NEWS COVERAGE LEVELS
The main reason for news coverage levels is to show how news stories are covered differently. .
Using the levels to show the differences in coverage prevents wrongly attributing equality without consideration to varying degrees of intensity and the resultant variance in perception. News outlets inform us that they are independent and there are no conspiracies; however it amazing how the same stories can be on all the news outlets in the same time periods. The bottom line is that some stories are on the front pages or hidden in the back of the newspaper. The placement of a story can send the message that the story is not serious or very important. Or, get one sound bite and some stories are over sensationalized. This level system is used for news stories and takes into consideration the news media used, whether paper, digital, Internet, or radio, but especially how many times the story is featured in one paper and how many sound bites exist.
To understand how we use this system, here are some key words used. These are terms used for our journalistic purposes.
Mainstream Media: popular media outlets with large audience of people from various backgrounds beyond local news
Prime Time: a fixed time period with the biggest viewing audience usually between 7 p.m.-11 p.m.
Media Genre:story presented into a specific media category: Sports, Entertainment, Business, Politics, etc.
Feature Story:covers a selected issue in-depth, often the main story during a news broadcast
Covered: coverage of the story, however it is not a Featured Story
Headlines: head or title of a story indicating the nature of the story; for our purposes we will use as Lead as well
Basic Lead: a basic introduction, the story’s leading sentence or statement
Simple Lead: tells the audience what will be covered in the story—simple, and emotionless, with no urgency
Creative Lead: introduces topic in more creative, attention-seeking way
Serious Lead: introduces topic with urgency, emergency often to provoke fear, very serious.
Teaser: sound bite or highlight about a story to attract the audience’s attention.
Sound Bites: are striking remarks or statements excerpted from an audiotape or videotape for insertion in a broadcast news story.
Duration: the length of time the story exists during a broadcast.
Propaganda: aim at influencing the attitude of the audience to specific cause or position
This refers to when a story is only mentioned within its specific genre. For example: A sports story would appear in sports media outlets or a story about a celebrity would appear in a celebrity magazine.
LEVEL ONE
Story only presented in its Media Genre
No Teasers
No visual images (video or pictures)
Basic Lead
Two or less sound bites
Duration of story less than thirty seconds
In print, media displayed in small sections, usually on the back pages with no picture
On television, the story is featured at the end of the broadcast
Example of Level One Story: Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, his first sexual assault allegations were dismissed from media attention, being mentioned only months after the fact, only in Sports Genre only (ESPN mainly) and with minimal coverage. Only after further allegations, was the story deemed newsworthy and reported on with higher levels of coverage.
LEVEL TWO
Has more than two sound bites within its Media Genre
Has two or less sound bites in another Media Genre (Crossover)
Small images present
Duration of story between thirty seconds and one minute
Featured Story in its own Media Genre
Teaser about the story on front page or aired at the beginning of the show.
Simple Lead
Story portrayed with humor, is less threatening minimizing the impact.
Story portrayed to provoke emotional response, by interviewing victims, interviewing people at the scene, images of the crime scene, images of the disaster, or background music.
A Featured Story in its specific Media Genre.
In Mainstream sparingly
Example of Level Two Story: Mr. Roethlisberger’s second sexual assault allegation, the story was teased at the beginning of sports shows within the sports genres and became a Featured Story within its Media Genre, with a few sound bites outside of the Sports Genres
It has both level one and two characteristics, however when a story reaches the mainstream news, the story is mentioned across several media genres, such as talk shows, late-night talk shows, daytime talk shows , and is mentioned more than three or four times in the mainstream news, it has reached Level Three strength.
LEVEL THREE
More than two sound bites in its own Media Genre
More than two sound bites outside its Media Genre
Featured Story in its own Media Genre
Featured Story outside its Media Genre
Creative Lead
Very large images in print media
Video footage on broadcast
Several Teasers dedicated to story leading up to the broadcast.
Duration of story lasts more than a minute
Story is presented more than once during the same broadcast.
Covered in Mainstream Media
Propaganda can take place at this level, taking on whatever spin that the newscast wants the public to view
Stories that are purposely postponed, because of media manipulation by making it a non-story or trying to keep it swept under the rug.
Also stereotypical traits are starting to be introduced, subtle or direct
Example of Level Three Story: Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault allegations was lead story for sports genre and for many media outlets outside of sports genre, went on for several days constantly. This rate of exposure was maintained for several days at a time when the initial accusations were made, every time in the following months that he had to make a court appearance.
LEVEL FOUR
Story interrupts regularly scheduled programming of some broadcast
Serious Lead
Featured Story in many different Media Genres
Featured Story in Prime Time
Story covered simultaneously on many media outlets randomly
Duration of story can last the entire segment
Story covered randomly all day
Featured Story in Mainstream Media for three days or less
Teasers presented leading up to broadcast, during the broadcast
Sensationalization of story starts to formulate with last memories of stories
Short follow-up stories created
Example of Level Four Story: The recent tragic events of U.S. Arizona Representative Gabrielle Gifford Shooting in Tucson, Az.
LEVEL FIVE
Story interrupts regularly scheduled programming of many different media outlets
Serious Lead
Featured story in many different Media Genres
Teasers presented leading up to broadcast, during the broadcast, after the broadcast
Story covered constantly all day in a twenty-four-hour news cycle
Featured Story in Prime Time for more than three days
Featured Story in Mainstream Media for more than three days
But it’s the story that you feel like never ends, is talked about and featured for many years after the event.
Takes on historic relevance.
Sensationalized to the point where many people think it affects them.
Examples of Level Five Stories: In the past twenty-five years only three stories have reached this level
911 Tragedy—A story that affected on the entire nation. Many were killed and many other lives were directly and indirectly changed forever. A tragedy that has never happened before and will hopefully never happen again.
Hurricane Katrina—A story that affected a whole region, many lives directly involved in story changed forever. Billions of dollars lost. A tragedy, hopefully, that will never happen again.
OJ Simpson Murder case—A big story that was about a man killing his ex-wife and her alleged lover. A tragic event of two people losing their lives. However a tragedy that takes place every day in this country. Every day a spouse in this country kills another spouse. Even during the whole media spectacle many other women were murdered by their lovers or ex-lovers. Stories that never reach level five. With the history of this country, many think the only reason this story reached level five status was because of stereotypical traits. A famous Black man was accused of killing his white wife. We will never know why the media picked this story and covered it the way they did, especially when around the same time in Rwanda close to a million people were being murdered. If the media had made the Rwanda genocide a level five story before it got to 100,000 dead people, many lives could have been saved.
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