Sources of news and current affairs

Stage one develops a "map" of the organisation and structure of the news and current affairs production industry. It covers the definitions of news and current affairs; the distinction between news and comment; the notion of "influence"; the attitudes, characteristics, and influences of news producers; processes, production, distribution, and gatekeeping; agenda-setting; syndication and links; ethics, accuracy, and credibility; and diversity and local, regional and international coverage. Ownership and control of significant news and current affairs providers is then addressed. Stage two examines Australians' uses of news and current affairs services and the views they hold about them. Included are the background literature, the methods and findings of a national survey and a series of six focus groups with adults aged 18 years and over.