HOW GOOD IS YOUR DAILY NEWSPAPER?

Press, 23 November 1987, Page 33

HOW GOOD IS YOUR DAILY NEWSPAPER?

An extensive study carried out by Mr Charles Croot’s sixth-form journalism class at Kaikorai Valley High shows the scope of one class survey.

Newspaper study has been a long-term interest at the school, but this survey, which analysed every dally newspaper in New Zealand for a week, was the most ambitious project. Th? results have been published in a 120-page book titled “How Good Is Your Daily Newspaper?” Marilyn Jenkins, a member of the survey team, summarised the rating and ranking methods in a recent edition of the secondary schools’ paper “Tear-away,” — “We devised our system of ratings and rankings to ensure that our comparison was fair and realistic.

A three-fold system took into account the amount of news covered, the number of specific items of news covered, and the coverage of specific items which were judged to be significant.

“For measuring the volume of news, we used the Column Centimetre, that is, one centimetre of print one column wide. For measuring the number of items we simply recorded each item of news or features in one of 23 categories. “For determining the quality of news coverage, we decided to concentrate on one day and to compare how the various papers handled the events which We knew had occurred and the information which we knew was available to themWe included 100 possible news items. We organised our comparisons into different categories — foreign

news, New Zealand news, local news, world and national sport, local sport, racing photographs, features, letters to the editor, organisation and appearance, the Budget and the Commonwealth Games. Adding together all our ratings in the various categories, we arrived at a total score for each paper. This determined its relative efficiency as a surveyor of news.” The Results

New Zealanders, op average, receive neither substantially more nor less national and international news than readers in other Western countries.

However, they dp not have access to papers which provide coverage as good as high-quality foreign press. “The Press" achieved the highest aggregate score of 230 (from a possible 300 points). It was rated the best morning paper and New Zealand’s best daily paper, as well as giving the best coverage of the Commonwealth Games (1986). The students also commended “The Press” for

outstanding foreign news coverage and excellent photographic reproduction. The class analysed newpapers’ “Letters to the Editor" columns, viewing them as “an important aspect of a newpaper’s function in the community... to some extent, a measure of how well each paper is encouraging debate and the exchange of views in its home area, and how well it had built up rapport and trust with its readers." Their conclusions on “The Press" correspondence columns: “ The Press’ ’’ continues to offer the liveliest and probably the most literate correspondence columns in the country. It also publishes the most letters.” Summary of Awards • Best coverage of foreign news—“ The Press”/"The Otago Daily Times." • Best coverage of New Zealand news—- “ Dominion."

(9) Suggest changes that you would like to see made and areas that you think are already excellent or satisfactory in the programmes you have monitored. (10) Present your material in folder form or something similar. Ideas for “Point of View” are loosely based on the South Australian Association for Media Education Young Critic Award. For further information on this award and the work of the association write to:

Media Studies Centre, The Orphanage, 181 Goodwood Road, Mellswood, South Australia 5934.

Yet media studies are often viewed as "media inoculation" against "seducers of the innocent" That approach to dangerous, for the teaching of “discrimination" frequently means "my taste to superior" It is easy to peer down with squeamish horror at the curious tastes and habits of those "beneath” us. An attempt has to be made to judge the media within the production constraints of the industries involved. What can studying the media hope to achieve? It may increase understanding on how the media work and how they are organised. It may give insights into how they construct “reality” and how that "reality” to understood by thdse who receive it. And, of course, any one programme may be understood very differently by different age groups and communities at different times. And there we are back at the image of the pane of glass which turns out to distort, magnify, delete, and focus just as we do when we process our own conceptions of reality. And that further compounds the problem.

• Best coverage of the Budget—“ Dominion." • Best coverage of regional news—" The Otago Daily Times." • Best coverage of local news—“ Evening Post.” • Best coverage of business news—"Domlnion'7"New Zealand Herald," • Best coverage of the Commonwealth Games — “The Press." • Best coverage of ;|c-ing-"Domlnlon" • Best photographic coverage-" New Zealand Herald." • Best photographic feature — "Chronicle," Levin. • Best colour news photos - “Southland Times.” • Best quality colour reproduction — “The Press." • Best designed feature pages—“ Auckland Star.” • Best front page presentation—“Timaru Herald." • Best laid out paper—“Waikato Times." • Best organised paper—- " New Zealand Herald.” • Best edited paper—“Taranaki Herald.” • Best non-clty newspaper — "Chronicle”, Levin. • Best provincial dally—- “ Southland Times." • Best provincial evening paper — "Waikato Times.” • Most improved newspaper—“ Dominion.” • Best evening paper—" Evening Post.” • BEST ALL-ROUND NEWSPAPER - “THE press." ;

ew was avanaoie io men,. paper, as weu as giving ure included 100 possible best coverage of the Comws items. We organised monwealth Games (1986). “New York Times” “Guardian” (London) “Sydney Morning Herald” "The Press” “Chronicle” (Levin) r comparisons into difent categories -r- foreign m The students also comended “The Press” for 787 862 377 679 253 778 1930 1821 410 1228 1042 10 662 1157 331 2443 1014 976 999 120 876 910 722 782 315 37T 684 812 760 1760 Ah abridged verslbri of one table which compares foreign dailies with New Zealand dallies. (All figures represent column centimetres.)