Tag: news

  • Churnalism and the News

    Churnalism refers to a process where journalists produce news based on pre-packaged press-releases from government spin doctors, public relations consultants or news agencies without doing independent research or even checking their facts. The journalist Waseem Zakir has been credited with first using the term in 2008 while working for the BBC when he noted that…

  • The Social Construction of News

    The news is a socially manufactured product, rather than an objective ‘window on the world’. Many events happen in reality which do not get reported in the news and those which do appear in the news are placed in a particular order of priority and ‘framed’ by the questions which are asked and who is…

  • The Marxist Perspective on the News

    Marxists suggest the news agenda is heavily interests by those with power in capitalist societies and that the content of the news reflects the worldview and interests of the elite and middle classes. Those working for mainstream news media may claim that the news they construct is objective and unbiased, but this is a myth…

  • Organisational Routines and News Content

    Organisational routines may affect what items are selected for presentation in the news. These include factors such as financial costs, time and space available, deadlines, immediacy and accuracy, the audience and journalistic ethics. Organisational routines are sometimes known as bureaucratic routines. This post has been written primarily for A-level sociology students studying the media option…

  • Using contemporary examples to evaluate for theory and methods

    A level sociology students should be looking to using contemporary examples and case studies to illustrate points and evaluate theories whenever possible. In the exams, the use of contemporary evidence is something examiners look for and reward. Below are a few examples of some recent events in the news which are relevant to the theory…

  • Using contemporary examples to evaluate within the sociology of families and households

    A level sociology students should be looking to using contemporary examples and case studies to illustrate points and evaluate theories whenever possible. In the exams, the use of contemporary evidence is something examiners look for and reward. Below are a few examples of some recent events in the news which are relevant to the sociology…

  • Using contemporary examples to evaluate the sociology of crime and deviance

    A level sociology students should be looking to using contemporary examples and case studies to illustrate points and evaluate theories whenever possible. In the exams, the use of contemporary evidence is something examiners look for and reward. Below are a few examples of some recent events in the news which are relevant to the sociology…

  • Using contemporary examples to evaluate within the sociology of education

    A level sociology students should be looking to using contemporary examples and case studies to illustrate points and evaluate theories whenever possible. In the exams, the use of contemporary evidence is something examiners look for and reward. Below are a few examples of some recent events in the news which are relevant to the sociology…

  • Blue Monday

    ‘Blue Monday’ is apparently the most ‘depressing’ day of the year… Accept it’s not. It’s actually the day of the year on which people are most likely to book a holiday, based on the following formula: A psychologist called Cliff Arnall came up with the formula in 2005. He developed it on behalf Travel (a…

  • Sociological Perspectives on the Environment Protests in London

    Thousands of protestors have been engaging in various acts of civil disobedience to protest the British government’s lack of action over climate change. The week’s protests culminated in up to 6000 people blocking bridges causing significant traffic disruption as well as some of them gluing their hands to the department of the environment’s building. The…