Analysis of News Package
With Channel 4 News being one of the news platforms to have the highest number of viewers within our target age range of 16-35-year-olds (25%) (Broadcasters Audience Research Board, 2020), I chose to conduct an analysis on a news packaged produced and broadcast by ITN and Channel 4 News. The content of the news package looked at Poland's rule-of-law row with the EU (Channel 4 News, 2021) and the fact that it was Angela Merkel’s last EU summit.
The news package uses multiple shots. The main shots used within the item are medium shots, medium long shots, shots of the video link and wide shots. Whilst filming our the content for our news platform, we will consider these common shots used within news and potentially input them into our work.
Within the news item, a direct question is posed to the audience, "But what can the EU actually do?" (Channel 4 News, 2021). The question itself is short and is answered immediately, without a pause in between. With an immediate answer being provided, it leaves little time for the audience to pause and think. When it comes to our news package and live news item, we will try to include a brief pause before an answer is given to a question and will aim to break up the speech of the anchor so that the audience isn’t bombarded.
B-Roll of Angela Merkle is used frequently within the item. The reason behind this most likely being the fact that it was Angela Merkle’s last EU summit (The Guardian, 2021). Footage is shown of her entering the summit and exiting it as well as footage from her first EU summit. It is a full-circle moment. Angela Merkel has been a present figure and played a central role within European politics throughout her term as Chancellor of Germany (Kampmark, 2021), therefore it is an important topic to be covered within the item.
Throughout the news item, an explicit opinion on the matter of whether the presenter sides with the EU or Poland, is not given in order for impartiality. However, through the questions asked throughout the interview with Radek Sikorski (former Polish Foreign Minister and current member of the European Parliament), the ratio of coverage shown of the European Union, it is implied that the anchor and potentially the broadcaster are more in favour of the European Union than the Polish governments.
In addition to this, the tone towards Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish Prime Minister, appears to be more negative than that of the tone towards the European Union. This implicitly highlights Channel 4's stance on this human rights issue.
A clip of EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, addressing the EU saying “It is my commission's duty to protect the rights of EU citizens wherever they live in our world” was selected for the item. This statement is a one-liner and appears to have been selected carefully. It provides the EU’s view on the Polish Government’s actions and ideology. It could also be suggested that it implies Channel 4’s view on the Polish government, being more in favour of the EU than the Polish government.
With regards to this, we will take into account the issue of bias and impartiality, which was also mentioned in the talk with Will Rayner.
Throughout the interview with Radek Sikorski, the camera shots switch between a medium close-up shot/the video link of Radek Sikorski and a wide shot of the news anchor facing away from the audience, looking at the screen behind him, displaying the video link of Radek Sikorski. When filming the content for our news platform, we will take this into consideration about how to go about shooting the anchor and cutting the item together in the edit.
The story reflects upon and relates to the fact that there is often little change when it comes to world issues. The war in Iraq, unrest, and climate change are referred to within the item.
To add light to the heaviness of the story, there is B-roll of those at the EU summit appearing to be friendly and civil towards each other. This could possibly provide some sense of hope to the audience that despite such terrible issues going on within the world, there is some sense of harmony. As the content of our platform is rather heavy, particularly the spiking story, we will take into account how we can go about bringing a sense of hope to the audience.
Bibliography:
Boffey, D. (2021) ‘You are a monument’:EU Leaders hail Angela Merkel at ‘final’ summit’ In: The Guardian 22/10/2021. At: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/22/monument-eu-leaders-hail-angela-merkel-final-summit (Accessed 01/11/2021)
Broadcasters Audience Research Board. (2020) What People Watch: Age Profile of news viewing. At: https://www.barb.co.uk/trendspotting/what-people-watch/what-people-watch-edition-4/ (Accessed 06/10/2021)
Channel 4 News (2021) [Television Programme] Channel 4 21/10/2021. (Accessed 22/10/2021)
Kampmark, B (2021) Auf wiedersehen, ‘Mutti’: How Angela Merkel’s centrist politics shaped Germany and Europe. At: https://theconversation.com/auf-wiedersehen-mutti-how-angela-merkels-centrist-politics-shaped-germany-and-europe-153447 (Accessed 01/11/2021)
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