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Article
Local Television Coverage of a Mall Shooting: Separating Facts From Fiction in Breaking News
Electronic News
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2011
Disciplines
Abstract
Local TV news emphasizes the earliest stage of crimes because ‘‘breaking news’’ is fresh, dramatic and visual. A qualitative analysis was conducted using a comprehensive set of recordings of the first three-and-a-half hours of local television news coverage in Omaha, Nebraska. This study identified a series of ongoing issues that have important implications for newsroom decision-makers. Local television news used charged and dramatic language, such as that shooting victims were ‘‘fighting for their lives.’’ Reporters and news managers find themselves in the middle of a struggle between two options: remaining a distant and objective observer of events, or connecting with the emotion felt by viewers.
Citation Information
Jeremy Harris Lipschultz and Michael L. Hilt. "Local Television Coverage of a Mall Shooting: Separating Facts From Fiction in Breaking News" Electronic News Vol. 5 Iss. 4 (2011) p. 197 - 214 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/jeremyharrislipschultz/38/