NDM - Sun apologises over 'inappropriate' Madeleine McCann X Factor joke

The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/oct/21/sun-apologises-madeleine-mccann-x-factor-joke

















This article focuses on The Sun newspaper apologising by making inappropriate tweets about the XFactor contestant Tamera's Foster about Madeline McCann. During XFactor live show The Sun Showbiz Twitter account tweeted about Tamera Foster in relation to the press coverage about her getting caught for shop lifting. However, the Tweet was deleted immediately deleted by furious blacklash and The Sun apologised for this incident. Notably, The Sun's editor David Dinsmore apologies to the McCann family expresses how sorry he is about this incident.

Personal, I think it is wrong for The Sun newspaper to tweet about a serious situation and make fun out of it because it is offensive to the public and especially to the McCann family. In my opinion, newspapers should respect serious situations, especially Madeline McCann disappearance as today in contemporary society the McCann family are still looking for answers for their daughter's kidnapping.

What part did New and Digital media play in the Arab Spring?

New and Digital Media play a vital role in the Arab Spring as the development in technology allows individuals' from different countries to express their views. For example, on a political level the countries associated with the Arab Spring such as Egypt and Libya the protest would not have happened without the use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. 

According to a online news article 'Debate Flares over the impact of social media on the Arab Spring and other revolutions' http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/03/10/debate-flares-over-impact-of-social-media-on-arab-spring-and-other-revolutions/ Phillip Howard stated the new media has made a difference to countries in the Arab Spring as it has changed the way people think about their opitions. This conveys, that new and digital media play a vital role as it has giving people the freedom to expresses their opinions therefore there is more democracy. Notably, the article states that the Arab Spring movement "involved a networked public of generally younger folks" and during the time authoritarian regimes was unable to keep up the rapid pace of the social networks.

Web 2.0 Articles

Article One:

In the Age of Media Six Questions about Media and Participation

Web 2.0 refers to online social media
http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/mmagpast/MM39_Participation_6ques.html

• Due to the changes in social media people are no longer consumers but are producers as well.
• Blogs and forums give people the opportunity to say their opinion and to speak back to those who are in power. Whereas, social networking sites allows people to connect and interact with others around the world. Similarly, Youtube also gives individuals' the opportunity to distribute their own media content globally.
• Social media such as blogs, forums, networking sites do not require getting editors permissions or gatekeepers and can be accessed anytime, by anyone, anywhere.
• These changes have a massive shift from tradition old media to new media as there is more user-generate content, citizen journalism and the empowerment of the audience.

Whats New?

• There are dangers to the change of technology as it may bring about revolutionary social change.
• Technologies do not come from anywhere but they are created by the wider social, economic and culture developments.
• Its impact is always dependent on how they are used, by whom and for what purpose.

Who's participating?

• Research suggest that there are some inequalities in participation based on gender differences. For example, women are leading in areas such as blogging, while men usually dominate video sharing. 
• However, the important and shocking differences are in terms of social class. For example, in the US it is young people from from middle class high income families who are likely to be posting something online. Unlike, working class individuals' who do have computers at home, are less likely to have multi-media capabilities that are needed for more sophisticated content creation and sharing.
• Twitter is dominated by middle class people.
• Young people are the early adopters of Twitter are are the digital generation. This means that there is a technological gap.

Whose making the money?

"Technology is shifting power away from editors  the publishers as it now consumers who are in control"quoted by Rupert Murdock

• Richest and most profitable global media corporation are now Google and Facebook.

Article Two

Participation Debates – The media and democracy

http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/mmagpast/MM39_Participation_democracy.html

• One could argue that social networking has opened up opportunities for democracy. Eg The XFactor 2010 series , 15,488,019 million votes were cast by viewers to decided the outcome of the programme. Even though the winners are unlikely to change the world it is an example of media democracy at work. 
• Digital revolution and Web 2.0 have given users the opportunity to communicate ideas globally through the use of social networking
• Political level, Egypt and Libya couldn't have happened without the use of Twitter and Facebook with young people using social networking sites.
• Internet had empowered its users by giving them unparalleled instant and unmediated access to unfolding news stories from a variety of sources. E.g MJ death reports first appeared on Twitter and Facebook.
• Not seen a true democracy in 'Arab Spring' countries.
• Blogging is another way that the media are becoming democratic.

Article Three

Web 2.0 – Participation or Hegemony?

http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/mmagpast/MM39_Participation_Web2_hegemony.html

• Web 2.0 is a important medium that allows audience to become produces of medium texts. (Example, blogs which audience can use to produce, and share their own work)
• Web 2.0 is often referred to 'we media' which democratises the media, as anyone with web connection can create and publish texts. This means that audience no longer need to rely upon professional organisations 
• Some believe that this has led to 'dumbing down' and 'the cult of the amateur' because anyone can create texts.
• Audience no longer have to reply upon traditional media.

Graeme Turner (2004) argues:

"Even when ordinary people become celebrities through their own creative efforts, there is no necessary transfer of media power: they remain within the system of celebrity native to, and controlled by, the mass media"

Burgess and Green "conclude that there are two YouTubes; they argue it is ‘a space where these two categories [traditional media and home video] co-exist and collide, but do not really converge"

Comments on NDM Blogs

1.Yes, Angry Birds Go! could knock Nintendo's Mario Kart off its perch...
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/appsblog/2013/oct/16/angry-birds-go-mario-kart
http://anitaappana-examblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/weekly-nmd-story_16.html

I agree with Anita opinion that the game 'Angry Birds' would be more successful than Mario Kart as the game is played more by the young demographic. One could argue, that this is because 'Angry Birds' is free on Android and therefore it is likely to appeal to any demographic as they do not need to pay for the game. Notably, due to the developments of technology the game is also available on tablets, which most people have now and therefore it increases the popularity for the game.

2. Argos Launches £99 table to compete with Tesco Hudl
http://gagandeephakim-year13.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/weekly-story_20.html?showComment=1382350468100#c707969882284772282 

Gagandeep's NDM article is beneficial in showing a development in digital media as now tablet's are becoming increasingly popular in society as now many companies are launching their own tablets. For example, it is stated 'first half of 2013 6m tablets were sold in the UK' followed by '75% of the UK's population is still without one'. Notably ,I agree with Gagandeep's opinion as Argo's My Tablet is more likely to be successful amongst the consumers due to its low price.

3. 

20 best Android apps this week

http://examblog-gaganyear13.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/weekly-ndm-story_19.html?showComment=1382350878943#c8936604290927346257
I agree with Gagan's opinion because it is beneficial for the audience to express their opinion on the game, whether is it positive or negative. Notably, I think the games which are free are more likely to be successful with the younger demographic especially as they don't need to pay for it. As a result, some companies may change some aspects of their game in order to meet consumers needs based on these comments or take it into consideration if they make a new project.

Digital subscriptions to the Times and Sunday Times top 150,000

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/oct/17/digital-subscriptions-times-sunday-news-uk?commentpage=1

This article focuses on how 'The Times' and 'Sunday Times' have topped 150,000 digital subscription and therefore in total they have 350,000 subscribers to print and online editors. Notably, News UK stated that this includes 200,000 who receive a daily newspaper on subscription. Whereas, the 150,000 figure conveys digital subscribers which have grown 20% since February, when 12,000 people had signed up. Furthermore, according to the company, the digital subscribers for The Times Newspaper now makes up 25% of the paper's total paid-for-sale. Similarly, subscribers to the the paper's print and digital editions also now contribute to half of it's sale.


Moreover, New's UK stated that print subscribers to The Times and Sunday Times has grown by more than 50,000 from 200,000 since July 2010 when it introduced the paywall. Emma Tucker, who is the the Times deputy editor stated, "The paywall was a real challenge for everybody in the paper to get it to fly so this shows a great belief in paid-for content"

People Comments on this article

Agree

1. RationalArgument

17 October 2013 9:39pm

• "The Guardian probably will need a paywall eventually, but being one of the last ones to change is actually a good strategy as it will allow them to build a big market share of readers before they start charging"

This comment is beneficial in showing how the paywall for the newspapers have made a positive impact on the company as their subscribers have increased rapidly. Effectively, they have more readers which makes the newspaper more successful.

2. sagesteve

18 October 2013 5:36pm

Recommend

• "I am baffled by the newspaper online payment model. It would be a waste of money for me to have a subscription as I don't have time to read a paper every day. But on a spare day, I would pay to download a single edition to my ipad. As far as I'm aware I can't do this"

I agree with this comment because if individuals subscribe to the newspapers and do not read it everyday therefore it would be a waste of their money. However, the audience could read the newspaper online addition on a regular basis for free as they would still be receiving instant updates.

3. ireland34

17 October 2013 11:45pm

Recommend

0

• I subscribe to the 'I', the times and the telegraph through the kindle fire, I like to read all sides of a news story

I agree with this comment because people who subscribe the newspaper will get access to new issues and it gives them the choice of reading any sections of the newspaper.

4. EMComments ryeats

17 October 2013 11:35pm

Recommend

1

• "Why should journalism, which costs money to do properly, be free?" Why should any business believe that, just because it is expensive to produce its product, anyone will be wiling to pay (much) for it?"Does the Guardian earn anything from me?" Yes, but not very much. Page impressions to pay (just like old-style display advertising) just not nearly so well.

I agree with this comment because news shouldn't be free as journalists will be losing money as well and it is their job to write news articles. Also, just because it is expensive to produce the print newspaper and online does not mean that it should start costing.

5. focsle185Recommend
"Paying for any online journalism is 'borg' like. If I wanted to limit myself to one type of view possibly a good idea. As it is the internet provides a fertile platform for discovering news from many sources. I prefer to use my own filter than that proscribed and provided to me by the self appointed types at the times and ST"
This comment is beneficial as it conveys that consumers do not need to be passive and just read and take in one journalist perspective on a new article. This is because, through the internet people have access to different news sources and therefore the audience have a variety of perspectives to read.

Disagree

1. lawsonrob Steinnik

19 October 2013 12:54pm

Recommend

0

• It's a disaster no matter which way they spin it. I doubt it even covers what they've lost in online advertising income, never mind the damage to brand profile and awareness.

I disagree with this comment because both newspapers do include articles which appeal to the audience and therefore it is not a disaster.

2.lawsonrob printerink

19 October 2013 12:56pm

Recommend

0

• No we won't. Paywalls are already coming down. It was a bad idea that they tried for the second time and it's failing again. Personally, I like the Telegraph paywall. View the site in a incognito window and it works perfectly.

Personally, from reading this article I think the paywall will not be coming down from the digital editions of the newspaper as it has made a lot of revenue for the company. 

3. Steveattufnell tankerton

18 October 2013 12:47am

Recommend

7

• Because The Times is a very good newspaper, free of an overtly biased political agenda and employing Columnists and leader writers from across the political spectrum. In my opinion it is the best newspaper in Britain, by a mile. All in all easily worth £4 a week" (The Sunday Times website is a bit of a mess, but it too is a good read.)

I disagree with the comment as The Times is not the "best newspaper in   Britain" as there are other newspaper which are similarly good and even better.  For example, broadsheet newspaper such as The Guardian is successful amongst a majority of individuals because if covers topics which people especially middle class individuals are interested in. Notably, the fact that due to the pay wall subscribers would have to pay for The Times and Sunday Newspaper may likely decrease the number of consumers as some people only read the digital news because it is free.

4. FatFrank

17 October 2013 8:09pm

Recommend

6

• The paywall is too restrictive. The Times loses the marketing benefit of giving away a few articles a month (like the FT) and showing a bit of ankle. Are they also hidden from Google, as per Rupert's instructions? Let people see a bit for free and they might be more likely to pay. The digital Times is largely invisible to non-subscribers.

I disagree with this comment because the paywall is not restrictive as it gives consumers the choice whether they want to subscribe or not. Even if The Times give away few articles a month they are still earning revenue due to the amount of people who subscribe.

5. cheetah43

18 October 2013 4:59am

Recommend

5

• 150,000 subscribers to online papers! Laughable. And they lured the first 120,000 at £2/week. Since then they doubled the subscription rate to £4/week. All in all, they are claiming annual revenue from the online papers of £30m. So what is there to boast about when their journalists are addressing only 150,000 people on the WWW enjoyed my hundreds of millions?

I disagree with this point because by the newspaper companies putting up a paywall it has improved their revenue, therefore it is possible that they got 150,000 subscribers online.

NDM: Facebook loosens privacy restrictions to allow under-18s to post globally

The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/17/facebook-privacy-restrictions-under-18s-public
















This article focuses on how the social networking site Facebook has  loosen privacy restrictions for users under the age of 18 which previously limited who could see their online posts. Now, teenagers can post updates globally and manually alter the settings and share information with the public. Whereas before, posts from users under 18 could only be viewed by their friends or friends of a friend.  It is stated that Facebook is in competition for young users with other social media services such as WhatsApp and SnapChat.  

The reason why Facebook changed there privacy setting for teenager users is to further their business which was stated by the executive  director of the non-profit Center for Digital Democracy, Jeffery Chester. Notably, other media services also allow teens to share information with the broader public and therefore it is no harm for Facebook to do the same. Moreover, Facebook also allows teenage users to use the 'Follow' feature which is would let strangers to automatically receive public posts from another user without the users being connected on the service as mutual friends. Evidently, these changes will stay perminent. 

Overall, to some extent I believe Facebook changes are unethical for young teenagers as it will not protect them from strangers or even phedophiles knowing about their background and finding out more about them. This shows, that there are dangers to the changes and as a result teenagers need to be careful about what they post online because it can be viewed globally. 

NDM Weekly : BBC unlikely to debut EastEnders episodes on iPlayer before TV

The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/oct/08/bbc-eastenders-iplayer-tv

The article focuses on how BBC is unlikely to broadcast  early popular shows, such as EastEnders on BBC I player before it's scheduled timing. BBC have stated that they are more likely to make programmes scheduled after 9pm such as, The Graham Norton Show which broadcast on BBC1 at 10:35pm, available online to view earlier on BBC Iplayer. This is because, BBC believe it would be beneficial for audiences who want a early night in and therefore they can watch the programme before hand. Notably, Tony Hall, the BBC general director, revealed that BBC next aim is to make more TV and Radio shows available on Iplayer but the details of this strategy still has not been officially confirmed. 

Furthermore, BBC director of TV Danny Cohren stated that the "corporation is considering keeping early evening shows" such as EastEnders "as broadcast exclusive, only available on the Iplayer after first transmition". Notably, if 9pm viewers do not not like what BBC1 is showing they can watch a programme which would be broadcast on TV later; however, they may be tired for that such as The Graham Norton Show. 

Moreover, the new generation of the Iplayer would provide and benefit viewers, BBC and allow more content that would work well with BBC3's younger demographic. For example, BBC3 show Jack Whitehall sitcom Bad Education has already been available to view on Iplayer before they broadcast it on the channel .

Overall, I believe that BBC idea about airing programmes after 9pm on Iplayer before bradcast on the channel is beneficial. This is because, if a programme has been scheduled to air later on the night some views may be tired and therefore it would be useful if they could watch it earlier. 

Week NDM Mail on Sunday in Kenya photo slip-up

Guardian Newspaper

http://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2013/sep/30/mail-on-sunday-kenya-photo



The article above focuses on how the newspaper The Mail on Sunday page 17 included a exclusive picture which was not true. The Mail on Sunday printed this picture conveying that it was from the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi with an Al Shabaab gun man aiming to fire at hostages lying underneath the desk. However, the problem with this is the picture is it is in correct, as it was from a wrong shopping mall, city, country and continent. Providing further evidence that this picture was wrong is that on the 16th April 2010 the FBI presses released a CCTV picture of  a bank robbery in Miramar Florida. Furthermore, The Mail on Sunday publishers stated that the picture was provided by a reliable Kenyan who received it alongside with genuine CCTV images from the mall. As a result, The Mail on Sunday newspaper stated that they are sorry for this misunderstanding and regret their publication to their readers.

Overall, this clearly conveys that readers must not always believe what newspapers provided them as some of the issues can be in correct or exaggerated in order to caused a moral panic. As a newspaper reader, I would be shocked by this issue as it would make me stop reading articles from The Mail on Sunday as they are not true.