'News values are governed by commercial and political interests' discuss.

We currently live in the information age. News and media sources surround us daily, providing us with frequent updates of information from around the world instantly. However, today we must learn to question everything in the news as to the legitimacy behind a story, due to fake news. This leads onto how the news is regulated and to what extent it is governed by both commercial and political interests, and what other potential influence and impacts there may be.

When it comes to creating news there are very strong editorial values laid out by the BBC (2018). These values give a clear guideline towards the standards of what can and cannot be produced by news outlets and journalists. The list of editorial values shapes the news to ensure it stays to the highest editorial and ethical standards possible. Therefore, making reliable content for its audiences (BBC, 2018). Editorial values are clear and spoken of, potentially not used by all journalists, but they are still there as a guide that should be followed when writing a new story. However, when it comes to news values they tend to be unspoken of in contrast to editorial values, they are used within the industry to regulate itself. Furthermore, the main function of news values is to decide how ‘newsworthy’ a story may be, meaning how current and topical a story is as to how highly reported on (Shoemaker, 20016). The issues surrounding these news values and what makes a story ‘newsworthy’ leads to some stories not being reported and could be of interest to an audience. This is as to why news values are not spoken of as commonly as editorial values, which discuss the ethical side to creating news content. Whereas new values filter and prioritise content based on what is more popular to its audiences, rather than quality.

News values begun with Galtung and Ruge’s Structure of Foreign News in 1965. Their study began as they explored global news stories and why they were ‘newsworthy’ to the Norwegian press during the Congo and Cuba crisis of July, 1960 (Harcup & O’Neill, 2016). They looked at the Chain of News and Communication (Figure 1: Galtung, J. & Ruge, M.,1965) and how it is used to originally filter out what is deemed as ‘newsworthy’. The news and communication diagram gave Galtung and Ruge concerns, due to the chain not being specific enough to news stories. This then continued further, to create the original list of news values. This list contained twelve values that were used as a definition for ‘newsworthiness’: Elite nations or people, Negativity, Recency, Size, Uniqueness, Exclusivity, Currency, Personality, Proximity, Predictability, Simplicity and Continuity (Galtung, J. & Ruge, M.,1965). The theory behind the list depended on how frequently these factors were used within in a news story, the more they were used the more it would satisfy its audience. Galtung and Ruge tested their theory on different Norwegian newspapers from the Congo and Cuba crisis of July 1960. From their research these original news values gave an outline as to how the news dictates itself.

Many of the news values on Galtung and Ruge’s list correlate with what is expected from major news outlets. Such as currency and simplicity, to ensure audiences are kept up to date with current news, but also in a way that can be understood by all. However, many of these news values are due to political interests, for example ‘elite nations or people’ are always of high interest in the news. This is because of the impact political decisions have on large numbers of people. This was clear in the recent event of Brexit, as it surround elite nations and people with a strong political impact. The news reports on Brexit also crossed over into all of the categories within the Galtung and Ruge’s list, as political interests highly control the news and its values. Political interests have a strong impact on the news, especially in times of elections or debate, as news outlets are required to educate its audience in a fair, non-bias way, however this is not always the case. Brexit was heavily reported on public service broadcasting channels, such as the BBC. But also on commercial platforms, such as ITV. However, in comparison commercial and public service have different roles when it comes to bias. The BBC has the responsibility to be an honest platform with no bias (Ofcom, 2017). Whereas ITV for example, a commercial platform can create whatever content it prefers or sees more popular. Falling into the news value of ‘size’ what appeals to their audience more. Political news stories primarily fall in the news value of elite, but also many others as discussed. Political news is prioritised, capitalised and regularly a priority for news due to the high political interests’ audiences express. This allows political interest to govern these news values set out as they filter through most news stories.

For many years this original list by Galtung and Ruge was used as the key frame of ‘newsworthiness.’ Nevertheless, this theory was taken further by Tony Harcup and Deirdre O’Neill in 2016, where they re-created the list of news values. Harcup and Neill (2001) state that these new values create a more transparent and better understood process. Allowing these new values to fit to a more modernised world and what news really is now. Harcup and Neill’s new list included some of the original ideas of Galtung and Ruge, but also some new more relevant values. These being: Power Elite, Celebrity, Entertainment, surprise, Good news, Magnitude, Relevance and Newspaper agenda (Harcup and Neil, 2016). Yet again power elite appears on the list and one that has not change, due to political interest still being of key importance in today’s news. Although, a new aspect of change within the revisited list is the celebrity and entertainment side to news. Since Galtung and Ruge’s original list celebrity news has become a key factor in today’s news stories, especially for commercial interests. Commercial newspapers rely on profit to provide local, national and international news which reflects the viewer’s passions and interest of its readers (News Media Association, 2018). The Guardian is a key example of a commercial newspaper which uses its own core values to fit around the news values stating; ‘Our journalism is not influenced by the advertising we display and our journalists are free to, and often do, challenge the activities of companies and organisations that advertise and sponsor content that appears in Guardian sites and publications’ (The Guardian, 2018). Commercial news outlets like this challenge different perspectives and ideas, creating content which pleases their larger audience. Whether it’s a particular political opinion which the BBC is restricted from reporting on with a bias or celebrity news entitled for profit rather than quality.

Commercial interests have an impact on news values, as conservative papers such as The Sun and The Daily Mail contain a wide variety of celebrity and tabloid news daily (Smith, 2014). Celebrity news is becoming more and more popular as time goes on, celebrities are shown in the news as having glamourous lives which allows everyday people to aspire to that lifestyle, selling the dream. This is not always the case however, as the press can express judgement on stars such as alcohol, drugs relationships etc. which create a clear warnings to readers (Gorin & Dubied, 2011). Commercial media outlets such as these conservative newspapers govern celebrity and entertainment news to control its audience. Media moguls that control these outlets such as Rupert Murdoch, who owns The Sun. In 1969, Murdoch took over the struggling daily tabloid and transformed it to success, by attracting readers with sex, sport and crime. Along with its infamous ‘page 3’, featuring topless women (A&E Television Networks, 2014). Commercial based papers with powerful moguls in control such as Murdoch, govern the news and its values, by making tabloid news popular and classed as ‘newsworthy’ due to its heavy readership. An issue with this also being that these right-wing papers fill its pages with tabloid news, that audiences become diverted from the political issues surrounding us, such as the NHS cuts (Henningsen, 2014). Therefore, commercial news uses celebrity and entertainment more often as these stories are deemed more ‘newsworthy’ due to their popularity and fit into many of the other news values.

In the new technical age the news has had to change its form and the way in which audiences now consume the news, through social media. This modernisation has led to the un-subscription of local papers to now 50% of people getting there news from social media, changing the way news is created and consumed (Morrison, 2014). Commercial news outlets now thrive off advertisement on social media, along with political interests. This is due to the huge reaching audience social media can have, with over a billion people registered with Facebook and around 20% of the global population using social media regularly (SEMrush, 2013). This new mediated world lead Harcup and O’Neill to revisit the news values once more, enabling the values to fit alongside social media (Harcup & O’Neill, 2001). Their new list of values included ‘shareability,’ this is a huge factor in the news today as due to the governing impact of social media, as discussed. It is arguable that the news is governed more due to the current status and development of technology. For example, the news values heavily changed once social media came into play. Due to this commercial and political interests had to shift and mould to the new values that surround social media, to keep with the new technological age. ‘Shareability’ plays a huge factor in news today as social media is more of a conversation that is shared person-to-person (Hill, 2019) with the ability to share news stories on social media some stories may gain a wider outreach. However, news outlets benefit from the amount a story is shared, not only by views, but being able to see what is more popular. Whether its hard news or soft news, by the amount in which a story is shared can dictate what makes a story ‘newsworthy.’ Nic Newman (2011) found that Twitter works best for more serious topics from news brands such as the BBC, whereas Facebook users were more interested in major news events that are funny or unusual. This critical information allows news platforms to navigate social media as to where a news story will be most popular. Furthermore, the audience being able to find the news stories which suit them best, proving social media today strongly governs the news and its values, as it is it dictates how we primarily access and consume the news.

While looking at Galtung & Ruge’s and Harcup & O’Neill’s news values list’s it is clear both are thorough when analysing the content of news stories, what makes them ‘newsworthy’. One area that is not a deeply covered is ‘negativity’ and ‘bad news.’ Both feature on the lists’, but in today’s news it is taken one step further, as there is a huge gap between what is deemed as ‘bad’ and what is ‘tragic.’ Bad news is regarded by journalists as more exciting and dramatic than good news, such as extreme weather, violence, damage, death, tragedy etc. (Galtung & Ruge, 1965). It is arguable that death and tragic events differ to ‘extreme weather’ and should be regarded in a separate value. The Ariana Grande concert terrorist attack is a key example of a tragic event which would categorise differently to ‘bad news.’ Due to the huge impact it created on a bigger spectrum than day-to-day bad news. This is an area in both news values lists I deemed to be missing or under represented.

Both lists of news values created by Galtung & Ruge and Harcup & O’Neill are a clear outline as to what makes a story deemed as ‘newsworthy.’ It is apparent that political interests shape the news heavily, due to the constant political issues in modern day news. The same as in 1965, when Galtung and Ruge first explored news values. Because of this, political interest have an impact on ‘newsworthiness’ as it will always be relevant within the news sector. Commercial outlets also govern the news as journalists shape their news stories to make them ‘newsworthy’ as their aim is for profit over content. However, in the modernised information age of technology, social media governs news in ways that print and broadcast cannot achieve. The impacts of social media on the news has created a shift, allowing the audience to decide what is ‘newsworthy’ not by its publisher, but by the act of likes and shares. Therefore, it is arguable that social media now governs news values more than political and commercial interest, yet social media benefits both in a positive way. The news and the environment surrounding it is constantly changing, leading to ‘newsworthiness’ and news values evolving to fit the current status of the news. Although, with the constant evolvement of the media, it is likely there will be another shift as to who governs the news.

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