted by roughly eight
minutes of commercial advertising, just over twenty-five percent of the designated
programming time.
According to the Principles of Journalism, the first obligation of journalism is to the truth.
Democracy depends on citizens having reliable, accurate facts put in a meaningful context
(journalism.org). Following the clich if it bleeds, it leads, roughly the first thirty percent of
the broadcast was dominated by violent crime stories. According to recent FBI statistics, the
rate of violent crime has been in decline, by about forty-eight percent, over the last twenty
years (fbi.gov).
Journalistic truth is a process that begins with the professional discipline of
assembling and verifying facts. Then journalists try to convey a fair and reliable
account of their meaning, valid for now, subject to further investigation... Even in
a world of expanding voices, accuracy is the foundation upon which everything

else is built context, interpretation, comment, criticism, analysis and debate.

The truth, over time, emerges from this forum. As citizens encounter an ever
greater flow of data, they have more need not less for identifiable sources
dedicated to verifying that information and putting it in context. (journalism.org).
The preponderance of crime stories leading the broadcast is disingenuous at best, especially
in the context of declining rates of violent crime, as represented by FBI statistics. Keeping
news in proportion and not leaving important things out are also cornerstones of truthfulness
(journalism.org). Not once during the three nights did a news anchor mention FBI statistics
regarding the decrease in violent crime, nor the numerous theories proposed to explain the
causes. Based on the stories alone, a reasonable person could easily draw a conclusion
that crime was rampant. But would they be able to tell if crime rates were decreasing,
increasing? No context was provided the viewer. Any social discussion developed would be
flawed and fundamentally inaccurate.

Works Cited
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States 2012. FBI, 2012, Web. 25 July
2014.
Principles of Journalism. Pew Research Center. 2014. Web. 17 July 2014