Construction of the News - News Values - Citizen Journalism

The textbook is nice and straightforward about this, pages 149-153 need to be learnt and understood but, in my humble opinion, there’s nothing there that won’t make sense to you.

We should take a closer look at ‘News Values’, specifically the work of  Galtung and Ruge (1965) and  Spencer-Thomas (2008).  Here is a link to S-Thomas’ own website and his info on news values. 

Galtung and Ruge are covered quite comprehensively in textbook pages 152-153.

You need notes and understanding of their work!

We should also take a closer look at Citizen journalism because it is a new development linked to the internet...

Citizen Journalism

What is citizen journalism? (you need to have a short definition of this in your pretty little heads)

Here are some famous examples...

Salam Pax:

1  2

Arab Spring:

1

Is citizen journalism a good idea?

For and against citizen journalism, here  and what is the role and value of citizen journalism?  Here!

More Media documentaries!

Watch at least the first 15 mins of 'Orwell Rolls in his Grave'.  Full of fun facts about media control etc!
thoughtmaybe    this website has loads of excellent stuff.

Lots of media documentaries here!  such as this one Operation Saddam — America’s Propaganda War

News from The Onion

The Onion explains how how 24 hour rolling news channels fill their airtime:

What sort of people write for The Sun?

A fascinating revelation in today's Sun...

Harry Redknapp says 'I'm disorganised and can't write' . 

Apparently Mr Redknapp 'writes like a two year old and can't spell'.  This inability to write and spell has, fortunately, not stopped him getting a job as a columnist on The Sun.

Redknapp - Illiterate thicko laughing all the way to the bank (in Monaco, allegedly)
with money given to him by even thicker Sun readers. 

PressPausePlay

PressPausePlay from House of Radon on Vimeo.


The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and talent in an unprecedented way, with unlimited opportunities.

But does democratized culture mean better art or is true talent instead drowned out? This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world's most influential creators of the digital era. presspauseplay.com @presspauseplay Facebook: on.fb.me/y4gEK1

Reel Bad Arabs - Media portrayal

Interesting documentary about media portrayal of Arabs in movies etc.  The theme tune to Disney's Alladin is particularly charming, apparently he lives in 'A place where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face'

The Day Today and The Onion- Media - News satire.

In the days before TV became Cowell's personal plaything and therefore lost its appeal to all but the brainless, 'The Day Today' was satirising the conventions of formulaic news broadcasting.  It's tres amusing.  I think this link will take you to a full episode.  If not, have a look on the internet yourself, do I have to do everything for you?! 

                                                                         The Day Today


Meanwhile, over in the USA, if Fox News isn't hilarious enough for you, then The Onion News Network is superb.   This video is one of my favourites and, let's face it, my taste is significantly better than yours.

Representation in the Media: Gender, Age, Ethnicity and Class

Behold!  Herein I shall place links to various resources that can be utilised by both AS and A2 for the units on media representation of various identities.  It shall be an ongoing project and hence the contents of this post will not be exhaustive by any means.  Nonetheless, I hope, nay, I pray that they will be of some use to you in your ceaseless quest for knowledge. Bon chance, mes enfants!

“The media do not merely represent; they also recreate the world as desirable, and saleable. What they reproduce is chosen, not random, not neutral, and not without consequence”. (Patricia J. Williams)


Proper Studies!

Still a Man’s Game:  Gender Representation in Online Reviews of Video Games

The virtual census: representations of gender, race and age in video games

'A Content Analysis of Gender Differences in Children's Advertising'

Children, Television and Gender Roles

Offensive Ethnic Clichés in Movies: Drugs, Sex, and Servility

Mockery and Morality in Popular Cultural Representations of the White, Working Class



General Stuff

This site looks very good for resources

Media Stereotypes

Representation of Age in the media

Gender

Ethnicity

Studying Media Representations

Media Awareness Network


Media blog with posts/videos on representation

Age

Youth   Youth 2

Ethnicity


Another blog on media

And don't forget my previous post on Age Identity videos!



Childhood

Kids - what the papers say

On Wednesday 22 April, a conference was held in London, UK, to discuss the representation of children in the media


Youth

Media demonises teenagers

Behind the stereotypes

Young people media portrayal

The concept of youth


The Elderly

BBC 'One Foot in the Grave'.

Damn you, Disney!

Elder stereotypes in media & popular culture


BBC - Are pensioners stereotyped?   1   2   3





BBC 'Last of the Summer Wine'

 



Class

White Working Class  and this

Watch this on class in media

This blog post explains how several songs by 60's group The Kinks can be related to class.


Ethnicity

Gender, Race and Media representation

BBC: TV 'failing ethnic minorities'

BBC: How Entertainment Changed - The media and multicultural Britain

Can Gramsci's theory of hegemony help us to understand the representation of ethnic minorities in western television and cinema?

Ethnic minorities and the Media

Cadbury accused of racial stereotyping in chocolate advert

Racial stereotype bingo ad is banned

KFC ad accused of racism


Islam

‘The British Media and Muslim Representation: The Ideology of Demonisation’

From Aladdin to Lost Ark, Muslims get angry at 'bad guy' film images

Islam and the Western Media   Stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam in the media are rooted in prejudice, and ignorance, says Bassil Akel.

Why the terrorism scare is a moral panic.

My Name is Khan    Wiki page  "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist"
Revision

The role of the mass media in representations of age, class, ethnicity, gender...'

Churnalism in today's Daily Express - John Lewis Xmas Ad

I don't read the Daily Express because I have a functioning brain but I was having breakfast in a cafe this morning and someone, most likely an idiot, had left a copy on the table so I looked at it in order to avoid having to see the other patrons of the cafe who were a bit too plebeian for my taste. 

If you're looking for free biscuits, this is the newspaper for you!  If you're looking for quality journalism, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed.

Anyway, the front page featured the usual rubbish, revolving around some decision taken by the EU which the journalist had deliberately blown out of all proportion in order to produce the sort of hysterical headline that appeals to simpletons.  Once I'd delved deeper into this semi-literate dung heap masquerading as a newspaper I discovered this word-turd:

Here it is, it stinks.

It's a classic example of a PR press-release being written up as a news article. Read it and weep.

Glasgow Media Group - Sutton Trust - Media Control/Consensus/Agenda Setting

Mentioned in textbooks, important for the A Level course, this lot study the media and have produced many well-known studies.  Links to their website below...
Media Theory and Methods, articles index

Assorted websites of interest

Blog about distortion and general bad behaviour by the tabloid media

Sutton Trust - over 50% of journalists went to public school

MediaWatch

Watching the media...

MediawatchUK

Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom

Keeping an eye on power, ownership and control in the media, amongst other things...

Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom

Media - Films and Documentaries to watch

Starsuckers

Weapons of mass deception

Manufacturing Consent - Noam Chomsky and the Media

Audio - Noam Chomsky - Propaganda & Control of the Public Mind


2Pac Sociology Lesson


Press ownership and control...

Independent Media In A Time Of War

Part 1 of 3



These three are particulary concerned with political manipulation by the media, clips are from youtube but why not try and watch the whole film, it's unlikely to kill you.

Wag The Dog

Bob Roberts

Primary Colors


Also, The Corporation is worth watching, as is No Logo and The Century of the Self - Episode 4 - Eight People Sipping Wine in Kettering

Media - News - Nick Davies - Churnalism

'Flat Earth News', a book by Nick Davies, is well worth reading.  I have a copy you can borrow.  He has a website devoted to it and also his own site:

Flat Earth News

Nick Davies

Here's a video about 'Churnalism':

Churnalism

Media - News - Charlie Brooker's Newswipe

There's a great deal of useful information in Newswipe regarding the way journalism/news media really works, Brooker cleverly adds swearwords and funny bits to disguise the fact you're learning something.  Watch as much of it as you can, loads on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG5UUhWc-7k

generic news report:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHun58mz3vI

on the american news media

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_amyJCLmMY8


Chris Morris' 'The Day Today' is also worth a look as it satirises the cliches of news broadcasts:

'The Day Today' Episode

Media

Short video about the changes in Media over the last few decades

The changing place of media in everyday life

Cliff Notes on Role and Influence of Media, mainly A2 but also useful for AS

The Role and Influence of Mass Media

Short pdf on Media Ownership and Control for A2:

Media Ownership and Control

Marxist Media Theory, A2:

Marxist Media Theory

Media revision AS (for AQA but still useful info and could be useful revision for A2 as well)

Media Revision



Article on how US Military influences film making, A2

David Sirota 1

Another Sirota article about how the things we watch affect us, A2

David Sirota 2

Related to the above, pdf on Video Games and The Military Entertainment Complex, A2

Video Games

Starsuckers

Documentary about the tabloid media and whatnot. Good for A2 and AS.

Starsuckers