ABC World News opening: Story- the narrative is a preview of the news broadcast. Sequence- 1 st preview is the Democratic leaders meeting with the President to focus on their plans for the economy, healthcare, and taxes and how this will effect the U.S. population in respect to finances. 2 nd preview is the Trail of Terror (notice the alliteration) dealing with the potential terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom. 3 rd preview is Web Witness (again, notice the alliteration) where we see how You Tube is used to record police brutality and broadcast it over the internet. The story previews the implications for this new type of technology on our society. 4 th preview is the Person of the Week highlighting a gentleman who has helped World War II veterans to visit a new memorial in Washington D.C. Scope- Running time: 48 seconds. Structure- When the news broadcast opens we first see Charles Gibson standing in front of a large screen with the screen showing the ABC News logo as well as the logo being visible on the floor. (Frame 01) Frame 01 Charles is holding some papers in his hand and this gives us the impression that he is very official. He is also wearing a suit and tie. The shot begins as a wide shot and slowly zooms in to a medium shot where we begin to see footage playing on the screen that correlates to what Charles is talking about. This is basically a preview of the news broadcast with selected stories highlighted.
Style- As the opening sequence commences, the music seems pressing or urgent with trumpets to herald the arrival of the news. The audience sees Charles standing in front of a large screen in a suit and tie. The set appears large and professional and like it is technologically advanced with a large screen and a metal and silver look to give us the impression that it is very modern. Since Charles is standing in front of the large screen and the fact that he is holding papers and is telling us the stories, we automatically assume that Charles is telling us what is important for us to know. The camera angles include a wide shot to begin the broadcast followed by zoom-in to a medium shot of Charles standing in front of the screen. The last zoom is a zoom-in to the screen. Alliteration is used in the previews with the headlines that read Trail of Terror and Web Witness to make it seem even more dramatic. Slant- The bias used here is the fact that ABC News is telling you, the viewer, what is important and what you should stay tuned to listen to. By watching the introduction to the news broadcast you are already cued to what you need to listen to and pay attention to during the news broadcast. It makes it seem like other things may be irrelevant or less important. Sponsor- The sponsorship of the opening is to advertise the opening stories. The actual news stories follow the introduction of the news broadcast. Each news block that follows has separate advertisements. Terror Threat: Story- A discussion between Charles Gibson and Brian Ross, the ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent, about the British Intelligence Agency discovering potential terrorist plots in the United Kingdom. Sequence- This story falls between the Vote 2006 story and the Wounds of War story toward the beginning of the broadcast. This story would be considered to be an important news story since it is placed toward the beginning of the broadcast when many viewers are tuned-in to the broadcast. The placement of this news story is interesting since all five news stories in the first news block relates to either politics or
war. We could relate this story to the others by posing the question how does the terror threat in the U.K. relate to American politics and the psychiatric problems of war victims in Iraq? Scope- Running time: 1 minute 13 seconds. Compared to the length of other stories surrounding this story we were left to wonder if this story was less important or if it was used as a transition story to the war in Iraq. Structure- Begins with a close-up of Charles and zooms-out to an over the shoulder shot with graphics playing on a screen behind him. (Frame 02) Frame 02 Charles is talking about the story and it cuts to stock footage of an ambulance driving by while the footage zooms-out into a graphic showing statistical numbers from the British Intelligence Agency. (Frame 03 & 04) Frame 03
Frame 04 This graphic contains moving graphics and footage playing while we hear Charles voice-over. The graphic finally cuts back to Charles on the set and he introduces Brian Ross and the camera cuts to a medium shot of Brian joining Charles at the round desk. (Frame 05 & 06) Frame 05 Frame 06 The camera slowly zooms-in to a medium close-up of Brian speaking about the new investigation. The shot cuts away to more graphics
containing the British Capital building and a picture of the British flag centered in a rotating crosshairs while Brian s voice-over continues to play. (Frame 07) Frame 07 The shot cuts back to Brian on the set and then cuts to a graphic of a map and text featuring Pakistan while Brian s voice-over continues. (Frame 08) Frame 08 The shot cuts back to Brian and Charles talking on the set. (Frame 09)
Frame 09 Style- No music is used during this story. We see shots of the set with Charles and Brian sitting at the round desk. Alliteration was used during the title of the story, Terror Threat. The set is very clean, modern, and flashy with two experts talking about the featured story. Slant- We only see an American perspective on this news story since two American journalists are the only people talking about the incident. No actual reporter was sent overseas to report on the story and it features no interviews with British interviewees. Since they mentioned the topic of Al-Qaeda, the story seems to draw attention away from just a British problem and makes it into a possible global problem. Sponsor- Refer to Wounds of War analysis since the stories fall side by side and relate to similar events. Wounds of War: Story- The story talks about the ravages of war associated with psychological damage suffered by victims of the Iraqi war. The story focuses on an individual child and how the death of his father has affected his daily life. He has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Depression. The field reporter visits a psychiatric hospital and speaks to doctors and patients.
Sequence- This is the fourth story featured in the first block of news stories. This story falls between Terror Threat and the story where President Bush speaks about the soldier who lost his life and received the Medal of Honor. This featured story relates to the Iraqi war. Scope- Running time: 2 minutes 11 seconds. We categorize this as being high in scope but low in sequence. Appropriate time was given to the story s topic as compared to the other featured stories in the first news block, but its placement showed us that it was not quite as important as the other news stories since it was placed fourth in the first five news stories. Structure- the story starts with a medium close-up of Charles with an over the shoulder shot of the graphics on the screen in the background. (Frame 10) Frame 10 Charles introduces the story and it cuts to a zoom-in on the graphic map of the city and the hospital featured in the story. (Frame 11) Frame 11
The graphic cuts to a shot of animated text that reads Wounds of War and we see a shot of children playing. (Frame 12) Frame 12 It then cuts to a side shot of a child who the story focuses on as he is crouched gazing into the distance. We see the other children in the background holding hands and playing while he is isolated alone in the foreground away from the children. Immediately we think he is sad but we do not know the cause. (Frame 13) Frame 13 The shot changes to a medium shot of the child crouching on the ground with rubble in the background. He has no shoes and we sort of a high angle shot giving us the impression that he is vulnerable and weak. The voice-over features the field reporter, Terry McCarthy, describing his condition and how his father died as a result of the war. (Frame 14)
Frame 14 The shot changes to a close-up shot of the child while Terry tells us of how the child witnessed his father s death and how he has retreated into his own mind. The voice-over follows the image as we see the child holding his hands against his head as he gazes blankly into space. (Frame 15) (Frame 15) The story continues with a close-up interview with the child s uncle and we see images of the child with his family. Again the camera changes from a close-up of the child to a high-angle shot of the child with his family. This gives us the impression that each of them is a victim of this incident and they are weakened by the incident. (Frame 16 & 17)
Frame 16 Frame 17 The shot changes back to an interview with the child and he explains how he can no longer attend school. Shots change to footage of the reporter visiting the psychiatric hospital and conducting interviews, which are translated into English. (Frame 18) Frame 18 We also see stock footage labeled from 2003 showing destruction within buildings and how patients were left abandoned. (Frame 19)
Frame 19 This footage is contrasted with new footage of an Iraqi nurse giving out medication to patients in a new-looking hospital office. Terry s voice-over accompanies all of the previous footage. (Frame 20) Frame 20 The shot changes to a medium close-up of Terry standing outside of the hospital in Baghdad. He explains how another victim s memories of people dieing have haunted his mind and he can no longer sleep without nightmares of the deaths. (Frame 21)
Frame 21 The shot changes from a medium shot of the man walking to a closeup of the man giving his account of his memories to Terry. Terry translates this into English. (Frame 22) Frame 22 The shot changes back to a close-up of the original featured child as he explains his horrible dreams and the translation is read by Terry as the child speaks in his native language. Terry s pace slows as he explains how the child says, I remember my father.i see his dead body. Terry then reports his name and the shot cuts back to Charles. (Frame 23)
Frame 23 Style- No music is featured but we hear background noise of action that takes place such as the children playing in the opening scene, and the interviewees speaking in their native language. Alliteration is used in the title Wounds of War. Camera angles such as the high angle shots and close-ups of the victims show weakness and vulnerability. We also see footage of the reporter actually reporting from the scene, inside of the hospital, so this gives us an impression of validity and we assume that the story must be true. Slant- Bias could be featured if Terry only translated what he felt was important to his perspective on the story. We have no idea as to what the interviewees were saying and we relied completely off of the translation from Terry. Bias could have also been used when Terry was slowing the pace of the child s account of his memory of seeing his father die. Terry is placing emphasis on the words the boy says and how this suffering has affected his life. Sponsor- The following commercials that take place after this news block features products that are designed to make you feel better or happy about your present situation. Such products include Campbell s Soup, Gas-X, and a reward from Denny s Restaurant. Rogaine is another commercial used and this offers men the chance to improve their lives by improving their personal image. The PSA from Boeing and the commercial for New York Life Insurance offer the promise of security and peace of mind. The implied audience would be men and women ages 35-49. We consider the target audience to be families and business-minded
professionals who are beginning to experience concerns dealing with family, security, and aging. Boeing (1) Campbell s Soup (2) New York Life Insurance (3) Gas-X (4) Rogaine (5) Denny s (6) You Tube: Story- This story is about a website, www.youtube.com, where registered users can post video clips to the website for everyone to view. This story centers on a video that featured an act of police brutality that was ruled-out in court. The story also shifts to explain how public officials, workers for corporations, celebrities, and anyone in general, are not safe due to the fact that we live in a always on world, according to Nicholas Thompson, a senior editor for WIRED Magazine.
Sequence- This is the first story of the second news block and it comes before the Hollywood Death story. This shows that this story is considered to be important since it is featured in a two-story news block and it is the leading story coming out of the commercial. This story was also featured in the ABC World News opening preview giving us the instruction to watch for this specific story since ABC spent the time to highlight it in the preview. Scope- Running time: 2 minutes 14 seconds. This story is about the same length as the other stories in the entire broadcast. Structure- The story starts out with a wide shot of the news set with Charles standing in front of the large screen with graphics on the screen. (Frame 24) Frame 24 He introduces the story and it cuts to a shot of a computer screen playing a video of police holding down a suspect and presumably beating the suspect. (Frame 25) Frame 25
The animated text reads You Tube Justice? The shot zooms in to the screen while we begin to hear a voice-over describing what the website is often used for. The shot then cuts to footage of the police brutality taking place while the voice-over describes the scene. (Frame 26) Frame 26 A still image of the victim is superimposed on top of the footage showing his face after the beating. We see scarring and bruising to his face. (Frame 27) Frame 27 The shot then zooms out from the television monitor in the control room and we see the first medium close-up shot of the narrator, Miguel Marquez, who is a field reporter for ABC in Los Angeles, California. (Frame 28 & 29)
Frame 28 Frame 29 The shot then cuts to Chief William Bratton of the Los Angeles Police after Miguel has finished talking. We see a medium close-up shot of Bratton and hear as he tries to explain the policing at often times is not pretty the videos as we have seen from time to time, that particularly if you are looking at a slice of it, makes it look even less pretty. (Frame 30) Frame 30
The shot then changes to an interview of the victim s lawyer who explains what his client was doing in self-defense. We first see the lawyer, B Kwaku Duren, on screen as we hear Marquez s voice-over. Duren gives his account of what his client was trying to do and then the shot cuts to a medium close-up of Connie Rice, a Civil Rights attorney, who says what you must evaluate when looking at why the officers used that amount of force in the incident. The shot then changes to an image of another video playing on a computer screen and Miguel telling of how other videos posted online has caused people to lose their jobs. The shot changes to show a senator from Virginia and Miguel speaks of how a video that first showed George Allen s controversial remarks at a campaign rally most likely cost him the election to the senate. We then see an interview with a medium close-up of Nicholas Thompson warning us of how no one is safe from being exposed in the always on world. (Frame 31) Frame 31 The shot finally changes to a slow zoom-in of the computer screen showing the original police video while Miguel reads another voiceover. The shot is sent back to the studio where we see a medium close-up of Charles sitting at his desk. Style- The opening set is professional and modern with the big screen in the background with Charles standing in front of the screen. The first shot of Miguel shows him in an official control room with numerous television monitors and controls in the background. The interviewees are well lit and in a professional setting and all of them give you the impression that they each are authoritative and they know what they are talking about. Alliteration takes place at the end of the story when Miguel says an always on world where everyone is always watching. They also used actual audio of the police video where we hear the officers hitting the victim and giving him instructions.
Slant- ABC only interviewed representatives for the victim and the officers, but not the parties actually involved. This creates bias because we do not get the personal account from those who were actually at the scene. We also never witnessed any interviews of bystanders and another issue is that of who posted the video on youtube? Although the story did attempt to give both sides by interviewing the lawyer for the victim and showing footage of the chief of police at a press conference, we still felt that it would have been best to do more investigative reporting and interview the key players of the incident. Sponsor- Each of the following ads explains how the products will make your life easier or more adjusted. Bristol Myers Squibb says, Together we can prevail. If we compare this to the youtube story we can see the correlation between technology and crime control and how they are working together to make your life better. The same can be said for Bayer aspirin, Gladware interlocking lids, and Ameritrade, and how they can make your life healthier and more accommodating. We see the target audience as men and women ages 35-49 who would be interested in investments and domestic products that could benefit their lives. Bristol-Myers Squibb (1) Hyundai (2) Bayer (3) Gladware (4)
Ameritrade (5) ABC World News promo (6) Facing the Giants: Story- The story is about a church, Sherwood Baptist Church, and how they seek to counteract most Hollywood films they claim are filled with violence and deviance, with a story of how a football team overcomes challenge by hope and prayer. This church believes that they have found their new ministry by producing their own films to show to the public. Sequence- This story is the second news story in the third news block. We considered this to be a feel-good story since it falls toward the end of the broadcast and ABC news would like to leave the audience on a good note with happy feelings. This is the main story of the third news block and it featured after a short lead-in story about the Rutgers football team after their remarkable season. Scope- Running time: 2 minutes 35 seconds. This is the second longest story of the entire broadcast giving us the indication that ABC News valued the importance of this story. Structure- the story opens with a shot of Charles sitting at his desk with an overthe-shoulder shot of the screen with the title of the story, Facing the Giants. (Frame 32)
Frame 32 Charles introduces the story and after he speaks for a few seconds we see a zoom-in of a digital map of Albany, Georgia in relation to the rest of the United States. (Frame 33) Frame 33 He then sends the story to his field reporter and the shot opens with an image of a sunrise and the Sherwood Baptist congregation singing a gospel song. The shot then cuts to a few wide shots of the church population during a service. (Frame 34 & 35)
Frame 34 Frame 35 We hear more voice-overs by the field reporter and alliteration when he says surprising success with Facing the Giants. The music then changes to a very dramatic tune of drums rolling and the shot changes to show the text of Facing the Giants fading in over a wide shot of the football field. (Frame 36) Frame 36
While the reporter reads more voice-overs we see a series of shots showing different clips of the film. The reporter describes how the film was made using church members, and they show a clip of the movie on a sign outside of a theater. (Frame 37) Frame 37 He also explains the message behind the film while additional clips of the movie are shown. We then see the shot cut to a group of teenage girls who explain their opinion of the movie s purpose. (Frame 38) Frame 38 The shot then cuts to another clip of the film and the reporter reads more voice-overs about actors and actresses who played in the film and their position within the church. We also see medium close-ups of a few of the church members as they explain whom they play. We also see interviews of the filmmakers and actual footage of the moviemaking process taking place. Shots cut to an interview showing the interviewer and a church member as they walk toward the camera. (Frame 39)
Frame 39 The shot cuts to a theater where we see the clip of the reporter on the screen and it zooms out to his interview on camera. (Frame 40) Frame 40 We finally see a shot of our reporter, Steve Osunsami, as he stands on a football field while explaining where the proceeds of the film will go. (Frame 41)
Frame 41 Ultimately we find out that the proceeds will go to build a community sports park. The shot changes back to an interview of the film director and he gives his account of how people like stories and relates it to the stories Jesus told. We see additional clips of the movie while Steve reads more voice-over explaining the views of the church on most Hollywood films as a moral desert, and how they view their films as a way to reach out with a new form of ministry. We also see a lowangle shot of the cameraman with his camera and we think of this shot as making him and the camera powerful in the scene. (Frame 42) Frame 42 Finally, the story is sent back to Charles and we see a medium closeup of Charles at his desk. Style- We see many on-location shots that make it look more testimonial and more valid. There were clips of interviews with multiple people giving us the impression that the field reporter spent a lot of time searching for people to include in the story. We see the interviewer actually speaking to the pastor, which looks as if the reporter has more
of a connection with his interviewees since he was able to meet and speak with them face to face. We also get the impression of where the story is coming from by seeing the map of Georgia, hearing the interviews of the people who are there, and realizing the potential of their films reaching people all across the United States. Low angle shots were used at points during the story such as with the last scene of the cameraman giving us the impression that this church was making powerful films or a powerful statement. The music with the drum roll gave us the awareness to pay attention because this part of the story is serious and important. Slant- It seems like the news broadcast is bias and in total support of this idea. Charles follows a remarkable story when he leads out of the Gridiron Miracle story and directly into the Facing the Giants story. The first shot of the field reporter shows him on the football field smiling and the last shot of Charles at his desk has him smiling giving us the indication that both give their approval as this is a good story with good meaning. Sponsor- The first commercial featuring GlaxoSmithKline gives an account of how they are working to defeat birdflu. We can relate this to the Facing the Giants story with their attempt to defeat the moral desert by their work to create wholesome films that show people where to turn during challenging times. The Wal-Mart PSA for Veterans Day shows us to be thankful for veterans because they have given us freedoms and liberties we might not have had. This ad wants us to gives thanks just as the film wants us to give thanks to God for what God has done for us. The food product commercials add to the idea of family being good when we see images of families coming together to eat a meal. The story also showed this when families and the church came together to make a film and be a team. We also see this as a story designed to reach women and men ages 35-49 who live in domestic homes with families. GlaxoSmithKline (1) Swanson (2)
Wal-Mart (3) Spiriva (4) Red Lobster (5) Day Break show promo (6) ABC News show promo (7) ABC World News closing: Story- The purpose of this section of the broadcast is to conclude the night's news. Sequence- First Charles closes the "Person of the Week" story by reminding us to be thankful for Veterans. Then, using the casual signature "Charlie," Charles signs off to the audience for the night. Upon finishing the
broadcast, the head-and-shoulders shot zooms out to reveal the newsroom. Scope- Running time 17 seconds Structure- The news broadcast ends with the typical head-and-shoulders shot of Charles closing the final story. (Frame 43) Frame 43 The background appears as a blur of colors, but the ABC logo is clear in the front. Once Charles has ended the broadcast on a friendly note, we see a wide shot of the entire newsroom with journalists working on computers beside screens. We also see the ABC logo in the middle of the screen. (Frame 44) Frame 44 Style- A medium close-up shot of Charles with a screen displaying changing colors in the background draws the audiences attention to the closing of the broadcast. Slant- Charles does a plug for the veterans piece thus giving us the instructions to thank veterans as we see them pass by us on the streets. Sponsors- The sponsor of the closing was the piece on the Person of the Week honoring the man who has helped escort veterans to the war memorials
in Washington, D.C. Charles gives reference to him at the closing of the broadcast. Conclusion: According to Considine and Haley, the news is comprised of multiple Stories that "may be either unfolding events, not specifically related to the day of the broadcast, or investigative reports about issues designated as significant." The broadcast we analyzed contained no "breaking news" but rather showed stories representing larger, unfolding events, such as "Terror Threat" and investigative reporting, such as the stories on youtube violence, and "Wounds of War", and "Facing the Giants." These stories appear in a Sequence, which as Considine and Haley describe, indicates the possible priority ranking of the news. The broadcast we analyzed appeared in a sequence beginning with pertinent political issues, followed by stories dealing with popular controversial issues, and ending with feel-good stories highlighting the successes of everyday individuals; however, the end of the sequence ties back to the beginning with the common issue of war. Each story in the sequence had almost equal running time, or Scope, a concept Considine and Haley suggest indicates the importance of any given story. Apparently all stories in the broadcast shared equal importance, except the final story, "Person of the Week," which lasted 3 minutes and 28 seconds. Sequence and Scope work with elements of Structure, a concept that according to Considine and Haley, " involves all the different decisions that have been made in putting any story together." Usually a story begins with a head-and-shoulders shot of the news anchor shown with a news box to the left or right side of the frame. The ABC News broadcast we analyzed opened with a full body shot of Charles Gibson standing in front of a large screen with footage displayed in the background. Each individual story opened with the more traditional head-and-shoulders shot, however. Many times the transitions from anchor to story or within stories from scene to scene were creatively produced using available technologies, such as in the story about youtube. Most of the stories remained on track to the original intent before being closed and handed back to anchor Charles. Related to Structure, Style can be analyzed through listening to music, sound effects, language and viewing camera techniques present in the broadcast. Each element contributes to the meaning and mood of the story. In the broadcast we analyzed, the opening and closing music are dramatic and both prepare us for the upcoming news and direct us
back to the rest of our night. Not very many other sound effects are used in the broadcast, but during the story about youtube, we hear the actual audio from the on-line video. This effect adds realism to the news. Alliteration and the anchor's changing tone of voice add emotional impact to the video footage. Many camera techniques are employed, including zooming and angled shots for emphasis. In the "Wounds of War" story, the camera zooms in on the depressed boy so that we pay attention to the pain of his condition. In the "Facing the Giants" story, the low-angle shots of the cameraman make him appear powerful and above the audience. Furthermore, crafty production techniques, such as those used when transitioning from the youtube footage on screen to the television in the production room, add an element of excitement to the traditional head-and-shoulders framing method. The addition of computerized maps and graphics also add a professional level that appears to validate the information provided by the anchor. Another element of broadcast news described by Considine and Haley is that of Slant, a concept that refers to "the issue of balance or bias in news reporting." As the authors suggest, this area is a very difficult one with which to work "because people perceive stories, including their bias, in different ways based on their own beliefs and attitudes about the topic, person, or events covered." Based on criteria provided by Considine and Haley, we decided that the news broadcast we analyzed was biased, since the interviews were not balanced. Not everyone was completely represented as in the youtube story, where we did not hear from the victim or from people who use youtube for its creative potential or to communicate messages other than police brutality. Also, the excitement Charles has when talking about the Facing the Giants movie added with the fact that it was the longest story, gives us the impression that ABC was promoting the film and Christian values. Overall, these elements work in conjunction with the Sponsors, identified through the commercials that accompany the news broadcast. As Considine and Haley explain, "broadcast news is intent on selling as well as telling." Like what is described in the text, the commercials from the broadcast we analyzed do play on our fear, pain, and insecurity by providing us remedies, comfort, and safety. Each news block was surrounded by advertisements, such as for medicines, food, and happy values or rewards, such as prizes or selfimprovement. Also, Considine and Haley discuss how by examining the elements of the commercials, we can determine who is targeted by the advertisements, as well as the news. In the broadcast that we analyzed, the commercials in combination with the news assisted us in
determining that the audience was middle-aged, professional, people with families, and perhaps, aging parents. As a result of completing this news analysis, we both feel that we are better prepared to be able to watch and dissect news. From reading the anchor s communication, to observing camera angles, language, sponsors, etc, we have learned how to analyze each component of the broadcast to get a better feel for the goals and aims of the producers. Media Literacy has given us valuable tools to be able to make these conclusions about what we view and how it relates to our society.