The Social Construction and Influence of News

Designed as an audio overview for A-Level Sociology students, this episode explores the selection and presentation of news. It contrasts the journalistic view of news as objective with the critical perspective that news is socially constructed by various actors and influences. The overview details how news values, organisational constraints, and media ownership shape content, discussing both traditional and new media's roles, including the rise of citizen journalism and the phenomenon of churnalism. Furthermore, it examines Marxist and Neo-Marxist critiques concerning ideology and bias in news, and concludes by explaining moral panics and their societal impact.