Harcup and o neill news values
A classic topic in journalism studies!
Harcup and O'Neill's (2001) work on news values is a seminal study that explores the underlying principles that guide journalists' decisions about what news to cover and how to cover it. Here's a summary of their key findings:
What are news values?
News values refer to the criteria that journalists use to determine what is newsworthy and what is not. These values are not necessarily objective or universal, but rather reflect the cultural, social, and economic contexts in which journalism operates.
Harcup and O'Neill's research
Harcup and O'Neill analyzed 1,500 news articles from the UK's national press to identify the news values that underpinned journalists' decisions. They found that the top five news values were:
- Human interest: Stories that focus on individuals, their experiences, and their emotions tend to be more newsworthy than those that focus on abstract concepts or statistics.
- Conflict: Stories that involve conflict, controversy, or drama are more likely to be covered than those that do not.
- Impact: Stories that have a significant impact on people's lives or society as a whole are more newsworthy than those that do not.
- Proximity: Stories that are geographically close to the journalist's location or audience are more likely to be covered than those that are distant.
- Prominence: Stories that involve well-known individuals or organizations are more newsworthy than those that do not.
Other news values
Harcup and O'Neill also identified several other news values that were less prominent but still important:
- Timeliness: Stories that are timely and relevant to current events are more newsworthy than those that are not.
- Novelty: Stories that are unusual or unexpected are more likely to be covered than those that are routine or predictable.
- Relevance: Stories that are relevant to the audience's interests or concerns are more newsworthy than those that are not.
- Sensationalism: Stories that are sensational or attention-grabbing are more likely to be covered than those that are not.
Implications
Harcup and O'Neill's research has several implications for journalism and media studies:
- News values are not objective: News values are subjective and reflect the cultural and social contexts in which journalism operates.
- News values can be biased: The emphasis on certain news values can lead to biased reporting and the marginalization of certain stories or perspectives.
- Journalists' decisions are influenced by news values: Journalists' decisions about what to cover and how to cover it are influenced by their understanding of news values.
- News values can be challenged: By recognizing the subjective nature of news values, journalists and media scholars can challenge dominant news values and promote more diverse and inclusive reporting.
Overall, Harcup and O'Neill's work on news values provides valuable insights into the complex and often subjective nature of journalism, and highlights the need for journalists and media scholars to critically examine the values that underpin their work.