For this blog I am to answer 8 questions as follows:
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of television as a news source?
2. How much of television news is intended as entertainment?
3. How much is the function of a news anchor person to entertain?
4. What role does voice and costuming play in a newscast?
5. Which of these were found in your review of the newscast you viewed?
6. What is the difference between fact and opinion?
7. What is the difference between "serious" and "light" news?
8. What role does objectivity play in the news?
1. Television being used as a news source is good because you do not have to go searching around for news. Other advantages could include the fact that it is convenient. However, commonly, television news isn't necessaily untrue but, the news company decides what you see so, they decide what you are supposed to view as important.
2. Television news isn't said to be viewed as entertainment but, it usually is. If you want to know about something you research it. News is commonly when you are bored or when you have nothing to research, so you watch a broadcast about events that you know nothing about and, thus, might not be true or might not suit your interests.
3. Although not directly, the news anchorman or woman is commonly a stereotypical "perfect" person. They seem very knowledgable, yet, all they're doing is reading a script. We rarely see what they look like off the air. They may not be there to necesarily entertain, but, more to "advertise" the "perfect" person.
4. The voice and costumes are usually that of well-dressed, well-mannered people. Wealthy people if you must. They commonly have a very powerful voice. They, like most everyone on Television, are groomed and perfected for hours before going on the air. So, how much are we wanting to be that intelligent, well-dressed, well-mannered, "perfect" person when, in reality, they may be no where near that?
5. http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/1221254309/ID=2173688133 - I did not watch all of this newscast although it was quite interesting.
Although the newscast I found does not have anchormen/women shown directly, the narrator does have quite a "powerful" voice. The newscast also, barely mentions where they got their information from. They only provide vague and general sources. Scientists in general rather than a specific research center.
6. The difference between fact and opinion news is whether they provide insight on the news they are reporting or if they just tell the story exactly as it is factually. The problem is, how can you know if any of the newscasts are purely factual when they don't identify sources?
7. Serious news is commonly about an event that happened quite recently and is usually tragic. Ex Death of a high ranking government official. Light news would be about a study that has been going on for a while and is usually not very tragic. Ex. A study on the amount deaths over a certain number of years. This ties in with a quote I know and understand by Joseph Stalin - "One death is a tragedy; One million is a statistic".
8. Although it does not play a very important role, objectivity still is present. Commonly anchorwomen are more "perfect" than their male counterparts. Maybe, because they are readied more, makeup, etc, I'm not sure. Men are portrayed, though, with a more powerful and deeper voice which makes them seem more important. Objectivity definately plays a role just not as large of one as the content.
