News Article Index - Updated.

1) 16/09/15 - Facebook is working on a 'dislike' button
2) 16/09/15 - Social media is harming the mental health of teenagers.
3) 24/09/15 - Emojis and quizzes led the way at Social Media Week 2015
4) 17/09/15 - TV must push back against Apple and Netflix, says Discovery boss
5) 29/09/15 - Twitter considers allowing posts longer than 140 characters
6) 23/09/15 - E-book sales suffer record slump
7) 28/09/15 - Facebook down for second time in a week..
8) 08/10/15 - Mobile ad spend hits new high as consumers remain glued to smartphones
9) 14/10/15 - Ofcom to take on regulation of video-on-demand services
10) 14/10/15 - The Weekly Beast: tough questions for News Corp hacks going for ABC job
11) 20/10/15 - Sony to pay staff $8m over 'The Interview' hack.
12) 28/09/15 - Jeremy Corbyn just gave his first big interview – and people loved it.
13) 05/11/15 - BBC says public back its online journalism even if it hurts papers
14) 04/11/15 - Facebook reveals 1.5bn people use the site every month
15) 05/11/15 - News Corp first quarter 2015 earnings fall 15% as advertising revenue tumbles
16) 05/11/15 - Parents, is it OK to spy on your child's online search history?
17) 13/11/15 - A week off from Facebook? Participants in Danish experiment like this
18) 13/11/15 - Sun has most male newsroom of national newspapers
19) 20/11/15 - Why YouTube is the new children’s TV... and why it matters
20) 20/11/15 - BBC to cut entertainment and comedy but plans new Saturday night shows
21) 27/11/15 - American Isis Twitter scene' reveals social media's power to radicalise
22) 27/11/15 - 'BBC won't work with press because it is obsessed with Google and Facebook'
23) 04/12/15 - UK national press airs reservations about Cameron's Syrian mission
24) 04/12/15 - News Corp first quarter 2015 earnings fall 15% as advertising revenue tumbles
25) 11/12/15 - The Independent’s blog site hit by ransomware attack.
26) 11/12/15 - UK and France get best deals for TV, mobile and internet.
27) 18/12/15 - Twitter warns users they may have been hacked by 'state-sponsored actors'
28) 18/12/15 - The Australian defends 'racist' cartoon on freedom of speech grounds
29) 25/12/15 - Banning teenagers from social media would be an attack on their human rights
30) 25/12/15 - Telegraph fined £30,000 over email urging readers to vote Tory
31) 25/12/15 - ABS Wheels: Swedish tyre business doubles sales after dropping ‘sexist’ adverts
32) 25/12/15 - The Sun's Jeremy Corbyn apology provokes outrage with 'tiny' front page mention
33) 25/12/15 - Facebook and Uber team up to offer Messenger users taxi trips
34) 25/12/15 - How ‘talk not tap’ rule at table could save children from smartphone addiction

2 Article Summaries (17)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/12054819/Facebook-and-Uber-team-up-to-offer-Messenger-users-taxi-trips.html

Facebook and Uber team up to offer Messenger users taxi trips

Summary

Uber users can now book taxis via Facebook Messenger after the two digital giants teamed up. The social network revealed on Wednesday that it has launched a Transportation option on its messaging service. This will allow people to hail a cab from Uber without them having to download and use the taxi-hailing app's own site.

Key Data

• With this new feature, you can request a ride from a car service without ever needing to download an extra app or leave a conversation.
• Uber will also provide updates on waiting times via Messenger.
• "Driver status updates and payment receipts will get delivered to a private conversation between you and Uber. With everything in one place, you can seamlessly keep track of your ride and payment history," Facebook said.
• With more than 1.4bn people using Facebook every month, the deal could unlock a huge revenue stream for both firms.
• Uber's last funding round valued the private company at $50bn, and linking up with the world's largest social network could also make it more socially acceptable.

My View

In my opinion, I believe that the merge between Facebook and Uber is a good idea as it becomes a more convenient way to access the Uber services through a well known social networking site. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/12054120/How-talk-not-tap-rule-at-table-could-save-children-from-smartphone-addiction.html

How ‘talk not tap’ rule at table could save children from smartphone addiction

Summary

A leading child psychiatrist has recommended that parents should enforce a “talk not tap” rule at the dinner table to stop smartphones and tablets taking over children’s lives. Parents are also contributing to the problem by allowing apps and computer games to become “digital nannies” – providing entertainment and stimulation for children in a way real human interaction once did.

Key Data

• children “transfixed” by social media and messaging risk growing up emotionally stunted and unable to cope properly with the real world.
• while access to digital media can have educational benefits, excessive screen time is changing children’s emotional and even their sense of reality.
• Important emotional skills are at risk of being lost as children lose the ability to socialise in person.
• They lose the ability to read emotions and to empathise, - “It’s that lack of empathy that can sometimes result in cyberbullying.

My view

I believe that children in the modern era, where technology is a highly valuable asset, are becoming more controlled by social networks and apps that are accessible through smartphones. i have read many articles where there is evidence that social media is harming the mental health of teens and causes significant problems. therefore i agree with this 'talk not tap' rule as it will lower risks for children, 

2 Article Summaries (16)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/abs-wheels-swedish-tyre-business-doubles-sales-after-dropping-sexist-adverts-a6785631.html

ABS Wheels: Swedish tyre business doubles sales after dropping ‘sexist’ adverts

Summary

A Swedish tyre company found their sales and popularity doubling after dropping “sexy” adverts and pursuing a more straightforward approach. One of the ads features a model in lingerie holding a chainsaw, while another features two women dressed in straps, who appear to be wrestling, with fire in the background.

Key Data

• As a result, they found sales suddenly booming, from about 25 orders a day to about 50 – and many of their new customers were women.
• The number of women customers was “six times higher than before”

My View

Although the company has benefited from the sexist advertisements, I believe that objectifying females as sex objects just to make more sales is wrong. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/the-suns-jeremy-corbyn-apology-provokes-further-outrage-with-tiny-mention-on-front-page-a6782991.html

The Sun's Jeremy Corbyn apology provokes further outrage with 'tiny' front page mention

Summary

The Sun had been ordered to print its apology to Jeremy Corbyn on its front page but some readers were struggling to find it when it was published. The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) found the newspaper had been “significantly misleading” in a September story that wrongly alleged the Labour leader joined the Privy Council to gain millions of pounds for his party. After months of wrangling over an accuracy complaint, The Sun agreed to put a correction on its cover, but buried it with four lines at the bottom left corner of the page.

Key Data

• The headline, directing readers to page two, read “Ipso complaint on Labour short money upheld”, making no reference to Mr Corbyn or the fact it was the subject of the complaint.
• The Sun said that the article “could have been clearer, but was based on accurate information”

My View

The sun was misleading before and yet still failed to openly rectify their mistake, instead they just put it in small font as an unimportant message which i believe was wrong. 

2 Article Summaries (15)

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/dec/23/banning-teenagers-social-media-europe-regulation-attack-human-rights
Banning teenagers from social media would be an attack on their human rights

Summary
New data protection rules could block under-16s from social media access without parental consent, denying them rights to expression and information
The European commission’s General Data Protection Regulation, voted on last week, aims to give consumers more control over their personal information and more transparency on how their information is used by companies and governments. Social media, even when it’s operated by private companies, is where young people go to express their opinions, interact with peers and family, learn about the news, as well as obtain health information and access to services. Depriving youth from access violates their rights of expression and information as well as their ability to participate in civic engagement.

Key data

• In increasingly diverse societies, I fear a lack of access to the internet could interfere with the ability of some youth to assimilate into new environments and to explore social, political and religious values that may differ from those of their parents.
• Even the current law, which effectively restricts access for children under 13, is ignored by millions of pre-teens around the world who lie about their age to access social media, so it’s hard to imagine how any government expects teens to refrain from doing likewise. The real effect of this regulation is to encourage European teens to ignore the law and lie.

My View

I agree that banning teens from social media is not right and would go against their human needs as they would not have a platform on which they would be able to express their views and opinions which is a very crucial and important feature in this modern era of new and digital media. Teens should not be snatched of the right to express themselves.



http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/dec/21/telegraph-fined-email-conservatives
Telegraph fined £30,000 over email urging readers to vote Tory

Summary

The Telegraph has been fined £30,000 for sending hundreds of thousands of emails on the day of the general election urging readers to vote Conservative. In what he described as an “unprecedented step”, Daily Telegraph editor Chris Evans asked readers to back the Tories in a letter added to its daily email. But data protection watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office found the newspaper’s parent company, Telegraph Media Group, broke direct marketing rules.

Key Data

• In his letter, Evans described the 7 May general election as “the most important since 1979” and urged Telegraph readers to vote Conservative.
• “These circumstances, along with the small number of complaints (17), were factors when deciding the fine,” said the ICO, which has the power to impose a fine of up to £500,000.
• Some recipients had taken to Twitter to complain that they either did not know how the Telegraph had got their email address or saying they had only signed up for specific emails such as its technology or finance newsletters.

My View

It is wrong that The Telegraph has tried to force their political views upon the public, even to people who were not their readers. They were trying to manipulate the voters and that is wrong.

2 Article Summaries (14)

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/dec/14/twitter-warns-users-hacked-state-sponsored-actors
Twitter warns users they may have been hacked by 'state-sponsored actors'

Summary
Twitter has warned a number of users that they may have been the target of a state-sponsored attack.They believe that these state-sponsored actors (possibly associated with a government) may have been trying to obtain information such as email addresses, IP addresses, and/or phone numbers.

Key Data

• Social media company emails more than 20 users, warning them they may have been targeted by hackers ‘possibly associated with a government’ 
• phone numbers are one of the pieces of information that Twitter has warned may have been stolen in the attacks.

My View

I believe it is a violation of the users' privacy if the government has issued these hacks to obtain personal information. it goes to show that in the new/digital media era, privacy is less valued by those in power. 

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/dec/15/the-australian-defends-racist-cartoon-on-freedom-of-speech-grounds
The Australian defends 'racist' cartoon on freedom of speech grounds

Summary
The Australian newspaper has defended the publication of Bill Leak’s cartoon depicting starving Indians eating solar panels on the grounds of “freedom of speech”. The Australian released a statement to Crikey saying it stood by the cartoon, which it said ridiculed climate change activists, not Indian people, which their readers would have understood.

Key Data

• “We stand by this cartoon and believe it is a strong example of Bill Leak and The Australian’s exercise of its commitment to freedom of speech. The cartoon does not intend to ridicule Indians but the climate change activists who would send poor people solar panels rather than give them something they need – cheap power, aid and a hand up,”

My View

I agree with the fact that it may be freedom of speech however posting content that may somehow offend some readers should not be defended against. 

NDM institution case study: News Corporation

News Corp is one of the world's largest media conglomerates.  

In the UK (under two subsidiary companies, News International and BSKYB), its news interests include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun & The Sun on Sunday (plus their online versions) in addition to Sky News & Sky Sports News.

News Corp is a cross-platform, vertically integrated multi-media company.

Some of the ideas we have discussed in class regarding the impact of new and digital media on News Corp include:

• Online subscriptions/paywalls
• Price promotions for newspapers
• Impact on institution content and its appeal
• Paid subscriptions for TV content
• Quality of journalism
• User generated content
• Social media/online news providers (Huff Post, Ampp3d etc.)

Tasks

1) Research News Corporation’s response to the growth of new and digital media by listing each of the institution’s brands (Sky News, Times etc.) Have any closed, changed or been in the news in the last 10 years for any reason?

News corp owns many brands including: 

-The Times 

-Sunday Times 

-The Sun

-News international

-The Telegraph

-Fox Entertainment

2) Develop examples of the impact that new and digital media has had on News Corp’s brands (paywalls, readership figures, audience share etc.)

New and digital media has had a somewhat negative impact on Newscorp brands. This is because due to the rise in online news, there has been a decline in the newspaper industry. An impact of this has been seen with The Sun, who recently had to get rid of their paywalls. 

3) Use what you have found out about News Corp to answer the following question:

Why and with what success are traditional media institutions adapting to the challenge posed by new/digital media?

New and digital media has now become the more dominant and more preferred platform from which audiences prefer to get their news due to which traditional media institutions are being forced to adapt to the more popular platform. This rise of online news has caused significant losses for the newspaper industry as audiences have other means of getting news more easily and money-free too. An example of this is through citizen journalism, which has been growing among readers where non-professionals are able to record the news and post it on social media such as Facebook and Twitter where other people can access this uncensored material and gain another view to the news. Something which cannot be done through the usual newspapers. Many Traditional news institutions have adapted to this change in technology and put up online news websites where the news is more accessible for its audiences. The Times and The sun had put in place a paywall from which they could regain some finances but seeing the readership drop due to this, The Sun scrapped its paywall. This shows how audiences have more power and how Traditional media institutions are not having much success even having adapted to the new and digital media.

NDM: The key concepts of audience and institution

Media Magazine 52 has a good feature on the changing relationship between audiences and institutions in the digital age. Today you need to go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM52 and scroll to page 9. Read the article and complete the following tasks:

1) What was the relationship between audience and institution in the pre-digital age?

- In the last century, media products were produced by economically powerful organisations which packaged and sold them to carefully defined audiences. In the pre-digital era, audiences were seen to have less freedom and choice in how and when they would be able to access media products. There is a power relationship between the audiences and institutions from which the institutions had the most power in the pre-digital era, being able to control the audience through their media. 

2) The article gives a lot of examples of major media institutions. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them.

- BBC: is funded by a licencing fee.

- ITV: the income comes from advertisers. Institutions appeal to much bigger audiences.

- Sky One Income is generated by subscription fees and advertising revenue.

3) The article ends with a section on the digital age. Summarise this section in 50 words.

- In the digital era, the balance of power between the institutions and audiences has shifted. Audiences now have more freedom to access media products when they choose, rather than when they are told. Audiences from the modern generation are now able to communicate directly with institutions, and are also able to construct their own media products for themselves.

4) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media institutions hold sway?

I believe that in the future the relationship between audience and institutions would continue to change and the audiences would have the most power. Institution's economic success will become even more dependent on the behaviour and preferences of the audiences as they would become reliant on them to make their money.