Comparative Analysis Essay

The following is a comparative analysis between a Commercial Broadcaster (Sky News) and a Public Service Broadcaster (BBC News). The videos being analysed are reports about the recent tornadoes that hit the Southern United States.

Tornadoes Hit Southern US - BBC Broadcast

Tornadoes Hit Southern US - Sky Broadcast

Introduction

The following is a comparative analysis between a Commercial Broadcaster (Sky News) and a Public Service Broadcaster (BBC). The videos being studied in this report are on the tornadoes that struck the Southern United States last April. The report will look at the videos through the various different analysis approaches studied throughout the semester. While looking at the videos from the different analysis approaches the main focus will be on whether the news media can continue to act as producers of meaning whilst remaining within the structures of formal rules about impartiality.

Reality

The reality being put forward in both reports is of the destruction and chaos that has been left behind in the wake of another natural disaster. Regardless of whether or not there was any media present to record this event it would have happened. From an analysis point of view this is known as a genuine event. To look at the event from a visually literate standpoint we have to ask ourselves four question; why, when, what and how.

Why was it produced in this way?

Both reports detail the destruction caused by the storms. The BBC report starts with a shot of a tornado as it cuts its path of destruction through the roadways. This then cuts to an eyewitness report followed by several aerial shots of wrecked homes and vehicles ending with a statement from the governor of North Carolina. This style of reporting allows the viewer to see how the damage was caused, the aftermath and what is being done by the officials to assist those who were affected.

The Sky News report however starts with shots of photographs of a family who were killed during the storms, then to a shot of their cat who managed to survive. This style of introduction aims to connect the viewer with the story on an emotional level. This then cuts to an interview with a relative of the victims, inter cut with shots of the destruction. This then moves to a second interview with a survivor of the storms and his account of what happened. Many of the shots used during the report are the same as the BBC’s report indicating that both broadcasters sourced their footage from the same place.

When was it produced/distributed?

Both reports were distributed on the 18^th of April; two days after the events took place. This allowed time for accurate facts to be sourced and any speculation could be ruled out which many broadcasters fail to do.

What are the effects of the text on the audience?

The BBC report presents the facts of what happened in a straight forward progression of shots. The use of the particular shot sequence described above would make the user feel sorry for the victims and instil feelings of emotion in an indirect manner. The Sky News report however goes directly for an emotional connection straight away through the shots of the photographs. Both reports only show a snapshot of the devastation caused by the disaster even though this type of tragedy has wider social effects. These would include the displacement of family members and health issues.

How is the meaning made?

The message being brought across in both reports is of the damage and destruction caused and how the survivors and relatives are going through an emotional time. This is seen in both clips through the lingering shots on destroyed vehicles and buildings. The interviews with people affected by the disaster and shots victims photographs help to deliver the emotional message being made.

Preferred Meaning and Circuit of Culture

The preferred meaning in these pieces of media is of how quickly and easily our possessions can be taken from us in a matter of minutes by the forces of nature and we are powerless to stop it.

Re-Presentation

The re-presentation of the media is provided to us in different ways using various different elements such as graphics, tone, accents. The BBC report uses graphics when the governor of Carolina is talking; this provides the viewer with a visual inclination as to where the disaster has occurred. The Sky News report on the other hand has no visual aids forcing the viewer to rely on the audio for information. Neither of the clips uses music as they are both of a headline style of presentation. Throughout the clips there is a sombre tone due to the nature of the report.

Identity

The identity of the broadcasters can be easily distinguished from the logos located in the top left hand corner of the videos. The identities are also identified when the reporters sign off at the end of the clips. Both broadcasters would be recognised globally as they both have worldwide representations.

Production

Both broadcasters have produced their reports by utilising all resources available to them to present as much of the facts as possible in the short space of time available to them. This was managed by using a multitude of aerial shots which provided more information than if they were to use all close ups.

Consumption

How viewers consume a piece like this may depend on their physical location. For instance, the piece may have more of an impact on viewers in America as tragedies like this are frequent and they may know of the pain and emotion the victims are going through, whereas viewers from Ireland may only consume the place that it happened in and when as they may not be as familiar with this type of incident.

Regulation

Regulation is controlled by the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC), which was set up as part of the Broadcasting Act of 1996, covers the BBC and all private broadcasters in the UK. Its main functions are to produce codes of conduct relating to fairness, privacy and standards. Monitor, conduct research and compile reports on standards and fairness as well as receiving and adjudicating upon complaints from the general public.

Both of the broadcasters have produced their reports in such a way that they are not at risk of coming into conflict with the regulations set out by the BSC.

Conversationalisation

Throughout both pieces of media we can hear simple easy to understand language and words that help to reinforce the destruction that was caused and help us to imagine the events as they unfolded.

Examples of this in the BBC report include; “ripped through seven states” and “massive cloud of debris” this gives us an idea as to the scale of the storms and how widespread they were. “Houses obliterated” and “cars and trucks were picked up and tossed around like toys”. Both of these quotes tells us how powerless people were to protect their belongings.

Similarly the Sky News report uses similar phrases that give an impression of the devastation and sheer raw power of the tornadoes. “Tornado devastated the small town” and “tore through the state in minutes”. Even though people were expecting these types of storms we are informed that they have not been this bad in several years; “storms worst in a generation”.

Form of News

Most news reports take on a form similar to that seen in most fictional pieces that create a sense of drama and excitement for the audience watching. This is evident in both reports. The BBC report starts out with an immediate verbal narration that accompanies the events happening on screen. This gives the images a meaning that may be missed if there was a lack of explanation. This then progresses onto a classic news style of presentation of providing the viewer with  a close shot of the destruction caused followed by an overview shot of the city as the storms moved in, intercut with several more close shots of damage accompanied by an eyewitness report of the events.

The Sky News report follows a similar style by providing an initial close up of a demolished house cut in with an interview followed up with several overview shots of the total destruction caused in the area.

Linking/Connectivity

Connective links are present throughout both reports, provided by the narrator’s comments, which remind the viewer as to what the report is about. This is heard in the BBC report at the start when the initial shot of a tornado is seen with the phrase “one of the tornadoes as it touches down”, this is reconnected towards the end of the clip with the phrase “start of the tornado season”.

The Sky report uses a similar style of connection in that it mentions that a “tornado devastated the small town”, this is heard at the beginning of the clip with the shots of the destroyed home. The connection is made towards the middle of the clip through the use of the phrase “tornado tore through the state in minutes”.

Television News

Market demands have dictated the content that is produced; however both broadcasters are required to adhere to public service broadcasting principles when outputting news production. This ensures that there would be no political bias within a news report or that any point of view was given a particular prominence.

Neither the BBC nor Sky report contains a biased approach to the information being presented. Both reports detail the facts as they happened. This may be due to the nature of the content being reported as they are detailing a natural disaster and does not contain a political agenda where biased opinions may appear.

Many news broadcasters lately are adopting a tabloid style approach to the presentation of their reports in order to attract more viewers. It may be possible to see this style present in the clips detailed here, in that the producers are going for a fictional style storytelling as described earlier.

Rules of Impartiality

Impartiality is the notion of presenting information by not favouring one side or the other. The approach of impartiality varies depending on the nature of the information being reported, the channel that is providing the programme. There are three points in particular that influence news presentation:

5.1 News, in whatever form, must be reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality.

5.2 Significant mistakes in news should normally be acknowledged and corrected on air.

5.3 No politician may be used as a newsreader, interviewer or reporter in any news programme.

Due to the nature of both reports they have both complied with the rules of impartiality as set out by Ofcom.

Conclusion

From analysing the two clips under the above analysis approaches, it could be said that the news media are able to produce meaning whilst remaining within the structures of formal rules of impartiality. This however may be due to the nature of the studied clips. As they were detailing a natural disaster there would be no reason for having an impartial or biased approach to the story.

News Report Analysis

London Riots

The above link is for a Sky News report on the riots that broke out in London last weekend during a spending cuts protest.

The video shall now be analysed by taking the following questions into consideration:

1. Which sources are given priority? (e.g. who is interviewed and where?)

The report begins with scenes from the riots as opposed to the the protests over the Government's proposed spending cuts. During the report there are two people interviewed, one being a representative of the Union Leaders and the other being a Police Spokesman. The Union Leader is interviewed out in a field which appears to be nowhere near the site of the riots or the protest. The Police Spokesman is interviewed at the Police Station presumably Scotland Yard. It was interesting to see that no one who took part in the protest was interviewed to gain their perspectives of the days events.

2. Which explanations are given priority (such as headlines)?

Immediately when the report the main focus is on the riots which were only caused by around 200 or so people from the campaign group UK Uncut. Immediately after this the reports informs us that hundreds were arrested, protesters and police injured and that a huge clean up operation is under way. After the violence is reported the reason for the march is then introduced; a protest about the governments proposed spending cuts.

3. Does the story sequence produce certain meanings?

From the way the sequence has been edited together with the scenes of the riots at the beginning and the main emphases being on the violence, it would appear that news are suggesting that all protests would end up in violence and that the actual reason for the protest is no longer an important issue.

4. What terms of reference (language) are used to describe or label the participants and their actions?

There are several key phrases that are used throughout the report which are used to help us imagine what was happening on the day, phrases such as; London's biggest landmarks, hundreds arrested, huge clean up operation under way, 250,000 people, these phrases help us to appreciate the size of the mass that were present in the centre of London. Other phrases like; violence well into the night, police and protesters injured, windows smashed, dangerous place, lines of riot police and running scuffles. These phrases lets us imagine how violent the riots got.

5. What point of view is produced by the camera shots?

Frequently the camera provides us with a wide angle shot so that we can get a feel for the size and magnitude of people present during the peaceful protest and at the time of the riots. Aerial shots of London also help to show us the masses of people swarming through the streets. During the interviews the camera remains at eye level with the interviewee so that the viewer can feel somewhat at ease and know that they are at the same level as these people and are not being looked down upon.

Semiotic Print Advertisement Analysis

The following is an analysis of an advertisement printed in the 'Style Magazine with the Sunday Times'. The analysis will be presented in a semiotic approach.

The advertisement being analysed is for the new Toyota Yaris. In the ad we can see the new car, a woman entering an Oxfam shop with a signed framed football shirt. In the top corner of the add is the Toyota logo.  Along the bottom of the advert there is some text which reads "1 week earlier: Husband left muddy football boots on the back seat. Yaris. Treat it with respect." Under this line is the details of the offer for the car which includes the price, length of warranty, features included with the car and the motto of Toyota "Today Tomorrow Toyota". Beneath this is the section of small print with the specific details about the offers displayed above. Finally there are the fuel efficiency figures along the bottom of the page.

When looking at this advertisement the eye of the viewer is immediately drawn to the car as it is a bright red colour which contrasts with the plain colours of the road and walls around the car. The woman in the image is wearing a light brown coloured jacket which makes her stand out from the shop fronts, under her right arm we can see the framed football shirt which is a bright blue colour which again helps it stand out from its surroundings. The text written under the car is in two different font weights, the first line is in a normal standard weight, while the second part, "Yaris. Treat it with respect.", is in bold to help emphasis that the car should be considered of a high class.

By using these different elements along with their chosen text, Toyota are trying to say that by driving the new Yaris and treating it with respect you would become part of a higher society. By including the extra features in the advert it is appealing to drivers who like having 'gadgets' in their cars such as the bluetooth, sat nav and parking sensors. These additions to the ad, would suggest that Toyota are appealing to the cultural myth that younger drivers prefer to have these types of gadgets in their cars.

The overall message that Toyota are trying to say with their advertisement is that by driving the new Yaris you can benefit from the gadgets normally associated with young drivers while maintaining an image of high society.

Semiotics - A Retrospect

During today's we had a brief refresher on semiotics. There are two elements that make up a sign when looking at items or messages from a semiotic point of view, these are the signifier and the signified. Together these make the sign.

The signifier is the material or what is being conveyed e.g. a tree.

The signified is the concept that is drawn from the signifier e.g. a mental image of a tree.

It was good to have this refresher as it has been a few years from I last done anything in depth with semiotics, with this refresher the it should be easier to analyse the next mediated text being studied.

Analysis of News Reports - Jeremy Paxman vs. Micheal Howard and Kay Burley vs. James O' Brien

Jeremy Paxman vs. Micheal Howard

The interview between Jeremy Paxman and Micheal Howard aired on Newsnight on May 13th 1997. This interview became the programme's most notorious interview. During the interview Howard was confronted with a question he thought was evasive - "Did you threaten to overrule him?". Paxman proceeded to ask Howard this twelve times in a row.

Is there any evidence of Formulation/Conversationalisation present?

Both parties involved in the interview have plain easy to understand accents that would be easily tolerated by people from different parts of the country. The delivery of the piece is also easy to follow and understand as the use of simple words allows for people who may not be familiar with political terms would be able to understand what was being discussed.

Is the Interviewer maintaining a stance of 'formal neutrality'? Or can we see some form of bias?

From viewing the piece several times it appears that Paxman is maintaining a stance of neutrality throughout the interview and is avoiding a biased approach when asking questions especially when Howard starts to avoid questions through out the interview, particularly the overrule question.

How are the questions being answered by the interviewee?

Howard starts the interview by answering the questions that are put to him in a straight forward manner but then develops a tendency to elaborate where a simple straight to the point answer would suffice. There are also several points where he becomes defensive in his answers again this is seen when Paxman is asking about the threats of overruling another politician.

Has the interviewee answered the specific question that has been asked?

The majority of questions are answered when asked however when the question "Did you threaten to overrule him?" is put forward, Howard dodges the question at least 12 times by maintaining that he has already answered this question when already and does not supply an appropriate answer for Paxman.

What approach is the interviewee using, if any, to avoid providing an answer to a specific question?

When quizzed about the overruling, Howard carries on as if the question has not been asked by and not referencing to the question in any way.

Is the interviewer allowing this to happen or are they pushing for an answer to a question?

Paxman continues to push this matter with Howard for almost two minutes, repeating the question about 12 times and clearly stating that he wanted a simple yes or no answer but still gets no response to the question therefore leaving it unanswered.

Can we see the use of language within the interview being influenced by the perceived social context of the 'targeted audience'?

The language that is used throughout the interview is simple and easy to understand. As it is looking at an incident that involves a member of the conservative political party, the intended target audience would be people who have a keen interest in politics and the conservatives in particular.

Kay Burley vs. James O' Brien

This interview Kay Burley and James O' Brien took place in 2004 following O' Brien's discussion on his radio show about Frank Lampard's separation from his wife, and the phone call from Frank to the show. The radio broadcast took place on the anniversary of Frank's mothers death.

Is there any evidence of Formulation/Conversationalisation present?

The language used throughout the interview is delivered in an easy to follow and understandable manner. Neither Burley nor O' Brien use any over complicated words that would confuse a viewer therefore making it accessible to all.

Is the Interviewer maintaining a stance of 'formal neutrality'? Or can we see some form of bias?

Throughout the interview Burley maintains a bias attitude against O' Brien. This is most present in several points, firstly at the start of the interview when O' Brien explains what happened during his radio broadcast Burley appears to contradict him by explaining what she knows or thinks she knows. We can also see her biased attitude when the topic of Frank Lampard's mother's anniversary is brought up. She appears to take a very personal attitude towards it when she says that she does have the anniversary on her calender. There is also the biased sense throughout the entire interview, especially when she is trying to make O' Brien apologise for the comments he made.

How are the questions being answered by the interviewee?

When answering questions put to him O' Brien answers them by using simple to understand phrases which can be understood by any viewer watching, phrases like "millionaire footballer", "poor soul" help the viewer put the context of the interview into perspective.

Has the interviewee answered the specific question that has been asked?

O' Brien answers every question that is asked of him, elaborating his answers when necessary in order to clarify the point he is trying to make.

Is the interviewer allowing this to happen or are they pushing for an answer to a question?

Burley is constantly asking O' Brien if he is sorry which he did say he was sorry to Frank's sister for the timing of t=the radio broadcast. This again shows Burley's biased approach towards O' Brien.

Can we see the use of language within the interview being influenced by the perceived social context of the 'targeted audience'?

As the target audience for a news piece like this would be the everyday person who enjoys gossip stories, the language used simple and easy to understand allow people of all walks of life to understand it and not be overwhelmed by complicated words or phrases.

Analysis of Cairo Riots News Report

To successfully analyse this piece of mediated text we must look at it from several different angles. We will look at the Preferred Meaning and the Reality being Mediated, consider the five key questions of any media text analysis and look for the presence of conversationalisation within the piece.

Preferred Meaning and Reality Being Mediated

The reality of this piece is the presence of mass numbers of people rioting in the streets of Cairo. Both groups have different 'agendas', one group are supporting President Mubarak and the other are against him. This is what is currently happening and would happen even if there was no presence of media to capture the events as the happen. From watching the piece and listening to the audio it seems that the preferred meaning being put across is that there is no chance of peace being restored to the nation until there is a resolution put in place. This can be noticed at the start of the piece when the reporter says;

"I've never seen anything like this in a riot before."

This is in a response to people fleeing down a street as horses charge behind with one of the riders being pulled from his horse and beaten on the ground.

Five Key Questions

1. Who created the message?

The news report is from Sky News, the way in which it has been edited together shows that consideration was taken as to which shots were used to represent the events that are taking place on the streets. Several times throughout the clip, the same piece of footage has been used which shows people throwing rocks at each other from the two separate groups of rioters. Also reused in the clip was a shot of rioters charging at each other.

2. What creative techniques are used to attract my attentions?

Throughout the piece the position of the camera is usually positioned above the crowds of people to make the receiver/viewer feel that they are looking down on the chaos in the streets. The audio in the piece has not been altered to help us appreciate the confusion and fear that many innocent people caught up in the actions of these groups are feeling.

3. How might different people understand this message differently than me?

When I look at a piece of text like this I get a feeling of pity and sadness for innocent people caught in the midst of these kind of riots. Many people may also feel this way but others may feel that this is trouble is as a result of the President refusing to stand down and bring an end to trouble in the nation, others may feel that the military or police should be doing more to try and quell the riots and that they may be a cause of many people being injured or killed.

4. What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from this message?

Throughout the piece the footage concentrates on the people who are engaged in rioting or fights, while there is no footage of officials being interviewed about what is happening or plans of how to stop it from getting worse. Also omitted from the piece is any opinions of locals who are not partaking in the riots. This could be seen as a ploy by the news to make the situation worse than it may actually be as there is a reuse of several pieces of footage.

5. Why is this message being sent?

This message is being sent to show how people go to extreme measures to demonstrate how strongly they feel about their beliefs. The news channels know that if they keep a situation like this updated on a regular basis they will be able to keep high viewer rating over other rival news networks.

Presence of Conversationalisation

Throughout the piece we can hear the use of simple easy to understand language and words that help to reinforce the choice of images used. Words such as "surged around" when we see the image of camel riders fleeing the chaos and the mass mob of people trying to surround him. Also used was "charge after charge" when we can see the protesters running towards each other helps us visualise the chaos that the people are experiencing. The use of phrases like these are employed by many news broadcasters so that their viewers can better understand what is happening and so that they can grab the gist of the story if they are not paying full attention to the report or watching what is happening on screen.

Media Discourse Week 3

Today we looked at different mediated texts from each member of the class and discussed each piece and how they were created by the media. Each piece varied from news reports to documentaries and press conferences.

From looking at each piece and openly discussing it as a class it helped to give a better understanding of what we are trying to achieve in the class. We were able to collectively critique each piece as opposed to individually.

Next up is an analysis of some news footage from the Cairo riots, each member of the class will be reviewing the same piece then sharing their thoughts with everyone for a group discussion on the topic.