A short presentation on the role of Television and the depiction of reality, and its influence on the global scenario.

1. Anjan K Behera
1024126
Christ University, Bangalore
Anjan Behera

2. Anjan Behera

3.  “…the dramatic expansion of the
stage upon which television now
performs this role- from a
national/societal onto a global
one- has endowed it with a
qualitatively new and sharper
edge.”
 Live coverages, extended reach,
satellite technology.
 Live coverages can have direct
consequences in the direction
that the event might take.
Anjan Behera

4. Impact of television-
 Global Audience for the event.
Wars, political violence, revolutions, uprisings,
human interest stories, sports, entertainment.
Owners of television decide the
‘newsworthiness’.
Television decides what to show.
Anjan Behera

5. Impact of television-
 Global publicity by live coverage influences
behaviour of protagonists involved.
May alter the direction the situation was taking.
Causes the uninvolved to get involved.
Anjan Behera

6. Impact of television-
 Construction of world
public opinion
Virtually have a monopoly
over construction of world
public opinion
It is a media construct – fails
to represent true opinion.
Anjan Behera

7. Impact of television-
 Acts as a ‘go-between’ especially in
instances in which hostile relationships
between governments tend to preclude
direct contacts.
American bombing of Tripoli (1986)
Anjan Behera

8. Korean Airlines 007 shoot down
(1983)
Countries involved- USSR,
USA and Korea.
Anjan Behera

9. Impact of television (cont.d)
 Blurs the line between ‘social reality’ and
‘media reality’.
What events are ‘reported’, the ways they
are signified and interpreted have a bearing
on our understanding of the world.
 Fox News’ coverage of a rather peaceful Iraq after
the war (Air date- 23.12.2010)
 No coverage of the unrest in the NE India region.
Distant audiences
Anjan Behera

10. Anjan Behera

11.  Encoders- those responsible for
production and shaping of media texts
 Decoders- Audience/ ‘general’ public
○ Assign meanings to the encoded message.
Anjan Behera

12. (In context of providers of news)
 Closed matter- Interpretation is provided
along with the ‘raw materials’
(e.g., a video clip with commentary)
 Open matter- Interpretation is not
provided with the ‘raw materials’
(e.g., a video clip with no commentary)
Anjan Behera

13.  Different presentations of
same news story (e.g., the
26/11 Mumbai terror attacks)
shows the power of the
encoders.
 Construction of hierarchies
 No autonomy given to
audience.
Fully dependent on encoders for
meaning for stories.
Force fed meaning
Anjan Behera