Hallin's spheres

Hallin's spheres refer to a theory of media coverage developed by communication scholar Daniel C. Hallin in his book The Uncensored War. It posits three areas of media coverage into which a topic may fall. Journalists cover each area with different rules of objectivity. The areas are diagrammed as concentric circles referred to as spheres. From innermost to outer most they are: the Sphere of Consensus, the Sphere of Legitimate Controversy, and the Sphere of Deviance.

The idea is similar to a number of similar concepts, including especially the Overton Window, which posits a sliding scale of public opinion on any given issue ranging from conventional wisdom to unacceptable. Though the Hallin's Spheres theory is similar to the Overton Window, it is a theory of the press, not overall public opinion, and uses a clearer demarcation of areas of consensus vs. controversy.

Hallinn's also more general conceptions of public understanding, such as framing, which offers a more general description of the presentation and reception of issues in public. For example, framing the use of certain drugs as criminal activity vs. a medical condition vs. personal choice can affect whether the public generally considers that behavior anti-social. There are also narrower conceptions, as with the idea of an opinion corridor, a phrase coined to describe the narrowing of public opinion in Sweden to exclude many opinions widely held by the populace. In Hallin's terms, a narrowing of the opinion corridor moves certain policies from the spheres of consensus or legitimate controversy into the sphere of deviance.

Description

Sphere of Consensus

This Sphere contains those topics on which there is widespread agreement, or at least the perception thereof. Within the Sphere of Consensus, 'journalists feel free to invoke a generalized “we” and to take for granted shared values and shared assumptions' Example include such things as free speech, the abolition of slavery, or human rights. For topic in this sphere "journalists do not feel compelled to present an opposing view point or to remain disinterested observers."

Sphere of Legitimate Controversy

For topics in this sphere rational and informed people hold differing views. These topics are therefore the most important to cover, and also ones upon which journalists are obliged to remain disinterested reporters, rather than advocating for or against a particular view. Schudson notes that Hallin, in his influential study of the US media during the Vietnam War, argues that journalism’s commitment to objectivity has always been compartmentalized. That is, within a certain sphere—the sphere of legitimate controversy—journalists seek conscientiously to be balanced and objective.

Sphere of Deviance

Topics in this sphere are rejected by journalists as being unworthy of general consideration. Such views are perceived as being either unfounded, taboo, or of such minor consequence that they are not news worthy. Hallin argues that in the sphere of deviance, 'journalists also depart from standard norms of objective reporting and feel authorized to treat as marginal, laughable, dangerous, or ridiculous individuals and groups who fall far outside a range of variation taken as legitimate' For example, a person claiming that aliens are manipulating college basketball scores might have difficulty finding media coverage for such a claim

Uses of the terms

Craig Watkins (2001, pp. 92–4) makes use of the Hallin's spheres in a paper examining ABC, CBS, and NBC television network television news coverage of the "Million Man March," a demonstration that took place in Washington, DC on October 16, 1995. Watkins analyzes the dominant framing practices-problem definition, rhetorical devices, use of sources, and images-employed by journalists to make sense of this particular expression of political protest. He argues that Hallins three spheres are a way for media framing practices to develop specific reportorial contexts, each sphere develops its own distinct style of news reporting resources by different rhetorical tropes and discourses.

Piers Robinson (2001, p. 536) uses the concept in relation to debate that have emerged over the extent to which the mass media serves elite interests or, alternatively, plays a powerful role in shaping political outcomes. His articles reviews Hallin’s spheres as an example of media-state relations, that highlights theoretical and empirical shortcomings in the ‘manufacturing consent’ thesis (Chomsky McChesney). Robinson argues that a more nuanced and bi-directional understanding is needed of the direction of influence between media and the state that builds upon, rather than rejecting, existing theoretical accounts.

Hallin's theory assumed a relatively homogenized media environment, where most producers were trying to reach most consumers. A more fractured media landscape can challenge this assumption. because different audiences may place topics in different spheres, a concept related to the filter bubble, which posits that many members of the public choose to limit their media consumption to the areas of consensus and deviance that they personally prefer.

See also

• Ambit claim
• Argument to moderation
• Door-in-the-face technique
• Slippery slope
• Framing (social sciences)
• Creeping normality
• Opinion corridor
• Political suicide
• Spiral of silence
• Third rail of politics
• Cultural hegemony

External links

• Audience Atomization Overcome: Why the Internet Weakens the Authority of the Press, Rosen, Jay. PressThink.org, January 12, 2009
• The Sphere of Deviance Smith, Christopher. WNYMedia.net, 2009.
• Does NPR have a Liberal Bias?, On The Media from NPR. Retrieved 11 February 2013