NDM News: News on the Tweet

Read the report and answer the questions on your blog. Include the News on the Tweet infographic above in your blogpost.

1) Why are respected news brands good news for Twitter?

- Both have similar age profiles, an upmarket skew and a strong interest in the world around them. The way users access newsbrand generated content through posts, retweets and general debate and discussion.
Newsbrands are good for twitter because people like to see news as it happens and like to see it breaking on twitter. They enjoy the combination of twitter and news content. The Twitter users also like how they can find like-minded people which make up elements of their news experience. IT also gives them a chance to engage in news that interests them the most.
Not only that but newsbrands increases traffic as 4/10 people have said to check frequently to see what is going on with their favourite brands. They are also three time smore likely to use twitter to interact more by tweeting articles and trending topics.

2) Why in turn is Twitter good for respected news brands?
- Almost 60% of all Twitter users in the UK follow some form of newsbrand content. Amongst newsbrand followers 78% follow more than one handle and may cover a range of brands, specialist areas and specific journalists or columnists.
Twitter helps newsbrands become more accessible, more influential and more connected. The immediacy and accessibility of the social media site brings valuable readers to newspaper brands that they would not normally read in print or directly online. Twitter allows a diversity in content which allows the readers to widen their portfolio of sources to fit their individual interests, opinions and tastes.

3) The report suggests that old and new media “are not, in fact, in direct competition, but often work extremely well together to enhance both the media eco-system and the consumer experience”. What evidence do they provide to support this idea? Do you agree with it?

- They say this is done in four different ways.

• Knowledge - being the first to know
• Opinions - being part of the wider debate - 'having your say'
• Community - connecting with like-minded people
• Gossip and banter - having a bit of banter and gossip

Knowledge and opinion - newsbrands offer expert opinon while individual journalists offer honest and frank opinions

Community - Allows the reader to discover people with like-minded interest that they wouldn't have otherwise met.

Gossip and banter - this gives the reader humour and a backstage access into the lives of the people they are interested in.

I agree wit this because Twitter is a very large platform with a variety of different things that can be searched and viewed. Therefore it would make sense that newsbrands use this to their advantage. The fact that readers get to voice their opinion and interact with newsbrands more quickly and easily through simple tweets that wouldn't have occurred with print.

4) On page 24/25 of the report, the focus turns to 'gossip' or 'banter'. What example tweets from journalists are used to illustrate this? 
- The Daily Mail Celebrity tweet of Kim Kardashians bum.
- Neil Ashtons tweet on 'Arsenal are toast'
- Lucy Tobin tweet on a University spending a lot of money on a fake pub.

5) Do you think the increasing amount of 'gossip' or 'banter' is harming the reputation of news and journalists?
- I think that this may be harming the reputation of news and journalist because it decreases the respect that has been established between the reader and the newsbrand. If they are constantly not posting news that is useful for the readers knowledge and understanding, then they could lose valuable readers. However if we return to the point of knowledge and the fact that readers use twitter to stay up to date with news. Then gossip and banter is another way to stay up to date with people audiences have an interest in. There is also the fact that audiences can follow specific newspages that fit their interests, so it can mean that there are separate news twitter pages for different types of news.

6) What does the report say about trust in Twitter and journalists (look at pages 34-39)?
- Journalists that create entertainment and engagement though their regular tweets, driving traffic and interaction allows readers to feel like they have a more personal connection with the journalists they follow. These Journalist then become the representatives of their brand.

7) Do you think new and digital media developments such as Twitter have had a positive or negative impact on traditional newspapers?
- I think that new and digital media development such as Twitter has had a positive impact on traditional newspaper to the extent that they have been able to increase engagement between the reader and the newsbrand. People find this a quicker way to view news. However, it could be seen as having a negative impact due to the fact that this may cause the readers to divert most of their attention to the online more shortened version of news as it has been said that people prefer Twitter than the official online and print version of the newsbrand.

8) Finally, how can we link this report to the vital current debate regarding fake news and Facebook? Do traditional news brands need protecting to ensure there are sources we can trust?

- This report can be linked to vital current debates on Facebook and fake news as it talks about trust and when it comes to news it is difficult to istinguish the difference between fake or true. The increase in instant access makes that news easily accessible and easy to be spread which means that a wide audience can reach that specific news. Therefore yes it is important that these news brands are protected and that measures are taken into place to ensure that they are trustworthy sources. Especially since there have been reports in which there have been mistakes in the sources cited.

NDM 26

Who will be hit hardest by net neutrality? Marginalised America

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/18/net-neutrality-marginalised-america-open-internet-fcc

- The Guardian

Net neutrality is the idea that internet service providers (ISPs) treat everyone’s data equally – whether that’s an email from your mother, a bank transfer or a streamed episode of Stranger Things. It means that ISPs, which control the delivery pipes, don’t get to choose which data is sent more quickly, or which sites get blocked or throttled (for example, slowing the delivery of a TV show because it is streamed by a video company that competes with a subsidiary of the ISP) or who has to pay extra. For this reason, some have described net neutrality as the “first amendment of the internet”. 

For people the internet is not just a way to connect with friends. It part of their daily lifestyle and helps them function in the society. Marco Castro Bohorquez, is a HIV positive patient and the way he reaches his doctor is through skype, which will come under threat.

• Since its inception, the internet has been an open and neutral platform. The principle that all legal internet traffic should be treated equally is the vehicle for innovation that sparked the digital economy. But the internet as we know is under attack.
• There are 69 million people in the United States living without home-based internet services

I think that net neutrality is important because it is what keeps people connected in the 21st century. There are many people that rely on the internet to be and open and neutral place. The benefits of net neutrality are mostly aimed towards the larger companies like Google or Facebook who are less likely to be affected by this. Smaller companies trying to make a break through will struggle to make it up in the hierarchy. Therefore reinforcing this Marxist views.

NDM 25

Twitter under fire after suspending Egyptian journalist Wael Abbas

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/dec/18/twitter-faces-backlash-after-suspending-egyptian-journalist-wael-abbas

- The Guardian

Twitter has faced criticism after the account of a prominent Egyptian journalist and campaigner was suspended for reasons that were not specified. Notable figures backing the restoration of his account include Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion and chairman of the Human Rights Foundation. the suspension, saying it involved the deletion of “over 250,000 tweets. Dozens of thousands of pictures, videos and live streams from the middle of every crisis in Egypt with date stamp on them, reporting on people who got tortured, killed or missing. Live coverage of events as they happened in the street.”

• Sherif Azer described Abbas’s account as “a live archive to the events of the revolution and till today one of few accounts still documenting human rights abuses in Egypt”.
• The newspaper Al-Ahram reported that Abbas had been suspended from Twitter for the “intention to incite violence”, to which Abbas replied on Facebook: “The biggest official newspaper in Egypt is happy my Twitter is suspended. This tells much doesn’t it? Need I say anything now?”

This shows that there is a lack of freedom of speech and that people who are in power are in control. The suspension of the account can be seen as a careless attempt to shut down those who are challenging these Marxist views. However, this has enraged the public and caused Twitter to receive immense backlash. The fact that the biggest official newspaper in Egypt is happy that his account is blocked could suggest a link between the two.

NDM News: Globalisation

Globalisation and news: blog tasks

Having discussed these issues in class in relation to our news case study, we now need to develop our own opinions on this issue before exploring the wider implications of globalisation.

Class debate: key opinions on globalisation


1) Is our news influenced by American cultural imperialism? Give some examples arguing for or against this perspective.
- I think our news is influenced by American cultural imperialism due to the fact that during the election

2) Has the increased globalisation of news improved the audience experience? How? Why?
- I think the globalisation of news has in a sense improved our audience to an extent. This is because we have access to citizen journalism and even livestreaming which allows a sense of immediacy as we have instant access to news. However, in regards to citizen journalism, it has its downsides in the sense that we only get partial information and we don't see the full picture. Compared to a journalist that gathers the facts and then reports the event. There will be some blank parts in citizen journalism.

3) Has globalisation benefited or damaged major news institutions? How? Why?

- Globalization has damaged news institutions. This is because of the fact that we have allowed the larger institutions to stay at the top and due to familiarity this is most likely to stay that way. This disadvantages the smaller institution that are trying to make their place on the global market as they wont be given a chance. However, IT could be argued that the larger institutions are more pressured to make sure the information that they are spreading is factual information otherwise they would be at larger risk of being discredited. So therefore there is a sense of assurance that we are getting factual information that is reliable and trustworthy, especially with the recent 'fake news' dilemma.

Media Magazine: Globalisation case study


Go to our Media Magazine archive and click on MM47 - the case study issue. You need to find page 31 and the Google Glass feature: a case study in Globalisation.


1) Why was Google Glass controversial?
-
2) What are the positive elements to Globalisation that the article highlights?
- The world becomes more accessible, and people are enriched by getting to know and understand it better. increased choice and opportunities empower people, while access to information can enhance not only the ability to make informed decisions but even the democratic process. This argues for the pluralist approach at it suggest that more information equals empowerment which suggest that it gives the audience more opportunities to be more involved.

3) What are potential negatives to Globalisation?
- All these benefits are provided by one of just a small number corporations, this leads to discussions about the concentration of ownership, and the possibility that smaller companies have little to no hope of staking a claim on the global market as they wont be able to compete. Small number of large companies controlling the wider audiences is argued by the Marxist approach which highlights that we are manipulated by the elites and we are given the illusion of power.

4) What is a techno-panic? How does it link to moral panics?
- A techno-panic is a moral panic that centres on fears regarding specific contemporary technology or technological activity. This links to moral panic as it is a form of change. The Google Glass is a change that may bring rise to questions about engagement in conversations as it may be the case that the person is not really listening to the conversation but instead surfing the internet which in turn creates a sense of alienation.

5) What is your opinion on the privacy debate and major corporations being able to access large quantities of personal data?
- In my opinions I think that the privacy debate is valid in the sense that it is possible for anyone to get personal data already through the internet, that to extend it to a wider range of their day to day life and information that isn't put on the internet. Could be considered a total invasion of privacy. I feel like no information is safe, in regards to the fact that there has been many hacking scandals in which information has been leaked. Therefore if the information increases in large quantities, that means that there is a higher risk for the people whose private information is being held, to be leaked. This would bring up issues on whether or not the internet or new technology is considered safe.


Media Factsheet: Globalisation and capitalism


1) Who coined the phrase 'a global village' and what multinational companies illustrate this?
- The term was coined by McLuhan, which refers to countries becoming interconnected or more interdependent, especially in economic terms. A multinational company that illustrates this is Coca-Cola in which it was a national company that turned into a multinational company that has taken hundreds of years but has sped up in the last half-century due to the increase in trade and cultural exchange.

2) What role does Slavoj Zizek suggest the media plays in global capitalism? How can you link this to our previous work on Marxism and Hegemony? 
-  Zizek argues that the media masks the way in which western institutions ‘do business’. he believes that the media reinforces and neutralises the ideology that making money is the right way of conducting business, but allows people to feel less guilty about how these goods are produced. This links to Marxism and Hegemony as it shows that large businesses are manipulating their consumers and making them conform to a certain norm by making them believe that this is the right way to do business.

3) What does 'capitalism with a conscience' mean? 
- Capitalism with a conscious is a way for marketing campaigns to sustain western dominance whilst also using global media to raise awareness about social issues

4) What is the (PRODUCT) RED campaign? 
- A campaign to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. It is a private company that receives a portion of the contributions received from third part brands as profit. This incorporation of humanitarian aid and for-profit businesses is one example of ethical consumerism.

5) Based on what you've read in the Factsheet, what is YOUR opinion of the (PRODUCT) RED brand? Is it a positive force helping to fight AIDS in Africa or a cynical attempt to make multinational companies look more ethical than they actually are? 
- I feel like the it is made to seem like a positive aid to fight AIDS in Africa, especially with the explanation given on the American Express advertisement. That the 'My card, My life'  suggests that black Africans need to be 'saved' by white people. This can be taken quite negatively as it may question the true intention behind the campaign. Yes it brings awareness to issues that others are facing in other countries but the technique that they are using to bring awareness and try to help may not be effective.

NDM 24

Jeremy Hunt attacks Facebook over app aimed at children

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/dec/05/jeremy-hunt-attacks-facebook-over-app-aimed-at-children

- The Guardian

This article talks about Jeremy Hunt's issue with Facebook targeting their new app at kids (pre-teens). Facebook announced on Monday that they will be conducting trails of the app called Messenger kids. Here Jeremy Hunt said that the company was failing to act responsibly when they are not supposed to target children who can only use the main site if they are over 13.

• a No 10 spokesman said Hunt was leading for the government on the health effects of social media on children.

This article shows that it is possible for large organisations to get away with anything as they have cleverly come up with a list of reasons in which of ways that they can avoid going against their guidelines, which in turn allows them to expand their audience. Allowing the parent to control the account makes sure that the parent is aware of the activities and this links to their argument that “Today, parents are increasingly allowing their children to use tablets and smartphones, but often have questions and concerns about how their kids use them and which apps are appropriate."

NDM 23

Airbnb, Uber, eBay: in this intangible world workers must adapt to survive

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/08/airbnb-uber-ebay-workers

- The Guardian

This article talks about how traditional conceptions of capitalism have been founded in some notion of material stuff:  physical property, premises, machinery goos etc. However, Companies that are in the fore-front in the 21st century economu have a different way of functioning. The fact that this idea is changing. For example, AirBnB has revolutionised the market of accommodation but owns no property, Alibaba being the worlds biggest retailer but holds no stock and the recent arrival of Uber with their upturn inn personal transport but whilst owning no cars. This is starting become known as Platform Capitalism. In summary 'intangible item' are becoming more valuable.

• "Cutting-edge capitalism is increasingly weightless"

I agree with the fact that new/digital media has taken over to the point in which physical assets are becoming less valued. The fact that these assets can spread at a hasten speed and quickly establish their dominance hence why Uber became so popular. It is argued that intangible items are not only dominant in business but also in our every day lives, through books to cars. "the centrality of physical stuff is dwindling away." This links to the idea of convergence and that technology is becoming more and more accessible through one device, most specifically in the change of traditional media being accessed in new technology,

Essay plan and example

The development of new/digital media means the audience is more powerful in terms of consumption and production. Discuss the arguments for and against this view.

ESSAY PLAN

Marxist + Pluralist + Hegemony
- Citizen Journalism +UGC
- News Values
- Paywalls + decline of newspaper industry (Google + Facebook)
- Hyper-reality + Alain de botton
- Ofcom + news consumption in UK
       (social media etc.)

Key Words

• Consumption
• Empowerment/Power
• Production
• Audience
• New/digital media
  

ESSAY


There are many reasons why new/digital media has empowered audiences in terms of consumption and production. However, there are also reasons that counter argue this and show that audiences still do not have some degree of control over what they consume and play no part in the production of media.


Pluralism argues that new/digital media has allowed audiences to be able to voice their opinions and be heard, in a sense, giving them more power through social media platforms. With the increase of the usage of social media more people have taken to platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to spread awareness to things they may be passionate about. They are able to produce information that may interest other people and therefore encouraging to also share their own opinions. This has been evident especially with the recent Daily Mail backlash. In which Paperchase apologised for running marketing campaigns with the Daily Mail after their 'divisive stories on trans people'. This can be seen as empowering in the sense that the audience have some control over what they as a consumer want to see. It highlights the fact that the audience are not passive and are expressing their opinions which are in turn being seen as Paperchase then tweeted out that they were sorry and that the audience has been 'listen to' and as a result have decided to stop their campaigns with Daily Mail.

Citizen Journalism can be argued for this statement as it highlights this pluralist view that audiences are becoming more powerful. This is clear because of the fact that major news organisations often depends on user generated content to back up what they publish. This shows that the way news is consumed in this generation has changed and that audiences are having more of an input as they are producing the evidence, whether that be through livestreams, 10 second snapchat videos. The first videos we saw for the terrorist attack in France were user generated. Therefore this shows that audiences are  becoming empowered as they are producing that major news organisations wouldn't be able to have access to with such immediacy.


Despite the fact that social media has allowed us to voice our opinions and make it seem like society is becoming more pluralist with the idea that audiences are becoming less passive an more involved in media consumptions and production, this may not be the case. There are different techniques now to raise awareness to issues through social media for example using hashtags. This gets news to spread rapidly. However, the recent Paradise Paper news in which they expose that the elite have been keeping offshore accounts to avoid taxes is an example of how the audiences do not have power in new/digital media. This is suggested with the lack of follow up news on the subject and how nothing was done t question the elites. This shows that the audiences are not in control of what they consume. That, according to the Marxist perspective, they are given the 'illusion of power'.

We as an audience can be seen to still not hold any power in reference to new/digital media. The production of news as a whole is still controlled by the major news organisations in the sense that we do not chose what news we are given which could link to the idea of hegemony an the fact that we do not argue or go against was we as an audience are shown. Through different news values like familiarity and continuity we are bombarded with constant news ,by elite companies, such as Brexit that make us think that this news is useful and relevant when in reality this is just another way in which major news outlets are shaping news in order to bring in mass audiences. This in turn highlights that despite how news has changed we are still in a way made to be passive using these consumption techniques which allows the news organisation to manipulate us even further. This makes us less empowered as we are seen to have no contribution to the production of news.
EDIT- It can be argued that we as the audience still do not have much control over what we see nowadays in new and digital media. In term of the Hegemonic view that we do not argue or go against what we are shown as an audience. In relation to news, we are seen as a passive audience as Alain de Botton's view on news claiming that it is 'dumbed down' for the simple reason that they are trying to bring in mass audiences. In a sense this gives the feeling that audience are not active consumers of news and large organisations decide what information they want audiences to receive. However, it can also be argued that audiences are not passive and that they are more involved with news. News nowadays have adapted to the changed that new and digital media brings. Almost 60% of all Twitter users in the UKfollow some form of newsbrand content. Therefore this shows that social media sites allow audiences to interact more with news and the fact that amongst newsbrand followers 78% follow more than one handle and may cover a range of brands, specialist areas and specific journalists or columnists shows us they are not a passive audience and that the choose what news and journalist they want to follow.

It can also be argued that the decline of the newspaper industry could be a sign of the audiences having an increase power of their consumption and the production of media. The fact that new/digital media has changed how audiences access their news. This is evident in the fact that The Independent has now complete stopped printing. This shows that traditional media like print have to now adapt to the changing ways in which audiences now prefer to receive their information, especially with the convergence of media. This new development has also allowed new companies to take over such as Google and Facebook. Google allowing easy access to numerous amounts of information at a click of a button and that it also allows audiences to promote their own blogs in which they may post news which shows that new/digital media has allowed audiences to then have some control in production of media through these aspects of the internet regardless of whether it is as big as the major news companies like The BBC. It will still have an impact on the niche audiences it attracts.


In conclusion, I believe that new/digital media has allowed audience to gain more freedom in what they say and have some sort of influence/contribution to the media. However, they are still held back by the elite group that still have the upper hand in the control of media.

NDM 22

Russian man sent to penal colony for insulting officials online

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/27/russian-man-sent-to-penal-colony-for-insulting-officials-online

- The Guardian

"Vladimir Timoshenko given two-year sentence for using social media to call for uprising against ‘unpopular regime’"
This short Article talks about how Timoshenko was sentenced to two years for insulting high-ranking Russian officials on social media.

•  In December 2016, an internet user was sentenced to two years in a penal colony for publishing an online article criticising Russia’s bombing campaign in Syria.
• In May 2016, a Russian engineer was given two years and three months in a detention camp for sharing pro-Ukrainian articles on social media.

This is just another example of how powerful people in the society try to control the less powerful. They restrict their freedom of opinion, in this case by considering it a form of crime in which they can receive a prison sentence. This will promote the idea that those who speak against those in charge will receive punishment which then gets people to conform to the set rules and not challenge the people with the upper hand.

NDM 21

Global press freedom plunges to worst level this century

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/nov/30/press-freedom-at-all-time-low-journalist-safety-article-19-v-dem-study

- The Guardian

Media freedom around the world has fallen to the lowest level for at least a decade, according to a study that shows journalists are threatened by government censorship, organised crime and commercial pressures caused by the growth of the internet. Countries such as Turkey has experienced the biggest decline in freedom of speech over the past decade including Brazil, Burundi, Egypt, Poland, Venezuela and Bangladesh as well.

• “Unfortunately, our findings show that freedom of expression is under attack in democracies as well as authoritarian regimes.”
• there were 426 attacks against journalists and media outlets in Mexico in 2016 alone
• The freedom of the media globally is further threatened by the rise of the internet because online content is being controlled by a handful of internet companies whose processes “lack transparency”,
• The report found that 259 journalists were jailed last year and 79 were killed.
• As of April this year, 152 Turkish journalists were in prison, according to the opposition
• More than 170 media organisations have been shut down since last year’s coup, including newspapers, websites, TV stations and news agencies
• 2,500 journalists have been laid off

This article explains how Freedom of speech in regards to Journalism is now becoming threatened by major organisations and government groups. The fact that it is reaching to the extent that people are being killed or jailed for what they publish is becoming increasingly a problem worldwide. This highlights the Marxist view that governments want to keep some kind of control. From the diagram above you can see that the majority of the map is leaning towards the 'least freedom' section of the rank - North Korea being the highest there for the lack of freedom.