News in a Globalized Society Stig Hjarvard University of Copenhagen

Globalization: Two definitions  “Accordingly, the concept of globalization implies, first and foremost, a stretching of social, political and economic activities across frontiers such that events, decisions and activities in one region of the world can come to have significance for individuals and communities in distant regions of the globe. In this sense, it embodies transregional interconnectedness, the widening reach of networks of social activity and power, and the possibility of action at a distance”. David Held et al.: “Global Transformations. Politics, Economics and Culture”. David Held et al.: “Global Transformations. Politics, Economics and Culture”.  “We can thereby define globalization as: A social process in which the constraints of geography on social and cultural arrangements recede and i which people come increasingly aware that they are receding”. Malcolm Water: “Globalization”. Malcolm Water: “Globalization”.

Three roles of media in globalization  Channels - create the conditions for globalization: makes across time and space possible  Channels - create the conditions for globalization: makes coordination across time and space possible  Messengers of a globalized world: cultural reflexivity  Infrastructure - forms social and cultural interaction in new ways: disembedding - reembedding

Changes in international news broadcasting - I   From international to (quasi-) global actors   Vertical integration: fuzzy lines between news agency-broadcasting-service providers   Horisontal integration: several different (news) media as part of a unified strategy   Commercialization: from public service to commercial actors (fx. BBC and Euronews)   Diversification of output: from general news to business, entertainment and special interest information services

Changes in international news broadcasting -II Regionalization as the general strategy: quasi- domestication:   Content   Languages   Alliances with local actors   Regional perspectives

Wholesale news business Reuters, Eurovision, Associated Press etc.   Merging of print and electronic news providers   From shortage to abundancy of visuals   Specialization of output: Business-news vs. political news Regionalization of news Special interest (entertainment, medical, sports, breakfast, nature etc.) audience segmentation Complete news programming for small stations Live facilities: Online news in domestic clothes   Strategic alliances between national and global broadcasters, and wholesale news business

The Internet challenge to the international news broadcasters   The problem of global reach becomes a question of language and content - not a technical problem   Responsiveness: dialogue with users becomes a real possibility. The advantage of national broadcasters is weakened   An opportunity for broadcast news to become both fast, historical and analytical   Integration of services: embedding different actors and media in the same medium

Integration of media CNN

Audiences want to response

Multilanguage edition and regionalization BBC: Integration of imperial radio service and Internet news provider

Local-global alliances CNN & Berlingske Tidende

A regional outlook Euronews: common European issues and perspectives

Use of BBC World & CNN International Average share in August in 2001, Denmark

Use of BBC World & CNN International Share 11. September 2001, Denmark

Transnationalization of national broadcasting?   Trans-border presence: satellite & Internet   From shortwave radio to digital visual media – broader range of national representations   Linguistic communities and extended national communities   Nationalization of content: foreign news are not competitive apart from special events

Globalization of national news?  Hans Henrik Holm et al.: ”Verden på tilbud” investigates globalization of news at three levels:  Media structure and media policies: increased competition, audience orientation in news etc.  Editorial structure – some changes in relation to foreign news desk and other news desks  News values; journalistic selection and framing – least affected by globalization

The declining independence of the foreign news desk  Foreign dimension of issues spread to other topic areas  Cooperation between business news and foreign news, environmental news and foreign news  Foreign news is placed in many parts of the newspaper  EU reporting has become both domestic and foreign

Reporting on EU  Tore Slaatta: ”Europeanisation and the Norwegian News Media”  National politics frames reporting on EU  A double domestication: content and sources  Mark Ørsten: ”Transnational politisk journalistik”:  National conflicts dominates reporting on EU, e.g. clash between national policy on environmental issues and EU regulations  Framing of EU as bureaucratic, remote etc.  No systematic coverage of EU matters and institutions; no systematic coverage of European Parliament

Different public spheres at a European level  Erik Oddvar Eriksen: ”An Emergent Public Sphere”  Overarching general publics - however not integrated but predominantly national  Transnational segmented publics  Strong – institutionalized - publics

Globalization of the public sphere and the role of news media Stig Hjarvard: ”News in a Globalized Society”

Transnational integration of news   Time: Syncronization between broadcasters   Live   Newsrooms take decisions in sync with other newsrooms Increased speed of decision making and production cycles; up-dates, on-line availability   Space: Both newsrooms and audiences have access to different socio-geographic levels: local, national, transnational - increased transparency Communicative space not congruent with social or public political space

Characteristics of the global news system   Not a unified system, but a multilayered, differentiated and only partly interconnected system   Global or transnational news services have extensive reach, a certain reputation (brand name) and occasional political influence   National media continue to play the most important role in public political discourse   Both business and technical developments tend to integrate actors and services across borders   Promotes both outward and inward looking

Two questions - exercises  Go to BBC news on the internet (news.bbc.co.uk) and look at the discussion forum ”Have your say” How is this discussion forum organized and to what extent can it be said to constitute a kind of transnational or global public sphere for public deliberation?How is this discussion forum organized and to what extent can it be said to constitute a kind of transnational or global public sphere for public deliberation?  Go to Al Jazeera’s English website (english.aljazeera.net) and look at their section on global news. To what extent is their global news different from other international news providers (for instance BBC or CNN)– if at all?

News in a Globalized Society Stig Hjarvard University of Copenhagen