PROJECT 2:

INSTITUTIONS
ANALYSIS
BY CINDY GIANG

NEWS AS A SOCIAL INSTITUTION

AND ITS INFLUENCE ON SOCIETY

HISTORY OF THE NEWS

Mass communication
Evolution of communication from word
of mouth to printed journalism
Some of the most newsworthy
moments were reported by
documentation
Example: Abraham Lincolns
assassination was reported by
telegraph and print.

Relationship between technological

advancement and news representation

TIMELINE OF NEWS MEDIA

60 B.C.: Acta Diurna [Days Events], forerunner of the newspaper
1609: First newspapers in Europe
1821: National magazines [The Saturday Evening Post]
1844: First telegraph line set by Samuel Morse
1876: Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
1885: George Eastman invents photographic film
1894: Guglielmo Marconi invents the radio
1899: Gilbert Grosvenor introduces photographs in National Geographic
1923: Henry Luce and Briton Hadden launch Time, first newsmagazine
1940s: Audiotape is developed in Germany
1944: First large automatic digital computer is built at Harvard
1947: CBS and NBC begin first newscasts
1950s: Black-and-white television becomes part of the average American home
1960s: Rise of FM radio
1966: Telstar I satellite telephone and TV signals

TIMELINE OF NEWS MEDIA CONT.

1968: 60 Minutes debuts
1974: Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn, founding fathers of the Internet
1980s: Color television replaces black-and-white in American homes
1980s: Hypertext links to Web
1980: First online newspaper (Columbus Dispatch)
1980: CNN, first 24-hour news station, debuts
1990s: Rise of talk radio
1991: Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web
1991: Web expands online news and information
1997: First news blogs are introduced
2000s: Rise of cell phone use and cellular technology
2001: Dominance of newspaper chains and media conglomerates
2006: Citizen journalists record events on cellular cameras and technology
2007: Presidential debates on YouTube

DIFFERENT FORMS OF NEWS

REPRESENTATION
Oldest form, newspaper,
continuously drops in
popularity.
Internet quickly overtaking
other forms of news
representation.
Television still remains the
main source of news for
Americans.

QUESTIONING THE CREDIBILITY

OF ONLINE NEWS SOURCES
Internet makes news readily accessible
Not every social media site is credible as
a news source.
Facebook has news reported to fit or
cater to the interests of the Facebook
user.
Other social media sites like Twitter have
been questioned by the public.
A study reported that design and format
have the heaviest influence on credibility.

TOPICS PRESENTED AND COVERED

BY THE NEWS
Entertainment news had the
highest percentage of reports
on Facebook.
Local news TV stations have
crime as the most reported
news topic.
Gender and age have an
effect on differences in news
interests.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
Functionalist Analysis

Conflict Analysis
Lack of neutrality in the news leads
to complex nature and relationship
with society.
Preference towards sensational
topics like crime in a rich, white
suburban area with POC as suspects.
Differences in how white suspects
are depicted versus black, Muslim,
Latino, etc.

White privilege

Society and the news media affect the other continuously.

The news agency is still a business so they report on sensational news to

attract more readers or Internet hits.

Society relies on the news to become knowledgeable in current events either

on a global or local scale.

Weather, traffic, crime, etc. reports of local news helps society prepare and
function better because of the knowledge brought forth through the news.

WORKS CITED
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Gilliam Jr, Franklin D., and Shanto Lyengar. "Prime Suspects: The Corrosive Influence of Local Television." Center for
Communications and Community (2000).
"How Americans Get Their News - American Press Institute." American Press Institute RSS. N.p., 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 27 June
2015.
Richter, Felix. "Infographic: Not Every Social Network Doubles as a News Source."Statista Infographics. N.p., 19 Nov. 2013.
Web. 27 June 2015.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "History of American Journalism Timeline of Important Dates." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc.,
11 Nov. 2008. Web. 27 June 2015.
"Social and Demographic Differences in News Habits and Attitudes - American Press Institute."American Press Institute RSS.
N.p., 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 28 June 2015.
"Social and Demographic Differences in News Habits and Attitudes - American Press Institute." American Press Institute RSS.
N.p., 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 28 June 2015.
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Wing, Nick. "When The Media Treats White Suspects And Killers Better Than Black Victims."The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Aug. 2014. Web. 28 June 2015.