Media Assessment

Convergence in ‘The Independent’ – A News Media Case Study

In 1986 the Newspaper ‘The Independent’ was established. Whilst this paper is still fairly popular to consumers, the company has had to adapt to changes in the news media environment which has led to the convergence of this text. It has developed a website, an app for phones, Facebook and iPods and has its own profile on Facebook and Twitter.

Originally, news stories that would appear in papers could have happened a few days ago so its audience were a little behind in terms of information however, with developments in technology, particularly the internet, news and information can be accessed instantly. However, the time it takes to create, print and distribute newspapers mean that the articles contained within them are always several hours behind current information and events. To compete with media that can provide more instant news, papers such as ‘The Independent’ have begun using new media to allow their audiences to receive stories quicker as well as to access a greater audience.

One of the most recent developments in new media is the micro-blogging site ‘Twitter’ which allows “for the online and instant dissemination of short fragments of data from a variety of official and unofficial sources,” which is to say that the site lets its users create short stories, often headlines with links to detailed articles on other websites, which can be shared instantly with its followers via the internet. This system turns its users into prosumers as they can both read and produce their own texts as well as share other people’s texts with others. This creates an interactivity that is not seen in old media; users can reply directly to the producers of content and allows people to share their views and the views of others in a way that can be made as selective as is desired. Twitter is also useful as a way of finding news stories for papers as it enables all its users to “obtain immediate access to information held by all or at least most, and in which each person can instantly add to that knowledge” so that people can share events as they happen with users and add details as they find them which is useful both to papers and to users as they can find out information quicker.

The Independent’s twitter feed is divided into different sections in much the same way as the newspaper itself is, for example separating media, politics and world news into different parts of the paper as well as different twitter profiles. This allows its audience to receive information only about the parts of the news they find of interest and lets people with a specific interest to find their Twitter profile who may not have normally been part of the audience for the paper. The use of Twitter in this way is often seen from either a technological determinist or liberal perspective. Technological determinists would suggest that we use this service as we have adapted to want more immediate news because the technology has evolved to support this whilst those using a liberal perception would suggest that as we have needed more instant information, the technology developed to fill this gap. However, you could look at this from a free market model and suggest that when these technologies developed, the owners of such sites and the industries that use them have marketed them to consumers as useful in an attempt to generate greater profits.

The most obvious example of convergence is probably seen in the use of website links in the Independent’s Twitter and Facebook feeds; within their posts on these two sites, they often include the wed address to the article on their website. This allows people who have an interest in the story they are promoting to find out extra details but also serves the purpose of driving more people to the site which means that they can create a bigger profit from their advertising on the site. This suggests that the use of micro-blogging sites is to quickly update its audience whilst the website is for detail as well as serving as the way in which the paper generates money for providing these services. The news site also allows people to comment on the story but in a “generally filtered or moderated form of participatory communication” compared to Facebook and Twitter as the website is controlled by the company itself so they are able to remove any content that they feel is inappropriate with greater ease.

The other feature The Independents uses on Facebook is their app. This allows Facebook users to show their friends what articles they have been reading, show app users what articles are popular both with their friends and the world and suggests articles that might be of interest. The app links Facebook users directly to the article on the website, again driving up views and profitability, and allows users’ friends to see that they have read these articles and provides them with a link to these articles. This is beneficial not only to The Independent, as it allows them to access a greater audience, but also to consumers as they are able to keep up with trends of information, giving them the gratification of information as well as integration and social interaction both through the use of commenting on texts and through being able to discuss articles with friends and share this information and their opinions with others.

Apps are also available on other platforms, such as mobile phones, tablet computers and mp4 devices such as iPods. Often to access these there is a subscription fee and it is through this that The Independent make their profit. However, the development of this can be seen through other perspectives rather than just free market. As the audience for newspapers are largely commuters, it can be seen that these professionals desired an easier, more compact and less time consuming way of accessing articles which lead to the development of these apps. It can also be seen from the technological determinist perspective that we now access the news in this way as this is how the technology has developed and we have adapted accordingly to make use of it.

The Independent have also recently begun a sister paper ‘The I’ which reflects the modern use of technology to access news in its format; it uses a lot of the same information and pictures as The Independent but changes the order and the level of detail to suit both its target audience and the values it portrays. Articles are grouped into pages according to their relevance to one another, much like how online articles contain links to others that are likely to be of interest or are relevant to what is being read, rather than necessarily by their importance as is traditional in newspapers.

To see this, you can compare the way in which the same story appears in both papers and on their website. Looking at the story about Vince Cable’s feeling over the BskyB saga, ‘The Independent’ uses less images and a longer headline compared to ‘The I’. The story is also more detailed and, unlike ‘The I,’ does not have a related story directly next or underneath it. The website uses a more similar headline to ‘The Independent’ but the style and depth of the story more closely resembles that of ‘The I.’ It also has links down the side of the article to popular and related stories, which again is more like ‘The I’ than ‘The Independent.’

It also interesting to compare The Independent’s use of new media and convergence to that of ‘The Times’. The way in which these two newspapers have decided to use technology is similar but they are using different models to create their profits – whilst access to most of The Independent’s online content and apps is free, ‘The Times’ charges a subscription fee to access both their website and apps. This means that they may create a greater profit from their audience but they have limited the size of the audience they can reach compared to The Independent.

The Independent has made use of new media both to create greater revenue and reach a wider audience. The development of new technologies has meant that their articles can be accessed anywhere and by almost anyone and instantly, which has led to changes in the design of their paper, the creation of ‘This I’ and the greater use and importance of their website, social networking feeds and applications for mobile devices.

Bibliography

Bardoel, J & Deuze, M. (2001). Network Journalism: Converging Competences of Media Professionals and Professionalism. Australian Journalism Review. 23 (2), 91-103.

Deuze, M. (2003). The Web and Its Journalisms: Considering the Consequences of Different Types of Newsmedia Online. New Media Society. 5 (2), 203-230.

Hermida, A. (2010). Twittering The News. Journalism Practice. 4 (3), 297-308.

Oblak, T. (2005). The Lack of Interactivity and Hypertextuality in Online Media. Gazette: The International Journal for Communication Studies. 67 (1), 87-106

Pavlik, J. (1999). New Media and News: Implications for the Future of Journalism. New Media & Society. 1 (1), 54-59.

Sunstein, C (2006). Infotopia: How many Minds Produce Knowledge. Oxford University Press. 219.

HCJ catch up

Well, I had intended over the past 4 weeks to do one HCJ post a week to catch up on the ones that I have so far failed to blog about, but that clearly didn’t work, so I’m smushing (technical term) it all into this one. Enjoy.

German Idealism

German idealism derives from an antithesis and dislike of British Empiricism and was influenced by the Romantic Movement.  It is based on the idea that metaphysics as a possible/worthwhile activity.

Kant, “the anti-Hume” according to my notes, tried to prove that all knowledge comes from experience but not through generalising observations through pure logic. He says that our knowledge is also based on ideas that are, in a way, instinctive and not logical.

	A Priori	A Posteriori
Analytic	Triangles have three sides Bicycles have 2 wheels	???
Synthetic	7+5=12	Dogs bark Fire burns

Hegel believed that the only thing that does not change is that things change. He came up with the idea that all things have a “geist” or ghost form so that though things change/decay, it is still that thing. For example, though you grow older and change, your still you therefore you must have a geist.

Schopenhauer suggested that suffering is essential to life and is caused by will which makes people pursue things that leave them feeling unfulfilled and unhappy. He thinks that a good man goes against will and nature.

Scepticism

The 4 Great sceptics:

1.       Marx – class ideology, economics
2.       Nietzsche – morality, culture
3.       Weber – power, legitimacy
4.       Freud – sexuality, irrationality

                            all believe there is no absolute or definite truth and that all experience is seen from a certain perspective. They all also think that the clouding of the enlightenment lead to cultural pessimism.

Weber & Bureaucracy

As there was no revolution as Marx had desired/predicted, there was a rise in the German state and social democracy (i.e. very bureaucratic, efficient and rigid in structure) which was then copied in England, France, America, etc. This type of state lead to the creation of the middle class and more jobs. However, it also leads to greater separation between employer and employee.

Bureaucratic plans are rationalised to the public who obey due to their authority (domination and legitimacy)

1.       Traditional (family, ritual, etc. – honour & dignity)
2.       Charisma (‘magical’ powers, religion, personality, costume & ceremony)
3.       Legal-rational/bureaucratic (qualification, routine, professionalism)

4 fundamental types of social action:
1.       Instrumental-rational action – rational/useful
2.       Value-rational action – good practice
3.       Effectual-emotional  affirmation/disaffirmation – emotional
4.       Traditional orientation – society

Nietzsche

Nietzsche separates reality from what is perceived using Greek Gods Apollo and Dionysus. Apollo, a god of light, dreams, knowledge and reason, represents idealism whilst Dionysus, god of wine, madness and ecstasy, is the chaos in reality however, neither can exist without the other. Greek tragedy relied on the conflict between Apollonian and Dionysian perception to create the struggle and misfortune needed for the genre.

From the reading it is clear that, at the time of writing his book ‘Birth of Tragedy’ at least, “Nietzsche believed all people suffer, but that the Greeks (and therefore the Germans, who he considered to be the most superior race since the Greeks themselves) suffered the most.” It is interesting to consider that these two ages are amongst the most fruitful and influential in terms of philosophy however, would his opinion of this be different if he were from a different country.

Additional thoughts on Anti-Semitism

In seminar, we discussed in what way others might have thought the Jews would alter their society. To me, I couldn’t see why they were threatened – after research and discussions with a friend of mine, I came to realise that, whilst Judaism differs in some aspects such as diet, there were few differences that could dramatically change their culture as the religion suggests that only those born into the religion need to practice it. Unless you are born to a Jewish mother, you are not truly Jewish therefore there is no sense in others of the time, or even now, being worried about being converted or having their culture altered. After a long chat over facebook with my friend, we concluded that the only real and justified (in a warped sense of the word) reason for this prejudice is ignorance, which is true even in today’s society and of many other religions or cultures.

We also discussed an aspect I left out of my paper which is the way in which different people reacted to conquerors at the time. From my understanding of the reading, most civilians were happy to accept their new ruler as long as they were not made inferior (e.g. enslaved) whilst Jewish people were more concerned about protecting their practices rather than their freedom – as long as they were able to follow the rules they were given by God, they did not mind (to an extent) being made to work.  This could have lead to people resenting them as they did not stand together to protect their freedom.

Let Them Read Cake

As I haven’t blogged in ages, I thought I’d write a quickie on cake seeing as baking has become one of my methods of procrastination (along with cleaning and slaying virtual dragons) to get back into the swing of it all.

Now, I realise a lot of you may just buy your cake in a box – either ready-made or in just-add-most-of-the-ingredient-you-would-have-used-anyway form – but I can assure you now that making it from scratch is both incredibly satisfying to know you baked something so delicious and a billion times better tasting than any other way of getting cake into your mouth.

The magic rule with cakes is that you use equal amounts of butter, caster sugar and flour* and, if weighed in ounces, half as many eggs. So, if you use 6oz of all the other ingredients, you’d need 3 eggs (which makes about the right amount of mixture to make around a dozen fairy cakes).

* To make chocolate cake, substitute about 1/6 of the flour for cocoa powder

Method:

·         Pre-heat oven to 180°C

·         Beat flour and sugar until creamy

·         Sieve in 1-2 table spoons of sugar and add 1 egg and stir in thoroughly

·         Repeat until out of eggs

·         Sieve in remaining flour and stir well

·         Pour mixture into greased  tin or cake cases

·         Bake until knife comes out clean when cake is stabbed (or, alternatively, until the cake springs back when lightly prodded.

Compared to other cake mixes (both supermarket-own and well-known brands), homemade cake tastes better – it’s lighter and fluffier and, if cooked properly, never tastes oily or powder-y.

Anyway, have fun cooking whilst I eat cake and try and motivate myself into writing a serious blog – until next time!

Anti-Semitism and the Dreyfus Affair

Whilst some consider anti-Semitism to be a more recent problem, this form of prejudice actually has a long history which is described by Bernard Lazare in his book “Antisemitism: Its History and Causes”.

Lazare was born “Lazare Marcus Manassé Bernard” in June 1865 but later swapped his first and last names. He was the eldest of four children and part of the bourgeoisie; his family founded one of the first successful French textile mills. His family was Jewish but were not very religious. He was a literary critic and political journalist as well as on of the first to defend Dreyfus during the Dreyfus affair. He died in September 1903, aged 38, leaving authorisation to republish “Anti-semitism: Its History and Causes” with a preface stating "my opinions have changed on many points".

According to the first chapter of “Antisemitism: Its History and Causes”, Jews met hostility where ever they settled and deliberates the possibility that, in fact, they were “the cause of their own ills” considering that they inhabited a diverse range of places and were met with the same prejudices despite each country having its own distinct ideas, laws and values.

Lazare continues to say that, though many consider this to be solely due to religious wars, this was not the case and that it was in fact because Jews were unsociable due to their political and religious exclusivity. This essentially means that people disliked Jewish people because they were not part of their culture and, perhaps were jealous of this. It certainly could also suggest that they were not well understood by others and therefore people disliked them out of ignorance. This perception could be implemented to a variety of other, more modern, religions or groups such as the current trends of Islamophobia, homophobia and even gang culture.

He then discusses how Christianity came to be popular as it used Jewish networks and resources, such as synagogues, whilst trying to separate itself from Judaism, resulting in many Jews being converted. He continues to say “Without the existence of Jewish colonies Christianity would have encountered much greater obstacles; it would have had greater difficulties in establishing itself.” However, tensions began to form between the two religions which resulted in both separating themselves from one another. This is particularly noticeable in Christianity as before, Christianity drew upon many of Judaism’s ancient laws however, under the influence of St. Paul, the Church decided to “rid itself of Jewish particularism, to break the narrow chains of the ancient law, so as to be able to spread the new one.” However, this resulted in resentment and Holy wars which only served to enforce anti-Semitic ideas within Christian society.

In chapter 11, Lazare begins by stating that, at the time, “There are about eight million Jews scattered over the face of the earth, nearly seven-eighths of which inhabit Europe”. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics there were 13,421,000 Jews worldwide in 2009, most of which lived in Israel or America.

He continues by dividing Jewish people into different ethnicities and suggests “that the race is not an ethnologic unity, i.e., that no people is a descendant of common parents, and that no nation has been formed from the aggregation of cells of this kind” which is to say that as they do not seem to have a common ancestor and therefore are only a race in the sense that they share the same values. However, he suggests that they still as a nation as they are still united by their religion and that nations exist as long as there are common beliefs and interests.

Having said that during the Middle Ages, Jews were led, by “internal and external causes, proceeding from economic and psychological laws …to become almost exclusively traders,” Lazare says that nations at the time found it easy (and desirable) to shut off the Jews from the rest of the country, isolating them further. Countries all over Europe came up with the same or very similar legislation that allowed them to keep Jews imprisoned in “Jewries” which stopped both sides understanding each other’s cultures. This was also seen in the time between the Reformation and the French Revolution, where it is described that Jews were “cooped up in the ghettoes … they were retired from human society, and, for the most part, lived in a state of lamentable and heartrending abjection.” He suggests that this separation strengthened their beliefs and practices, though it did create deterioration in the Hebrew language. He also implies that this dedication to their religion kept them trapped in their secular ‘prisons’ as the reason that nations excluded them was fear that the Jews would alter their culture.

With this historical background in mind, The Dreyfus Affair almost seems inevitable; following France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian war, the Jewish community became a scape goat for the country’s loss.

When a secret French document was found in a bin in the German Embassy, after growing tension between France and Germany, the French government needed someone to blame. Hastily, they accused Alfred Dreyfus, a Jew from one of the French provinces that had been taken over by Germany. This split the country into Dreyfusards, who maintained his innocence (largely Socialists, Jews and Republicans), and Anti-Dreyfusards who believed him to be guilty (the Army, the Catholic Church and monarchists).

Despite a lack of evidence, Dreyfus was court martialled and found guilty of treason. He was exiled to Devil’s Island in 1894. Another officer looked into the story and found the army’s conclusion to be wrong. When he reported this to his superior, his theory was dismissed. The real culprit was the put on trial and acquitted to preserve the military’s integrity.

Emile Zola, a famous French writer and journalist, wrote an article titled “J’Accuse” (which roughly translates to “I accuse”) which named those he thought were involved in the conspiracy. For this, he was convicted of Libel and sentenced to prison but instead fled to London. Following this there were riots and Jews in France lost their citizenship.

The military then see the flaws in the case. One soldier tried to forge evidence to support their original case and is caught but committed suicide before it is brought to trial. They then tried Dreyfus again but still found him guilty.

Eventually, Dreyfus was pardoned and released under “extenuating circumstances.”

Conway's Time of the Month - Review

I am hoping that this review will begin a new culture of arriving fashionably early – arriving at Concrete at Pizza East on Thursday for Conway’s Time of the Month dead on half 7 for the opening of the door meant that as you walked in, you had the ability to sit anywhere, get straight to the bar or meet the comedians sat in the corner by the stage. Even though very few people were there, the atmosphere was already buzzing and you could just tell it was going to be a good night.

I was not wrong.

As the show is celebrating its first birthday, the venue was decorated with balloons and glitter which gave it a relaxed yet exciting party atmosphere as soon as you walked. However, I think this would be true of any room this show would be hosted in; with dance anthems playing and the beautiful host Eleanor Conway constantly walking around and chatting with audience members, you feel involved before the show even begins.

The seating’s layout is all close to the stage so even those at the back are still visible to the comedians, making it impossible to escape being dragged into conversation at some point in the night, willingly or otherwise. This is great though because it makes each night totally unique and vaguely reminiscent of a tamer Late ‘n’ Live. My one criticism of the venue, and perhaps of the night in general, is that whilst the main idea of the evening is audience interaction, the way in which the seating is laid out means that groups tend to stay secular where as it could be changed around to allow for conversation between everyone which could add to the friendly atmosphere and make people feel more comfortable in sharing secrets an anecdotes, not that any encouragement seemed particularly necessary.

Eleanor Conway acts as both an excellent talk show host and hilarious comedian, really encouraging you to talk without creating pressure or expectation and has the brilliant ability improvise with whatever is said, keeping you laughing at things you never realised were funny. Her discussions with the acts after their sets are entertaining and interactive and help stitch the show together.

First act of the evening, Eric Lampaert, is rather like a French Russell Brand; his quirky, bordering on metrosexual, appearance fits well with his style of comedy. Weaving in his cultural heritage with observation and audience interaction, Lampaert’s genre of comedy is accessible to a diverse range of people which is great at bringing the crowd together.

Ed Gamble’s set was highly entertaining and a brilliant example of how each night is totally different as well as proving his ability to improvise and deal with heckling in a way that is entertaining for the rest of the audience though unfortunately this meant that a large portion of his set had to be abandoned. However, Gamble kept the audience both on side and laughing throughout.

Rob Beckett’s style makes a great change from the standard self-deprecating stance taken by most comedians. Instead he uses family anecdotes and observation about things that everyone can relate to, making the audience feel included. His set was smooth and seemed well-rehearsed which is particularly impressive as all the material was new.

Finally, Sara Pascoe finished the evening with excellent new material in her usual observational style. As a female comedian, she doesn’t find herself trapped by this as many do and comments on life and society in a way that it can be observed by either gender, making her hilarious and leaving the audience wanting more.

All in all, an excellent gig with a great blend of side-splitting sets and eccentric audience interaction that will leave you laughing the whole way home.

Radio News Assessment

Local trade unions are lobbying the County Council today where local budget cuts are being discussed. It is thought that the council will be cutting £100million over the next two years.

One of the protestors, who also works for the council, had this to say:

[Audio cut: Council Lobby Protester
In words: If someone leaves…
Out words: …all my services reduced
Length:  0.15]

210,000 (two hundred and ten thousand) deaths could be prevented if alcohol laws are reformed.

Doctors have warned that the UK is at a potential tipping point, putting pressure on the government ahead of its "alcohol strategy" expected in the coming months.

Prime Minister David Cameron has already vowed to tackle the "scandal" of drunkenness and alcohol abuse.

As of the sixth of April, selling alcohol below cost price will be banned. Ministers are expected to go further in the new strategy.


Google is implementing its new privacy policy today despite warnings that it might violate European law.

The change means that private data collected by any google service can be shared with its other platforms such as YouTube and blogger.

Google has said that it will lead to better search results for users worldwide.

Winchester residents have mixed opinions on the subject:

[Audio cut: Google Policy Voxpops
In words: Well, if it’s not gonna affect…

Out words: … advertising holocaust stuff
Length:  0.39]

Former Energy Secretary Chris Huhne is expected to make his first appearance in court later today.

It’s alleged his ex-wife, Vicky Pryce, took his penalty points for a speeding offence in two thousand and three. He denies the charge.

Huhne resigned from the cabinet earlier this month to focus on the case. He remains a Lib Dem MP for Eastleigh.

Comedy Central Live Stand Up at The Vault

It must be awkward playing a gig in front of a small crowd of University students; this probably isn’t aided when the necessity to begin a show by asking the audience to move towards the stage arises, but this evening’s compere Marlon Davis certainly made it work for him. However, his initial success diminished slightly as the audience was incredibly hesitant to interact. Of course this is often the case when warming up a crowd, but it seemed to knock his confidence slightly as pauses between sections began to feel hesitant and even a little awkward.

Over time though, Davis’ performance gained momentum through his use of relatable anecdotes and a few well researched and executed snipes about the area along with his friendly personality and appearance which he certainly knows how to use to great comic effect.

Matt Forde, of Talk Sport fame, had great presence on stage despite initial hesitance from the audience. His clear observational skill is weaved into fairly topical material in a way that makes even political-based remarks funny and accessible to all. Forde’s personal stories were also told in a way that made them hilarious even to those who might not have been able to fully relate as his honesty and openness allowed everyone to feel part of them.

Headliner, Josh Widdicombe (Live at the Apollo, 8 out of 10 Cats), blended both tried-and-tested and new material in his performance to great effect. Using his improvisation and observational skills, he delivered a set that was both personal to the audience and entertaining in a way that would be appealing to anyone. His normal smoothness, however, was diminished by his lack of links between each section of his new material but this created its own comedy that kept up the great energy his performance provided.

In all, a hilarious and well received show by three clearly talented comedians.