NDM: News values

Galtung and Ruge

How has new and digital media technology changed Galtung and Ruge’s news values?
How would you update them for 2015?

Immediacy is vital as social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat have the ability to report breaking news on the users timelines at any given time. However, content is most likely to be a source of citizen journalism and might not be completely accurate. 
Familiarity is useful is Twitter in particular as anyone can adjust their trending topics to the city they are currently living in. From that, news stories will be trending in line with the location the news is from.
Amplitude is convenient as large audiences can use online newspapers such as The Daily Mail, which is popular in numerous countries.
Frequency: the internet allows citizen journalists to have no limit of articles they want to post, even for newspapers although they report main news stories once
Unambiguity: especially with citizen journalism, some of the information can be unclear (due to audio problems for instance)
Predictability: in some instances news can be predicted. The London riots is a prime example of this, as social media promoted it and caused a big manic.
Surprise: for instance, celebrity stories in "the sidebar of shame" is usually exaggerated or unexpected. Online newspapers, such as The Daily Mail, are responsible for this.
Continuity: if online newspaper accounts, especially on Twitter tweet articles and this generates discussion then automatically it's interpreted as news. 
Elite nations and people: some stories which were front-page newspaper covers few years back might not be the front of online newspapers today. This is because audiences are more infatuated with celebrities.
Negativity: people have the ability on social media to freely express their opinion. With celebrities, who are seen as opinion leaders, can change views of people to think different of events in the news.
Balance: this is vital, for instance many stories about government scandals may be exposed near election time.

Questions for Fran Unsworth

1. Did all reporters at the BBC attend a private school?
2. How do you manage your roles and responsibilities on a daily basis?
3. In your opinion, do you think the tv license is valid?

Weekly New/Digital Media homework Week 8

WEEK 8
1. YouTube Red subscription to mix music, digital stars and ad-free viewing

• YouTube has built its billion-viewer audience on the basis of free, ad-supported videos and a growing roster of digital stars. Now it hopes exclusive shows from some of the latter will persuade people to pay to access the service.
• Google hopes shows from PewDiePie, Lilly Singh and The Fine Brothers will persuade YouTube viewers to pay $9.99 a month for premium access
• It will launch in late October for the US, costing $9.99 a month, before rolling out globally. Besides the exclusive shows, subscribers will be able to watch all YouTube videos without advertising, and download them to their mobile devices for offline viewing.

2. IOS 9.1

• Explosion of 150 more emoji, including rude hand gesture, comes along with UK launch of Apple News and security updates
• The update also brings bug and security fixes, plus a system that detects when you raise and lower your phone when taking Live Photos so shots of the air or feet are minimised. The security fixes, as with all updates, make it worth updating to minimise your risk from hackers.

Learner Response

Developments in new/digital media mean that audiences can now have access to a greater variety of views and values. To what extent are audiences empowered by these developments

Learner Response: re-write paragraph on citizen journalism

Furthermore, technology allows anyone with a camera phone to be empowered. This enables people to be a citizen journalist in their own right. A prominent way this is shown is through the police brutality which has most recently taken place, the Michael Brown Ferguson incident is particular. The incident was recorded by a bystander, which clearly shows an unarmed 18-year old being harassed and beaten by police, ultimately led to his death. This footage was leaked onto the internet. This caused uproar instantly on social media and protests began to demonstrate how police brutality will not be accepted in the States. Social media sites, such as Instagram and Twitter played a role is demonstrating how police brutality is an urgent issue which needs to be addressed. For instance, the hashtag "#BlackLivesMatter" was trending worldwide on all social media sites to raise awareness about the issue. This encouraged audiences to challenge authority and question if black lives really do matter. This caused moral panic and became a massive issue only because of the video evidence which surfaced. If the bystander didn't record the beating then authority (such as the police) wouldn't be questioned. The power of the camera phone illustrates how evidence of a police beating can spark violence as protesters returned to the riot-scarred streets of Ferguson, a day after crowds looted businesses and set fire to buildings in a night of rage against a grand jury's decision not to indict the white police officer who killed Michael Brown. As a result, the bystander was arrested and proves how powerful citizen journalism is because the bystander himself was clearly innocent and harmless. However, from the perspective of the police, the definitely despised the fact that the bystander recorded this footage and made this issue of racism more known. The power of camera phones allows audiences to be empowered as they can record an incident and make it a public issue.

Weekly New/Digital Media homework Week 7

WEEK 7
1. Twitter’s TV strategy

• Users of the social networking service are watching 370 years of video a day
• Like Facebook, Twitter is love-bombing the TV industry in the hopes of getting broadcast“It was this sense of where TV used to be seen as a wave where you just sit and it crashes over you for an hour and you’re consumed" and producers to help drive more conversation around their shows on the social networks 
• Twitter has become a broadcaster of sorts itself: its 316 million active users currently watch 370 years worth of video every day on the service. 
• That’s giving Twitter a better idea of what kind of videos its users like best. “They like shorter clips – 30 to 45 second

2.  Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 – five things we've learned about the campaign

• Black Ops 3 is set in 2065 and there have been a major advances in robotic and bionic technology since the Black Ops 2 timeline
• Cooperation is going to be the central focus of the new campaign, with a focus on personal choice and ability rather than run ‘n’ gun action
• Set 40 years after the events of Black Ops 2, the world is now divided into a patchwork of international alliances, all investigating advanced cybernetic and bio-augmentation technologies. The narrative follows a group of robotically enhanced super soldiers, investigating the disappearance of a CIA operative in Singapore, as well as a huge data leak of military secrets.
• During a reveal event in April, developer Treyarch announced that the campaign would be a four-player co-op mode with large, open environments – it even promised a more complex story in which multiple playthroughs may be required to get the full picture.
• Furthmore, each player’s configurations will be based on the decisions they have made throughout their campaign experience: the more you play, the more cybercores, weapon attachments and other pieces of equipment you’re able to unlock and utilise. 

NDM News: Citizen journalism

Is reality becoming more real?

Examples

• Rodney King - caught after a high-speed chase, officers surrounded him, tasered him and chased him - the event filmed by an onlooker recording the event from his apartment window. 
• December 26th 2004 - Asian Tsunami - tourists filming, on-the-spot witnesses
• July 5th, 2005 - London Bombings - footage on phones by bystanders described as "raw"
• Hudson river plane crash - Twitter broke the news, twitpic posted
• Mumbai bombings 2008

Theory (audience reception etc.) 

• Hyperreality theory (Baudrillard) - news constructs reality, whereas citizen journalism is more realistic and authentic. Although the production values are low in terms of poor sound and shaky camerawork, the production of authenticity increases. Citizen journalism is challenging this theory. 

Benefits to institutions 

• There are fewer permanent staff at institutions - this is an effective method of cutting costs. Citizen journalism is free, whereas professional journalists have to be paid
• Institutions can create dramatic stories with evidence from citizen journalism, ultimately recognition gained for institution
• Citizen journalists drive content and attract audiences 
• Audiences gravitate to bigger institutions for big stories - creates profit

Benefits to audience 

• Audiences see things they don't usually do - less user-generated content/moderated content
• Audiences have the ability to challenge authority

Wider issues and debates 

• Hard for institutions to verify stories from citizen journalism 
• Selective editing from institutions giving false headlines - ultimately institutions lose credibility
• Idea of stories from citizen journalism being a hoax could harm institutions
• Threat to authority - police and government being challenged
• Institutions lose mass control as advances in technology mean that social media sites such as YouTube and Twitter have dominated as audiences gravitate towards them as a source of surveillance (uses and gratifications theory)

SHEP
Social

• Anybody with a cameraphone/smartphone can be a citizen journalist as they can post up their evidence to social media instantly

Historical 

• Certain stories which have been a high-watermark in the news industry are only big because of the invention of cameraphones which allow memebers of the public to record evidence and post it up to social media sites. 

e.g. Rodney King - caught after a high-speed chase, officers surrounded him, tasered him and chased him - the event filmed by an onlooker recording the event from his apartment window. 

Economical 

• Institutions cutting costs as they can get rid of current professional journalists and can run their company of citizen journalism which is free
• Institutions also at risk of losing profit as audiences may completely gravitate towards citizen journalism completely 

Political 

Authority being threatened - police and government as citizen journalism allows people to challenge and share examples of injustice freely although some may suffer the consequences of being prosecuted 

  

QUESTIONS 

1) What is meant by the term ‘citizen journalist’?

A citizen journalist is one who shares news instantly, as the advances in technology allow anyone with a videophone can upload content onto social media. 

2) What was one of the first examples of news being generated by ‘ordinary people’?

In 1991, the Rodney King incident where police were shown beating up King sparked huge civil interest. A bystander was looking outside his apartment window and saw the incident and immediately began recording.

3) List some of the formats for participation that are now offered by news organisations.

Bebo, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube Wikipedia news, Google news and Twitter

4) What is one of the main differences between professionally shot footage and that taken first-hand (UGC)?

Professionally shot footage has high production values and may be slightly altered to make the news seem more dramatic than what it already is. First-hand footage usually has low production values, such as the sound might be poor quality, and has a more authentic "in-the-moment" feel. 

5) What is a gatekeeper?

A gatekeeper decide what is news and what isn't.

6) How has the role of a gatekeeper changed?
Audiences can send in as much UGC into major news organisations without being aired. Also, citizen journalism means that anything can be made out to be news, even with video evidence because what matters is how the audience interpret the news. 

7) What is one of the primary concerns held by journalists over the rise of UGC?
The risk of being dominated by racism and "hate-fuelled" content 

What impact is new/digital media having on the following:

• News stories

Advances in technology mean that social media has dominated the news industry as citizen journalism is pivitol is providing news for other users. For example, the Eric Garner case where a bystander took video evidence of his arrest was all over social media sites and this impacted audiences worldwide. As a result, the hashtag #ICantBreathe was trending worldwide to raise awareness of this case and to demonstrate how the police are brutal and violent. 

• The news agenda (the choice of stories that make up the news)

Citizen journalism has the ability to make anyone believe what they read, ultimately this can cause moral panic. Institutions are running off citizen journalism as their news stories are replicated from evidence of which citizen journalism creates. 

• The role of professionals in news

Professionals are being degraded as citizen journalism has dominated over the past few years in which how audiences receive their news. Journalists spend much time doing thorough investigation, whereas citizen journalism allows unmoderated content to be broadcasted quickly. Ultimately, this causes moral panic. 

Weekly New/Digital Media homework Week 6

WEEK 6

1. Facebook 'reactions': social network adds emoji to 'Like' options

• Users felt as if the “like” button was limiting the human emotional spectrum
• From Friday, Ireland and Spain will be the first to test the new feature. 
• Love, laughter, cheeky smiles, shock and anger will be some of those available to users in the trial, 
• “What [people] really want is the ability to express empathy. Not every moment is a good moment." 
• Facebook’s new reactions do look a lot like a subset of emoji. They are reminiscent too of the stickers available in Gmail’s Hangout

2. Uber faces lawsuit in US over two alleged sexual 

assaults by drivers

• High-profile law firm brings action on behalf of one woman from Boston and another from South Carolina, and says Uber ‘fails to protect female passengers’
• The law firm that represented the hotel maid who said she was sexually assaulted by Dominique Strauss-Kahn and a woman from Delhi who said she was raped and beaten after hailing an Uber driver last December has filed a lawsuit against the controversial taxi app on behalf of two female passengers.
• Uber said it had worked with law enforcement in both cases, and said “both drivers have been permanently removed from the platform”.
• The suit, filed in US district court in San Francisco by Wigdor, a New York law firm, alleges that Uber targets its marketing toward women who have been drinking yet fails to protect female passengers by not adequately screening drivers and routinely hiring drivers with criminal histories.
• The taxi app is valued at more than $50bn, making it the most valuable of the new “sharing economy” tech companies. 

Build The Wall analysis

• Section 1 (To all of the bystanders reading this…)

Content is free online and the idea of creating a new revenue stream from online subscriptions seems "daunting" and "dangerous."

• Section 2 (Truth is, a halting movement toward...)

Free newspaper web sites are more popular as it's hard to replicate stories in print newspaper.

• Section 3 (Beyond Mr. Sulzberger and Ms. Weymouth…)

Online subscription is a profitable revenue stream and newspapers never charged readers what it actually cost to "get the product to their doorstep."

• Section 4 (For the industry, it is later than it should be…)

Online subscription-based news organizations that cover state and local issues, sports, and finance, generating enough to maintain a small revenue, despite given the absence of circulation costs

David Simon’s overall argument 

David Simon argues how print journalism is dying out due to the fact that there is free newspaper content available online. He states how online subscriptions are a bad idea. Also, he states how there is a "mix of journalism" that justifies a subscription fee. Considering the fact whether readers may not pay for what they have already accepted as free, the industry mistook the Internet as a "mere advertising opportunity" for their product in the first place. Readers rightly identify the immediate “digitized version” of newspapers as superior due to the advances in new and digital media. The internet content is free and this allows citizen journalism to be dominant in how audiences receive their news. News can also be provided through blogs, news web, therefore this highlights how the print newspaper is diminished. Furthermore, David Simon analyses how the decline in newspapers leads to a reduction in staff. The example provided is from ‘The Sun’ where the staff dropped drastically from 500 to 160. There is major risk behind the paywall as newspapers have to ensure their audience are engaged with the content all the time.

Read this response to the article by Dave Levy, criticising and disagreeing with David Simon's viewpoint. What references to new and digital media can you find in Levy's response?

Dave Levy argues that there is a major difference between a news reporter online and a non-professional journalism. The content provided online is not the issue but the way in which audiences receive their news has become much easier and advances in technology means that news is widely available for free. He also states how "the influencers will find other ways to learn and pass information out there because the barrier of entry is miniscule" which ultimately means that print newspaper is starting to decline as the internet is a source for news. He argues that there is not a major need for paid subscriptions online as he states "we don't have thoroughbreds who have an institutional advantage (a printing press, an FCC license, a satellite, a studio) to get our news." This means that institutions are practically wasting their time charging consumers when they can go to other competitors to receive news. 

What is your own opinion? Do you agree that newspapers need to put online content behind a paywall in order for the journalism industry to survive? Would you be willing to pay for news online? 

In my opinion, I disagree that newspapers need to put online content behind a paywall as it's a waste of time. Audiences will automatically go to competitors for free news and with the advances in technology social media plays a role in providing news in terms of citizen journalism,In order for journalism to survive in the industry providing free news is the best option. In the long run, there will most probably only be one/two main newspapers audiences go to for news. Although paywalls create little revenue for institutions, audiences are most likely to go for the free option. 

Weekly New/Digital Media homework Week 5

WEEK 5

1. Facebook satellite to beam internet to remote regions in Africa

“To connect people living in remote regions, traditional connectivity infrastructure is often difficult and inefficient, so we need to invent new technologies.”

• Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg took to his own timeline on Monday to announce that the company would be providing web access from space
• A new satellite called Amos-6 will make the web accessible from big chunks of sub-Saharan Africa
• Satellite services such as Zuckerberg’s could provide a much-needed stopgap solution for large parts of the continent where those slowly approaching fiber-optic cables are a long way off

2. iPhone 6S review: a very good phone ruined by rubbish battery life

• The iPhone 6S is the best smartphone Apple has ever produced, but it’s marred by poor battery life that will not see you through a day
• Battery life is the iPhone 6S’s biggest problem. During the week the phone failed to make it past 11pm after leaving the charger at 7.30am in the morning.
• Apple has chosen weight and thickness over battery life
• Short battery life is deeply frustrating

Newspapers: The effect of online technology

Do you agree with James Murdoch that the BBC should not be allowed to provide free news online? Why?

No, because the way in which audiences receive their news over the past free years has been for free. If the BBC start charging for news this will give competitors such as 'The Guardian' as advantage as audiences will be willing to do anything to access free news. The BBC have been established for so long and with the advances in technology it's obvious that audiences will not pay for news when they can go elsewhere and get news for free. 

Was Rupert Murdoch right to put his news content (The Times, The Sun) behind a paywall?

In my opinion, Rupert Murdoch wasn't right to put a paywall behind his news content as convincing people to "pay for news" does not remove a £28 million loss overnight or even in five years. Although his paywall has has 140,000 subscribers, other news institutions such as 'The Daily Mail Online'  will attract many users as it doesn't have a paywall.

Comments:

"To go from zero to 140,000 digital customers is a significant achievement"

> I agree to a short extent that having 140,000 digital customers is a good thing however other competitors have a bigger advantage over taking previous readers from The Sun and The Times, therefore it's not as significant.

"Not a solution to those existential problems"

> I agree fully with this statement as charging previous loyal customers will make them uneasy as they are used to free news. 

Why do you think the Evening Standard has bucked the trend and increased circulation and profit in the last two years?

The 'Evening Standard' is described to be an "anomaly" in terms of circulation. This is due to the fact that at the start of the year the Evening Standard increased the amount of copies a day produced from 700,000 copies a day to closer to 900,000, This explains 27 percent increase in circulation. 

Is there any hope for the newspaper industry or will it eventually die out? 

Digital audiences are growing rapidly and I think that the newspaper industry will eventually die out at least within the next 10 years. There will probably be one major print newspaper that will still be recognised for reporting breaking news. The 'Daily Mail' and 'The Guardian' are the two newspapers most focused on the mass reach model. Yet even though consumers are able to access all their online content for free.

NDM: The future of newspapers

Do you agree with its view that it is ‘a cause for concern, but not for panic’?

“A GOOD newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself”  Arthur Miller, 1961

I agree with the statement that the view of newspapers declining is a 'cause for concern' because net journalism has dominated the newspaper industry. The web has "opened the closed world of professional editors" and anyone "with a keyboard and an internet connection" can report news.  Print media is falling apart to the  from the internet. The most successful example of print news was from the Washington Post which wrote a series of articles that brought down President Nixon and the status of print journalism soared. At their best, newspapers hold governments and companies to account. Philip Meyer calculates that the first quarter of 2043 will be the moment when newsprint dies in America. Britons aged between 15 and 24 say they spend almost 30% less time reading national newspapers once they start using the web.