Narratives in Local Television News Editing

Abstract

This study offers a method for analyzing the narrative content of television news videos. Very few scholars approach the study of visual narratives in television news editing because the technique is highly specialized and not commonly articulated by practitioners. However, cognitive experiments are supporting the importance of understanding the way the brain processes video messages; in particular, those coming from television news. Based in norms and routines theory, this study combines an unprecedented method of content analysis with in-depth interviews of award-winning local news editors in order to reveal a contemporary state of narrative production in television news.

The seriousness of storytelling: What constraints to professional news routines reveal about the state of journalistic autonomy in local television newsrooms

“…Journalists apply the storytelling routine by gathering emotional testimonies (Jebril et al, 2013;Pantti, 2010), by collecting audio-visuals that capture the experience of being at the news scene (Briggs, 2012;McHugh, 2014;Zhou, 2004), by writing scripts with narrative structures (Dotson, 2015;Lang et al, 2003;Tompkins, 2017), and by editing the footage into meaning-laden sequences (Henderson, 2012;Silcock, 2007;Zettl, 1999). Journalists who include this layer of creativity to the news piece do so by implementing a particular list of writing, recording ('shooting'), and editing techniques.…”

“…News video editors primarily add continuity to the final product, making the video appear logical in linear time (Schaefer and Martinez, 2009). However, when editors apply storytelling techniques to television packages, they do so with traditional montage film editing techniques to create meaningful connections for the viewer (Zettl, 1999), a professional skill that may be diminishing over time (Henderson, 2012). Editors can also draw attention to the natural sound in the story with techniques known as 'nat pops' or 'nat breaks'.…”

Are Traditional Journalism Principles Still Alive and Well in Today’s Local TV Newsrooms?

“…The very foundation of professional journalism is the assertion that a democracy can only function well if citizens have information for deliberation on social and political matters in order to be self-governing (Schudson, 2015). Because news is both a public service and a for-profit endeavor, news workers operate under two oft-competing sets of professional values: providing useful information to their viewers and maintaining the financial success of their organizations (Belt & Just, 2008; Henderson, 2012). In interviews, journalists will insist that their loyalty is entirely to the former with near disdain for the latter (Willis, 2010).…”

“…For some journalists, this means presenting character-driven scripts, and for others, it means reporting live from a breaking news scene and interviewing members of authority such as police officers or firefighters. As with investigative journalism, corporations are less inclined to support storytelling in local television news due to the amount of time and money such productions require (Henderson, 2012). Live shots and “breaking” news, however, have increased tremendously since the beginning of the 21st century (Miller & Hatley-Major, 2005; Seib, 2001).…”

The “Truth” Behind Newsroom Humor

“…While the television industry did not close shops, they did cut back on costs, lay off workers, shut down departments, and implement furloughs (Siegelbaum & Thomas, 2016). This dramatic change in economic structure also affected journalistic products through increased pressure from corporate managers to save money and, subsequently, time wherever possible (Henderson, 2012).…”