Ideological Perspectives and Political Tendencies in News Reporting
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By George Gerbner Ideological Perspectives and Political Tendencies in News Reporting A case study of "L'affair Amiel" erage of a criminal event in the French shows that France's emerging press. The French press is in the process of transformation from a "party press" commercial press does not escape to a commercially-sponsored press sys- ~ from politics; its ideological tern, Both types of newspapers exist perspectives lie between those of side-by-side. They differ mainly in their the Left Press and the Right, but criteria of news selection and editing. .' closer to the latter, The party press selects news and views according to standards relevant to its political clients' ideological perspectives . ... The basic editorial function is not per '\, In a multi-party system, it creates and formed through "editorials" but through cultivates publics of different-and at the selection and treatment of all that is times ',fadically opposed-political ten published. An earlier study on "Press dencies. The commercial press selects Perspectives in World Communication" 1 material according to standards relevant indicated how this process of total se to its clients-the advertisers'-need for lection and relative emphasis expresses broad mass appeal. It creates and culti- -/ and cultivates those aspects of national vates a public perspective which may perspectives in world political commu cut across party lines. nication which serve the industrial a~dl The event was the probably unin social role of media in their own sOcie-\ tended (but not entirely accidental) fatal ties. The subject of the present inquiry shooting of a student by a teacher. The is the related proposition that, in fact, underlying political dimension of the all news are views; that all editorial. reporting of any event, and especially an choice patterns in what and what not to event involving education in France, make public (and in what proportion, found expression in the news coverage. with wha,t emphasis, etc.) have an ideo" Before giving an account of the cover ~ogical basis and a political dimension '.... age itself and of the "ideological dia rooted in the structural characteristics logue" our analysis attempted to isolate of the medium; that such ideological and reconstruct, we shall consider the perspectives and political tendencies will context of relevant circumstances and be expressed and cultivated through pre the tense and critical nature of the sumably non-political news as much as, times. or perhaps even more than, through overtly political reporting, and in the .. The author is the dean of The Annenberg commercial press as well as in the School of Communications, University of "party press." Pennsylvania. The material was collected in Our case study inquired into the cov- connection with a larger project inquiring into the portrayal of education in several countries. The author expresses his thanks for the assist 1 George Gerbner, "Press Perspectives in World Communication: A Pilot Study," JOURNALISM ance given him by Evelyne Sullerot and QUARTERLY, 38:313-~2 (Summer 1961). Marie-Claude Gardelle. 495 496 'JOURNALISM QUARTERLY Ideological Perspectives in Reportittg 497 \ People and Events He arrives home pale, drawn, and and revolt in Algeria, the establishment the kidnapping of ",ctress Michele Mor Perpignan is a provincial town of oyer still silent. His wife does not question of rebelliDus Committees of Public gan,s son by her ex-husband; and of the 70,000 in the foothills of the Pyrenees, him. Soon it's morning. Amiel calls his Safety, rumors of impending paratroop Tour de France bicJtpie race. During at the southwestern edge of the wine high school principal, says he will not landings in Paris. There were fears of Amiel's trial, there was'- cDntinuing cov growing region along France's Mediter meet his classes that day. He waits for right-wing dictatorship and civil war. erage Df the much longer Gui1laume~ ranean coast. the police. They arrive. The coroner has A "legal coup d'etat" brought De Gaulle Lacaze and the "Ballets Roses" affairs, Jean Arnie!, 37, teaches English at repudiated the intern's diagnosis. There to power in May 1958. Labor unions, implicating former Ministers or other the Arago lycee of his home town of is a small bullethole in the back of Left parties, many other organizations important personalities in corruption, Perpignan. His wife is also an English Alain's neck. demonstrated in protest. Teachers called extortion and prostitution. teacher at a local girls' school. They Public emotion runs high in Perpig a one-day strike throughout France on It was in this general context of the have a four-year-old daughter and lead nan. A crowd of 3,000 gathers around May 30. They continued to demonstrate times and the news that the crime and a busy but quiet private life in their the Amiel house. The police delay the (and suffer gDvernment sanctions) trial of Jean Arniel stirred a modest sen new house in the suburbs. usual reconstruction of events at the throughout the period. A new constitu sation in the French press. scene of the crime to avoid a riot. For tion reduced the power of the elected Alain Rolland, 16, is a good student The Press at the Arago lyce. He has never had a while it seems that the trial itself has Deputies and changed the basis of rep Arniel for a teacher. He divides his to be moved to another city. resentation to the detriment of the Left. We have noted that both "party" and time between the Boy Scouts, his studies Nearly a year goes by before the case The strife over Algeria erupted in commercial standards of news treatment .~ and his family. The Rollands are recent comes to trial. The proceedings are held shocking terrorism and deepened the operate side-by-side in the French press. arrivals in Perpignan. Alain's father is in Perpignan without incident. There is national trauma. Our analysis of the diffe~e_~tiClI)enden director of a local branch of a bank, the no denial of guilt. The defense pleads The crime of Jean Amiel shared the des of ,~ne:ws,,_ ,~oyer~ie - includelf nine Algerian Credit Society. Alain has a merely an accident, "un cruel hasard." spotlight in the daily press not only with newspapers in three general groups: the brother also at the Aragon lycee. The jury's verdict: two years in prison, news of these climactic political and Left press, the Right press, and the It is the night of St. Jean, June 23, two and a half million (old) francs military developments but also with re commercial press. Two Paris dailies and 1958. Bonfires and dancing on the damages. ports of industrial and commercial one provincial daily comprised each streets celebrate the longest day of the Two years later the Amiels are gone, strides made despite all the turmoil, and group. We did not include the unique year in the tradition of Catalonian their house is sold, the crime is forgot with other' sensational "affa.irs." Head "prestige paper" Le Monde, or the influ youth. A group of boys, including Alain, ten. A colleague is asked about the case, lines of Alain's murder competed for ential (and predominantly right-wing) heads toward the suburbs to engage in a and about its political reptrrcussions, if attention with those of "L'affair J ac Catholic press. Table 1 presents the familiar prank: lighting firecrackers in any, for purposes of this study. He says coud" in which a famous Geneva law available circulation and readership fig Amiel was a "moderate leftist," his wife ures of all papers used in the analysis. the mailboxes of the quiet and dignified yer killed the lover of his mistress; of residential district. "more outspoken and militant." Amiel's promotion, long delayed at the time of TABLE 1 This is the third night the same prank the crime (as noted in the press cover (although not th.e same pranksters) Newspapers Studied and Space Devoted to l'Affair Arniel age, especially of the Left) had been Space devoted the Amiel affair plagnes the Amiel house. Mme. Amiel going through channels at the Ministry does not feel well; the children cannot (in square inches) and was announced while he was in Number 'sleep. -Jean Amiel has obtained a police Total Percent 01 stories prison (as pointed up by the indignant permit for a gun to "scare off the van space on Iront Percent on Amiel press of the Right). The right wing pro Circulatlon* Readershipt (100%) page pictures affair dals." Now he grabs the old revolver vincial daily Midi Libre has been feuding and fires three shots into the darkness. ,Commercial press with the teaching corps. An ultra-con France Soir ......... 1,350,000 2,124,000 772 12% 17% 10 Alain falls to the ground. "He's hurt, servative radio commentator Dn the na Parisian Libere ...... 900,000 1,933,000 384 27% 19% 9 Independent 736 64% 29% 11 he's blee.ding," a friend cries out. Arniel tional network has been attacking "crim 198,000 drives - the wounded boy to the police inal professors." Anonymous threatening Lelt press station, then to the hospital. The intern letters have been sent to some teachers. Humanite . .......... 200,000 283,000 336 19% 4% 6 pronounces him dead on arrival. "Le Liberation .......... 110,000 148,000 658 19% 5% 7 But instruction at the lycee goes on as coup du lapin," he says; a fatal blow to Proven9al ........... 205,000 690,000 520 43% 43% 7 usual. The name of Jean Amiel is no the spine, suffered in the fall. longer mentioned in Perpignan. Right press Amiel drives the dead boy to his par Aurore ............