NDM case study: News on the Tweet

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

Twitter users gave their 

main reasons for using the 

service, the top three 

reasons given were:

• To be aware of what is 
  going on in the world 39%
• To pass the time 39%
• To be connected to people 
  I am interested in but don’t 
  know 38%

Two of those - what is going on 

in the world and following people 

they don’t know (celebrities and 

the journalists themselves) - 

are core newsbrand territory, 

while even ‘passing the time’ is 

something that is often done 

with newsbrand content.  

Twitter users like to follow the news as it happens; like to see it breaking on Twitter; and enjoy the combination of Twitter and news content. They also enjoy the personalisation, debate and finding communities of like-minded people, which are all elements of their news experience.

2.Why in turn is Twitter good for respected news brands?

Twitter 

is helping to make newsbrands 

more accessible, more influential 

and more connected than 

ever before. 

The immediacy and accessibility of Twitter brings valuable readers to newspaper brands that they would not normally read in print or directly online. Twitter’s instant accessibility and diversity of content enables newsbrand followers to widen their portfolio of sources to suit their own interests, opinions and tastes. The vast majority of them (78%) access a range of brands, sub-brands or journalists; providing much higher combined reach levels than could ever be provided in the analogue age.

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? 

Twitter 

and newspaper brands, 

enhancement takes place 

in four different ways:

• Knowledge
• Opinion
• Community
• Gossip & banter

The report suggests that Newsbrands provide all four key benefits in a variety of ways: 

Knowledge:

Being the first to know- gaining 

insight and analysis as the 

story develops. 

Instant updates from a trusted 

source are a key element of this. 

Newsbrand handles provide 

legitimacy and authority when 

news is breaking on Twitter. 

They also provide journalists who 

offer quicker, more accurate and 

instant updates on stories as 

they happen.


Opinion 

Being part of the wider debate – ‘having your say’.
Immediate access 

to opinions – from friends, 

the general public and most 

importantly the tweeters they 

follow (“I want to know what 

people think”) as well as access 

to the debate from a variety 

of sources (“I want to form 

my own opinion”). 

Newsbrands offer expert 

opinion pieces while individual 

journalists offer honest and 

frank opinions, as well as 

engaging with followers.

Community 

Connecting with like-minded people.

Twitter and newsbrands 

together provide a real sense of 

community – “discovering people 

with shared interests I wouldn’t 

otherwise meet”. N

ewspaper brands define these better than any other media ‘marker’; after 

all, you are what you read (in

which case, these consumers 

are becoming much more 

multi-dimensional).

Gossip and banter 

Having a bit of banter or gossip about celebrities, sports or political scandals are all part of the entertainment and are often turned to when newsbrand followers want to relax. They are looking for both humour as well as ‘backstage access’ into the lives of the people and things they are interested in. Newsbrands are responsible for some of the most popular individual tweeters. Individual journalists are key contributors to the humorous content on Twitter.

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? 

Neil Ashton @neilashton • Nov 5

Arsenal are toast: In all seriousness now, what

are the sales figures like for this kind of stuff?

@soran1: pic.twitter.com/yt6wxO2JaB

Tom Newton Dunn @tnewtondunn • Feb 12

Biggest cheer at the Emirates tonight by

#AFC? To an announcement for the MUFC

away fans that no more trains leaving Euston.

Grace Dent @gracedent • Nov 6

I reveal the shocking truth behind Jennifer

Aniston’s new hair http://ind.pn/HJXtV9

Caitlin Moran @caitlinmoran • Jan 11

The most amazing thing about the story of

President Hollande having an affair is that he

apparently only has one pair of shoes.

Mirror Sport @MirrorSport • Feb 21

Our man @eaamalyon is live blogging the

curling so you don’t have to watch it (for free)

on widely available BBC1 - http://www.mirror.

co.uk/sport/

Daily Mail Celebrity @DailyMailCeleb • Feb 12
Do these pants make Kim Kardashian’s bum
look big? http://dailym.ai/1aS7Sfy pic.twitter.
com/QEdkYMxdkD

5.Do you think the increasing amount of 'gossip' or 'banter' is harming the reputation of news and journalists?

I think that the increasing amount of gossip and banter is harmless as the audience is looking for for both humour as well as ‘backstage access’ into the lives of the people and things they are interested in. However, it could be harmful in the sense that they may make up fake stories. 

6.What does the report say about trust in Twitter and journalists (look at pages 34-39)?

When it comes to news content, trust is an important part of the process. Almost half of all Twitter users, and almost two thirds of newsbrand users, say it is important that news on Twitter is verified by a respected brand. This helps build trust in the content. 

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 developments have had a negative impact on radtional newspapers because newsbrands and Twitter are enabling people to share opinions,
insights, experiences, and perspectives with each other which they werent able to do through the traditional newspaper.

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?

Twitter and newsbrands create a constant flow of interaction. This means that there are also  topical possibilities - both planned around known seasons, events or sections/supplements and more opportunistic placements as individual stories develop, grow and gather pace. Therefore, individuals are more likely to use this to create fake news stories. I think that news brands need protection when it comes to major news stories/events. For example, they should've had extra protection during the Trump election to ensure audiences were getting the right information in order to base judgements and not be influenced by a unreliable source. 

Globalisation: taking it further

Media Magazine: Globalisation case study

1) Why was Google Glass controversial?

The Google Glass was controversial because it was able to film video and sound and also had facial recognition capabilities. With it all being in a pair of glasses and the suggestion that people would be able to easily notice when someone was recording it was deemed to be a breech of privacy.

2) What are the positive elements to Globalisation that the article highlights?

• The positives to globalisation is that everyone will soon be able to have the opportunity to go online (Balloons with antennas in the rural areas of New Zealand - the plans to do the same to east Africa)There will be more accessibility.
• The increased opportunities and choices means that the audience is empowered and that they are able to enhance their knowledge.

3) What are potential negatives to Globalisation?

• The aforementioned choices are only being provided by a limited number of companies.
• 8 of the top 10 companies are American.

4) What is a techno-panic? How does it link to moral panics?
A techno panic is 'a moral panic that centres around fears regarding a specific contemporary technology.'(Marwick 2008). It links to moral panics because they both focus on a fear for a specific thing and it is widespread. For the Google glass, people are able to walk around and film whatever they wanted, this in turn would have created the techno panic that everything that was being said or done was being recorded. Furthermore - it was suggested that Google were able to see exactly what the wearer was seeing.

5) What is your opinion on the privacy debate and major corporations being able to access large quantities of personal data?
I think that there is a fine line between what major corporations should be able to access and what they shouldn't. They should be able to see how their products are being used and if there are any issues being recorded in order to see where they can make changes and improve. However taking personal details and also selling them on for their own personal benefit shouldn't be done. We are already giving up some of our privacy so that in return we can use the internet in a variety of ways however trusting companies who are just going to sell your information is definitely a big issue.

Media Magazine: Globalisation case study

1) Who coined the phrase 'a global village' and what multinational companies illustrate this?
An Example would be Coca Cola whom have subsidiaries in many countries globally. It is suggest that the increase in many companies becoming multinational is a result of: Improvements in transportation and Communication, Freedom of trade and easily accessible labour and trade.

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? 
Slavoj Zizek says that 'media masks the way in which western institutions 'do business'.' and that 'media reinforces and naturalises the ideology that making money is the right way of conducting businesses, but at the same time allows people to feel less guilty about how these goods are produced.He also believes that even though globalisation is helping to create more wealth in developing countries it is not closing the gap between the richest and the poorest. It could be suggested from a Marxist view point that creating more wealth in the LEDCs is just an attempt to assert control.

3) What does 'capitalism with a conscience' mean? 
Capitalism with a conscience is raising awareness of social issues whilst sustaining 'western capitalist dominance' - For instance when you buy from Starbucks the farmers that grew the beans receive a fair price.

4) What is the (PRODUCT) RED campaign? 
The (PRODUCT) RED campaign is a company that creates deals with other companies to create a product such as the red Apple iPhone case, and a percentage of the profits from that specific product will go to (PRODUCT) RED and then will go to charities to help tackle Aids in Africa.

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 think that the (PRODUCT) RED brand could have been a positive force in helping tackle aids in Africa had they kept their promise, more has been spent on advertising that donated to charities for their cause. this as a result shows that it is a cynical attempt to make multinational companies look more ethical than they actually are. On the other hand they still could have a positive impact as even though they are failing at their aim of donating they are still raising awareness of an important issue.

'The incorporation of humanitarian aid and for-profit business is an example of ethical consumerism'

NDM News: Globalisation and fake news

The Guardian & the global problem of fake news

Guardian feature - Fake news: an insidious trend that's fast becoming a global problem 

1) What similarities do you notice between the different countries outlined in the article and their problems with fake news?

Majority of the fake news is associated with social media. For example, in Australia the link between the halal certification industry and terrorism – repeated by politicians despite a lack of evidence – was so persistent that an inquiry was held late last year. Concerns over halal certification flourished on Facebook, even after the inquiry found there was no basis to the connection. In Brazil, as the impeachment process that Rousseff and her supporters called a politically motivated coup began heating up, three out of the five most shared news stories on Facebook were false.In Italy, a Twitter account showed a picture of Elena Boschi, the reform minister, on the phone. It suggested she was sharing insider information with her father, who was a top executive at Banca Etruria, a Tuscan bank. The bank was rescued by the Italian government in 2015 but there is no evidence that Boschi helped her father or committed wrongdoing.A Burmese friend recently put it like this: in the old days, people went to the tea shop to get their news. Now, they go to Facebook.After decades of isolation under successive military regimes, Myanmar’s 51 million people began to come online rapidly in 2014 after telecoms reforms. They leapfrogged the era of dial-up and desktops, starting with mobile phones and social media. For many, Facebook is synonymous with the internet.

2) Is fake news an inevitable consequence of the "culture of freedom and innovation" that the internet has brought with it? Is there a way to stop it?

There are politically motivated pages that reinterpret and distort existing stories from big news outlets and that much of what they share is more biased opinion than pure falsehood. Problems with fake news and fraudulent reporters exist despite the  "culture of freedom and innovation"  due to people often presenting themselves as journalists and threatening companies with negative coverage in an attempt to extort money. However, due to the development of technology and social media, it has become easier to create moral panic about a story that isn't necessarily true at all.

New York Times and the creation of fake news

New York Times feature - Inside a Fake News Sausage Factory: ‘This Is All About Income’

1) Which fake news stories were particularly successful for Beqa Latsabidze, the 22-year-old student in Tbilisi, Georgia, who tried to make money from web articles on Trump? 

“The Mexican government announced they will close their borders to Americans in the event that Donald Trump is elected President of the United States.” Data compiled by Buzzfeed showed that the story was the third most-trafficked fake story on Facebook from May to July.

2) How much can Facebook and Google be blamed for this global rise in fake news?

Facebook and Google have engaged in soul searching over their roles in disseminating false news. Google announced that it would ban websites that host fake news from using its online advertising service, while Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, outlined some of the options his company was considering, including simpler ways for users to flag suspicious content.

Week 11-

They Walk Among Us: real-life crimes that are scarily close to home

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/dec/08/they-walk-among-us-podcast-real-life-crimes-scarily-close-to-home

This cult podcast uncovers the stories of the UK’s most chilling crimes. And it’s a real nightmare-inducer.

True-crime podcasts have been a winning genre in 2016, with impeccable storytelling from series such as Serial, Criminal and Unsolved.

Now a new British podcast, They Walk Among Us (iTunes), retraces some of the UK’s most intriguing crimes. Don’t be fooled by the understated and businesslike style of mysterious narrator, Benjamin: these stories unfold in a sinister and often surreal way.

What is chilling about They Walk Among Us is its focus on cases that are close to home; its tales are simultaneously unexpected yet familiar (all have been headline-grabbers). It is co-written by husband-and-wife team Benjamin and Rosie (we are not given their last names), who are obsessed with true crime and record the show in their bedroom. 

The opening episode tells the tale of Sadie Hartley, who died after being stabbed on her doorstep. It is painstakingly well researched, recounting the backstory of Sarah Williams, who was found guilty of the murder. Portrayed in the media as a “bunny boiler”, she became infatuated with Hartley’s husband, Ian Johnston, after a fling and left a tangled web of explicit texts, menacing letters and damning evidence. It is the stuff of 9pm TV drama, except it is all real.

Jeremy Hunt proposes ban on sexting for under-18s

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/nov/29/jeremy-hunt-proposes-ban-on-sexting-for-under-18s

Social media companies should use technological solutions to bar young people from sending explicit messages and cyberbullying, says health secretary

Under-18s should be prevented by social media companies from texting sexually explicit images, the health secretary has said. Giving evidence to the Commons health committee on suicide prevention efforts, Jeremy Hunt also called for a crackdown on cyberbullying by the technology industry via the introduction of software that can detect when it is happening.

Hunt said social media firms needed to do more to combat the culture of online intimidation and sexual imagery, which is having a negative impact on the mental health of young people.

“I think social media companies need to step up to the plate and show us how they can be the solution to the issue of mental ill health amongst teenagers, and not the cause of the problem,” he said. “There is a lot of evidence that the technology industry, if they put their mind to it, can do really smart things.

NDM News: Globalisation

1) Is our news influenced by American cultural imperialism? 

Cultural imperialism is when critics of cultural dominance refer to the British Empire, when the Empire ruled a large proportion of the developing world and forced British values and ideologies upon it. Our news is influenced by American cultural imperialism as today's critics argue that the current US media domination amounts to cultural imperialism because it forces US culture on us through our media consumption. Others argue that US monopolises the global information system, dominating nations that wield less power in it. News is culturally dependent but it is also a product and producer of that culture. In my opinion, I think the news in the UK is influenced by American culture as we get many stories from the States. An example of this was the Black Lives Matter situation, which caused news channels in the UK to also distribute the story. Consumers also watch Hollywood movies, as well as listen to American born artists. As a result, I think that we have without noticing, become Americanised through the news and their ideologies. 

2) Has the increased globalisation of news improved the audience experience? 

The increased globalisation of news has improved audience experience due to the fact that they are able to gain access to a variety of news stories around the world, however, it could be argued that this has led to local news dying which means that audiences are not aware of what is going on locally which would be more beneficial. Additionally, the increased globalisation of news also causes moral panic, for example, people all around the world were reacting emotionally to Trump being elected despite the fact that it would have little impact on their lies. This is due to the amount of coverage this got on social media and the news which made it appear as a big thing. In my view, I think the increased globalisation has improved the audience experience as they are able to gain news from international countries. Encountering foreign news stories, allows the audiences to become aware of what is happening in both neighbouring countries and across the globe also. This is important as audiences can gain an insight into how different stories may be represented and it may also open their eyes to the fact that not all stories are true.

3) Has globalisation benefited or damaged major news institutions?

Globalisation has damaged major news institutions due to citizen journalism which means that audiences are more likely to read about news via social media rather than going onto a news website to gain more insight. This is damaging as the quality of the news may be compromised since professional journalists aren't filming it, similarly, there is the issue around 'fake news' which means that  the news may not necessarily be true as it could be manipulated. On the other hand, citizen journalism has benefited major media institutions such as Google, Facebook, Twitter etc as they are potentially taking money from news institutions because no one pays for news and just access it online. However, this also means that news coverage is cheaper for news institutions too because of the development of technology, free-lance/citizen journalism. In my view, I think that globalisation has benefited major news institutions more than they have damaged them. This is because globalisation has allowed free movement of labour and therefore news institutions benefit from international workers. Also, I think the fact that consumers are more interconnected and have the ability to speak to people abroad means that they will be able to use this to their advantage and benefit from news globally. A negative of this would be that audiences can become more inter twined with the other countries ideologies and we may enter cultural imperialism, which would negatively benefit the domestic news institutions.  

New and Digital Media Essay

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?

Technology has developed and grown over the years therefore so has new and digital media. Due to this, I believe that audiences are more powerful in terms of consumption and production. This is due to the fact that they have greater access to new and digital media e.g. through the internet, tablets, smartphones etc. This means that freedom of speech and opinions are openly expressed by audiences. Also, traditional print media has been in decline while online news continues to expand. There are two perspectives to this argument. The first is the Marxist approach, they emphasise the role of mass media in the reproduction of the status quo. Whereas, the second approach, Pluralists, emphasise the role of the media in promoting freedom of speech. 

Firstly, a Marxist perspective would argue that the so-called “information revolution” has done little to benefit audiences or to subvert the established power structures in society. Far from being a “great leveller” (Krotoski, 2012) as many have claimed, it has merely helped to reinforce the status quo by promoting dominant ideologies. The most popular news website in the UK by a considerable margin is the ‘Mail Online’, which receives more than 8 million hits every month and is continuing to expand rapidly – with forecasts that it will make £100 million or more in digital revenues in the next three years. Similar to its tabloid print edition, the website takes a Conservative, right-wing perspective on key issues around gender, sexuality and race and audiences appear to passively accept what the Marxist theorist, Gramsci, called a hegemonic view. When one of their chief columnists, Jan Moir, wrote a homophobic article about the death of Stephen Gately in 2009 there were Twitter and Facebook protests but, ultimately, they did not change the editorial direction of the gatekeepers controlling the newspaper.

In contrast, a pluralist perspective would argue that the development of new and digital media is an ‘empowering tool… an exciting and revolutionary prospect’, and has allowed consumers to become producers. They also state that we live in a classless society and media organisations are responsive to an audience and are economically determined. which supports a statement by Gurevitch et al. 1982:1, that the classless society can ‘conform, accommodate, challenge or reject’ the media they wish to consume. In contemporary society, majority of people are citizen journalists due to the fact that they film videos on their phones and upload it on social networking sites for people to produce a discussion and socially interact by expressing their opinions. The uses and gratifications theory proposed by Blumer and Katz (1974) can be associated with pluralism as it focuses on diversion, personal relationships, personal identity and surveillance. Diversion is where we escape from everyday problems, personal relationships is when we use the media for emotional interaction, personal Identity is when we find ourselves reflected in texts and surveillance is the information that is useful to us, for example, the weather. Moreover, pluralists argue that audiences are free agents and we are able to be 'free agents' through user generated content such as blogs, twitter, Facebook, instagram etc. We are able to be ourselves on these platforms and not be influenced by dominant ideologies. Due to the the developments of new/digital media “the web has the power to show people’s different views” (Kroteski 2012). It could be argued that the audience are no longer passive since they can now actively challenge dominate ideologies through social media. 

Another Marxist perspective would argue that audiences are not empowered through the development of new and digital media. This is due to the fact that Marxists argue mass media is a tool used by the ruling class/elite, although audiences have more freedom and power to create their own media online, they still use websites such as Google and YouTube which are owned by dominant corporations.. This reinforces the statement made by Gramsci, who used the concept of hegemony to describe the dominance of one social class over another e.g. the ruling class. For example, audiences feel more powerful as they can comment on articles found on online news. However, even though audiences can comment and express their opinions, the comments are still regulated by the news institutions and they have the power to take it down if they find it inappropriate. Similarly, Chompsky's theory also stems from this hegemonic view as he talks about 'manufacturing consent ‘and the ruling class brainwashing people into believing that something is 'natural or common sense' (hypodermic needle model). In addition to that, the media plays a vital role in spreading the dominate values of the ruling class as they have control access over the knowledge the audience receive. Therefore, this prompts the audience to accept that there is an unequal society which makes them powerless. 

The rise in citizen journalism throughout the years means that news institutions have become more dependent on citizen journalism in order to provide evidence for their news stories. For example, the general public have filmed stories on their phones, which have then been sent and used by news institutions who then show the footage on TV and online. This creates a sense of realism (Baudrillard) for audiences due to the fact that the footage is shaky and unclear, as oppose to it being shot on a professional camera. It makes audiences relate to the news story more as they see the perspective of someone who was actually there when the incident took place which can once again be linked the the uses and gratification of 'personal identity' or 'personal relationships'. This has also contributed to the decline of journalism since institutions use citizen journalism footage rather than professional footage by journalists  Also, it saves news institutions money as they do not need to pay a journalist to work for them.

To conclude, I believe that audiences have power to a certain extent. However, although technology and new and digital media has expanded, people are being oppressed by the elite due to the fact that they are dominating over them by making them feel weak and less powerful (class domination). The public suffer from a false consciousness as they are not aware of things due to them being influenced and manipulated by the capital. I therefore believe that the ruling class have greater power over audiences. This relates to the Marxist belief of hegemony as the elite remain the ruling class in society and hold the power.