Chequebook Journalism

After studying the idea of Chequebook journalism in Rob Melville’s class I decided to look a bit deeper into the subject.

The idea of tabloid newspapers paying for information to publish and possibly respectable newspapers doing the same, to me is ludicrous. Surely the job of a journalist is to find information his/herself and then produce a story from that information. This idea of paying for news seems lazy and incompetent and I followed up an example from www.journalism.co.uk

I feel that news generated via chequebook journalism should be better monitored if not banned from the media as it affects impartiality and integrity, as well as devaluing the profession.

New UK Press Guidelines for Suicide

There have been new media guidelines introduced in the UK in regards to reporting on suicide, following an article published in Northern Ireland’s edition of the Sunday World, which showed a close-up of a man who had taken his life.

The picture, showing the man hanging from a bridge, was published on the front page of the newspaper with a description of various aspects of the death. The journalist also speculated as to whether or not it was suicide or murder. This goes against various guidelines set out in order to prevent the encouragement of suicide.

The new guidelines are an extension of the older ones set in place, and state:

• Avoid prominent placement of stories about suicide – specifically do not report them on the front page.
• Avoid explicit description of the method used as this may lead to an increase in the use of this method.
• Avoid providing detailed information about the site of the suicide as this may lead to an increase in the number of suicides at that site.
• Avoid using photographs and if any images are to be used ask permission of the family – bereaved family members are at heightened risk of suicide themselves.

Below you can find a link to the BBC news website which has published an article and has a video interview with various parties and their reactions to this article being published.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/foyle_and_west/8336911.stm

These changes are evidence that guidelines need to be constantly changed as the media are always challenging them and sometimes even breaking them.

 

The Impact of Technology

As we further progress into the age of technology it is becoming more and more apparant at how much newspapers have had to adapt.

As I scroll through The Guardian’s website (www.guardian.co.uk), the traditional newspaper being published online is no longer the case. I am able to access Podcasts, Blogs from the public and video footage, which would not have been there in past years. This is evidence of how technology has forced papers to adapt in order to survive, but they must be commended for their efforts in embracing these new medias in order to remain competitive and retain their audiences.

Some would argue that technology spells the end for newspapers, and journalism itself, however I have to disagree. Technology, if used by journalists correctly, will allow the industry to expand and grow further as news can be accessed 24 hours a day and exchanged worldwide. Citizen journalists can also contribute to real news in order to enhance it by adding humanity. The same applies to pictures.

Having a blog of my own, I believe that technology is helping journalism along and enabling it to bring more relevant news at a faster pace and I will personally be embracing it for years to come.

Product Placement Legalised in UK

In an unexpected move, product placement is to be allowed on British television in order to generate more revenue for independent broadcasters. The move could see an additional £100m per year being generated for companies. However, the BBC are still unable to place items and this is also the case on all children’s television programs.

Personally I feel that this change in legislation is an excellent move to help struggling companies in the media industry and other markets, but I also feel that it raises questions as to whether or not the placement of products is seen as a “quick cash fix” or if it is in the interest of the general public. Although it ensures that treasured broadcasters such as ITV and Channel 4 are kept from bankruptcy and can continue to survive during a time when the media industry is in chaos, I feel it should be considered carefully and regulated strictly by OFCOM in order to protect the public’s needs and interests.

The video below shows the news at ten on BBC reporting on this decision.

Below is a link to the BBC website containing the official report on the decision.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8252901.stm

Product Placement in America as a source of income.