Comparative Study Between BBC (British Broadcast Coorporation) and BRTC (Bahrain’s Radio and Television Corporation) in Newsnight and Bab Al Bahrain Program
This is Mohammed A Rahman Darwish Al Tattan ‘s MA disertation which is submitted in accordance with the requirements of his degree of MA in Communications Studies at Leeds. To get this 132 pages disertation completely, you can download by click here or next link http://www.ziddu.com/download/15134884/Mohammed_A.Rahman_Darwish_Al_Tattan.doc.html
Following are just my own short summary, introduction and conclusion of this disertation
As we predicted, the difficulty is not to discover differences between BBC and BRTC, but its hardship to found same similiarities between them. However Al Tattan has been able to detect same similarities as well as definite and clear differences
According to Al Tattan, both media have similarities in the story of selection process. Inspite of spontaneity or novelty, BBC and BRTC almost arrange theirs program based on their analysies about audiences and style of program. It is fact that BRCT and BBC have good plan and well organized.
The others similarities are; directors responsbilities, equipments which are available or the techniques used to direct in program. The only difference is the technology that Newsnight uses compared to Bab al Bahrain. Newsnight has digital cameras, and state of the art mixers which produce a better picture.
The similiarity also found in the newsroom which are lead and managed by an editor. But the significant differences is shown in the way and the process how the editor used his authority to choose and omit a story. BBC editor’s always conduct informal discussion with his his reporters, presenters and producers, pay attention to audience as well as other competitors. Morever, the editor’s decision is bound by Western journalism ethics that stress on objectivity. Meanwhile, BRCT excluding objectivity idea in journalism, ignoring others competitors so he never face a huge pressure in his duty rather than facing by BBC editors.
This study always discover a significan difference in the hour and attempt spent by Bab al Bahrain crews compared to Newsnight crew in preparing the program. Meanwhile Newsnight team spent long time in research and preparation, Bab al Bahrian team didn’t pay any serious attention and there is an abious sense of carelessnes in the whole of the team. In accord with Al Tahtan, these circumstance are cause by the following reasons: team status which are most of them freelancer who feel insecure in their position, there is not standard operation procedure and the acceptance of low quality and very poor standard in television journalism
On the other hand, BBC journalism activities needs skilled personals. Experience and education are esential in BBC profesional standard. And since the type of journalism practiced in Bahrain is different, the skills, education, and experience needed from media personals are minimal.
Furthermore, a major constraint that stricts Bab al Bahrain from performing better is personal deficiencies. Newsnight depends on specialized teams to perform certain tasks such as graphic designing, or producing and there is a good estimation of how many personals are needed to finish an episode.
These circumstances not only produce biased program but also and low quality programmes. Time, quality, objectivity, and competition existed in the conscious of Newsnight journalists while performing their daily tasks rather than Bab al Bahrain program
Folowing is abstract, introduction and conclusion of this disertation.
To get this disertation completely, just click here or http://www.ziddu.com/download/15134884/Mohammed_A.Rahman_Darwish_Al_Tattan.doc.html
Good Luck
Abstract
The present days witness the decline in popularity and credibility of state-owned television stations in the Middle East. Programme-makers of state-owned stations are seen as responsible of this decline and are heavily criticized by the public as well as accused of bias, lack of innovation, and lack of quality. And in order to investigate the authenticity of such accusations this dissertation attempted to shed light on the process of programme making in state-owned televisions by comparing news and current affairs programmes in Bahrain Television and the BBC, one of the leaders in broadcast journalism in the world.
The professional-organizational approach of this study yielded several conclusions regarding the programme-making in state-owned Middle-Eastern televisions. It showed that without adopting Western journalism concepts such as objectivity and high quality output, it is difficult for state-owned televisions to produce competitive programmes. Also, with the recruitment of unskilled and untrained personals, the programmes’ quality will continue to decline. And although some are performing the same tasks as their colleagues in the BBC, most are careless and bored due to the lack of security in their jobs, and lack of journalism standards. Moreover, as long as personals in state-owned stations will not accept that the situation has changed in the media world, and competition with other channels is a reality they will continue making programmes that may have an exclusive content, but very poor in quality compared to other private channels.
Introduction
Aim
The comparative analysis of the making of television’s news and current affairs programme Bab Al Bahrain of Bahrain Television ( the state-owned public service broadcaster) and Newsnight of the British Broadcasting Corporation ( the British public service broadcaster), during the periods between the 28th of May to the 2nd of June and the 6th of June, 2005 to 30th of June 2005.
Research Questions
· What are the differences and similarities between the journalists of Bab al Bahrain and Newsnight?
· How are news and current affairs programmes of Bahrain Television different from those of the BBC in terms of directing, presenting, and graphing designing?
· What are the differences and similarities in the process of story selection between the two programmes?
Methodology
I conducted this research using a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches. The survey results provide the statistical data for the first research question; whereas qualitative data was gathered through interviews with large number of members of both programmes. Moreover, this study is largely based on observations recorded during my stay in the offices and newsroom of Bab al Bahrain and Newsnight. I based my research on observations, taped interviews and a survey mainly because it is the predominant method of analyzing media organizations. (McQuail; 2000; p 245)
My fieldwork at the two programmes was continuous for one month and was only disrupted for three days due to traveling. I spent six consecutive days in the offices and studio of Bab al Bahrain from the period of the 28th of May until the 2nd of June in order to formally interview the staff and finalize my observations about my colleagues whom I have worked with for four years. On the other hand, I decided to spend a longer period in Newsnight’s newsroom – three weeks - in order to fully understand the work flow and be able to get closer to the actual making of the programme.
I observed what people were doing and then talked to them afterwards about the reasons of certain decisions or certain ways of performing their daily tasks. I also engaged myself in informal discussions with several staff members in both programmes which were fruitful in shaping my understanding about television journalism.
Justification of the Study
Since the rise of transnational television channels in the late 1990’s in the Middle East government-controlled television stations-such as Bahrain Television- are loosing the battle for the hearts and minds of their people. Tough criticism of Arab regimes, live phone-ins, interviews with opposition leaders in exile, and studio audience participation, aired by transnational channels such as Al Jazeera and recently Al Arabiya left the governments’ televisions struggling for survival. (Sakr; 2001; p 4)
Mohammed Ayish observed that the concept of television journalism does not exist in the state-owned television stations. Their newscasts are “dull and monolithic” and consisted mainly of official visits, leadership speeches and protocol activities. There is no sign of investigative journalism in the programme output, and the stations are considered as a propaganda tool in the hands of the government officials. (Ayish; 2001)
Similarly, Sakr have noticed that “newscasters are appearing most often on camera, reminding viewers of radio newscast they had listened to hours earlier. The visual potential of television news is barely evident and so was the handling of domestic issues falling outside government agenda. In its basic configuration, a newscast is a lineup of either very long items dealing with leadership news or very short items dealing with regional and international developments. Television reports are hardly used as the newscast drew on studio delivery” (Sakr; 2000)
Nowadays the Bahraini people are pressurizing the government through continuous outcries of reform in the media sector and in particular in radio and television. The relative improvement in the freedom of expression allowed the people to express their disappointment in the quality of programmes produced by Bahrain’s Radio &Television Corporation (BRTC). They are demanding a picture quality similar to the new pan-Arab satellite channels, and more in-depth political programmes that can reflect the new era of democracy in the country. On the other hand, the steps taken by the management of BRTC to improve and develop the television output can be considered amateur, unfruitful and lack a scientific approach that studies the strengths and weakness of their corporation.
Thus, following on the steps of researchers such as Philip Schlesinger, Herbert Gans, and Gaye Tuchman in analyzing the process of news making in newsrooms, I decided to study the making of news and current affairs’ programme in Bahrain Television and compare it to the making of the same sort of programme in the BBC. By comparing both programmes I aim to unravel the weaknesses and limitations in programme making in government-owned television stations.
I chose the BBC because of its prestigious status among broadcasters in the world as well as its high quality programmes. Nevertheless, this does not mean that the making of news and current affairs in the BBC was not analyzed and criticized based on previous theories and hypotheses.
Finally, it is known that media researchers have moved from studying media effects to studying its content until they reached the stage of putting media organizations under scrutiny. Researchers became more interested in mass communicators, their organizations, their routines, their attitudes and social backgrounds because they are the producers of media content which might have effects on the audience. Their main concern was to understand the influences exerted on journalists by the organizations themselves and the process journalist follow in selecting news. (McQuail; 2000; p 244)
Limitations
This study as mentioned earlier is mainly based on in depth interviewing and observations. They are scientifically approved and characterized as tools of the qualitative research category; but both have their limitations.
In the case of interviews, people do not always say what they think, or mean what they say. Moreover “all interview statements are actions, arising from an interaction between interviewer and interviewee” which are not necessarily spontaneous. (Jensen; 2002; p 240)
On the other hand, an observer without a quick and accurate way of documentation might end up loosing essential facts. I used field notes which are considered by Bruhn Jensen as the “natural center-piece of an observer”. (Bruhn-Jensen; 2002; p 243) Nevertheless, how matter the observer is sharp, and focused on the environment he is studying he cannot notice every single action worth of recording.
So far, the limitations are related to the methodology, but there are more limitations related to core of this study and they are as follows:
1. The differences between the BBC and BRTC are numerous and can actually result in predicted observations. There are differences in history, culture, size, financial capabilities, structure, working ethics, and experience which make the comparisons difficult and sometimes inappropriate.
2. The scarcity of media and communications literature about Arab media, especially government – owned television stations stricts this study to Western references and studies.
3. This study would have given me (the researcher) and the reader a deeper understanding of television journalism if it coincided with a content analysis of both programmes, but due to limitations of time it was very difficult to conduct two types of studies at the same period.
Presentation Style
Although generally speaking most of the scientific papers tend to present its findings in a formal passive voice, I prefer to use the first person approach in sharing my experience and observations with the reader of this study. I find it more engaging and more interesting to create the sense of an ‘insider’ talking about his journey in exploring the complexities of his profession.
I introduce an extensive use of quotes to elaborate and deepen understanding in two ways: first to present the actual data on which the analysis is based, so that readers of the study can also join in the interpretation and analysis processes; second to allow the data to explain itself and tell its own story.
Conclusion
This study was concerned with the small environment of the newsroom, where the editors are the leaders and managers of the whole team of producers and reporters. It compared the making of news and current affairs programmes in two different media organizations. The first – the BBC – is an ‘ancient’, Western, publicly funded organization, which depends on objectivity and quality to exist; and the other – BRTC – is a state-owned, Middle Eastern organization which is still influenced by the government’s agenda.
The dilemma was not to find the differences- because they are numerous- but to discover the similarities between individuals working in the same field under different circumstances. And this study has been able to detect some similarities as well as definite and clear differences.
One of these similarities is the story selection process, which rarely depends on spontaneity or novelty; in fact it is well planned and well organized. Editors and reporters in both programmes depend on routine practices to fill in most of their episode’s time. They tend to rely on the same sources for daily information, and select stories according to perceptions they have about the audience as well as the style of the programme.
An obvious routine practice is performed in the planning unit of Newsnight which plans and prepares coverage for events expected to happen in the future. Similarly, Bab al Bahrain tends to cover stories found in the editor’s diary. It is the nature of the medium and the technology used in it that oblige programme-makers to plan and prepare as well as depend on fixed and known events.
This research has also shown that whether in the West or the East, the newsroom is lead and managed by the editor; an individual who has the power to choose one story and omit another. But in the BBC, the editor’s choices are shaped in meetings with his colleagues, and influenced to a large extent by his perception of the audience as well as competition with other channels. By continuously conducting meetings and engaging himself in informal discussions with reporters, presenters, and producers, the editor spreads his perceptions to his team to guarantee that the end result will be as he expects it to be. The input by other members of the team in the story selection is minimal. Furthermore, the editor’s choices are bound by Western journalism ethics that stress on objectivity, and in the BBC’s case it includes the best quality of presentation.
By excluding the objectivity concept from journalism, rarely considering quality as a necessity, and ignoring competition the editor in Bahrain liberates himself from huge pressures facing an editor in the BBC. However, this produces biased and low quality programmes.
To explain further, the professional-organizational approach to study media organizations adopted in this study uncovered several internal pressures exerted on journalists in Newsnight in particular which shape the process they undergo to select news stories. Time, quality, objectivity, and competition existed in the conscious of Newsnight journalists while performing their daily tasks.
In the case of time, it exerts two types of pressures. The first is strictly related to the news story itself which should be new and carries the latest details while the second pressure is related to deadlines and the time given for a single report in an episode. If the story does not discuss the latest news it will probably not make it to the screen, and if the reporter fails to finish his/her report before the episode, or stretches the time of the report beyond what is required, it will not be aired. There are exceptions of course; for example an old story might be revisited by Newsnight to give it a new perspective and some unfinished reports can be postponed to later episodes.
Quality is a great burden on Newsnight’s journalists. They are obliged to write the best stories, and present them in the most attractive way possible since the editorial guidelines stress on it. And since quality has no definition or strict rules reaching it is not always easy.
Similarly, objectivity demands accuracy and fairness in the analysis of news which takes time and effort to reach. A report found bias will jeopardize the reputation of an organization that is supposed to be objective and impartial.
Finally, competition requires all what has been mentioned above. To compete with other channels, the news stories must be fresh, presented better than the competitors, and should be accurate to be credible.
Continuing with the similarities, the directors of both programmes perform the same tasks and no significant differences were noticed in the utilization of the equipment available or the techniques used to direct a studio-based programme. The only difference is the technology that Newsnight uses compared to Bab al Bahrain. Newsnight has digital cameras, and state of the art mixers which provide a better picture.
But this study showed a significant difference in the amount of time and effort spent by the staff of Bab al Bahrain compared to Newsnight in preparing and making their programme; while Newsnight’s team spends long hours in research and preparation its counterpart rarely prepares for its episode. There is an obvious sense of carelessness that engulfs the whole team of Bab al Bahrain which can be attributed to the following reasons:
- The fact that most of the team are freelancers who feel insecure in their jobs and therefore perform poorly.
- The lack of standards and guidelines that require a certain level of quality.
- The acceptance of low quality and very poor standard of television journalism.
On the other hand, the type of journalism the BBC practices needs skilled personals. Experience and education are essential to perform according to the professional standards of the BBC. And since the type of journalism practiced in Bahrain is different, the skills, education, and experience needed from media personals are minimal.
Moreover, a major constraint that stricts Bab al Bahrain from performing better is the shortage in personals. Newsnight depends on specialized teams to perform certain tasks such as graphic designing, or producing and there is a good estimation of how many personals are needed to finish an episode.
However, by depending on young talents in presenting, Bab al Bahrain is moving in the right track. The majority of the experienced presenters worked before the political reforms and their credibility is in question. The new faces reflect the new phase in Bahrain and can gain credibility in the future. But their rigid performances might jeopardize their popularity. They are like actors wearing masks that cover their genuine personalities. Compared to the experienced, authoritative, and well prepared Newsnight presenters, their performance is dull and unattractive. Nevertheless, there are no fixed rules or standards that will define a good presenter. It’s a subjective choice, and depends largely on the preference of the viewer.
Finally, without a strong commitment to quality, objective journalism -with all its constraints- and accepting the fact that competition do exist it seems very difficult to improve the level of news and current affairs programmes in Bahrain Television. Although the three mentioned requirements are related but the idea of objective journalism especially in political issues seems an exaggerated request in the present circumstances. As long as the government is the sole owner and employer, it is very difficult to have a television service independent from its agenda and influences.
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