Introduction [excerpt] News editors, producers, directors and reporters determine which news items will be packaged and presented to their audience. News professionals also choose which and how these points of view will be represented. By using specific word phrasing, camera angles, story lengths, and sources, news professionals develop and influence the communication atmosphere of their audience. Understanding the methods by which news professionals choose news stories and how these stories are...

Introduction [excerpt] In the contemporary United States many newspapers have been criticized for not being objective. American readers have claimed that journalists take political positions and make value judgments in their daily reporting. In fact, scholars like Noam Chomsky (2001), Albert Gunther (1998), and Gaye Tuchman (1972) have conducted studies that support a journalistic bias in news reporting. By what yardstick can objectivity be measured? ... What does it exactly mean for journalists to be...