Introduction to the article

The article "the populace and the police: models of social control in reality based crime television" by Jessica Fishman. The author talks about how people use a narrative of myth to understand the world. since myth contain the fundamental symbols and values which bind a group together. Such as myths about authority, power and social conflict. Fishman focuses on reality based crime TV shows, com parring two types of ideologies,progressive and populist.

Progressive myth supports is the ideology that authority, power and property is given to an elite few.

Populism myth devalues the political culture of centralized government, it facilitates a diffusing of property and power.

Fishman uses this framework to compare to crime reality shows, "cops" and America's most wanted"

The process of research

Fish man uses a method of coding to do her research. The first thing to do so is to come up with categories in which she will compare both shows. Then she will watch an episode of the first show, checking off the number of times her catergory is present in that episode, then she will do the same for the next show. She does this with a number of episodes until she was statisitical analysys of the ideals. Some examples of her catergories are the number of suspects taken into custody, how many times photos were shown of victims etc. Fishman then uses her data to compare, suport or deny her idelogies of the shows.

The national and the hour:Two News Program Styles; Two Ideologies:

The National and The Hour are two very different styles of news programming presented by the CBC, and as such present two very different ideologies. The National presents an ideology that places emphasis on the content of the show, along with ideologies of authenticity, validity, and neutrality; The Hour, on the other hand, fits and ideology of efficiency, along with those of entertainment and social concern through personal opinion as well as the cult of celebrity.

Following the Fishman article, it is possible to apply the progressive ideology to The National, with its message of authentic, reliable news cast as relayed by professional journalists. The populace ideology discussed in the article can be applied to The Hour in relation to its message of stories and personal opinions and views as relayed by George Strombolopolous to help make sense of the world.



Content and efficiency - coding of 20 min segments for 3 episodes of The Hour and The National:

Opening of "The Hour"

Opening of "The National"

The National

Hosted by Peter Mansbridge, The National is CBC's flagship news and current affairs show. It is an hour-long broadcast featuring national and international news and stories that are “important to Canadians”, and runs Monday-Friday. Its general format consists of approximately 20 minutes of news, a short (about 15-20 minutes) documentary or political panel, and then about another 20 minutes of news reporting. The host generally introduces the stories that are covered on the program, which are then turned over to a reporter for further in-depth coverage. A few shorter stories, which are covered by the host, appear amongst the longer reports.

Intro of today's stories on "the National"

The National and its Ideologies: Content, Authenticity, and Validity:

Generally, it is assumed that the ideology of traditional news programming will be concerned with valid content that is representative of important current events in our society as well as the delivery of this content in a neutral style characterized by unbiased reporting. Typical news programming also generally attempts to convey a sense of authenticity in its reporting, delivering “real news” and “in-depth” reports on issues that would be of concern to its demographic audience.

When beginning to code The National, it was assumed that it would be consistent with an ideology based on content, authenticity and validity; the findings listed in the table below confirm this assumption. Assumptions can also be made in regard to the type of individual that watches the national; one who is concerned with authenticity in news reporting, relevant issues, and both quality and quantity in the delivery of news reports would be assumed to consume such a form of news programming.

The vast majority of the stories reported on during The National can be placed in the “relevant issue stories” category; they are generally political, social, or environmental in nature, and generally concern issues that would be important to most Canadians. Reporting is conducted on issues at both the international (i.e.: the war in Afghanistan, British soldiers held in Iran), and the national level (i.e.: Canadian politics, environmental issues in BC). In 3 episodes that were coded, 35 “relevant” issue stories were presented, and only one “entertainment” story appeared, this story concerned a Canadian artist, rather than a Hollywood or international celebrity, so even this could be possibly placed with stories that are relevant to Canadians.

Stories on The National are also generally more in depth and well over 60 seconds in length (stories using reporters other than the host range from 2-4 minutes in length, stories reported on by the host are just under 60 seconds, and longer documentary-style stories and political panels rang from 10-20 minutes in length). Reporters are generally used to convey adequate information in regard to the issue in question- the majority of stories are not just “news blurbs” or simple a headlines with no other information to back them up. For example, reporters place the story in its context, comment on those involved and the politics of the issue, how Canadians and local people could be affected, and where the story might go next.

The reporting style used on The National is also very neutral in its tone, this lends to a conveyance of authenticity and validity in the content of the program. Reporters and Host do not give their opinion on the issues they are covering, allowing the viewed to develop their own ideas and opinions on the story at hand. Tone of voice also does not change, sarcasm, for example, is never detected, emotion is not shown and tone of voice is generally quite flat- generally it is impossible to tell how the reporter or host feels about the issues they are reporting on. It any form of bias does appear in a story it is in the form of quotes taken from individuals with whom the story concerns (e.g.: quotes from politicians, activists, etc). Mode of dress for both host and reporters is rather conservative, aiding in the neutrality put forth by the program. When graphics are used in a story, they generally as a way to provide viewers with additional information, they are generally conservative in their appearance (black, white, grey, and red), yet bold enough to convey importance without being flashy; this can also be seen as a continuance of an image of relevant content, authenticity, validity, and neutrality of reporting.

Sarah

Intro of todays stories on "The Hour"

Ideology of "The Hour"

Ideologies of The Hour:
~Efficiency
~Entertainment
~Social Concern

Efficiency:
The Hour is efficient because it presents the news in a fast, efficient manner. It fills its allotted 60minute slot with current news. The graphics are an efficient way to introduce a new idea, or move to a new segment. When a guest comes on the show George Stroumboulopoulos introduces them by showing their biography, in the form of an easy to read, concise graphic. This is a quick and efficient way to keep the viewer up to date on his next interviewee. Segments are quick – as is indicated in the small number of stories over sixty seconds in length - efficiently allowing more topics to be discussed.
In terms of content, when compared to The National, The Hour is not as efficient in reporting relevant news stories, as is indicated in our chart. Traditionally, the purpose of a news program is to report relevant news, and The Hour is not nearly as efficient as is The National in this area. The stories are short, but very vague, therefore rendering them inefficient.

Entertainment:
This ideology of The Hour is evident through the use of graphics to keep the viewer watching and amused. The National displays its understanding that having these aesthetically pleasing graphics will keep people watching, however, The Hour uses this technique more frequently. Celebrities are brought on the show, as they are the face of entertainment in our society. Watching these celebrities and listening to them is entertaining to the viewers, and keeps them watching night after night.
George, himself has been in the entertainment business for many years. We have all seen him on Much Music and automatically connect him with entertainment. George’s history and laid-back approach to presenting the news reflects entertainment, not the strictly informative scenario evident within The National.

Social Concern:
George talks about social issues, a main one being the environment. He puts his personal opinion in the show frequently, as is indicated when we compared this show to another news show. On the website they claim, “The Hour is a different take on the news through the lens of George and company,” overtly stating that George’s opinion is a large part of the show. He projects his ideologies into the show, however he does re-iterate his goal is not to command the viewer, but to challenge them with his viewpoint. On Thursday, January 19th, George says “Write a letter! Well, do what you want. Merely a suggestion.” He initiates conversation about social concerns. He asks celebrities about things that are not directly related to their profession, things that are of social concern. He will ask them questions about the environment, for example, and get them talking about their stand point on various social issues. The Hour has a blog site where people van voice their opinion, creating space for a social sphere where people can critique, analyze and discuss current issues within our society. ]


Chart
Number of stories… The National The Hour
longer than 60 seconds 22 13
using reporter other than host 10 0
using graphics as filler 16 28
on relevant issues 29 8
on entertainment issues 1 12
with personal interjections 0 33

In Conclusion