Global News and Information Flow in the Internet Age

. Introduction
A. Internet is universally characterized as a revolutionary medium because it has opened up an altogether new world of information and communication
B. Still barriers (digital divide) but the internet is catching on quicker than any previous communication innovation
II. Origin and Early History of News Agencies
A. Selling their product to multiple papers enable news agencies to supply more news more cheaply than a single newspapers
B. Dominant Western News Agencies
1. Agence France-Presse
2. Associated Press
3. Reuters
4. United Press International
C. Non-Western Large World News Agency
1. ITAR-TASS
III. International News Agencies Today
A. Associated Press
B. United Press International
Reuters
D. Agence France-Presse
1. third largest global wire service after AP and Reuters
2. English, Fr , German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic
E. ITAR-TASS and Interfax
1. since 1992, state-owned successor to USSR
2. ITAR-TASS struggles to be credible and mainstream
4. Eng, Fr, German, Spanish and Arabic
IV. Supplemental news agencies
A. Supplemental sources provide more specialized coverage
B. Major U.S. supplemental
-1. New York Times News Service.
2. Los Angeles Times-Washington Post
3. Dow Jones Newswires
V. Broadcast News Services
A. Reuters World News Services
1. breaking news feeds on international news, business, sports,
B. Associated Press Television News, TV and radio
C. TV Broadcasting
1. CNN International
D. Satellite Communicationà More news sources
1. 24 hours news channels with some English programming is available in: Japan, India, China, Egypt, South Korea
2. Al Jazeeraa. fastest growing media network in Arab world and Arabic speaking
3. France is preparing to launch global satellite French news channel in 2006
4. India, soon to be largest English speaking nation in world, will be important player in global media
E. Radio
1. traditionally been seen as propaganda
2. BBC world service and Voice of America
VII. News Flow Patterns: Online and Offline
A. Problems and patterns of traditional media systems:
1. The four main Western news agencies (AP, Reuters, AFP, UPI) control most of the world’s news flow
2. Four Western agencies
3. Next five leading agencies
B. Developing countrie fears:
1. People in the developing world see themselves through Western lens
2. The West determines what is in the public sphere.
3. One-way news flow
4. “Soft” power influences local culture and thought
C. Core and Periphery Problem- Dependency Theory
VIII. The Outlook
A. Growing political and civil liberties à free flow of info
B. Totalitarian and authoritarian govs. still pose obstacles
C. Developing
D. New packaging and new opportunities for need-based online