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.

 

Profile: Jane Loughrey

Jane Loughrey told me that her most difficult report, and the one that affected her the most, was the Omagh bombing in 1998. She said that it was “traumatic and harrowing to witness the pain but I had a job to do and it was my duty to deliver the news with humanity, and that was difficult.” Jane said even to this day she still finds it “amazing that people invite me in during times of grief.” She has been brought in more than she has been turned away, a true example of the trust she has gained from the public in Northern Ireland.

 A single mother of one from Belfast, Jane is the principal reporter in Ulster Television and has been a journalist for the past twenty years. However, it appeared that Jane stumbled across this career by complete accident, and she has not looked back since. Jane’s interest in becoming a journalist was sparked when she began working with the “Student News” in Queen’s University Belfast, even though she was studying business management. She was unsure which area of journalism she wanted to enter and was torn between broadcast journalism and print; however she believed papers to be “yesterday’s news” which made her disinterested in this aspect of media, although she still “respects newspapers” and feels that there will always be a place in the world for them. After a number of years Jane applied for a place in the London College of Arts for a course in broadcast journalism which had twenty places, and with over two thousand applicants it did not look hopeful, however she did get accepted. After graduating she worked for free for many papers in order to gain experience and was rejected from seventy five radio stations as her Irish accent was seen as “not acceptable at the time.” But, she got her lucky break when Classic FM took her on to work behind the scenes which later resulted in her having to read the news and this set her on the path to a successful career. Jane said that the experience from working on the radio was “invaluable, as you are on your own and the vital experience is gained. There will always be a part of my heart that belongs to radio.”

 Jane moved on from radio to work for Ulster Television where she has covered a vast range of stories, from The Troubles to features for the programme. She still finds it as interesting as when she first started, but she believes the nature of news in Northern Ireland has changed, making it different and somewhat more difficult to find news worthy stories. Jane’s passion for broadcast journalism was evident in how she spoke about it, saying it was “in her blood” and that she “loved it.”

 When asked how the recession has affected the industry Jane said that it has not directly affected her except when she is on stories. She told me that “rather than having a camera man and a sound man, you now only have the camera man,” which shows the cut backs in the industry. Jane also went on to explain how specialist correspondents are no longer sent out to America or Europe to report on events and instead they receive the pictures and stories from ITV.

 Even after twenty years Jane Loughrey is still “always nervous” before her story is aired. She said to never abuse the power that you are given as the public trust you and this must be gained and retained. Jane said to never make mistakes when doing a story and to finish she said live by the rule “If in doubt, leave it out.”

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.