Agenda Setting, Framing and Degree of Newsworthiness

In 2005 nine Australians were arrested for attempting to smuggle almost 9kg of heroin into Australia from Indonesia. This story that began 10 years ago continues to grace the headlines of major newspapers such as the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ (SMH 2015) and has appeared numerous times in a variety of legacy media outlets. So why is it so prevailing one might ask, well it has a lot to do with the theoretical concepts of agenda setting, framing and degree of newsworthiness. Agenda setting refers to the idea that there is a strong correlation between the emphasis that mass media place on certain issues, meaning it is not information about the issue that has the effect; it is the fact that the issue is of importance to publics (Wirth et al, 2010). This importance is driven by a few key factors that drive newsworthiness or the news value a publicity piece holds. Publicity material represents newsworthiness when it reflects six news values that appeal to the media personnel and to their target audiences. These six elements include timeliness, impact, proximity, conflict/oddity, prominence and human interest (Coombs and Halladay 2010 pp 112).

The ‘Bali-nine’ news story began in 2005 and escalated very quickly across many different media platforms. Due to its high degree of newsworthiness, journalists and reporters did not hesitate to cover every inch of the story. The news value that this publicity piece holds is reflected by the values that appeal to the media personnel and their target audience (Shoemaker 2006). The first principal ‘Timeliness’ is information that is happening now and that is still current or fresh (Coombs & Holladay, 2010). Andrew and Myuran on death row are continually facing new court cases and legal appeals with a subsequent story that follows. ‘Prominence’, the second newsworthy principal refers to celebrity attachment to publicity material. Celebrities can be used as a spokesperson or have some association with an event to increase the news value (Coombs & Holladay, 2010). Many Australian celebrities such as Guy Pierce, Cate Blanchett, Radio Host Alan Jones, Musicians such as The Temper Trap, Midnight Oil, Comedian Will Anderson and more have all been involved in the ‘Mercy Campaign’ in a plea for clemency to the Indonesian president asking him to spare the lives of Andrew and Myuran on death row (SMH 2015). The third principal, ‘Human Interest’ refers to the fascination of ordinary people in unusual situations or with unusual experiences (Coombs & Holladay, 2010). In this news story Australians are found in an extreme situation. The death penalty is not practiced in Australia, so it is very unusual for any Australian to be on death row, it becomes almost personal for the audience. The fourth principal ‘Impact’ is the potential for the story to affect a large number of people, the larger the impact the larger the story (Coombs & Holladay, 2010). The end result could possibly change the relationship Australia has with Indonesia, which could affect a huge number of Australian and Indonesian citizens. The fifth principal ‘Conflict’ attracts the most attention to a news story due to people being drawn to the deviation from the normal. ‘Court cases have the conflict that the news media and their audiences crave’ (Coombs & Holladay, 2010). The long running court case and continuous appeals have created conflict that can be seen between the Indonesian president and the two boys Andrew and Myuran. Lastly ‘Proximity’ is the physical distance between an event and its media coverage, in the simplest sense (Coombs & Holladay, 2010). Indonesia is in close proximity to Australia and is one of the most popular tourist destinations. The two countries also have strong political and economic ties adding to the effect of this newsworthy principal. These newsworthy principles do not just appear in publicity material, public relations professionals must know how to skilfully weave them into news releases to generate and create compelling publicity material.

Public relations practitioners have an important role in creating news that is truthful, ethical and able to generate positive publicity for their client. In order for news reports to be understood by audiences P.R professionals use agenda setting and framing as a method of connecting with publics (Scheufele and Tweksbury, 2007). Agenda setting theory positions what the media talk about influences what publics feel is important (Scheufele and Tweksbury, 2007) and framing involves selecting the information that an organization hopes its publics will use when interpreting a situation (Scheufele and Tweksbury, 2007). In both traditional and non-traditional media these theoretical concepts are applied as a means of effective media relations. Traditional media such as print (newspapers and magazines) and also broadcast (radio and television) use these vehicles to reach a mass audience (Blakeman, 2014). The ABC 4 corners documentary ‘Eat, Pray, Shoot’ aired on channel 9 features an inside look at the Bali-nine story (ABC, 2015). The program has an enormous audience reach, and was able to target a wide range of publics. The framing effect used played on the timeliness and emotional impact, it showed the families of the convicted, placing heavy emphasis on support for the two boys on death row. While this form of traditional media is effective in communicating with a large audience it lacks the relationship-building capabilities needed to engage and connect with publics. Because of it’s ability to target specific publics and create a personalized message, non-traditional media is being used more and more as a method for P.R practitioners to help build relationships (Blakeman, 2014). Non-traditional media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have allowed Bali nine supporters to communicate their messages through the hashtag #Istandformercy and #4corners. Their messages can be personal and a dialogue is created where the public can voice their opinions and engage with the story.

It is clear from the aforementioned analysis that the Bali-nine story presents itself as ‘newsworthy’ in terms of Coombs (2010) six values timeliness, impact, proximity, conflict/oddity, prominence and human interest. The mass media have placed a huge emphasis on the story, setting the agenda for what is important and framing the topics in a way that targets specific publics through traditional and non-traditional media.

References

Blakeman, R. (2014), ‘Non Traditional Media’, in Nontraditional Media in Marketing and Advertising, (Online), 1, 85-100. Available at: http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/53212_ch_5.pdf [Accessed 13 April 2015]

Coombs, W.T. & Holladay, S.J (2010), ‘Media relations: Shaping the news’, in PR Strategy and Application, Wiley-Blackwell, West Sussex, UK, pp. 107-119.

Scheufele, D.A. & Tewksbury, D. (2007) ‘Framing, agenda setting, and priming: The evolution of three media effects models’, Journal of Communication, Vol. 57, pp. 9-20.

Shoemaker, P, (2006) ‘News and Newsworthiness: A Commentary’, Communications 31, pp. 105-111

Sydney Morning Herald (2015), ‘Australians unite for Mercy for Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan’, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 February, viewed 7 April 2015, <http://www.smh.com.au/world/australians-unite-for-mercy-for-myuran-sukumaran-and-andrew-chan-20150223-13m9br.html>

Wirth, W. Matthes, J., Schemer, C., Wettstein, M., Friemel, T., Hanggli, R. & Siegert, G. (2010) ‘Agenda building and setting in a referendum campaign: Investigating the flow of arguments among campaigners, the media, and the public ', J&MC Quarterly, Vol. 87, No. 2., pp. 328-345.

7.30 Report (2015) television program ‘Eat, Pray, Shoot’ ABC TV, Sydney, 26 January, viewed 7 April 2015, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-26/supporters-of-australians-on-death-row-in/6047354>.

References: Blakeman, R. (2014), ‘Non Traditional Media’, in Nontraditional Media in Marketing and Advertising, (Online), 1, 85-100. Available at: http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/53212_ch_5.pdf [Accessed 13 April 2015] Coombs, W.T. & Holladay, S.J (2010), ‘Media relations: Shaping the news’, in PR Strategy and Application, Wiley-Blackwell, West Sussex, UK, pp. 107-119. Scheufele, D.A. & Tewksbury, D. (2007) ‘Framing, agenda setting, and priming: The evolution of three media effects models’, Journal of Communication, Vol. 57, pp. 9-20. Shoemaker, P, (2006) ‘News and Newsworthiness: A Commentary’, Communications 31, pp. 105-111 Sydney Morning Herald (2015), ‘Australians unite for Mercy for Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan’, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 February, viewed 7 April 2015, <http://www.smh.com.au/world/australians-unite-for-mercy-for-myuran-sukumaran-and-andrew-chan-20150223-13m9br.html> Wirth, W. Matthes, J., Schemer, C., Wettstein, M., Friemel, T., Hanggli, R. & Siegert, G. (2010) ‘Agenda building and setting in a referendum campaign: Investigating the flow of arguments among campaigners, the media, and the public ', J&MC Quarterly, Vol. 87, No. 2., pp. 328-345. 7.30 Report (2015) television program ‘Eat, Pray, Shoot’ ABC TV, Sydney, 26 January, viewed 7 April 2015, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-26/supporters-of-australians-on-death-row-in/6047354>.