Net-users as news source: The production order of TV news in digital era
Author
Hui-Wen Liu
Keyword
anonymous sources, content analysis, news source, net-user news, TV news
Abstract
This research aims at understanding how TV news channel strategically treat their news source of internet-users (i.e. net-user news) and its plausible reasons. By mainly applying content analysis, the author tries to compare the prime time news broadcasting of a commercial news channel ‘TVBS’ and the public channel ‘PTS’ in three months from March 1st to May 31st 2012. Major research findings include: firstly, TVBS broadcasts more net-user news than PTS on both time length and story numbers. Secondly, nearly 60 % of TVBS’ net-user news are based on anonymous sources. However, checking the details of the targeted news leads us to an interesting finding– the webpage design is one of the main factors that makes large percentage net-user news sources as anonymous. This shows that anonymous source is not necessary equal to reporters’ laziness as common argument indicates. Finally, net-users’ radicalized speech are more attractive to TV news production.