1. CODES &
CONVENTIONS
Factual Programming

2. Codes & Conventions of a News Show
• Studio News Readers
• Field Reporters
• Links to Studio
• Modes of Address to
Viewer
• Interviewing
• Experts & Witnesses
• Report Structure
• Actuality Footage

3. News Readers
A news presenter (also known as newsreader, newscaster, anchorman or anchorwoman, news
anchor or simply anchor) is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of
a television show, on the radio or the Internet.
News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the
field especially weather forecasters.
Examples of News Reporters (All from
BBC):
• Bill Turnbull
• Sian Williams
• Kate Silverton
• Huw Edwards
• George Alagiah
• Fiona Bruce
• Mishal Husain

4. Field Reporters
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general
speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or
another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is
stationed in a foreign country. The benefit of this is that the viewers can get an image of
what is actually happening at that time, at that place.
John Ray 2009 – ITV
News

5. Links to the studio – This is where a Televised news show links with another studio. This can
often be found on mainstream news channels such as BBC and ITV, also on some American
news channels.
Mode of address – The mode of address is how the reporter delivers the news to the
viewers or listeners. For example, the BBC and ITV news are very formal and precise.
Whereas the Channel 5 news is less formal with more slang words used, connecting to a
younger audience.
BBC News: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh8F7z-mbPo
Channel 5 News: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocpjRjosdGA
Interviewing - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCDA1C8YPMg
Experts & Witnesses – Having an expert or a witnesses opinion on a subject gives the
viewers/listeners another opinion. Usually the reporter will try to gain as many witnesses
as possible to gather lots of information. An expert provides reassurance and gives the
audience facts and figures.
Report Structure – An example of a report structure could be: Main story in studio, then to an
on location reporter, then an interview, then back to the studio.
Actuality Footage – This is live footage from the scene that the news channel broadcasts.
An example of this is the Twin Tower crash.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6HTwSjGWwU

6. Documentaries
Documentary Formats:
• Expository – This mode of documentary is more pleasing on the
eye for the audience, it doesn’t follow strict conventions of most
documentaries. An example is ‘Nanook of the North’.
• Observational – This type of documentary just uses one camera,
‘observing’ the world. ‘Lift’ is a documentary that uses this
technique.
• Interactive – This is when the audience of the documentary have
a say in what happens. The audience also contribute to the
outcome.
• Reflexive – Reflexive documentaries reflect on real life. For
example, David Attenborough's ‘Frozen Planet'. It reflects on real
life.
• Per Formative - Acknowledges the emotional and subjective
aspects of documentary, and presents ideas as part of a context,
having different meanings for different people, often
autobiographical in nature.