ABSTRACT
T elevision news, because of its liveness or potential liveness is usuallythe medium that viewers turn to when major news stories arebreaking, in order to see pictures of the events and discover the most recent developments. There is a hierarchy of news value in which live actuality pictures are the most attractive to the producers of television news programmes, followed by actuality pictures that have been pre-recorded and, finally, those stories that cannot be illustrated by actuality footage or another visual form such as an interview are the stories that are least likely to appear. Television news claims to denote events objectively and immediately, offering a neutral and transparent channel of communication. The iconic quality of television images, which appear simply to record what is unfolding in front of the camera, are key signifiers of this mythology of transparency. When news events such as election results or the Olympics are broadcast live, or when a national event such as a royal wedding or the occurrence and aftermath of disasters are broadcast, it is the accidental detail and unpredictable unfolding of events that are fascinating.
