“Authorized Knowers: News Sources, Their Selection And Their Impact On The News”

13 Pages 3277 Words

. The sources that become regular commentators for news outlets play the media game well. They are quick to respond,
usually returning calls as soon as they get the message - since they know journalists often have a leeway of no more than a few hours before their deadlines hit. Regular sources know how to provide what the journalist wants, in short and entertaining sound bytes, sometimes to the point of essentially recapping what the reporter has just said, or what he or she is looking for. Finally, media favorites are predictable and tend to express the opinion that mainstream news outlets have, which means nothing too intellectual or radically different from their editorial assumptions. Columnists don't really have much sway with the selection of sources for the newsroom, other than for their own columns. Most of them have restrictions even when it comes to their own column. Management at individual news outlets, however, are the ones who appoint columnists, and naturally, such name writers tend to offer opinions which generally jibe ...