Media gatekeepers decide what's news?

[msmith198025]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23481.html


Which is more newsworthy — the murder of an abortion doctor in Wichita, Kan., by an alleged anti-abortion activist or the murder of an Army recruiter and the wounding of another in Little Rock, Ark., by an alleged Muslim convert who is said to hate the U.S. military?


Most people not involved in news-placement decisions would probably say they were equally newsworthy. But those in the news media actually making those decisions had a different view.


Here’s how the media played the two stories:


• Murder of abortion doctor on Sunday — front-page news in most major newspapers and a lead story on network TV news shows on Sunday and Monday


• Murder of one Army recruiter and wounding of another on Monday — buried inside the same papers and newscasts on Tuesday

[Skyhi]

Bill O'Reilly (incorrectly) called CNN about this.....here is CNN's response:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuFp3G_OFxU

[msmith198025]

He corrected his statement last night, and said that he was wrong.

Edit: apparently on June 6 as well

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200906050034

It stil does not change how the media in general covered these two stories.
Is it political? Maybe

[stevenl]

Its obvious CNN is the most unbiased of the cable news networks.

FOX and MSNBC are just jokes.

[msmith198025]

Its obvious CNN is the most unbiased of the cable news networks.

FOX and MSNBC are just jokes.

Lol, yeah they proved that during the teaparty coverage:augentreher:

I will agree that lately, CNN is taking a more central stance than they have in recent past. Fox is slightly right overall with a far right host (hannity), and MSNBC is far left overall with maybe one or two slightly left hosts. Just how I see it

[Skyhi]

Its obvious CNN is the most unbiased of the cable news networks.

FOX and MSNBC are just jokes.

Fox and MSNBC are fine for what they are - - - - entertainment. It is kind of disturbing to think that there's a segment of the population that thinks those two channels are news.

[msmith198025]

Fox and MSNBC are fine for what they are - - - - entertainment. It is kind of disturbing to think that there's a segment of the population that thinks those to channels are news.

Every cable news channel is basically entertainment with news mixed in during prime time.

[stevenl]

Lol, yeah they proved that during the teaparty coverage:augentreher:

I will agree that lately, CNN is taking a more central stance than they have in recent past. Fox is slightly right overall with a far right host (hannity), and MSNBC is far left overall with maybe one or two slightly left hosts. Just how I see it

They covered the tea parties. They coverd them for what they were though. A very small protest that had no central message. Ask 5 different people at the teaparties why they are protesting get 5 different answers. From taxes, to spending, to socialism, to obamas a muslim.

How much coverage did you expect them to give these events? Should they of covered it for a week straight non-stop like FOX and the events biggest promoter? Certainly they should cover it as much as they did the War protests, which had MILLIONS of people world wide, not just 200-300k people like the tea parties had.

[HDRoberts]

Doesn't help that one was Sunday, the other was Monday, right after a PLANE CRASH.

That's the way it works. Stories like this get on the front page on slow news days, buried when big stories break.

[msmith198025]

They covered the tea parties. They coverd them for what they were though. A very small protest that had no central message. Ask 5 different people at the teaparties why they are protesting get 5 different answers. From taxes, to spending, to socialism, to obamas a muslim.

How much coverage did you expect them to give these events? Should they of covered it for a week straight non-stop like FOX and the events biggest promoter? Certainly they should cover it as much as they did the War protests, which had MILLIONS of people world wide, not just 200-300k people like the tea parties had.

Everyone keeps trying to make the protests about one thing. Of course you would get 5 different answers. It was not about any one thing (although some reasons for being there were bigger than others).

My point was,most news outlets treated it as a joke based on the small amount of coverage they gave it. And no, I am not saying it should have been covered to death by them, but at least respectfully covered. Not teabagging jokes every 5 minutes.

Small crowd? Very few protests on anything in the US have had an overall higher turn out. The anti war protest being an extreme exapmle with an abnormaly high turn out.

[msmith198025]

Doesn't help that one was Sunday, the other was Monday, right after a PLANE CRASH.

That's the way it works. Stories like this get on the front page on slow news days, buried when big stories break.

I do not agree. Both are front page stories at any time IMO.
There have been times in the past that two big stories have broke, with both making front page news.

[HDRoberts]

I do not agree. Both are front page stories at any time IMO.
There have been times in the past that two big stories have broke, with both making front page news.

You think the deaths of 2 recruiters are equivalent to the deaths of 2 other Americans, along with 226 others, on a type of plane that carries thousands of Americans a day across the ocean?

The Air France crash was a bigger story. You have to admit, it was a factor. Maybe not the sole reason, but a factor.

[msmith198025]

You think the deaths of 2 recruiters are equivalent to the deaths of 2 other Americans, along with 226 others, on a type of plane that carries thousands of Americans a day across the ocean?

The Air France crash was a bigger story. You have to admit, it was a factor. Maybe not the sole reason, but a factor.

The deaths? Yes.

Story alone, I admit that the Plane Crash was a bigger story worldwide.
It still does not make the shooting deaths of two army recruiters on US soil mid level news

[HDRoberts]

The deaths? Yes.

Story alone, I admit that the Plane Crash was a bigger story worldwide.
It still does not make the shooting deaths of two army recruiters on US soil mid level news

That's what I meant, the story ON the deaths.

[stevenl]

Everyone keeps trying to make the protests about one thing. Of course you would get 5 different answers. It was not about any one thing (although some reasons for being there were bigger than others).

My point was,most news outlets treated it as a joke based on the small amount of coverage they gave it. And no, I am not saying it should have been covered to death by them, but at least respectfully covered. Not teabagging jokes every 5 minutes.

Small crowd? Very few protests on anything in the US have had an overall higher turn out. The anti war protest being an extreme exapmle with an abnormaly high turn out.

Yes small crowds. and the "smaller" protests you speak of get even less coverage then the tea parties. Their are protests about every day around the nation we dont hear about them on the national news. You may here about in on your local news if it was in your local area. About the only "small" protests I know of that got more attention then the tea parties are the "westboro baptist nutjobs (church)" and their are obvious reasons why those get bigger attention.

[msmith198025]

Yes small crowds. and the "smaller" protests you speak of get even less coverage then the tea parties. Their are protests about every day around the nation we dont hear about them on the national news. You may here about in on your local news if it was in your local area. About the only "small" protests I know of that got more attention then the tea parties are the "westboro baptist nutjobs (church)" and their are obvious reasons why those get bigger attention.

I wonder if those smaller protests or even the bigger ones have the poor taste jokes thrown in when they are covered?

Yeah, Westboro is a group of nuts. Glad you put church in ()

[iceturkee]

Doesn't help that one was Sunday, the other was Monday, right after a PLANE CRASH.

That's the way it works. Stories like this get on the front page on slow news days, buried when big stories break.

that is an excellent point. there is an animal known as a slow news day. those days, stories which wouldn't normally command top fold on A front or top fold local news front, get more prominant play.

if its a day when you have multiple breaking news stories, the play is decided by editors during budget meetings. granted, its a group of editors deciding the priority of the days stories and where they get played.

but a lot is also determined by the days news events. and that means local and or international news too!

[vurbano]

Its obvious CNN is the most unbiased of the cable news networks. :free-happy-smileys- :free-happy-smileys- :free-happy-smileys-

[msmith198025]

:free-happy-smileys- :free-happy-smileys- :free-happy-smileys-

They are more central than they were though. Right?

[stevenl]

:free-happy-smileys- :free-happy-smileys- :free-happy-smileys-

Well lets see.. compared to Fox News CNN is far left. Compared to MSNBC CNN is far right. so that puts them in the center of those two.

[HDRoberts]

Well lets see.. compared to Fox News CNN is far left. Compared to MSNBC CNN is far right. so that puts them in the center of those two.

Exactly. But from Vurb's prospective, Fox News probably is too liberal.