Articles Week 3

The Daily Mail

Britain's coronavirus crisis could last until Spring 2021 with up to 8 million people - or 15% of the population - hospitalised, secret NHS briefing reveals - as death toll leaps 14 in a day to 35.

• This news story is about the current global epidemic that has caused huge uproars and thousands of deaths. It has been approximately a few weeks since the official name of the epidemic and has already caused 6.5 thousand deaths.
• The article claims that the virus will die down in summer and reappear in winter. If the rates of death keep going at the same rate as right now, that means there will be 78 thousand deaths. That figure alone is horrifying.
• This is an example of hard news as it is an important in the time news story that affects everyone nationally and globally.
• It may appeal to audiences as it is still happening in current time. People want to stay up to date with the news of this deadly virus. Furthermore any notices on shut downs and lock downs are likely to appear so people would read this to find out what happens next.
• Since the story is about a current issue that we all face today. Its seriousness and importance are definitely an example of quality journalism and not clickbait.

The i

Coronavirus: UK death toll reaches 35 in largest rise of Covid-19 deaths since global pandemic began

• This news story is about rapid growing number of coronavirus death cases in the UK.
• The deaths on Friday sat at 11, jumping to 21 on Saturday and jumping a further 14 to hit 35 on Sunday.
• This is an example of hard news as it shows audiences serious and important news that affects the majority of people in the world. 
• As for how it appeals to audience members, since the disease is such a wide spread disease killing thousands of people across the globe, it means that people would been keen to keep up on the news of this.
• This article is not clickbait as there are actual statistics that prove the words of the article.

Newspapers: Regulation

1) Keith Perch used to edit the Leicester Mercury. How many staff did it have at its peak and where does Perch see the paper in 10 years' time?

Leicester Mercury had 130 staff members at its peak.
Perch sees the paper if print, very expensive and small circulation but if online , then it will be free with less staff running it.

2) How does Perch view the phone hacking scandal?

He suggests that because the police didn’t handle the case well, the newspaper had to get involved which meant that they got caught in between  it.


3) What does IPSO stand for and how does it work?

IPSO-  Independent Press Standards Organization
If a newspaper has a complaint and doesn’t do anything within 28 days IPSO intervenes and sees if it is eligible for a adrift and then they demand a rectification of the page.

4) What is Perch's view of newspaper ownership?

He thinks that newspapers shouldn’t be owned and harshly regulated, especially big coorperations such as Rupert Murdoch’s brands. He is a believer in freedom of speech.

5) Do you agree with his view that broadcast news should have less regulation so that TV channels can support particular political parties or people?

No, I think broadcast news should have more regulation to make sure there is less false news and immoral activity occurring within the stories that are being put out.



Write an essay on your blog answering the following question:

What are the arguments for and against statutory regulation of the newspaper industry? 

Your answer should be at least 750 words and feature a minimum of five paragraphs.

The newspaper industry carries many questions about the regulation process. There are many arguments for and against this matter.

Some people who are against the idea of statutory regulation argue that it goes against a simple idea of freedom of speech. By having the government filter what people decide to write in the papers acts as a barrier for people to not be able to express their own thoughts aloud. Even though a test had been carried out showing that 80% of the people had voted for a statutory regulation to occur, it has been later shown that only 50% of people vote meaning it does not take account of everyone hence making the statistics unreliable.

On the other hand, there are people who are for the idea of statutory regulation. As time goes on, we start to see more and more diverse news stories. Some good but some are not so. The papers are not limited to a certain age group and anyone can read them including very young children. By having content that may not be suitable for them (Eg. deaths, serious injuries or any other harmful content to children) on the newspaper, it becomes an issue for them. Furthermore, it is also argued that certain topics are morally wrong. Topics such as war photography can be seen as immoral. Taking pictures of the suffering and horrible war sights can be a huge shock to readers.

This can then be argued that the war photographers are there to put out and educate the readers to show them what war is like. It is argued to be a form of educational information. The use of taboo topics is there because people need to know about what the world consists of.. They believe that people should know everything without restrictions and that means doing anything inn order to make sure that people get all the information possible to them.

However, this also touches upon the human right of privacy. Taking the Miller Dowler case into consideration, the hacking of the dead girls phone was a direct invasion of privacy whether she was dead or not. By doing whatever journalist wanted to do in order to gain new information to the point of even hacking into the personal privacy of a dead girl was seem as outrageous and fuelled the argument for why statutory regulation should be put in place. A violation of human rights is not to be joked about and neither should it me tolerated.

In conclusion, I believe that statutory regulation should definitely be put in place as there are just too many things in the media that are either harmful to children of tap into the immoral actions. I do believe that people should have freedom of speech but the way they pass on their point should change. By having the government check through the articles allows there to be a standard to what kind of information and pictures are being put into the papers that should affect not only one group of people but everyone around the globe. If people have decided to vote for the current government, they should be able to trust them enough to regulate the newspapers.

Newspaper: News Values

1) Come up with a news story from the last 12 months for each of the categories suggested by Harriss, Leiter and Johnson:
Conflict - North Korea fires at least 3 unidentified projectiles, South Korean military says
Progress - China's aggressive measures have slowed the Coronavirus
Disaster - Coronavirus: Italy in 'massive shock therapy' pledge to offset virus impact
Consequence - Economic impact of coronavirus outbreak deepens
Prominence - Katy Perry's heartbreak as grandma dies days after announcing pregnancy
Novelty - Natwest hole in the wall joins Derbyshire town's Tripadvisor top attractions list

2) What example news story does the Factsheet use to illustrate Galtung and Ruge's News Values? Why is it an appropriate example of a news story likely to gain prominent coverage?

• Asylum: You're right to worry

• This story would gain coverage as it talks about immigration and the negative perspective on asyluim seekers which is a popluar story in the UK

3) What is gatekeeping?

• Gatekeeping relates to the process of filtering information prior to dissemination. 

4) What are the six ways bias can be created in news?

• How bias is created: 
• Bias through selection and omission
• Bias through placement
• Bias by headline
• Bias by photos, captions, and camera angles
• Bias through use of names and titles
• Bias by choice of words

5) How have online sources such as Twitter, bloggers or Wikileaks changed the way news is selected and published?

• They arent from actual journalists, they are from regular internet users who share what they please.

6) Complete the task on the last page of the Factsheet regarding Sky News and Twitter:

What does this reveal about how Sky views Twitter as a news source?

• It views it as a reliable and powerful news source.

What does it say about how news is being produced?

• It relies on the power of the audience and what they would like to show 

What role does the audience have in this process?

• A very powerful role as they have control over news outlets 

Why might this be a problem for journalistic standards?

• They could be made redundant.

7) In your opinion, how has the digital age changed Galtung and Ruge’s news values?
The digital age has meant more values arent as reliable on audiences.


8) How would you update them for 2018? Choose TWO of Galtung and Ruge's news values and say how they have been affected by the growth of digital technology.
Unexpectedness: Social media can retrieve news a lot faster than news outlets.
Clarity or lack of ambiguity: Fake news clashes with the clarity and reliability

Future of journalism

1) Why does Clay Shirky argue that 'accountability journalism' is so important and what example does he give of this?

He thinks accountability journalism is way for illegal journalism to be called out and rectified.

2) What does Shirky say about the relationship between newspapers and advertisers? Which websites does he mention as having replaced major revenue-generators for newspapers (e.g. jobs, personal ads etc.)?

Some newspapers that have advertising on them also contain quality journalism,but due to the need to pay, some advertisers find it difficult to remain a good relationship

3) Shirky talks about the 'unbundling of content'. This means people are reading newspapers in a different way. How does he suggest audiences are consuming news stories in the digital age?

Because of the rise of the internet, more people are consuming news stories through  social media.

4) Shirky also talks about the power of shareable media. How does he suggest the child abuse scandal with the Catholic Church may have been different if the internet had been widespread in 1992?

The internet can make topics go viral instantly  and if the abuse occurred during the rise of the internet it would’ve become a lot more widespread a lot quicker.

5) Why does Shirky argue against paywalls? 

Paywalls are limiting to how much news readers can consume meaning less news is being spread and understood 

6) What is a 'social good'? In what way is journalism a 'social good'?

Commercial journalism is less sustainable now because of public journalism.

7) Shirky says newspapers are in terminal decline. How does he suggest we can replace the important role in society newspapers play? What is the short-term danger to this solution that he describes?

He says that we shouldn’t look for another institution to provide it but have multiple sources that can provide news. He thinks nothing can replace newspapers
8) Look at the first question and answer regarding institutional power. Give us your own opinion: how important is it that major media brands such as the New York Times or the Guardian continue to stay in business and provide news?

 They can provide reliable content to media consumers that provide news in a traditional format .

Articles Week 2

The Daily Mail

Stockpilers pushing trolleys piled high with toilet rolls form enormous queues at Costco while shelves are stripped empty in Asda in coronavirus panic.

•  This is an example of hard news as the article is about something serious and current. 
•  The article is about the rapid sales of stock seen in supermarkets across the UK including huge supermarkets such as Costco or Asda.
• The news article is very important as the Coronavirus has become an epidemic and a world wide case disease causing the deaths of hundreds of people.
• It may appeal to people as it is of present time and directly affect everyone.
• It reflects the newspapers values as it informs the readers about important information about a deadly the disease that can be harmful to everyone.
• This is not clickbait as we can see that there are actual pictures from these supermarkets that show the reader that the shelves of many of these supermarkets are in fact empty due to panic buying from customers.

The I

Italy quarantines 16 million people to stem coronavirus outbreak - what does it mean for Italians or for Brits travelling to Italy.

• This is an example of hard news as it is news of an epidemic that affects not only one country but the entire world which is very serious and important news.
• The news article focuses on Italy and the actions they have taken against the Coronavirus. The quarantine of 16 million people affects not only the people in the country but also any of their family and friends that are in different countries.
• It would appeal to readers since it is a big news story that is very recent and impactful on the people all around the world. 
• It reflects the newspapers values of being independent as there are no signs of any sort of bias information or any help from other firms to make this news article.
• This is not clickbait as the news story is seen in not only the i but many other news companies. Italy is also going through this and there are videos and pictures that show the event to prove this.

Articles Week 1

The Daily Mail

Singer Anne Marie issues mortified apology after appearing in TV sketch where Ant & Dec wore headbands displaying Japan's controversial Rising Sun flag.

• This is soft news since it is about a celebrity.
• This may appeal to audiences as firstly, the people talked about in the article are well known. And secondly, the cultural aspect that is also linked in with this article may make some readers more engaged.
• The rising sun symbol that we can see 'Ant and Dec' wearing on the headband they are wearing symbolises Japanese culture from a long time ago. It is a sign of lightness in the dark and has been seen as a physical sign of historic events linked with Japan.
• Daily mail being a worldwide newspaper means having news that links in with not only British news and history can reflect the newspaper and its values.
• I do not think that this article is a clickbait as we can see evidence in the picture of the article. If there is evidence of the article, it is simply quality journalism.

The I

BTS tour 2020: everything we know about their Twickenham Stadium UK show and the world tour dates

• This is also soft news at it is about celebrities.
• This may appeal to an audience as k-pop in general has grown over the years at a rapid speed. BTS being one of the most well known groups will surely peak many readers' interest.
• The article explains the upcoming show that the group BTS is going to perform in the UK. The title reveals little about the news as a whole but gives off enough information for the audience to understand the basis of what the article will be about.
• This article reflects the diversity seen within their newspaper. By not only sticking to one race or topic allows them to target more than one group of audience. 
• I believe that this is not clickbait as the date release for the times of the tour have been announced and shown on social media already. If they have already been officially released then this news must also be quality journalism.