BSCOM 336 Week 3 News Program Analysis Assignment Options

Watch produced news coverage of the same story from three different television networks to compare and contrast how the stories were presented. We are specifically looking at television news coverage; written news articles are not acceptable for this assignment.

Consider the following:

• What was the headline of the news story shown on the screen? How does the headline affect the viewer’s perception of the story? Who was the target audience for this story?
• What images were shown on the screen? Was there a reporter live on the scene? Were there other speakers being interviewed? How was the credibility of the speakers established during the story? What social groups did they belong to?
• Was the story taken at face value or was there evidence of sensationalism for entertainment value? What type of ethical considerations were required for the station’s coverage of the story? Was there evidence of bias in the coverage?
• Finally, analyze the similarities and differences in the stories you viewed. Applying your knowledge of media-related communication theories, what conclusions can you offer that a smart media consumer should consider as he or she views produced news segments?

Cite at least two peer-reviewed sources other than your textbook, Introducing Communication Theory.

You can either write a 700- to 1,050-word paper, or create a 12- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint®presentation, with detailed speaker’s notes, that describes the coverage from each source.

Format your assignment according to appropriate course-level APA guidelines.