ISSN: 2347-7474 International Journal Advances in Social Science and Humanities Available online at: www.ijassh.com RESEARCH ARTICLE Decision Making in the Newsroom – Tell Me Something I Don’t Know Roslina Abdul Latif* Email: [email protected] Abstract Most journalism is not about facts but about the interpretation of what seem to be facts. In recent years, the interpretation, influence and pervasiveness of the news from different media organization are beyond doubt. Yet there are still disagreements and conflicting views about just how the public is influenced by the media in general by the news written by the journalist particularly and the stories produced by the editors specifically. Journalism is often called the news business – the gathering, the processing and delivery of important and interesting information and further developments or follow-up stories by newspapers and broadcast media or vice versa – is inextricably entangled in that giant, whirling entity often referred to as the media. Story selection is a decision-making and choice-making process but a hurried one. As a result, the considerations must be quickly and easily applicable so that choices can be made without too much deliberation. The objective of the study is to identify the changes that have taken place in the editing policies in the newsrooms, explore the forces that have influenced the decision making process in the newsrooms for the broadcasting system and to study if news programming patterns have changed since Najib’s reign as Prime Minister and which government policies have influenced the network’s programming. Notable editors, chief editors and group editors from Sistem Television Malaysia Berhad (TV3) and Astro Awani gave in-depth interviews on their decision making process and issues of internal and external forces that ‘dampen’ the process of nation building in shaping the trajectory of the news, hence, sustaining a potentially transformative public sphere in tandem with the prime ministers elaborate government policies. Keywords: Decision making, External forces, Government policies, Internal forces, Transformative public sphere. Introduction Author and news executive Jack Fuller writes: considerably in recent years. This was proven “The central purpose of journalism is to tell the recently during the attacks on Lahad Datu, truth so that people will have the information that Sabah. As we deployed our police and army they need to be sovereign” [1]. This statement is personnel, we also deployed our team of journalist true as we rely on news media especially in times to cover news on the ground. Their influence and of crisis. A good example was during the pervasiveness are beyond doubt. Yet there are September 11, 2001 disaster where journalists still disagreements and conflicting views about responded quickly and professionally. The just how the public is influenced by the media in horrifying details of the attacks on New York’s general by the news written by the journalist and World Trade center and the Pentagon in the stories produced by the editors. Washington D.C. were conveyed rapidly to a global audience in print, the Internet, by radio Journalism is often called the news business – the and by vivid color in television. Virtually the same gathering, the processing and delivery of horrific footages were seen and shocking reports important and interesting information and were heard as in the States. further developments or follow-up stories by newspapers and broadcast media or vice versa – is Although the news media in Malaysia may seem inextricably entangled in that giant, whirling lacking in coercive power as they cannot literally entity often referred to as the media [2]. And draft journalists to war torn nations or do when the gathering process is complete or semi coverage on crisis nations but this has changed complete, the stories goes through a process Roslina Abdul Latif | May. 2015|Vol.3|Issue 05|01-12 1 Available online at: www.ijassh.com known as story selection done by the editors or timeliness, proximity, unusual nature, celebrities, gatekeepers. human interest, conflict, impact, helpfulness, entertainment, issues or problems in the Often thought to be glamorous and powerful community and trends but not particularly in that individuals, journalists in general are hard- order. The build-up of the line-up has been working, often harried people with little time for described by editors as a train where the main and even less patience with, the glamour of being stories act as the head of the locomotive while the on television (for the broadcast journalists). They other stories hook-up and make the rest of the are dedicated professionals ever conscious of their bulletin. This would generally be the main news, responsibilities to the job and their audience. business, foreign, sports and the closing [4]. They have more power than the rest of us mainly Identifying the News and because they express and often subscribe to, the economic, political and social ideas and values Conceptualizing Decision Making which are dominant to Malaysia. Story selection is a decision-making and choice- This paper looks at the terrains within the making process but a hurried one. As a result, the landscape of the nation’s broadcasting houses considerations must be quickly and easily whose main business is news. This is not an applicable so that choices can be made without too exhaustive study on the selected broadcasting much deliberation [3]. Many theories have been houses used for comparison, namely Sistem put forth about how the selection of stories is Television Malaysia Berhad (henceforth TV3), an routinized. Gans [3] put forward five theories of terrestrial television station and Astro Awani story selection. They are journalist-centered, (henceforth Awani), a pay television station. routinization based on organizational Malaysia has only three broadcasting houses, requirements, event-centered, technological, namely TV3, Astro and Radio Television Malaysia economic and ideological determinants, and (RTM), a government own television station. external factors. Hence, the justification of choosing these two broadcasting houses to get an in-depth Other considerations include either adding stories understanding of the operation innards. or dropping them depending on the latest breaking news. According to Gans [3] this The paper is generally concerned with the consideration must also be easily rationalized so decision making process in the newsroom; taking one story is replaced by another and an acceptable into consideration the internal and external reason for doing so is always at hand. These factors that ‘dampen’ the process of nation considerations are also designed with the building both in shaping the trajectory of the efficiency so as to guarantee the necessary supply news, hence, sustaining a potentially of suitable news with the least amount of time, transformative public sphere. It also takes stock effort and if possible expenditure. Gans [3] further of the current prime minister’s elaborate describes “the news” as the picture of America as government policies and takes peek at how the a nation and society that appears in the national newsrooms work in tandem with those projected news media. The same definition can be used for policies. the current Malaysian scenario of news. With these policies, also comes the task of Morris [5] although years apart define decision selection the stories that would make up the making as a model or logical structure which is news. Story selection is a decision-making and used to bring some conceptual order out of the choice-making process albeit a hurried one. As a endless variety of observations that steers the result, the considerations must be quickly and course of society and its economic and government easily applicable so that choices can be made organizations – is largely work of making without too much deliberation [3]. Story selection decisions and solving problems. It is work of for broadcast news in Malaysia depends on a few choosing issues that require attention, setting considerations and the suitability of the stories for goals, finding or designing suitable courses of the day’s transmission. It has always been a actions and evaluating and choosing among policy in newsrooms to carry news of the Prime alternative actions. Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in the first block of the news bulletin regardless whether it is Gans [3] description of the decision making a 30 minute or an hour’s bulletin. process is story selection and choice, albeit a hurried one. Gans quotes Edward J. Epstien’s The rest of the news bulletin will follow the line- research at NBC News, that if journalists had to up in terms of importance and news worthiness, treat the hundreds of choices they make every day Roslina Abdul Latif | May. 2015|Vol.3|Issue 05|01-12 2 Available online at: www.ijassh.com as formal decisions, they would be unable to In 1994 a television broadcast license was issued complete their work. They instead act on the basis to Melewar Corporation and Utusan Melayu (M) of quick, virtually intuitive judgments which some Berhad to operate Metrovision. Tunku Panglima ascribe to ‘feel’ or ‘gut feelings’. Besar Tunku Tan Sri Abdullah ibni Tuanku Abdul Rahman was Melewar’s Industrial Group Zey, On the other hand describes the theory of Chairman at the time. Five years into operations, problem solving and decision making as centrally Metrovision was struggling and was “temporarily” concerned with how people cut problems down to taken off-air by 1st November the same year size: how they apply approximate, heuristic (1999). In 2002, the Ministry of Finance owned 30 techniques to handle complexity that cannot be per cent of the consortium that operated Mega TV handled exactly [6]. while a subsidiary firm, Sri Utara, an investment arm of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), a A group decision then is naturally defined by political party in the coalition government, owned means of preceding definitions as a choice another 5 per cent of Mega TV [8].