It may be presumed that ‘factors relating directly to an event or news item play a major role in its global dissemination (University of South Africa 2014:142).’ The nine event or news related factors are discussed here. Social deviancy Part of the basis’s of what would determine if an event is covered by the international media, the cardinal factor being, the degree to which an event would be regarded as socially deviant (University of South Africa 2014:142) (Chang et al 1987). “Social deviancy” can be defined ‘as the extent to which an event jeopardises the status quo in a country (University of South Africa 2014:142).’ News that deals with rebellions, wars and coups, all tending to deal with a crisis-orientation, would be more likely to …show more content…
Statistical deviancy “Related to epidemics are the sheer size and scope of an event – the immense loss of life will cause the event to be covered by the global media (Chang et al. 2010) (University of South Africa 2014:142).” Normative deviancy “An event may also be considered deviant if it conflicts with a society’s norms, implies a threat or alternative to certain social norms, or has the potential to effect large-scale social change (University of South Africa …show more content…
“The amount of coverage given to a country also depends greatly on the number of foreign correspondents and news agencies operating there (University of South Africa 2014:143).” The main reason for the uneven dissemination of news seems to be due to the disproportion in the distribution of foreign correspondents (University of South Africa 2014:143) (Mowlana 1997); though the amount of news correspondents within a particular country tends to be determined with regards to ‘its position and status in the world system (University of South Africa 2014:143).’ According to Hamilton and Jenner (2011), thanks to the advancement of technology, one does not require a foreign correspondent in a particular country in order to ensure that it is quality foreign news (University of South Africa