NDM Baseline assessment: Learner response

Your learner response is as follows:


1) Look over your essay, read it back in full and examine any feedback given. Read the A 
grade exemplar essay from a past A* student. What does the A* essay do well that you need to improve on?
- I need to explain my critical Autonomy in more detail to make sure it makes sense. Also I think that I need to do the same for my examples. There isn't enough detail that really backs up my post and therefore it restricts me from getting the higher level grades that I would like to get. The phrasing of my sentences are not specific to the questions and quite vague and simplistic. Also, despite answering the audience part of the question to my best ability, in terms of new and digital media, in order to get the top marks I feel like answering why audiences are empowered isn't enough and that it should be compared to the opposite side of the argument in which if the institutions are empowered. Which would be the case regardless if I had stated in the exam that audiences were not empowered, who would then be empowered would ultimately be the institutions.

This A* exemplar essay goes into detail with her examples and it is very relevant to the specific point she is giving in response to the question. Which is what I lacked in. Also, she linked her answers to theorists such as Marxism and Briggs and Burke. In my essay I failed to mention any theory.

2) Read the Examiners' Report for this exam as outlined above and write three bullet points that summarise the key comments that apply to your essay.
- Higher level answers looked at both sides of the argument when looking into audiences empowerment
- Higher level answers had clear focus - Which is what I lacked in
- Needed a wider range of case studies that can be expanded on in depth.

3) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential)
WWW 
A solid argument that focuses on empowerment and looks at both sides of the argument.
EBI 
- You need to address the whole question - It lacks focus on values and ideologies. #
- You need far more detailed examples, statistics and theories.
- More needs to be spoken about on institutional power vs audiences power.

4) Write a new, detailed paragraph to add to your essay that addresses one of the LRs/EBIs specified in your feedback. This may be the other side of the argument (the idea that audiences are not empowered) or perhaps a new or improved example from the wider media. Make sure this is an extremely well-developed paragraph of several hundred words, encompassing media issues, debates, examples and theories wherever possible.
Developments in new and digital media mean that audiences can now have access to a greater variety of views and values. To what extent are audiences empowered.

- New and digital media has brought a major change in our society and the fact that there is a greater chance in people accessing the internet. A dominant ideology in our society is consumerism and the fact that we have more worth depending on the amount of materialistic goods we have. New and digital media has certainly brought a change to these ideologies and values in the sense that it is something that has been amplified by the media, most specifically social media. The fact that people, usually the younger generation, are now going online to post more materialistic things such as their expensive clothes, accessories or objects. This highlights the fact that the internet has increased the need for us to be consumed by that idea. Not only that but it could be argued that consumerist ideology empowers institutions as they can use this to their advantage in order to make profits. They can create targeted advertisements not based on what we need but based on what we want, what we want the world to see that we can have.

NDM: The changing face of news media pt2

Blog task 2: The impact of Google

Read this article looking at the impact Google has had on the traditional newspaper business.

Answer the following questions:

1) Why has Google led to the decline of the newspaper industry?

- They have been gaining millions off of advertising revenue. Which in turn is having a negative effect on the media business.

2) Find a statistic from the article that illustrates the decline of traditional news media.

- that of the $60 billion plus of potential annual ad sales that print publications seem to have lost, Google had grabbed about $44 billion by 2012, from virtually nothing in 2000

3) Looking at the graph featured in the article, what period has seen the steepest decline in newspaper advertising revenue? 

 

- The steepest decline as you can see is from 2000 onwards where there is a drastic decline in advertising revenue.

4) Do you personally think Google is to blame for newspapers closing and journalists losing their jobs? Why?

- I think that Google is only slightly to blame as you cant deny the fact that they have been the cause to the negative effects to traditional media. However, the fact that Google was able to adapt to the changes that is increasing as the years go by.

5) Read the comments below the article. Pick one comment you agree with and one you disagree with and explain your response to the comments in detail.

I agree with this comment as I think that Google has played a huge role in allowing people to be more creative and innovative in how information is spread and allowing people to spread their voice across the internet. Therefore I think that it is very useful for journalism as it is a way to keep up to date with the changed in media nowadays

I don't agree with this comment as if we started paying for the internet then less and less people will use it as they would see it as a nuisance rather than something great, despite the fact that it would allow traditional media to progress.



NDM: The changing face of news media pt1

Blog task 1: News institutions research

Research the major players in terms of UK news providers and make notes in a detailed blog post. List 

 

You must include all three platforms (print, broadcast, e-media) and both commercial and non-commercial institutions (e.g ITN/BBC). 

 

Make sure you include at least FIVE different institutions across the three platforms. You may wish to use bullet points to cover the key information about each institution.

1) BBC

• Responsible for gathering and broadcasting news and current affairs
• Generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day as well as online.
• James Harding - director of news and current affairs since 2013
• Annual budget - £350million
• Founder - John Reith
• Public service broadcaster
  

Television (BBC News)
- News programmes + documentary content.
- 22Hours of programming

Radio (BBC Radio News)

- provides content through General News service

- produces bulletins for BBC's national radio stations

Online (BBC News Online)

- Website - November, 1997

- reaches a quarter of internet users in UK.

- International news coverage + entertainment, sport, science, and Political news,

2) ITV

•  Commercial TV Network
• Owned by - ITV Network Limited

Programming
- ITN = National News Bulletins broadcast 30m at 1:30pm, 6:30pm and 10:00pm - No longer a s respected/reliable news source.

Breakfast
- Good Morning Britain - News, Sports, Weather
- Lorraine - Celebrity news, recipes, fashion

Online ITV Hub 
- Website
- Another form of accessing the programmes seen on TV

statistics

- ITV plc hope to increase the amount of in-house programming to as close to the 75% limit as possible.

3) Channel 4

•  owned by - Channel four television corporation
• During the station's formative years, funding came from the ITV companies in return for their right to sell advertisements in their region on the fourth channel.
• Nowadays it pays for itself in much the same way as most privately run commercial stations

Programming
- First British broadcaster to commission all of its programmes from third parties.
- Comedy - Channel 4 broadcast a number of popular American imports including Roseanne, Friends, Sex and the City and South Park
- News - History programmes + real life documentaries. Channel 4 News service is supplied by ITN.
FourDocs - Online Documentary site provided by Channel 4. includes archive of Classical documentaries and Microdocs.

Most watched programmes

NDM 4

Yellow Pages to stop printing from January 2019

- The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/sep/01/yellow-pages-to-stop-printing-from-january-2019

This is a story on the fact that Yellow pages wont be printing from 2019 after 51 years of publications. Yell, the owner, has decided to digitalize the business. It goes on to say how they have had customers from the start and that they were well known for their advertisements. instead of yellow pages, yell will offer free listing for businesses on yell.com.

• Our directories are produced in an environmentally responsible way and are 100% recyclable.

This story shows how new and digital media is changing businesses. They are looking at way to adapt to the way people get their information. So during a time where the internet was not available, the yellow pages would've been very resourceful and helpful for the society. However, nowadays everything has been moved online where information is more easily accessible. Businesses are forced to move away from print and more towards the internet and ways to progress online.



NDM 3

Pakistani MP who says Imran Khan harassed her faces wave of abuse

- The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/25/pakistani-mp-says-imran-khan-harassed-her-abuse-ayesha-gulalai-wazir

In this story Pakistani MP was harassed by the famous cricket play Imran khan. This goes on to further explain that she received a lot of criticism and trolls throwing a lot of hate her way. She denied showing the evidence due to the fear of receiving even more hate.

• family said was suicide, after accusing a top cricket official of sexual harassment.
• In Pakistan, 75-80% of social media users are male, making women an online minority
• 34% of surveyed women had experienced online abuse or harassment by men

My view on this story is the fact that the new and digital media has become a way for different people to voice out their opinions whether it is for the right or wrong reasons. In this case you see that 'trolls' are a common when it comes to the internet. These are people who are one sided on a subject and like to make a mockery out of the opposing opinions. It is in a sense (in this case) a form of cyberbullying. It also shows the power the internet has in voicing these opinions and the effect it can have in a persons life, especially their safety and reputation.

NDM case study: How has news changed?

Blog task: Ofcom report into news consumption 2016

1) Read this Ofcom 2016 report on the consumption of news in the UK. Note down the key statistics and changes that Ofcom document.
- Ofcom document news consumption across television, radio, print and online.

• BARB - television viewing
• NRS - national newspaper readership
• ABC - newspaper circulation
• comScore - online consumption

2) What are the most popular platforms for audiences to access news and how has this changed in recent years?
- The most popular platform for audiences to access news is television and has remained that way in recent years. Print and radio becoming less and less relevant due to the increase in technology therefor you see and increase of the internet being a way to access news as it is more versatile.

3) How do different age demographics access news in the UK?
- There is a difference in how different age demographics access news. The older generation 65+ are increasingly accessing news through the more old fashion ways like newspaper and radio and the younger generation are accessing news increasingly through the internet which is more modern which is suited to the demographic as the are the ones that are more involved with the internet.

4) What percentage of 16-24 year olds use the internet to access their news?
- 63% and increasing.

5) Does socio-economic status change attitudes to news? If so, how?
- ABC1 demographic seem to have more of an appreciation for news as they have a higher percentage for usage of news in different platforms compared to C2DE who do access news but not as much. However on both ends they seem to access news the same way through television since it is the main way people access news. people who are BAME are less likely to access news compared to white people.

6) How many different sources of news are used on average? How does differ between different groups?
- 11

7) How has news consumption through television changed in recent years?
- news consumption through television has changed between 2010 and 2016 as people who are 16+ or between the ages of 16-24 are accessing news less and less through television. However, people of the older generation 65+ are consistently accessing news through television with little change of the hours they watch in 2010 - 216hrs and 2016 - 215.
BBC One is the most popular news consumption TV channel with a high percentage of demographics accessing news through it. especially the 65+ and ABC1 being the most and on the rise. However you see that C2DE are more likely and increasingly accessing their news through ITV.

8) How much has newspaper circulation declined since 2010? Why do you think this is?
- Newspaper circulation has declined dramatically by 3/4 million since 2010. I think this is due to the increase in the fact that people are accessing their news by other means most importantly the internet. This is because with the internet you can view the news anywhere and more easily. instead of having to go out and buy it you can view the news in an instant at the comfort of your own home

9) Which are the most popular newspapers and websites in the UK? What do you know about those newspapers' political viewpoints?
- The most popular newspapers and websites are Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, The Sun, The Guardian and The Telegraph. I know that the political viewpoints for these newspapers are usually more right wing and support their readers would vote more for the conservative party.

10) How does online news consumption differ for age, gender and socio-economic status?
- Overall people who access news more are male between the ages of 16-24 and are of the ABC1 demographic. You can see in the chart that the younger generation are more inclined to using online sources as a form of accessing news that the older generation which is the same for the ABC1 andC2DE demographic. Which could relate to the fact that white people access news online more that BAME.

11) What percentage of people use social media to access news? How does this differ by age and socio-economic status?
- 20% of people use social media to access news. This differs by age as older people are less likely to be involved in social media compared to young people. People of lower socio-economic status are also less likely to use social media.

12) What percentage of users only use social media sites for their news?
- 9% in 2016

13) What are the most popular online sites for news?
- The most popular sites for news nowadays are the BBC website/app, Facebook, SKy news website/app, Google(search engine), Youtube, Daily Mail website/app, and Twitter. All above the 10% mark with facebook being 27% and BBC being 56%.

14) What percentage of 16-24 year olds access news mostly from social media?
- 40%

15) How do audiences find stories online? Do you follow links or go to the homepage of the news provider?
- Online the audience find their stories mostly directly to the website/app of the news provider. I don't follow links or go to the homepage of the news provider. I often get my news when browsing social media especially when something has gone viral for example the Paris attacks which was widely spread through social media. 

New/digital media: audience and institution

16) What are the benefits for audiences from the changes new and digital media have had on the news industry?
- The benefits is that they are able to access news more efficiently and quicker as everything is becoming more immediate. Which then is being more appreciated by the audience as they are able to be updated by a click of a button or by a little notification bell on the go wherever they are.

17) What are the benefits for institutions from the changes new and digital media have had on the news industry?

- The benefits this has on the institutions is that it encourages the younger generation to get more involved in accessing news online. As the older generation are less likely to be involved in the internet. It helps them stay relevant and up to date with the new things this new generation is offering when it comes to online news.

18) What are the downsides for audiences as a result of new and digital media in news?
- For the audience the downsides of new and digital media is the fact that there has been recent problems of reliable news sources (fake news) SO it is difficult to distinguish what news is real and what news is fake.


19) What are the downsides for institutions as a result of new and digital media in news?

- The downsides for institutions as a result of new and digital media is that there are less and less people accessing news from their other news sources most specifically print news as everything is rapidly becoming more technology based.

20) Who has benefited most from the changes new and digital media have had on the news industry - audiences or institutions?
- I believe there are negatives and positives to new and digital media however in my opinion I think that audiences have benefitted more in terms of how bad the negatives of new and digital media is. It doesn't have as drastic of an effect compared to institutions. A negative for audiences is that they can encounter unreliable news sources. However, for companies they are losing money as print is becoming less and less popular due to the increase in usage of online news. from 40% in 2013 to 29% in 2016 - you see that within a couple years newspapers are not the main platform for news nowadays. Whereas the internet are on a rise from 32% in 2013 to 48% in 2016. However, television is still the main platform, the internet is rising quite quickly.

Also, another negative is that most news online is also free to access through the websites. Which still means that they would still not be making a lot of money despite the increase of accessing news online. However there are some websites that require a subscription which are doing fairly better than those which don't.

NDM 2

The Guardian view on privacy: computers gossip

The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/30/the-guardian-view-on-privacy-computers-gossip

 

         

 

 

We live our lives on the internet and now privacy is more of a concern when it comes to political freedoms. The Indian supreme court decided that the country must have privacy which delays plans for a unique way to identify individuals however, China on the other hand aim to make sure that no one posts online without their real identity being known. A few in the west avoid keeping secrets on smartphones which can access private information such as where we have been. Restrictions on privacy have had a desirable effect. The absence of privacy can have negative effects like when trusting someone with vast amounts of information about yourself. Computer gossip, what we tell one may soon be known to millions.

• Privacy, it turns out, is always limited. What matters is not the fact that we have secrets, but whom we keep those secrets from.
• extraordinary power of computer networks to consolidate and sift information, whether it’s true or false

I think that privacy is a big issue nowadays and that whether having to much or too little of it can be dangerous to society. With the massive changes the internet brings it is difficult to measure how much privacy is enough privacy. For instance, computer gossip plays a role in cyberbullying. In that sense it can be a negative thing.

NDM 1

Attorney general begins inquiry about social media impact on UK trials

The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/sep/15/attorney-general-begins-inquiry-impact-social-media-trials#img-1

 

 

Social media may be putting the right to a fair trial at risk. A case highlighted the increasing problems faced by courts and law enforcement officers in upholding traditional, strict contempt laws designed to ensure that defendants receive a fair trial. This emphasies the point that a verdict should be based on what is heard in court and not what is seen online. There are some laws that the journalists are aware of that social media sites are unaware of for example - Juveniles are not normally named in criminal cases.

• The Contempt of Court Act 1981 sets out what can be published before and during a trial

I think that there should be restrictions on what is published on court trials as information can easily be manipulated and influenced based on peoples subjective opinions. Therefore for a fair trial revealed should be limited. 

Blog task - Media Factsheet 104: Audiences in the digital age

1) What was the relationship between institutions and audiences in the pre-digital age?
- The relationship between the institution and audiences in the pre-digital age was seen as one-way where the audience are more passive and just take in the information that was presented to them. There was no way for the audience to give immediate response to the media text.

2) What is the definition of a mass audience? Give an example of a media product or institution aimed at a mass audience.
- Mass audience is communication towards a large audience
and an example of a product aimed at a mass audience could be BBC News.



3) What is the definition of a niche audience? Give an example of a media product or institution aimed at a niche audience.
- Niche audience is a select group of people that have specific interest that certain media products target that specific audiences needs. An example of a media product that would be aimed at a niche audience could be

4) How has digitisation changed the distribution of information and media products in the music, television and news industries?
-  Digitalisation has changed the distribution of information and media products in music by having it available at any times throughout the day instead of having to go out and purchase it or wait for it to be broadcasted. they can stream it on their devices. In terms of television it has changed dramatically from having a small amount of channels to being able to watch repeats without having to record on video and watching on demand and also on other media devices such as a mobile phone. The way we receive news has changed also since now everything is available online, news can be accessed at any time online or on TV where they showcase breaking news. whereas in the past it would be broadcasted on the radio as short bulletins or summaries.

5) How have developments in new and digital media helped make audiences active rather than passive?
- Audience are more active nowadays as they are given more of a choice to when they want to access a media product. They are also able to influence on the institution as they have more involvement than they did in the past when it came to the production process. for example in news videos sent in by the audience are used to add to the content being shown,

6) Provide specific examples of how audiences are now active in the music, news and film industries.
- In the Music Industry there are apps like youtube that allow the audience to comment under a music video which gives them the ability to respond immediately after as song has released. In the news industry, People now take to twitter as a popular way to spread their political views an major example of this is the President of the United States that has twitter and tweets about current situations in which people all over the world can respond immediately both positive and negative opinions. In the film industry audiences are more active due to the fact that the industry try to involve the audience as much as they can in order to generate excitement for the upcoming film that will be released. User Generated Content is a major factor that plays a part of an audience being active.

7) List THREE arguments that suggest the increasing power of audiences is a bad thing.
- Due to the fact that information is now spread more easily and quickly. The increasing power of audiences can be seen as a bad thing because of the fact that factual information can be lost with everyone being able to voice their opinions, therefore lies can spread just as quickly. Audiences may be seen as a product as their involvement in the institution through use generated content is cheap therefore they are still being directed by the institutional companies. Another argument can be that debates online within the audience is limited due to the increase in negativity that is spread though certain topics online.

8) Return to the question from the original lesson: Have audiences or institutions benefited more as a result of the internet? Answer this in an extended paragraph justifying your opinion using examples and quotes.
- I believe that despite the negative arguments that suggest that institution have benefited as a result of the internet. I think its the other way round. Due to the fact that they have more of an influence on what happens in the media nowadays, larger institutions have to take into consideration of their audiences needs as any negative response from the audience will have an impact on the institutions. There are many positive ways that the audience has influenced media through the internet. It is more likely for the their opinions and voices to be heard through how quickly information is spread through social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Things that happen on social media don't always go unnoticed. It is a platform in which people can come together to stand for what they believe in and spread light to different situations. Institutions need to be wary because one an audience start to have a negative response to their products it could cause damage to their companies.