News literacy: The Truth is Out There
Trustworthiness test
This test estimates how trustworthy a news claim is by checking the things that most
often produce accurate reporting:
1. Accountable sources
2. Verifiable evidence
3. Independent agreement
4. Neutral presentation
5. Proper context
The UK vs US Media Landscape
United Kingdom
- Broadcasters are overseen bij Ofcom
o Requires: due impartiality and due accuracy in broadcast news, shaping
tone and format across radio and TV
- Most news sites are self-regulating
- Complaints are handled by IPSO or IMPRESS
- National titles are clustered in groups:
o News UK
o Reach
o DMG Media
➢ Ownership concentration can influence the editorial line
- BBC is the most-used news provider
- Broadcast rules and market incentives affect perceived trust
e.g. disruption by broadsheets; chaos → tabloids
Tabloid vs broadsheets
Tabloid Broadsheets
Subjective Objective
Puns, slang Sober tone
Informal Formal register
Zero in one sensational topics In dept coverage, serious
US Media Landscape
- US journalisme oprates under the First Amendment
1. Strongly protext press freedom
, - SCOTUS’ New York Times v. Sullivan established the actual malice standard in
defamation law
- No national content regulator for news:
1. FCC: limited scope
2. The New York Times (more left-leaning)
3. The Washington Journal (more right-leaning)
4. Reuters and Associated Press
5. Nonprofit public media (influencers)
6. PBS
7. Fox News (right)
8. MSNBC (left)
- Consolidation and closures have created news deserts
- NPR = radio, listening
- Fragmentation: e.g. chyrons, conflict framing, high-salience protest,…
Vocabulary list: https://studygo.com/nl/learn/lists/183385442/vocabulary-list-p27
UK Society
The Political Landscape of the United Kingdom
UK entered the European Union in 1973 but did not sign the Schengen Agreement of
1985. In 2016 51 percent of the vote of a referendum was in favour of Brexit. UK
triggered Article 50 in March 2017 → UK left the EU on 31 January 2020.
UK’s currency is the pound sterling.
➢ Never adopted the euro