The News Cycle
BY: LEAH CAMERON, TAYLOR CURLEY, SAMANTHA HALYK, ALYSSA
MCMURTRY, HAYLEY MUTCH, JENNIFER TURNBULL
http://politicalkitten.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/24-hour-news-cycle1.jpg
Introduction
 What is the news
cycle?
 New technology
 Argument: Speed
deteriorating news
quality
 Case Study: Luka
Magnotta
http://gotocrisisguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/11593579socialmediaicons.png
The News Cycle
-PRINT = time
between one edition
of the paper to the
next day’s edition – a
24hr period where no
new news is
released.
(wiseGEEK, 2013)
http://planetforward.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/online-news1-300x200.jpg
The News Cycle
“It’s no longer about
which outlet breaks the
new[s] or how fast, it’s
going to be about how
well they can report on
something that everybody
”
has already seen.
- Mitch Joel, “Welcome to the Sixty Second News Cycle –
Death to the 24 Hour News Cycle."
http://mhsseagleeye.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/daily-online-newspapers.jpg
Case Study: Luka Magnotta
http://lukatrial.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/lukaflight.jpg
http://www.canada.com/cms/binary/7738717.jpg
4 Stages of the news cycle
1) breaking news
2) context
3) analysis
4) archival
http://communityorganizer20.com/2012/02/13/social-media-and-journalism-keyimpact-areas/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDs3qJMjX1o
Who reports it and does that change?

Everyone reported this story because it affected
a large area

The area grew as more information was revealed
about Magnotta and the case

More news outlets picked up the story once it
infiltrated their area

Tina Spencer (Managing Editor @ Postmedia
News):
“It can be difficult to keep up. It’s even more
difficult to lead that news cycle, which is why no
one news organization consistently does have
the lede.

”
All formats picked up the story: print, online, TV
and radio
http://www.harmelin.com/uploads/images/services/c9d5e5f38296440a1ffbd
82221774480.png
Life of Story
 Emerged on May 29,
2012  Foot was
found
 CTV Ottawa – May
29th, 2012 @11:59 am
 One of the first to
break the story on
Twitter
 Ended on March 11,
2013  Publication
ban issued
Local
 The Ottawa Citizen
 The Montreal
Gazette
- two big players
 Ottawa Sun
 La Presse
 CTV Ottawa
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/ios-redirect/images/logo_ottawacitizen.png
http://www.id-3.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/les_editions_la_presse.jpg http://www.fmcfs.ca/CTV.jpg
http://www.cibpamontreal.com/images/gazette.gif
National
 The Globe &
Mail
 The National
Post
 CBC
 Other CTV
local stations
across Canada
http://www.jersvision.org/sites/default/files/blog/2013/Jul/04/cbc.jpg https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/633698755/npfav.png
International
 United States
- CNN
- The New York Times
- Reuters
 United Kingdom
- BBC
- The Guardian
 Europe
- The Local – Berlin
- Berliner Morgenpost – Berlin
 Middle East
- Al Jazeera
http://www.cyberwarnews.info/wp-content/gallery/opbbc/bbc-logo.jpg http://moonofthesouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Al_Jazeera_logofeature.png
http://embed.ly/static/providers/logos/cnn.png?v=c2f18
How does the content change
over time?

The content changes with official information
-Police Reports of body parts in the mail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J66uyQUy6TY
-Questions of what it could mean, speculation
http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/canada/archives/2012/05/20120530-212932.html

The content changes when identity revealed
- Internet sources (bestgore.com), Luka Magnotta’s own pages, Montana Lawyer who reported it to police, kitten killer
connections, Karla Holmoka connections, graphic descriptions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PGTQFEl_lE 0:40- 1:40

The focus turns to Luka Magnotta’s personality
-Bring in psychologists to analyse his character
-Focus on narrative of Luka Magnotta and narcissism

Focus turns to International Manhunt
-International media begin to report on the story after he is suspected to be in France
-Reports about how he has been spotted in Paris

Content becomes more analytical after arrest
-Analyses over internet use and narcissism, fame, why police didn’t know about him, how online sleuths knew about him a year
prior to murder

Media still conflicted- June 6th- Inside his mind. Global- 3:25
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IPRK6Fjpao
http://www.cyberwarnews.info/wp-content/gallery/opbbc/bbc-logo.jpg http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/suns-prod-images/1297269190079_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80
What’s reported on various
platforms?
- Online and print stories
shared content
- TV stories
demonstrated a similar
pattern in content
- As popularity grew,
story became
sensationalized
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/cannibalism-addiction-karen-hylen-psychopaths_n_1570470.html
http://www.newslab.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/shutterstock_51153439-261x300.jpg
“It’s motion for motion’s
sake...volume without thought. It
is news panic, a lack of discipline,
an inability to say no.
”
– Dean Starkman
Platforms continued…
Focus shifts from
suspect to victim
 Over time,
public
desensitized to
graphic content
http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/ID/2241556427/?page=9&sort=MostPopular
http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/101661-video-horror-and-cleanup-in-apartment-208
Knowing when to break the news
For Journalists
- Heightened amount of
pressure
- Pack Journalism
- Citizen Journalism
- Getting trustworthy
sources
- When to follow a lead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yXKiTaHPbEY
http://magazine.concordia.ca/2005/september/features/Journalism.jpg
Social Media and the News Cycle
http://www.schools.com/visuals/social-media-news.html
Social Media and the News Cycle
Advantages
Disadvantages
News is more participatory
(EMEA Media Practice)
Promotes short, quick news =
less investigative journalism
News is available quicker
(Wilma Stassen)
Less time to fact check
More access to sources and
audience (Gavin Adamson,
assistant professor at Ryerson
University)
Misinformation spreads quicker
“Because there’s more and more content
uploaded, the speed at which a rumour
can circulate is just amazing,
”
- Chris Wardle, Storyful’s director
news services
of
Social Media Coverage of Luka Magnotta
 Received live updates through Twitter and
Facebook
 Media outlets posted updates on social
media before their website (Gaurav Mishra)
Ottawa Sun: “Story now online, German
cops arrested Ottawa/Montreal body parts
suspect Luka Magnotta.”
http://blogs-images.forbes.com/benkerschberg/files/2011/09/Social-MediaIcons.png
Social Media Coverage of Luka Magnotta
 Reported speculation
“We are now hearing Ottawa police have found
another body part – not sure where, could be
Canada Post,” (Michael Le Couteur, Global
National Correspondent)
“Police wonder if Magnotta linked to other crimes, murder
of V Leblanc in Gatineau?, comp SK suspect.”
(Dominic Fazioli, Global News)
 Tried to keep the story
going
“Manhunt for body-parts suspect Magnotta
continues.”
https://www.facebook.com/images/fb_icon_325x325.png
http://ae-lane-report.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/twitter.png
Social Media Coverage of Luka Magnotta

Sensationalizing the story

Delving into deeper issues – “What kind of person
murders and mails out victim’s body parts?”

Public Participation
- helped facilitate international manhunt
 Incorrect information was reported
- no connection between the foot found in Ottawa and
the torso found in Montreal
- Reported Jun Lin’s age was 33 when he was actually
32
- Magnotta was “linked” to Karla Homolka
http://www.pha-media.com/digital-pr-blog/files/2013/03/alg_facebook_laptop-2.jpg
EVOLUTION OF THE NEWS CYCLE
http://www.roadrunner5kfunrun.com/img/roadrunner.jpg
How has the news cycle changed?
 “Something happens in
the world and
somebody, somewhere
is informing the world
through text, images,
audio and even video
within sixty seconds.”
- Mitch Joel
Evolution cont.
http://www.blackradionetwork.com/images/headline/1253066360.jpg
Evolution of News Cycle reflected
in Magnotta Case
 More reporters on the case
 Story spread internationally
 Local: Body Parts 




http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prodimages/1297387520163_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=650x
International: Arrested in
Internet café in Berlin
Moved through a large news
cycle
International coverage ends
after June 2012
Rebooted through spin off
stories
Will pick up again when trial
begins in September 2014
Evolution of News Cycle reflected
in Magnotta Case
Guest Speaker
Meghan
Hurley
-Reporter, The
Ottawa Citizen
https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/2907088442/1f187d1a6c8d6ccdf2a2267ca8703ff6.jpeg
http://dictate.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/journolist-tools780px1.png
Where does this leave us?
Speed vs.
Accuracy
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/slow-and-steady-wins-the-race
Where cont.
http://www.loridennis.com/greenblog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/puzzlepieces.jpg
https://www.borrowwisely.org/app/webroot/files/uploads/images/default%20error.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/V78o_eU2h_w/TW2bu5QQ9rI/AAAAAAAABHs/UAmBokIqh0k/s1600/TheaterCurtains.j
pg
How the 24 hour news cycle affects
journalists
 We can now engage in
feedback and debate with
our audience
 Journalists produce more
stories in less time
 Less investigative
journalism
“The nasty little truth about 24 hour
news whether cable TV/the internet –
is that most of it is not news.
”
- (“No Time to Think”)
http://my.hsj.org/Portals/2/Schools/859/Article286174_newspaper_webber.jpg
Discussion