Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Frame of a Story is Everything

The way a story is framed gives a huge connotation on how the story is portrayed in the media especially in the quick fix information age of digital journalism. Today everyone is not necessarily looking for the best or most accurate source of information, they are looking for the quickest and most entertaining way to gather news. This creates a news changing responsibility on the journalist who are presenting and framing this information. With the advent of quick information gathering technologies people arn't spending time analyzing every piece of information they process, so if they see an article framed in a certain light, they are just gonna go with it. Now, more than ever before, the framing of an article can really impact the outcome on the reader. The reader will not be thinking of the opposing side of how the story is framed, they will simply base it as fact just how it is.

In the article How the Media Frames Political Issues, by Scott London, the author displayed the ways in which "establishment bias" towards certain political members can be overlooked by viewers of political news. These framing techniques of stories are used to portray political figures in either a positive or negative light. These framing techniques, along with camera work and vocal gestures can completely alter a perception of a political figurehead. These frames are often never noticed by the average media consumer because it is not important to them. all they are seeking is to get quick easy information, and they never consider the frame of the story. This can potentially create a real problem for they way that news is perceived. 

1 comment:

  1. You raise some interesting issues, especially given how we have been encouraging you as novice journalists to provide framing for your stories. It is true that providing a strong lead sentence enhances readability and the preservation of the story's message post-distribution. But these strategies may also contribute to some not-to-subtle biases as well. How specifically can you connect this book to digital journalism? Is digital journalism discussed in the pages of the text?

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