The Left Hand of the News

Following the news is like watching an illusionist. He comes on stage and immediately captures our attention with his impeccable formal dress and smooth, broad movements. He raises his right hand, pulls back his sleeve, and rotates his hand as he gracefully splays his fingers showing us that nothing is hidden and no strings are attached. His eyes and ours are locked on that right hand. He pauses for a moment as we hold our breath - and then, with a grand gesture he...

Well, he does something that looks interesting, but it doesn’t really matter. As he’s directing our attention to his right hand, the action that determines the outcome of his illusion is happening in his left hand.

The news can be the same way. The media tends to focus on the flourishes of the right hand. They’re easier to see and explain. They’re the showy stuff. But sometimes the important stuff is behind the scenes. Sometimes newsmakers are simply distracting us. Sometimes reporters don’t know what’s important. So sometimes we don’t get the important news.

Reporting on the left hand requires careful observation, time, understanding of context, and attention to detail. You might even have to report on something that nobody else is talking about.

Who are the gatekeepers who determine what will be shown in the right hand? What stories are they keeping in the left? What are the beliefs and biases of those reporting and editing the news? Who has access to them? Who occupies the “bully pulpits” that are always covered? Who owns the media and what does that mean to the news? How does technology shape the news we get? How do finances affect how news is covered?

Those are the kinds of questions I want to address in this blog. I will share my ideas about the media and the press. I’ll also share links to stories and research on media.

Let’s talk about-

Agenda Setting:

• What important or interesting news stories have not been covered or have been given short shrift? Why?
• What unimportant stories are consuming media time and attention? Why have editors chosen to focus on them?

Framing:

• What frames are newsmakers and agenda setters imposing on the news? Are those frames useful in helping you understand the news?

• What framing are media organizations or society as a whole imposing on the news?
• What frames do you think would be more useful?

Lack of Context:

• What news stories are being presented without the full story? What context are we not getting that is necessary to understand the story?

I will throw out observations and opinions to get things started.

Then I’d like to hear from you.

Let’s talk about the left hand of the news.