Cultivation Analysis and the Local News

As stated in the Narrative Paradigm, humans are storytelling beings. Cultivation Analysis posits that television has become the source for the majority of stories in modern culture. Based on this constant influence of television, our world views are shaped by what we see on television. An important aspect of this theory is the idea of light versus heavy television viewers. Heavy viewers, those who watch four or more hours of television a day, are more likely to mainstream, or perceive reality as similar to what is pictured in the media despite the fact that it differs from actual reality. Heavy viewers are also more likely to agree with the statements of the Mean World Index-that most people are looking out for themselves, you can't be too careful in dealing with people, and most people will take advantage of you given the chance. In examining local news broadcasts, it becomes clear why heavy viewers would see the world as a mean place.

The local news is dominated by stories of arson, robbery, and violent crime. As these video clips show, stabbings are always a hot ticket for local news programs. Based on these facts about the medium, heavy television viewers are likely to be strongly affected by the local news. For example, despite the fact that many television viewers live in safe, suburban neighborhoods, they may mainstream their view of their society and view the world as a dangerous place. In other words, despite the fact that these local stories may have no resonance with many viewers, in that their lived realities do no coincide with the reality portrayed on the news, the viewers will still face the world with increased fear.

Additionally, viewers of local news will most likely experience both first and second order effects. Using the video clips as examples, it's easy to examine how such effects would manifest themselves. These clips state factually the events of two violent crimes, specifically stabbings. Viewers learning the facts of the crimes are experiencing first order effects. However, should those viewers take those facts and hypothesize that stabbings are a common occurrence in the area, they are experiencing second order effects. They are making assumptions based on the facts they've learned from the news.

The local news coverage also relates to the three Bs of television. Firstly, it blurs traditional distinctions between people. For example, an unemployed, uneducated man and a successful, well-educated woman would often have differing views of the world. However, if they both frequently watch the news coverage of their area, they could very easily begin to see the world in a similar way. Secondly, television blends people's realities to form to the cultural mainstream. In other words, based on our exposure to television, we agree on what is real. So despite the fact that people in their personal lives have very different realities, television blends everything together into one mainstream reality. Finally, television bends that reality to the interests of television sponsors. In other words, if the local news constantly focuses on stories of violent crime, the home security company that sponsors the broadcasts will benefit.

Clearly when we watch the local news we are doing far more than simply observing the events in our community. We are part of a storytelling experience which subtly but surely influences our perceptions of reality.