Description
Most in the industry will be familiar with ‘news values’ (Harcup and O'Neill, 2001; 2017) but even such widely cited authors admit that this idea only provides part of an explanation for why we may write, or see, the headlines we do.Donsbach (2004) examines a number of psychological reasons for news selection by journalists - namely validation by industry peers and any pre-existing knowledge or attitudes. He argues that in journalism these two are "... more present because journalists… constantly have to make perceptional decisions (truth, relevance, acceptability of facts and issues). They are [also] more relevant because these decisions form the input of much of the perception of reality by citizens. In this combination, our picture of the world outside is mainly the result of journalists’ perceptions and group-dynamic processes within the profession" (ibid, p. 151).
But where do journalists’ attitudes come from? This paper will argue that both industry peer groups and individual attitudes are shaped by, and shape, our ‘cultural values’ (Schwartz, 1992; Schwartz et al, 2012). Cultural values matter because they influence what we think and do, both individually and collectively, and the more we ‘use’ certain values, the more pronounced they can become (Holmes et al, 2012). Based on empirical data gathered for a submitted PhD thesis, it will discuss how we might observe such values in media content, what this may tell us about the media industry and what this could mean for society at large.
| Period | 5 Sept 2025 |
|---|---|
| Event title | MeCCSA 2025: Identity and Belonging |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Edinburgh, United KingdomShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |