The news of the highest quality is featured by Accuracy, Objectivity, and Relevance.
Introduction
These three features are the most essential among all the others, which should be attributed to newsreels. Thus, accuracy is essential for the credit of trust. As soon as the accuracy level decreases, the resource is no longer considered trustworthy. The main requirement of the audience is to get trustworthy information with no mistakes, unclear moments, and contradictions. Actually, accuracy entirely depends on the team, as the news issues are created by a group of people:
- Journalists (need to collect the necessary information, and shape the full image of any occasion).
- Editors (their aim is to leave the most significant information and facts, in order this information corresponded the requirements of the policy of a News Agency).
News accuracy is regarded to be the indicator of a team’s professionalism, and the audience anticipates getting to know the news from a highly professional team.
The significance of the accuracy is generally beyond any doubt, as all the facts are based on accuracy and preciseness, which form the informational value and data load. Its antipode – distortion of the facts and information may be useful for some particular groups, but the fact is that distortion leads to the decrease of trust credit to the information source (a person who provided this information and, consequently a News Agency). Moreover, distortion may lead to the defected public opinion, which will inevitably distort the apprehension of the following information. (Mediaresearch, 2007).
Main body
As for the matters of objectivity, it should be emphasized, that it presupposes the independent source of information, consequently, the news will be unbiased and the facts covered homogeneously. It is an essential standard of journalistic professionalism. Journalistic objectivity includes such features as justice, impartiality, factuality, and non-devotion, and most often includes all of these qualities. Most experts believe that real objectivity in journalism is incredible and journalists usually have to search for some balance (presenting every party in a particular viewpoint), which advances equality. This dualism is the manner according to which media deduce news all over the world. Some experts believe that it refers to the customary ideology of newsgathering and reporting that highlights eyewitness explanations of occasions, validation of facts with different sources, and “equilibrium.” It also entails an organizational role for journalism as the fourth branch of power, a body that subsists separately from government and huge interest groups.
Objectivity is harassed and extended today by the increase of new media and the reduction of mass media promotions. Its existing forms carry the heaviness of customs. The incautious witness can be left with the feeling that media dualism introduces all the parties within the sequence of current issues, without any mentioning of the previous events, which may add to the total image, but contradict the rules of objectivity. (Neuhart, 2003).
The restrictions of objectivity make the exploration of optional perspectives central. Still, there is no hesitation that in the nearest future, most readers, viewers, and listeners will rely on conventional media for the essential facts that form public opinion.
The relevance of the news is also among the most significant features of the information. No one wants to read (watch, listen) outdated news, but vice versa, everyone is interested in the latest news, in order to have the fresh image of the world, national or local events. This feature has its particularity; as not any News Agency may afford to provide the hottest news. Thus, for instance, a newspaper, which is issued weekly, often can not publish the latest news, but it has an opportunity to issue the latest experts’ evaluations and forecasts.
The fact is that it is also the most difficult to observe, as some resources may be interested in concealing the information (military organizations, governmental institutions, and others). Consequently, it depends only on the fortune of some particular journalist but still stays among the most desired news features. (Eviatar, 2001).
Relevance is also supported by the statement, that the first is trusted the most, so, as quicker the information is given, as trustful it will look.
Conclusion
The quality of the news fully depends on the professionalism of the team, as it is necessary not only to gather information, process it, and edit, but it is more significant to gather the required information in the required place and in the required time. The fact is that these three features may be attributed to only totally independent News Agency, but as the world experience shows, there are no totally independent agencies, as there are too many factors, that prevent this independence.
References
Media Bias Basics. 2007. Web.
Eviatar, D. Murdoch’s Fox News. Media Analysis, the nation.com, 2001. Web.
Neuhart, A. Why your news is sometimes slanted, USA today, 2003. Web.