2 article summaries (19)

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jan/21/sun-website-traffic-paywall-december

Sun website traffic falls by more than 5% despite axing of paywall

Summary:

The Sun saw a more than 5% fall in its audience in December, despite dropping its paywall fully for the first time on 30 November. Much of the site’s content was also already free before the paywall was officially dropped, as the site began relaxing its approach to charging for online content last summer. However, the Sun outperformed the rest of the UK’s national newspapers, which saw bigger falls during the month. Their Christmas traffic declines followed gains made in November, which were partly driven by public interest in stories such as the Paris attacks.

Key Data:

• Theguardian.com fell from an average of more than 9 million daily unique browsers in November to just under 8 million, a drop of 15%.
• The Telegraph slid to 4.1 million after losing almost 1 million unique browsers, equivalent to almost 20% of its audience.
• All the other national newspapers saw double-digit declines, except Mail Online, which lost just under 10% of its audience 

Mail Online 13,182,486 (-9.9%)
theguardian.com 7,847,537 (-15.4%)
Telegraph 4,038,417 (-19.59%)
Mirror Group Nationals 3,994,246 (-15.79%)
The Independent 2,796,267 (-14.68%)
The Sun 1,525,662 (-5.63%)
Metro 1,117,256 (-22.96%)
express.co.uk 1,065,378 (-18.72%)
dailystar.co.uk 594,230 (-8.8%)

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/20/news-corp-denies-rumors-twitter-acquisition

News Corp denies rumors company wants to buy Twitter

Summary:

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp said rumors about the company’s interest in buying microblogging site Twitter or building a stake in it were untrue. Unconfirmed chatter about potential News Corp interest in Twitter circulated on Wednesday. The social media site was evaluated as a takeover target because of the company’s shrinking stock price. A spokesman for News Corp said there was no truth to the rumors.

Key Data:

• Twitter’s shares, which rose as much as 14%, pared some gains and were up 5.2% at $17.55 in late afternoon trading. The rumors had lifted the stock from a record low.
• Twitter has been the subject of takeover rumors in the past, including a fake report attributed to Bloomberg News that claimed the company had received an offer to be acquired for $31bn.
• Twitter trades at 28.12 times forward earnings, below its peer median of 36.06. Facebook has a PE of 33.08, while LinkedIn Corp’s is 52.64, according to Thomson Reuters data. 
• Up to Tuesday’s close, the stock had fallen nearly 41% since co-founder Jack Dorsey was named permanent CEO in October.

Post-colonialism: Edward Said blog task

1) Summarise the three theorists we have looked at: Alvarado, Fanon and Said.

Alvarado (1987)

Four key themes in racial representations:

Often quoted in relation to the black community but can be applied to other non-white groups:

• Exotic (models; music artists; food)
• Dangerous (crime; gangs; socially dysfunctional)
• Humorous (comedians; sidekicks; quirky)
• Pitied (poverty)

Frantz Fanon: “Putting on the white mask”

Typically black stereotypes can:

• Infantilize - such as the 'cute' children of the Charity Poster or the 'simple-minded‘ 'Step ‘n’ fetch it‘ lazy comedian.
• Primitivize - The 'exotic & virile' tribal warriors or 'bare-breasted maidens' with a 'natural sense of rhythm‘. Sporting prowess.
• Decivilize - The 'Gangsta', 'Pimp' etc.
• Essentialize - Undifferentiated mass-'they all look the same to me'

Edward Said 

Orientialism - the west are more superior to the exotic/dangerous east

2) Watch the opening of Yasmin (2004) again. Does it offer a positive or negative view of British Muslims? To what extent does it reinforce or challenge Edward Said's theory of Orientalism - that the west is superior to the exotic or uncivilised east?

There are both positive and negative stereotypes presented. The positive aspect comes from the prayers the young boy recites which shows his values. In the beginning the old man washing off graffiti which has racist words on it is shown in a positive way as the old man calmly washes it away. 

The negative aspect comes from the main protagonist Yasmin who goes against her own culture by undresses herself out of her traditional clothing into jeans and a jumper. This shows how Yasmin is hiding her culture. 
It is evident that Yasmin prefers western culture and values. Her job could impact the way she feels about her own culture as she feels much free at work compared to where she lives. This reinforces Said's theory as it shows that the west culture is superior. 

Identities: Post-colonial theory & blog tasks

Post-colonialism does not simply refer to the period after the colonial era. It can also be seen as a continuation of colonialism, albeit through different or new relationships concerning power and the control/production of knowledge.

We are interested in post-colonialism and identity in terms of the representation of non-white groups in British media.

Two key post-colonial theorists:

Alvarado (1987)

Four key themes in racial representations:

Often quoted in relation to the black community but can be applied to other non-white groups:

• Exotic (models; music artists; food)
• Dangerous (crime; gangs; socially dysfunctional)
• Humorous (comedians; sidekicks; quirky)
• Pitied (poverty)

Frantz Fanon: “Putting on the white mask”

Typically black stereotypes can:

• Infantilize - such as the 'cute' children of the Charity Poster or the 'simple-minded‘ 'Step ‘n’ fetch it‘ lazy comedian.
• Primitivize - The 'exotic & virile' tribal warriors or 'bare-breasted maidens' with a 'natural sense of rhythm‘. Sporting prowess.
• Decivilize - The 'Gangsta', 'Pimp' etc.
• Essentialize - Undifferentiated mass-'they all look the same to me'

Destiny Ekaragha

Destiny Ekaragha spoke brilliantly at the Media Magazine conference about being a young black filmmaker in London. She showed clips from two of her films - the short Tight Jeans and the feature length Gone Too Far!

Post-colonialism: blog task

1) Read the excellent article exploring the different representations of black people in British film and TV from Media Magazine 42 (MM42 from our Media Magazine archive - page 51)

2) List FIVE films, FIVE TV programmes and FIVE online-only productions that are discussed in the article.

Films:

Anuvahood
Kidulthood
The Mirror Boy

Attack The Block

Shank

TV:

TopBoy

Casualty

Luther

Line of Duty

Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Online:

Brothers With No Game

Venus vs Mars

The Ryan Sisters

All About The McKenzies

Meet The Adebanjos

3) Watch Destiny Ekaragha's clips above. To what extent can we apply Alvarado's and Fanon's theories to these films? Do they reinforce or subvert typical black stereotypes in British film and TV? Refer to specific scenes and events in the clips in answering this question.

Alvrado

-Humorous towards the Nigerian people. This is shown when the Nigerian brother comes out of the car and a shot of socks and sandals is show to somehow 'mock' his dress sense. The fact that we are able to see other people of the black community making fun of the characters rises the humorous factor

-Exotic- Typical African costumes and outfits. The mum is seen wearing the traditional clothing of Africa. The different accents is very exotic and different from the typical english/ 'chavvy' accent.

Fanons theory that black people putting on a 'white mask', can be seen as the girl protagonist is seen to be trying to straighten her hair to fit into society as the white people. 

- They talk in a 'decivilised' manor as gangters. This is also seen in the way they are dressed. 

13C: January assessment learner response

Mark: 27/48

Grade: C-

WWW: Clear focus; Well structured essay.

EBI: The Marxism/Pluralism section needs re-writing - also consider including institution/Pareto's law. 

What I could have included:

Examples: 

- The sun's readership figures (dropped)

- Arab Spring Protests 2011 (ugc) 

- Rebekkah Brookes & News of the world: Phone hacking scandal.

- Sky: introduction of censored filters to block inappropriate content until after 9pm for under 18s - Audiences argues it strips them of their online freedom.

Quotes:

- 'The world is changing and newspapers need to adapt' (Rupert Murdoch)

- 'Reform, accommodate and reject' (Gurevitch et Al)

- 'The internet is not the answer' (Andrew Keen)

Theorists: 

- Galtung & Ruge: News values. 

- Paretto's Law

Key words: 

- 'internet revolution' 

- conspiracy theories 

Write ONE new paragraph for your January assessment essay. Ideally, this should be a section you did not cover in your original essay. This paragraph needs to be comprehensive and meet the criteria for Level 4 of the mark scheme.
- A Marxist approach towards the impact of new and digital media is that participants are not able to participate equally due to gatekeepers who manipulate and regulate what we view and how we react towards the different information viewers obtain from the media. This means that before the audiences are able to consume the news, it will be edited,cut and manipulated as they may not be given the right information which could be misleading. The hegemonic beliefs can be reinforced by Parettos law where the idea that a minority of producers are serving a majority of consumers and so are able to project their dominant ideologies onto the public. 

2 Article Summaries (18)

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jan/12/sydney-man-accused-of-making-threats-on-facebook-pleads-not-guilty

Sydney man accused of making rape threats on Facebook pleads not guilty

Summary:

A Sydney man who allegedly made explicit rape threats on Facebook has pleaded not guilty to using a carriage service to menace. Zane Alchin, 25, of Caringbah was charged in late October for allegedly threatening rape in comments posted to Facebook in August. Alchin allegedly committed the offence after one of his friends shared a screenshot of a woman’s Tinder profile to his Facebook page with a derogatory caption, sparking a heated argument between the two individuals’ friend groups.

Key Data:

• The posts allegedly made by Alchin include “You’ll be eating my cock till you puke” and “I’d rape you if you were better looking”.
• Paloma Brierley Newton first reported Alchin to the police with a USB drive containing screenshots of his relevant Facebook comments, several of which had been addressed to her.
• She formed an advocacy group, Sexual Violence Won’t Be Silenced, to campaign for better resources to tackle online harassment.

My View: 

In my view, although Alchin has pleaded not guilty, and although rape threats were made on Facebook, he should still face punishment due to his actions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/12089604/HMRC-software-firm-raises-100m-to-expand-in-US.html

HMRC software firm raises £100m to expand in US

Summary:

A British software company that puts exam papers online, allowing professors across the country to mark at the same time, has raised £100m from BlueBay Asset Management and Lloyds Bank. EDM specialises in providing IT solutions to large organisations to help them cut down on paper waste. Major customers in the UK include HMRC, where EDM supplies the software needed to put millions of paper documents online each year.

Key Data:

• The £100m has come in the form of a loan with £75m coming from BlueBay and £25m from Lloyds Bank.
• EDM’s turnover was £70m last year and the company is forecasting significant growth in the next few years as concern around cyber hacking prompts organisations to scrutinise their IT arrangements more carefully.

Identities and the Media: Reading the riots

The media coverage of the UK riots in 2011 provides a strong case study in the representation of young people. There is an excellent extended analysis of the media coverage of the riots by media professor David Buckingham in Media Magazine.

Read the Media Magazine extended feature on the media coverage of the UK riots (MM38 page 5)

Go to our Media Magazine archive, select MM38 and read the WHOLE eight-page feature. Answer the following questions on your blog with as many references to media theory and examples as possible. Refer to specific aspects of the Media Magazine article too:

How did the language and selection of images in the coverage create a particular representation of young people? 
-Rather than using the term 'civil disturbances' to describe what took place, the word 'riots' was used. The word riot suggests something wild and unrestrained. The rioters were consistently and repeatedly identified as young people. These were the ‘feral youth’ who apparently rampage uncontrolled in our cities. This was reinforced by the selection of images – and perhaps especially by the iconic image of one black, hooded young man which appeared on at least five front pages following the first day of the disturbances. The newspapers consistently featured large, dramatic images of what the Daily Mirror called ‘young thugs with fire in their eyes and nothing but destruction on their mind’, or the Daily Express called simply ‘flaming morons’.This caused the audience to see the youth in a negative light and reinforce the dominant representations of teenagers being trouble-makers.

Why does David Buckingham mention Owen Jones and his work Chavs: the demonisation of the working class?
-Owen Jones points to the emergence of a new form of class contempt in modern Britain. He argues that the working class has become an object of fear and ridicule, not just in this kind of media coverage but also in popular figures such as Little Britain’s Vicky Pollard and Catherine Tate’s ‘Am I bovvered?’ character.

What is the typical representation of young people – and teenage boys in particular? What did the 2005 IPSOS/MORI survey find?
-Young people are typically represented negatively. Teenage boys in particular, seem to be represented as destructive and violent. These kinds of images of young people are unfortunately typical of much news media coverage. The 2005 IPSOS/MORI survey found that 40% of newspaper articles featuring young people focused on violence, crime or anti-social behaviour; and that 71% could be described as having a negative tone.

How can Stanley Cohen’s work on Moral Panic be linked to the coverage of the riots?
-Cohen argues that the media talked up the disturbances into a bigger ‘moral panic’. In a moral panic, he writes: A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media; the moral barricades are manned by editors, bishops, politicians and other right-thinking people; socially accredited experts pronounce their diagnoses and solutions; ways of coping are evolved or (more often) resorted to; the condition then disappears, submerges or deteriorates and becomes more visible. The riots created moral panics within society as people were in fear of the events and the damage that would come of it. 

What elements of the media and popular culture were blamed for the riots?
-In the tabloid press, much of the initial blame for the violence was put on popular culture: it was rap music, violent computer games or reality TV that was somehow provoking young people to go out and start rioting. The Daily Mirror, for example, blamed the pernicious culture of hatred around rap music, which glorifies violence and loathing of authority (especially the police but including parents), exalts trashy materialism and raves about drugs.

How was social media blamed for the riots? What was interesting about the discussion of social media when compared to the Arab Spring in 2011?
Despite being depicted by tabloids as mindless thugs and morons, the rioters were also seen as somehow skilful enough to co-ordinate their actions by using Facebook, Blackberry and Twitter. The Sun, for example, reported that ‘THUGS used social network Twitter to orchestrate the Tottenham violence and incite others to join in as they sent messages urging: ‘Roll up and loot’. According to The Telegraph: technology fuelled Britain’s first 21st century riot. A very similar argument was used in media debates about the ‘Arab spring’ earlier this year: there was much discussion about the use of social networking in the revolutions that took place in countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Syria – although in those instances, this was generally interpreted by the Western media as a positive thing.

The riots generated a huge amount of comment and opinion - both in mainstream and social media. How can the two-step flow theory be linked to the coverage of the riots? 
- The two-step flow theory can be linked to the coverage of the riots as the use of social media allowed different people to voice their opinions. Different people – politicians, community leaders, media commentators, ‘experts’ – offer different accounts of what is happening; although they often receive most attention if they can come up with simple explanations, and propose simple solutions. Yet how they do this often reflects their own social or political interests: the issue becomes an opportunity for them to make broader points, and to promote their own views. These powerful people were seen as 'opinion leaders' as they were able to project their views through the media and influence the audiences. 

Alternatively, how might media scholars like Henry Jenkins view the 'tsunami' of blogs, forums and social media comments? Do you agree that this shows the democratisation of the media?
-In the case of this summer’s disturbances, there was a veritable tsunami of such commentary in the press, on the television and online. Some media scholars like Henry Jenkins tend to celebrate these kinds of ‘participatory’ media; while some even see this as evidence of a wholesale democratisation of the communications system. They argue that the age of ‘Big Media’ – of powerful, centralised corporations controlling media – is now finished: hierarchical, top-down communications have been replaced by a more egalitarian approach.

What were the right-wing responses to the causes of the riots?
-Max Hastings of the Daily Mail, headed ‘Years of liberal dogma have spawned a generation of amoral, uneducated, unparented, welfare dependent, brutalised youngsters’. Too much permissiveness, he argues, has bred a generation of young people with no respect for their elders and betters, and no ‘moral compass’. For some right-wing commentators, it is parents who are principally to blame for this situation; while others, such as Katharine Birbalsingh, blame schools for failing to instil discipline and respect for authority – especially, according to her, in black children. For some, this failure even extends to the police – as for one Daily Telegraph letter writer, who argued that the riots were ‘a result of the police caring more for community relations than for the rule of law’. Framing the issue in this way, as a failure of discipline, thus inevitably leads to a call for disciplinary responses.

What were the left-wing responses to the causes of the riots?
If this way of framing the issue is favoured by the political right, those on the left tend to prefer economic explanations. From this point of view, the riots were primarily about poverty and inequality. Such commentators point out that the UK has one of highest levels of inequality in the Western world. They argue that it was unsurprising that most of the disturbances erupted in areas with high levels of poverty and deprivation – and, they point out, it was tragic that these communities also bore the brunt of the damage. More specifically, they point to the cuts in youth services rising youth unemployment (which is now over 20% in the 18-25 age group) and the removal of the Education Maintenance Allowance. While these are valid arguments, they also appear to look only to youth as the cause.

What are your OWN views on the main causes of the riots?
-There were many reasons that could have caused the riots, some more than others, but they all contributed to how the riots spiraled put of control after a while. In my view the main causes of the riots were: 

• The police shooting of Mark Duggan.
• The relationship between police and the black community.
• University fees rising to £9000.
• Social network.
• Highly materialistic culture.

How can capitalism be blamed for the riots? What media theory (from our new/digital media unit) can this be linked to?
-Much more generally, there are those who see capitalism itself as the problem. The controlling nature of capitalism and oppression of the working class caused chaos in society. The theory of hegemony (Gramsci) can be linked to this as capitalism uses ideas and values persuade the subordinate classes that its rule is legitimate and so this could have caused the riots due to the frustration the working class youth felt with the capitalist system causing them to lash out in the riots.

Were people involved in the riots given a voice in the media to explain their participation?
Riots may well have deep-seated social causes; but there is often an emotional element – even a kind of adrenaline rush. There may be a copycat effect (which is similar to Cohen’s idea of ‘deviance amplification’): people may respond to rumours or media coverage of riots in other areas by seeking to ‘make their mark’ in the media. There may also be an element of opportunism, as people take the chance to indulge in behaviour that would normally be taboo. 

In the Guardian website's investigation into the causes of the riots, they did interview rioters themselves. Read this Guardian article from their Reading the Riots academic research project - what causes are outlined by those involved in the disturbances?
-the Guardian and London School of Economics (LSE) interviewed 270 people who rioted in London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham, Manchester and Salford. The project collected more than 1.3m words of first-person accounts from rioters, giving an unprecedented insight into what drove people to participate in England's most serious bout of civil unrest in a generation. Rioters revealed that a complex mix of grievances brought them on to the streets but analysts appointed by the LSE identified distrust and antipathy toward police as a key driving force.

What is your own opinion on the riots? Do you have sympathy with those involved or do you believe strong prison sentences are the right approach to prevent such events happening in future?
- In my opinion, the riots caused much devastation and fear within society and results were disastrous. However, I do sympathize with those involved as most of the young people involved were going through a hard times and there were many valid reasons were them to lash out. The methods to lash out were unacceptable as many other people faced losses. In terms of punishment however, i believe the youth should be targeted less harshly and their views should be taken into account in order to prevent such events taking place again in the future.

New/Digital media - index.

1) Institution: the impact of Google on the newspaper industry

2) Audience and Institution: how news consumption has changed
3) The decline of newspapers: the effect of online technology
4) Citizen journalism: Media Magazine article and questions

5) Citizen journalism examples.

5) News Values: theory and updating them for digital media landcape
6) Marxism & Pluralism: Media Magazine article and questions
7) Media Conference: notes from speakers
8) NDM Section B essay on blog - consumption and production question
9) Marxism and Pluralism: Alain de Botton on the news - lecture and questions
10) Globalisation: questions and blog task
11) Globalisation: Media Magazine - Google Glass, techno-panics and data mining
12) News on the Tweet report and questions
13) Audience and Institution article and questions
14) Institution case study: NDM and News Corporation