Friday, June 1, 2012
FARM CRITICAL REFLECTION
Brief
Our initial brief was to produce a five to ten minute documentary under the heading "Land". As a group, Charlotte Clarke and I were assigned 'livestock farming' as our focus.
Concept
Our documentary, entitled 'Farm', had a very clear concept from the very beginning. We wanted to explore the difference between life and death and demonstrate how important this factors in the farming industry. We were concerned with achieving a clear difference between the light and the dark - the life and the death. As we discussed the concept more, the idea of showing produce from field to plate - that is from life in the field or the barn, to death in the abattoir and finally to plate in the kitchen. We quickly decided to film at two farms - one that was predominately chicken based, and one that had a diverse range of poultry and other animals - and an industrial kitchen. Initially we wanted to film in an abattoir but were refused access on several occasions due to health and safety risk and the sheer distrust of journalists in such a restricted environment. In light of this we attempted to source footage elsewhere and gained permission for a video (which I shall detail later in 'Permission').
Influences
When given our brief we researched farming through online forums and directories, and also through specialist farming magazines such as 'Smallholder' and 'Farmers Weekly'. Coming from a background that is miles away from farming, getting a good basis in the kind of things that were happening in farming was greatly beneficial. From the magazines we took images, especially those of chickens, and incorporated them into our filming. The websites were also extremely useful in sourcing possible film locations, as we researched Hampshire Farmer's Market and their members. As we learnt more about the brief, and the 'Art House' aspirations of 'Land' we began researching into darker texts and films. Our title sequence was directly influenced by the opening credits of the cult film 'American Pyscho' and the overall feel of the film, particularly the sharp cutting, was influenced by Christopher Nolan's style of editing and choice of music in films such as 'Inception' and 'Momento'. Our sharp cuts are taken from the editing style of Guy Ritchie - harsh cuts without fading to black. We actively used this concept in our documentary, for example our cut to black that is achieved by lying the camera on the floor and covering the lens with straw. Finally, the way in which we have edited in the advertisement we received copyright for is very much reminiscent of George Orwell's 1984 and the voice of 'Big Brother'. We took further influence from George Orwell's work throughout the production and included the quote "Four legs good, two legs bad" as a homage to this.
Our music was inspired by emotion and the feelings surrounding life and death. We wanted to achieve a reaction from our audience and felt that music was the ideal way to lead them from one section to another i.e from the light to the dark. Therefore we found a variety of music with jolly tunes, slower more instrument based songs, instrumentals and more folky songs. Our music was sourced on copyright free websites and was found by narrowing the search down to key words that fitted our chosen emotions.
Planning/ story boarding
Before filming it is crucial to plan and story board. Our initial story board was based on our research outlined above. As part of the planning process we contacted local farms to ask permission to film. Of the farms that agreed we visited the farms to get a feel for what shots would be good, what access we could get and we took photographs so that we could plan more thoroughly.
We chose the two farm locations - Fairacres farm and Smilers Farm - because they had a diverse range of animals. Fairacres specialises in chickens and cattle, and it was here that the interview with Ian Constable-Dakeyne was filmed. Smilers Farm had a much larger range of animals including pigs, goats and geese which we wanted to show a real spectrum of live stock farming.
Our third location was the industrial kitchen at Winchester Rugby Club. I have had contact with the rugby club for some time and was given permission to film their chef preparing and cooking chicken - very apt for our film as our focus is on chicken and poultry. We chose to cut out the chef's head, making him a faceless, nameless man, thus adding to the atmosphere of our piece. The kitchen met our needs perfectly, as it has stainless steel work surfaces, the correct butcher's knives and an industrial size oven (of which we filmed the gas hob).
Permission
Gaining permission to locations and footage and avoiding copyright infrictions were a constant thought on the production. The farms were incredibly willing to allow us access to film. We have verbal consent to film at both farms and arranged our dealings over the telephone.
We obtained the music from the following copyright free website:
http://dig.ccmixter.org/
The website was ideal for our production as it has a wide variety of sound tracks and has no legal restrictions.
In 'Farm' we use an advertisement for the charity 'Compassion in World Farming'; an organisation that is concerned with animal welfare in the farming industry. We came across the film whilst researching for our own production and Charlotte contacted the charity and the writer directly, who both gave us written permission. Of course, to avoid any complications with copyright, we have credited the charity and writer with a caption whenever their footage is used. Although we have used footage from a charity, our intention is not to advertise their cause or portray any bias.
Filming
When filming for the documentary we had our story board clear in our minds. We wanted footage that could be cut together in short, sharp moments to contrast the light and the dark. Our overall idea was to shock the audience - cut from a close shot on a piglet's face to a loud chop of a knife. We also wanted to give the documentary a sense of realism and avoided pans and zooms, opting instead for still shots of the animals and the setting. However, the nature of filming is such that our hand held shots are too shaky to use.
As much as possible we left the camera still and moved away, to encourage the animals to behave naturally. Using this tactic we achieved the close up shots of the geese and ducks - we positioned the camera safely and threw seed to attract the geese to the lens.
Editing
During the editing process we experimented with speeding shots up, slowing shots down and colour correcting. For example, our closing credits are a reversed shot sped up to four hundred percent, which achieves the frantic motion that we desired. In order to create a more professional overall feel we also downloaded several fonts, the best of which was 'Haymaker' which can be seen in our titles.
During the editing of our opening title sequence in particular, we wanted to emulate an Art House style. We used a slow, folky song as the soundtrack and filmed on a white screen, so the audience's entire focus would be on the meat. In the edit we added lines on either side of the screen to frame the meat, further emphasising it's importance within our documentary.
Conclusion
Overall 'Farm' was executed and delivered well. Our film has a journey; a story, and is edited to maintain interest and intrigue. We see the animals go from life to death in five minutes, which is exactly what we set out to achieve.
MAGAZINE JOURNALISM CRITICAL REFLECTION
When approaching the magazine module I decided that assigning myself a clear target audience was paramount. With this in mind I have decided to write for a classic C2, D, E female market, as it is a market I have read before and one which I could successfully capture the style of. I took inspiration from publications such as 'Bella' magazine and 'Closer' and focussed on fashion and lifestyle and confessional articles, as they feature heavily in such publications.
An example of an article that I took inspiration from is below:
LIFESTYLE ARTICLE
My first article is a fashion and lifestyle piece based on the well-known idea that a woman is a different clothes size in every shop. The idea arose in one of our magazine lectures, in which we were tasked with pitching five varied ideas to Jacqui Thornton. Along with an idea for 'A Day in the Life of... a beekeeper' story and a 'How are they doing now?' style article about the furniture store Reeve's Corner in Croydon (that became a victim of the London Riots in the summer of 2011) I developed the idea for a fashion piece that was not a simple look at the recent trends. I started thinking about the everyday shopping experience, and wanted to further explore this.
I chose my model, Katie, for two reasons. Firstly, as a friend of mine she was extremely co-operative and allowed me to photograph her with complete consent. When embarking upon an article such as this, having a relaxed and willing model is important and I knew I would achieve this with Katie. Secondly, Katie has a plus size figure - perfect for my article as I am trying to attract the average woman who is a size 16. My original concept was to explore the 'perfect size 10' and whether it exists on the British high street, but I felt that the results would be too narrow and too exclusive: I wanted the image of a girl struggling to fit into a dress because the average woman has experienced it.
Before the photo-shoot I researched the top British high street stores and contacted their head offices to obtain permission to not only photograph their products, in their changing rooms but also to critique them in my spread. This proved difficult with Next and Marks and Spencer's, both of whom refused permission. For the stores I have featured permission was easier to gain; most were happy to accept on the telephone but several, like River Island, required a follow-up email to explain my intention in writing.
On the day of the photo-shoot I used a still digital camera and the voice recorder function on my mobile phone, so that I could record Katie's instant reaction to each dress. The text you see is verbatim, with mild adjustments to correct grammar and the overall syntax. I used my own photographs to avoid any copyright issues.
Before producing my spread, I roughly planned the layout and headline. The simple layout of the article above was a real inspiration for me - the article looks clean and crisp, the dresses are outlined so they stand out perfectly and the white background allows the colours to pop. To achieve this affect in Fireworks I used the magic wand tool to delete the background, the eraser tool to sharpen the edges around the dress, and the blur tool to soften my model's outline. When erasing the background it is incredibly important to be thorough; deleting the space between a model's arm and body, for example, sharpens the whole image. It is the details such as this that make a magazine look professional.
Finishing touches are also crucial and I was concerned with making the article look professional, as though it could easily be published in any C2, D, E woman's weekly. I used a side headline "Style" in a different font, to suggest that the article would be published in the lifestyle section. Choosing eighty and eighty-one as my page numbers was a deliberate decision - in a classic weekly woman's magazine the style pages are around page sixty to ninety. I also gave myself accreditation in small print along the bottom of the page, which is typical of that particular style of magazine.
I decided upon my headline "The myth: are you a different size in every shop?" because it is succinct, essentially 'it does what it says on the tin' and I chose to use a question that is easily relatable for my intended audience. I have used the sub-heading "we find out"to draw the reader in on a very basic level - 'we', writer and audience, are going to decide upon the answer together. I downloaded a font for the headline because I felt the range in Fireworks was far too basic and I used the 'kern' option to manually reduce the space between the letters, making the headline look punchier.
The idea of having a tick or a cross in the bottom corner of each photograph came from this article, that featured in the same edition of 'Closer' as the above article. In this case, the publication has given each outfit a rating - an idea which I adapted into a simple design; easy for my audience to assess whether the dress fitted my model or not.
In my article i used a similar bar at the bottom to display my verdict, however I chose not to use a screamer in my headline as I felt the bold text spoke for itself.
In addition to my spread, where it in a published magazine, I would incorporate social media such as 'Facebook' and use it as a tool to engage my audience's interest. However, for the purpose of this module (where a publication is not definite) I omitted any such device.
For my final spread I created several drafts, one of which is below:
Similarly to my previous article, I used the magic wand, erase and blur tool to cut out the images of the telephone and lipstick mark. I sourced these images on the website 'Flickr' and gave full accreditation to them in small print at the bottom of the article. I chose red as my colour scheme because it is typical of a confessional interview in magazines such as 'Bella' and 'Real People', and sourced pictures accordingly.
I have written the text in a style that is relevant to my target market. In my previous article I used the word "boobs" instead of 'breasts' or 'chest' for example, as it is illustrative of this market. In this article I used simple, plain English and used first person tense, engaging the reader in this personal account.
The sex phone agency refused to be mentioned when I telephoned them to ask permission. Despite explaining that the article was neutral - I have 'Kali's' fairly positive outlook and Jenny Abel's negative view - the agency declined. As this was the case, I have used the phrase "The agency wishes to remain unnamed". However, I had the leaflet that 'Kali' was sent, and had the information they gave. I want this article to be informative as well as entertaining, and so re-wrote the information for my sub-section "The Job". In this way, the agency is not identifiable.
Whilst researching the topic I came across Jenny Abel's blog "http://feralgenius.blogspot.co.uk" and her article on joining the sex phone industry. I wanted to create a second point of view, and as my research into any official guild lines or experts turned up no comments, I felt that Jenny's blog would fit my article. I have gained written permission from Jenny to use anything from her blog and have credited her underneath the sub-section entitled "The Risks".
An example of an article that I took inspiration from is below:
 |
| Closer magazine, Issue 470, 26th November - 2nd December |
LIFESTYLE ARTICLE
My first article is a fashion and lifestyle piece based on the well-known idea that a woman is a different clothes size in every shop. The idea arose in one of our magazine lectures, in which we were tasked with pitching five varied ideas to Jacqui Thornton. Along with an idea for 'A Day in the Life of... a beekeeper' story and a 'How are they doing now?' style article about the furniture store Reeve's Corner in Croydon (that became a victim of the London Riots in the summer of 2011) I developed the idea for a fashion piece that was not a simple look at the recent trends. I started thinking about the everyday shopping experience, and wanted to further explore this.
I chose my model, Katie, for two reasons. Firstly, as a friend of mine she was extremely co-operative and allowed me to photograph her with complete consent. When embarking upon an article such as this, having a relaxed and willing model is important and I knew I would achieve this with Katie. Secondly, Katie has a plus size figure - perfect for my article as I am trying to attract the average woman who is a size 16. My original concept was to explore the 'perfect size 10' and whether it exists on the British high street, but I felt that the results would be too narrow and too exclusive: I wanted the image of a girl struggling to fit into a dress because the average woman has experienced it.
Before the photo-shoot I researched the top British high street stores and contacted their head offices to obtain permission to not only photograph their products, in their changing rooms but also to critique them in my spread. This proved difficult with Next and Marks and Spencer's, both of whom refused permission. For the stores I have featured permission was easier to gain; most were happy to accept on the telephone but several, like River Island, required a follow-up email to explain my intention in writing.
On the day of the photo-shoot I used a still digital camera and the voice recorder function on my mobile phone, so that I could record Katie's instant reaction to each dress. The text you see is verbatim, with mild adjustments to correct grammar and the overall syntax. I used my own photographs to avoid any copyright issues.
Before producing my spread, I roughly planned the layout and headline. The simple layout of the article above was a real inspiration for me - the article looks clean and crisp, the dresses are outlined so they stand out perfectly and the white background allows the colours to pop. To achieve this affect in Fireworks I used the magic wand tool to delete the background, the eraser tool to sharpen the edges around the dress, and the blur tool to soften my model's outline. When erasing the background it is incredibly important to be thorough; deleting the space between a model's arm and body, for example, sharpens the whole image. It is the details such as this that make a magazine look professional.
Finishing touches are also crucial and I was concerned with making the article look professional, as though it could easily be published in any C2, D, E woman's weekly. I used a side headline "Style" in a different font, to suggest that the article would be published in the lifestyle section. Choosing eighty and eighty-one as my page numbers was a deliberate decision - in a classic weekly woman's magazine the style pages are around page sixty to ninety. I also gave myself accreditation in small print along the bottom of the page, which is typical of that particular style of magazine.
I decided upon my headline "The myth: are you a different size in every shop?" because it is succinct, essentially 'it does what it says on the tin' and I chose to use a question that is easily relatable for my intended audience. I have used the sub-heading "we find out"to draw the reader in on a very basic level - 'we', writer and audience, are going to decide upon the answer together. I downloaded a font for the headline because I felt the range in Fireworks was far too basic and I used the 'kern' option to manually reduce the space between the letters, making the headline look punchier.
The idea of having a tick or a cross in the bottom corner of each photograph came from this article, that featured in the same edition of 'Closer' as the above article. In this case, the publication has given each outfit a rating - an idea which I adapted into a simple design; easy for my audience to assess whether the dress fitted my model or not.
In my article i used a similar bar at the bottom to display my verdict, however I chose not to use a screamer in my headline as I felt the bold text spoke for itself.
In addition to my spread, where it in a published magazine, I would incorporate social media such as 'Facebook' and use it as a tool to engage my audience's interest. However, for the purpose of this module (where a publication is not definite) I omitted any such device.
For my final spread I created several drafts, one of which is below:
 |
| In terms of layout I was dissatisfied with the standard of this draft. The images were rather chaotic and needed far much structure. |
CONFESSIONAL ARTICLE
My second article is targeted at a similar magazine to my first, but is in the style of a confessional interview.The interviewee is a friend of mine and, on realising how unusual her story is, informed me about it. I realised that her decision would make a fantastic article - many people joke about it, but to actually research and apply for a job is highly unusual. I asked her to chose a photograph of herself and interviewed her in a relaxed environment. However, perhaps being my friend and having knowledge of my blog she wished to remain unnamed. In accordance with this I censored her eyes (as in the mind of a right thinking person, she becomes unidentifiable) because it would be very easy to openly defame her. Being involved in the sex industry is a taboo and I needed to avoid identification, be it jigsaw or otherwise, so I omitted the details of her university, home town and age.
Similarly to my previous article, I used the magic wand, erase and blur tool to cut out the images of the telephone and lipstick mark. I sourced these images on the website 'Flickr' and gave full accreditation to them in small print at the bottom of the article. I chose red as my colour scheme because it is typical of a confessional interview in magazines such as 'Bella' and 'Real People', and sourced pictures accordingly.
I have written the text in a style that is relevant to my target market. In my previous article I used the word "boobs" instead of 'breasts' or 'chest' for example, as it is illustrative of this market. In this article I used simple, plain English and used first person tense, engaging the reader in this personal account.
The sex phone agency refused to be mentioned when I telephoned them to ask permission. Despite explaining that the article was neutral - I have 'Kali's' fairly positive outlook and Jenny Abel's negative view - the agency declined. As this was the case, I have used the phrase "The agency wishes to remain unnamed". However, I had the leaflet that 'Kali' was sent, and had the information they gave. I want this article to be informative as well as entertaining, and so re-wrote the information for my sub-section "The Job". In this way, the agency is not identifiable.
Whilst researching the topic I came across Jenny Abel's blog "http://feralgenius.blogspot.co.uk" and her article on joining the sex phone industry. I wanted to create a second point of view, and as my research into any official guild lines or experts turned up no comments, I felt that Jenny's blog would fit my article. I have gained written permission from Jenny to use anything from her blog and have credited her underneath the sub-section entitled "The Risks".
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Media Law - Defamation and Libel
Defamation and Libel are arguably the biggest stumbling blocks for a journalist. In order to understand the risks it is important to understand what defamation is and how it can lead to libel.
Defamation is defined as a statement which:
- exposes a person to hatred, ridicule or contempt
- causes them to be shunned and avoided
- lowers their standing in the minds of right thinking people
- or discredits them in their occupation or work place
A person is libelled if they are defamed, if they are clearly identified and the statement is published to a third party.
As a journalist it is incredibly important to avoid 'accidentally' defaming a person, by juxtaposition libel, or jigsaw identification. Juxtaposition libel refers mainly to newspapers and the layout of a page. For example, printing the headline "Murderer" next to a picture of an unrelated person would imply that the person pictured was a murderer. This is a libellous offence. Jigsaw identification occurs across the media and refers to when more than one media organisation reports on a case using different information, meaning the audience can piece together who the person is even if they have anonymity.
There are three defences for libel:
- Justification: it is provably true
- Fair comment: it is your honestly held opinion, said without malice, and is in the public interest
- Qualified Privilege: something that is said in court and has been reported contemporaneously, accurately and fairly
Defamation is defined as a statement which:
- exposes a person to hatred, ridicule or contempt
- causes them to be shunned and avoided
- lowers their standing in the minds of right thinking people
- or discredits them in their occupation or work place
A person is libelled if they are defamed, if they are clearly identified and the statement is published to a third party.
As a journalist it is incredibly important to avoid 'accidentally' defaming a person, by juxtaposition libel, or jigsaw identification. Juxtaposition libel refers mainly to newspapers and the layout of a page. For example, printing the headline "Murderer" next to a picture of an unrelated person would imply that the person pictured was a murderer. This is a libellous offence. Jigsaw identification occurs across the media and refers to when more than one media organisation reports on a case using different information, meaning the audience can piece together who the person is even if they have anonymity.
There are three defences for libel:
- Justification: it is provably true
- Fair comment: it is your honestly held opinion, said without malice, and is in the public interest
- Qualified Privilege: something that is said in court and has been reported contemporaneously, accurately and fairly
Media Law - Confidentiality and Privacy
The following are my notes from the Confidentiality and Privacy lecture.
- Must be wary of breaching the Official Secrets Act of 1989
- There is much disputed territory between Article 8 and Article 10 - the right to a private life and the right to freedom of speech
- PCC definition of public interest:
- There is much disputed territory between Article 8 and Article 10 - the right to a private life and the right to freedom of speech
- PCC definition of public interest:
Exposing crime that the police have failed to
Exposing harm to the community
Exposing corruption
- You must think in the public interest NOT just of interest to the public
- no defence against official secrets act - military/ state secrets
- all editors are given advisory notices eg don't publish military secrets
- Met police trying to use Official Secrets Act to force a guardian journalist to reveal his source
common law secrets
- have a right to keep secrets
- third party breach of confidence - THIS IS A CRIME
- "we have seen a document.." don't say you have possession - must find out the other side of the story
- something is confidential if:
1. quality of confidence
2. circumstance imposing an obligation
3. no permission
4. detrimental to the person
common law - judges making the law as they go along
statutory law - parliament legislation
consent
- explicit - signed contract
- implicit - aware of camera eg waving
A key case in Privacy Law is Princess Caroline of Monaco in 2004
- injunction gets you anonymity
- super injunction means you can't even mention the injunction
- an injunction against one is an injunction against all media
- no defence against official secrets act - military/ state secrets
- all editors are given advisory notices eg don't publish military secrets
- Met police trying to use Official Secrets Act to force a guardian journalist to reveal his source
common law secrets
- have a right to keep secrets
- third party breach of confidence - THIS IS A CRIME
- "we have seen a document.." don't say you have possession - must find out the other side of the story
- something is confidential if:
1. quality of confidence
2. circumstance imposing an obligation
3. no permission
4. detrimental to the person
common law - judges making the law as they go along
statutory law - parliament legislation
consent
- explicit - signed contract
- implicit - aware of camera eg waving
A key case in Privacy Law is Princess Caroline of Monaco in 2004
- injunction gets you anonymity
- super injunction means you can't even mention the injunction
- an injunction against one is an injunction against all media
Media Law - Copyright
For this semester's copyright lecture we had a former copyright advisor to the BBC. Below are the main points from the lecture.
Can you use it?
- Copyright is the same as a property right
- Copyright starts as soon as something has been published
- For educational purposes you are covered
- Example of a busker- you cannot use his singing
Exemptions from copyright:
- research
- criticism or review - "courtesy of.."
- public event
- incidental rather than featured
You must have written consent for all work you use and the copyright lasts for the life of the author and seventy years after their death. Sound on the other hand is clear fifty years
after he death of the composer. However, songs can be re-mixed to clear them through copyright.
EVERYTHING is copyrighted in films - producer, director, actor, set design, costume etc
A Trade Off refers to company product placing and is free of charge.
Promotion on a chat show etc is clear, as long as you have permission and don't alter the footage.
Media Law - Qualified Privilege
Below are the main points from this semester's lecture on Qualified Privilege
Defences
1. Justification
- absolute defence for libel
- although not for privacy laws (use ryan giggs case)
2. Fair Comment
- sincere belief and;
1. no malice
2. honest opinion based on fact
3. public interest
3. Qualified Privilege
- common law and statutory
- means exemption from the law
- the queen has this
- absolute privilege - all judges have it when in court
- as a journalist we have QP, not AP, so you can report what is said as long as it is fast, accurate and fair
- always think in the public interest
- first available edition for your broadcast
Positive malice - refers to 'freebies' etc
Must include the plea and the words "the case continues"
Must have equal prominence to prosecution and defence - stick to judges summary and verdict
Parliament is protected under Qualified Privilege - it is legally a court eg Dennis Skinner vs George Osbourne
Common law QP
"For the common convenience of society" eg in references
- The Clegg case - Irish soldier who shot some youths
- Anti-IRA campaign to get him out of prison
- accused lawyers or being IRA terrorists
- campaign groups have common law privilege now
Reynolds ten point test
1. must be of a serious matter
2. must have documentation from official report
3. must have a reliable source
4. must have taken steps to verify the allegation or story
5. must have important status eg not an old matter
6. must be printed with urgency
7. must seek comment from the claimant
8. must have the gist of the claimants side of the story
9. must be of a serious tone of the article
10. must be published in the first available broadcast - eg the circumstances of the publication
Must get the claimants side of the story - they will defend it!
Key cases are as follows:
- Loutchansky case
- Galloway case- Daily Telegraph
Public interest PCC Code of Conduct
- exposing crime
- exposing health risks to the community
- preventing the public from being misled
Defences
1. Justification
- absolute defence for libel
- although not for privacy laws (use ryan giggs case)
2. Fair Comment
- sincere belief and;
1. no malice
2. honest opinion based on fact
3. public interest
3. Qualified Privilege
- common law and statutory
- means exemption from the law
- the queen has this
- absolute privilege - all judges have it when in court
- as a journalist we have QP, not AP, so you can report what is said as long as it is fast, accurate and fair
- always think in the public interest
- first available edition for your broadcast
Positive malice - refers to 'freebies' etc
Must include the plea and the words "the case continues"
Must have equal prominence to prosecution and defence - stick to judges summary and verdict
Parliament is protected under Qualified Privilege - it is legally a court eg Dennis Skinner vs George Osbourne
Common law QP
"For the common convenience of society" eg in references
- The Clegg case - Irish soldier who shot some youths
- Anti-IRA campaign to get him out of prison
- accused lawyers or being IRA terrorists
- campaign groups have common law privilege now
Reynolds ten point test
1. must be of a serious matter
2. must have documentation from official report
3. must have a reliable source
4. must have taken steps to verify the allegation or story
5. must have important status eg not an old matter
6. must be printed with urgency
7. must seek comment from the claimant
8. must have the gist of the claimants side of the story
9. must be of a serious tone of the article
10. must be published in the first available broadcast - eg the circumstances of the publication
Must get the claimants side of the story - they will defend it!
Key cases are as follows:
- Loutchansky case
- Galloway case- Daily Telegraph
Public interest PCC Code of Conduct
- exposing crime
- exposing health risks to the community
- preventing the public from being misled
Media Law - Lecture Two
Court reporting is extremely important for broadcast journalists. Knowing what you can report, and particularly at what time during a trial is vital.
Within crime reporting a journalist is constantly wary of contempt and prejudice.
In my previous blog I mentioned Chris Jeffries' case. The newspapers breached contempt of court by printing that Jeffries was a 'killer', despite the fact he had not been convicted, thus prejudicing any possible jury against him.
What can you write when a case becomes active?
Firstly, a case becomes active when an arrest has been made, be it through a verbal arrest or an arrest warrant, or a summons has been issued. When a case is active you can report the following details:
- name, age, address and occupation of the accused
- charges against them
- name of court and Magistrates' names
- name of solicitors
- date and place where court is adjourned
- bail arrangements
- whether legal aid is granted
There are three types of crimes heard at Magistrates or Crown Court:
- Indictable = can be sentenced to five years or more
- Either way = heard at either Crown or Magistrates
- Summary = only heard at Magistrates
A Magistrate has a certain amount of power. They can sentence a person to up to six months in prison for each offence, fine a person up to £5000 or give a suspended sentence. They can also adhere social restrictions like asbos.
Knowing the structure of a trial is also important for a journalist, as to avoid unequal prominence you must report both sides of the trial. For example, if you report the prosecution opening you must then report the defence opening. Below is the structure of a trial:
- Prosecution opening
- Prosecution witnesses
- Cross-examination
- Defence opening
- Defence witnesses
- Cross-examination
- Prosecution and defence may address the court
- Sentencing
- Judges Summary
It is also worth knowing that in Court a criminal case must be "beyond all reasonable doubt" whereas civil is "on the balance of probabilities".
Within crime reporting a journalist is constantly wary of contempt and prejudice.
In my previous blog I mentioned Chris Jeffries' case. The newspapers breached contempt of court by printing that Jeffries was a 'killer', despite the fact he had not been convicted, thus prejudicing any possible jury against him.
What can you write when a case becomes active?
Firstly, a case becomes active when an arrest has been made, be it through a verbal arrest or an arrest warrant, or a summons has been issued. When a case is active you can report the following details:
- name, age, address and occupation of the accused
- charges against them
- name of court and Magistrates' names
- name of solicitors
- date and place where court is adjourned
- bail arrangements
- whether legal aid is granted
There are three types of crimes heard at Magistrates or Crown Court:
- Indictable = can be sentenced to five years or more
- Either way = heard at either Crown or Magistrates
- Summary = only heard at Magistrates
A Magistrate has a certain amount of power. They can sentence a person to up to six months in prison for each offence, fine a person up to £5000 or give a suspended sentence. They can also adhere social restrictions like asbos.
Knowing the structure of a trial is also important for a journalist, as to avoid unequal prominence you must report both sides of the trial. For example, if you report the prosecution opening you must then report the defence opening. Below is the structure of a trial:
- Prosecution opening
- Prosecution witnesses
- Cross-examination
- Defence opening
- Defence witnesses
- Cross-examination
- Prosecution and defence may address the court
- Sentencing
- Judges Summary
It is also worth knowing that in Court a criminal case must be "beyond all reasonable doubt" whereas civil is "on the balance of probabilities".
Media Law Lecture One
It has been a year that has seen media law thrown into the spotlight with high-profile cases like the phone hacking scandal, super injunctions and the likes of Wikileaks.
Matters of privacy law and the conflict of Article 8 - the right to a private life - and Article 10 - freedom of expression - have been debated both in and out of the media.
Today we spoke of the case of Chris Jeffries, who was wrongly accused of the murder of Joanna Yates. He was highly defamed in the media. The British newspapers broke the law by calling him a murderer - if he was put to trial his jury would have been prejudiced against him because of of the media coverage around the case.
The Jeffries case has highlighted how the ethics of journalists are being brought under question. Just look at the News of the World's dramatic decline after it was revealed they were hacking into the phones of celebrities and the families of murder victims, such as the family of Milly Dowler.
Today we also looked at the hierarchy of the English Court System.
Below is a diagram of the court's. In simple terms, if a case is appealed from Magistrate's Court it is heard in Crown Court, then High Court, the Court of Appeal and finally the Supreme Court.
People we should know as journalists:
- Lord Paul Judge who is the Lord Chief Justice
- Kier Starmer QC who is the Director Public Prosecutions
- Ken Clark who is Tory Justice Minister
Above all, today's law lecture has taught me to recognise the risks as a journalist - to always know the law and the consequences of reporting something.
Matters of privacy law and the conflict of Article 8 - the right to a private life - and Article 10 - freedom of expression - have been debated both in and out of the media.
Today we spoke of the case of Chris Jeffries, who was wrongly accused of the murder of Joanna Yates. He was highly defamed in the media. The British newspapers broke the law by calling him a murderer - if he was put to trial his jury would have been prejudiced against him because of of the media coverage around the case.
The Jeffries case has highlighted how the ethics of journalists are being brought under question. Just look at the News of the World's dramatic decline after it was revealed they were hacking into the phones of celebrities and the families of murder victims, such as the family of Milly Dowler.
Today we also looked at the hierarchy of the English Court System.
Below is a diagram of the court's. In simple terms, if a case is appealed from Magistrate's Court it is heard in Crown Court, then High Court, the Court of Appeal and finally the Supreme Court.
People we should know as journalists:
- Lord Paul Judge who is the Lord Chief Justice
- Kier Starmer QC who is the Director Public Prosecutions
- Ken Clark who is Tory Justice Minister
Above all, today's law lecture has taught me to recognise the risks as a journalist - to always know the law and the consequences of reporting something.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Evacuation!
It has just been confirmed that offices along Commerce Way, Purley Way are being vacated on the advice of the police.
The offices are situated near the the PC World store which was attacked by rioters and looted last night.
The offices are situated near the the PC World store which was attacked by rioters and looted last night.
The morning after the night before.
I have just got home from Croydon town centre - instructed to leave by security guards because it simply is not safe. The Whitgift Centre, the main shopping centre, has been closed and the glass doors in the building are being reinforced with wooden panels.
Reinforcement and protection are also a common theme along Church Street, the road which joins the now well-known Reeves' Corner. Shopkeepers have closed early, after securing pieces of wood onto their shop fronts. People are desperate to protect their livelihood: the owner of a bridal shop said she would just be pleased to have a paying customer having stayed open until 6 p.m. yesterday evening, by which time most of the shops had been closed for several hours.
Reeves itself is now a shell. Despite the area around the smouldering building being completely cordoned off, crowds of people gather to see the damage for themselves, taking videos and photographs. I over-hear a man, head-in-hands, "I'm just hear to help clear out a friend's shop".
Rumours of further attacks are rife on social networking websites and local residents are preparing for another night of expected riots.
Reinforcement and protection are also a common theme along Church Street, the road which joins the now well-known Reeves' Corner. Shopkeepers have closed early, after securing pieces of wood onto their shop fronts. People are desperate to protect their livelihood: the owner of a bridal shop said she would just be pleased to have a paying customer having stayed open until 6 p.m. yesterday evening, by which time most of the shops had been closed for several hours.
Reeves itself is now a shell. Despite the area around the smouldering building being completely cordoned off, crowds of people gather to see the damage for themselves, taking videos and photographs. I over-hear a man, head-in-hands, "I'm just hear to help clear out a friend's shop".
Rumours of further attacks are rife on social networking websites and local residents are preparing for another night of expected riots.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Latest Reports
The latest report from Croydon is that the riot has spread to the shops on Purley Way. Rumours among local residents are that the multi-chain stores Currys and PC World are being looted.
Six police vans have been sighted travelling along Mitcham Road towards the lombard roundabout and the Purley Way area.
No reports have been confirmed.
Six police vans have been sighted travelling along Mitcham Road towards the lombard roundabout and the Purley Way area.
No reports have been confirmed.
London Riots hit Croydon
As I am writing the smoke from Croydon town centre billows overhead. The London riots, which began as a peaceful protest in Tottenham over the death of Mark Duggan, have spread to the town.
West Croydon has been the worst hit, particularly Broad Green where several buildings including a local music shop have been set alight.
The furniture store Reeves; a landmark in Croydon which stands on Reeve's Corner, has been the biggest structural casualty so far. The building is now engulfed in flames. From my own house, less than ten minutes away from the burning building, I can see plumes of thick black smoke. The sounds of helicopters and sirens are ever present.
Along Mitcham Road, one of the main roads out of the town centre, people are gathering outside of their homes to witness the scenes for themselves.
In the last three days riots have taken place across the city, were looting and arson attacks have been rife.
West Croydon has been the worst hit, particularly Broad Green where several buildings including a local music shop have been set alight.
The furniture store Reeves; a landmark in Croydon which stands on Reeve's Corner, has been the biggest structural casualty so far. The building is now engulfed in flames. From my own house, less than ten minutes away from the burning building, I can see plumes of thick black smoke. The sounds of helicopters and sirens are ever present.
Along Mitcham Road, one of the main roads out of the town centre, people are gathering outside of their homes to witness the scenes for themselves.
In the last three days riots have taken place across the city, were looting and arson attacks have been rife.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Pray for Jay - AFC Totton XI versus Brockenhurst FC XI
Follow this link to see extended highlights of the charity game played at AFC Totton's ground in aid of Jay Young.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcgqBHcFEmw
The game was organised to raise money for Jay's rehabilitation treatment and the teams were made up of close friends and players from two of Jay's former clubs.
All money taken on the gate, as well as proceeds from other fundraising activities on the day, went towards his specialist treatment.
Hope you all enjoy the film.
Filmed and Edited by Aimee Pickering
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcgqBHcFEmw
The game was organised to raise money for Jay's rehabilitation treatment and the teams were made up of close friends and players from two of Jay's former clubs.
All money taken on the gate, as well as proceeds from other fundraising activities on the day, went towards his specialist treatment.
Hope you all enjoy the film.
Filmed and Edited by Aimee Pickering
Tom Wolfe and The New Journalism
Tom Wolfe’s New Journalism deals with what made the new style of journalism so absorbing and gripping. Social realism is incredibly important to the new journalists and it was said that the most important literature being written in America at the time of the movement was non-fiction. There are a few specific devices that new journalism uses and below are notes from the chapters in which they are discussed.
1. The Feature Game
- a humorous, detailed lead up to Wolfe’s work on the New York Herald Tribune
- in his opinion, reporters at the time lacked ambition
- journalism is a game –its all about getting the scoop and is rife with competition
- all journalists were working towards, what Wolfe calls, the final triumph – writing a novel
- Wolfe had very little respect for feature stories
- Portis, Breslin, Schaap, Mok and the “fat man” – Wolfe would do anything for a story
- The importance of the novel: a psychological phenomenon
- “By the 1950s The Novel had become a nationwide tournament” asserts Wolfe
- Portis lived ‘the dream’ – he wrote a novel, in a fishing shack in Arkansas
2. Like a Novel
- the increasing popularity of novel writing influenced traditional journalism – using conventions from a novel
- reporters started finding stories for themselves
- Wolfe had a dim view of local reporters, believing they ‘ran out of stories’ far too quickly
- Approaching journalism in the same way you would a novel; with imagination
- Writing with a different point-of-view – for example, beginning with narration
- Writing in a different dialect, known as chameleon writing, to attract a larger audience and simply make the writing more interesting
- Resulted in more intense, detailed and time consuming journalism that entered into the audience’s mind rather than merely stated facts
- Included an over-use of punctuation
- Tom Wolfe pioneered New Journalism, bringing it away from the novel’s stylistic writing
3. Seizing the Power
- The New Yorker affair – April 1965
- The Columbia Journalism Review and the New York Review of books
- June 1966, The personal voice and the impersonal eye – the literary world was starting to recognise non-fiction as an artistic form
- Works such as “M”, a book on the Vietnam way by a reporter and “Paper Lion” a piece on American football
- The 1960s – realism, scene-by-scene construction, full dialogue, third-person point of view and describing everyday things
- Truman Capote used third-person point of view, although Wolfe was highly critical of this technique
1. The Feature Game
- a humorous, detailed lead up to Wolfe’s work on the New York Herald Tribune
- in his opinion, reporters at the time lacked ambition
- journalism is a game –its all about getting the scoop and is rife with competition
- all journalists were working towards, what Wolfe calls, the final triumph – writing a novel
- Wolfe had very little respect for feature stories
- Portis, Breslin, Schaap, Mok and the “fat man” – Wolfe would do anything for a story
- The importance of the novel: a psychological phenomenon
- “By the 1950s The Novel had become a nationwide tournament” asserts Wolfe
- Portis lived ‘the dream’ – he wrote a novel, in a fishing shack in Arkansas
2. Like a Novel
- the increasing popularity of novel writing influenced traditional journalism – using conventions from a novel
- reporters started finding stories for themselves
- Wolfe had a dim view of local reporters, believing they ‘ran out of stories’ far too quickly
- Approaching journalism in the same way you would a novel; with imagination
- Writing with a different point-of-view – for example, beginning with narration
- Writing in a different dialect, known as chameleon writing, to attract a larger audience and simply make the writing more interesting
- Resulted in more intense, detailed and time consuming journalism that entered into the audience’s mind rather than merely stated facts
- Included an over-use of punctuation
- Tom Wolfe pioneered New Journalism, bringing it away from the novel’s stylistic writing
3. Seizing the Power
- The New Yorker affair – April 1965
- The Columbia Journalism Review and the New York Review of books
- June 1966, The personal voice and the impersonal eye – the literary world was starting to recognise non-fiction as an artistic form
- Works such as “M”, a book on the Vietnam way by a reporter and “Paper Lion” a piece on American football
- The 1960s – realism, scene-by-scene construction, full dialogue, third-person point of view and describing everyday things
- Truman Capote used third-person point of view, although Wolfe was highly critical of this technique
George Orwell and the politics of language
Below is a brief look into the politics of language:
The main thing I took away from the HCJ lecture on language was thus: if you can control language, you can manipulate reality. Language is the way in which we express and determine facts, and so if you can control it you control what people believe is true - ultimately the way in which they live.
George Orwell writes about the idea of 'thought crime' in his celebrated novel '1984'. This is the idea that the state can even control your mind and the way you think. Orwell has been championed by many as the best journalist in the English language. He was politically left-minded but anti-Communist.
He created the phrase "Doublethink" - believing that two contradictory statements are true and therefore controlling thought. His most famous phrase was “Newspeak” and referred to the way in which thought was controlled through the use of language.
Orwell took this concept from Totalitarianism and was horrified at the use of propaganda – controlling language through censorship and complete media control.
The use of euphemisms in language became incredibly important with linguistic reform and the introduction of politically correct language and metaphorical speech. Orwell heavily influenced this reformed language and examples of this include “War is Peace” and referring to nuclear weapons as “the Deterrent”.
In modern day almost all advertising is Orwellian – we constantly speak in metaphors, similes and euphemisms.
From the lecture I learnt that in a journalist’s world there are four things you must never do with language:
1. never use a cliché
2. never use a long word when a short one is adequate
3. never use the passive form when you can use the active
The main thing I took away from the HCJ lecture on language was thus: if you can control language, you can manipulate reality. Language is the way in which we express and determine facts, and so if you can control it you control what people believe is true - ultimately the way in which they live.
George Orwell writes about the idea of 'thought crime' in his celebrated novel '1984'. This is the idea that the state can even control your mind and the way you think. Orwell has been championed by many as the best journalist in the English language. He was politically left-minded but anti-Communist.
He created the phrase "Doublethink" - believing that two contradictory statements are true and therefore controlling thought. His most famous phrase was “Newspeak” and referred to the way in which thought was controlled through the use of language.
Orwell took this concept from Totalitarianism and was horrified at the use of propaganda – controlling language through censorship and complete media control.
The use of euphemisms in language became incredibly important with linguistic reform and the introduction of politically correct language and metaphorical speech. Orwell heavily influenced this reformed language and examples of this include “War is Peace” and referring to nuclear weapons as “the Deterrent”.
In modern day almost all advertising is Orwellian – we constantly speak in metaphors, similes and euphemisms.
From the lecture I learnt that in a journalist’s world there are four things you must never do with language:
1. never use a cliché
2. never use a long word when a short one is adequate
3. never use the passive form when you can use the active
Albert Camus and The Outsider
Below are my notes on the HCJ lecture and seminar on Albert Camus' work 'The Outsider' and the philosophical theory of Phenomenolgy..
- Phenomenology – making the familiar, unfamiliar
- Consciousness is intentional, and meaning is fixed subjectively
- Knowing is a structure: some ideas have more priority than others – it depends on intention
- Heidegger – accepts that Husserl’s idea that consciousness is nothing without intention
- CHOOSING: what is the source of decisions?
- There is no individual (against the enlightenment and romanticism)
- Kant asserts that all people are fundamentally the same
- Existence is “Dasein” – a way of being/ a structure of your decision
- Time for Heidegger is ‘the structure of being’
1. The past = guilt
2. The present = dread
3. The future = unknown or fear
- existentialism – don’t care about the past or future – no consequences
In the book:
- Meursault is a 'hero' – non-romantic, racist, murderer, existentialist, refuses to be determined by other people
- has no guilt about his actions
- there are no consequences in his world, despite the views of other people
- Phenomenology – making the familiar, unfamiliar
- Consciousness is intentional, and meaning is fixed subjectively
- Knowing is a structure: some ideas have more priority than others – it depends on intention
- Heidegger – accepts that Husserl’s idea that consciousness is nothing without intention
- CHOOSING: what is the source of decisions?
- There is no individual (against the enlightenment and romanticism)
- Kant asserts that all people are fundamentally the same
- Existence is “Dasein” – a way of being/ a structure of your decision
- Time for Heidegger is ‘the structure of being’
1. The past = guilt
2. The present = dread
3. The future = unknown or fear
- existentialism – don’t care about the past or future – no consequences
In the book:
- Meursault is a 'hero' – non-romantic, racist, murderer, existentialist, refuses to be determined by other people
- has no guilt about his actions
- there are no consequences in his world, despite the views of other people
The main theories and learning points from Semester 2 of HCJ...
The Verification Principle:
The verification principle comes from the concept of logical positivism and is the idea that any proposition must be verified, otherwise it is left meaningless. Essentially it is concerned with truth claims – things are either true, false (if they cannot be verified) or meaningless. Within this there is a logical problem, as no proposition can prove itself. In Austria, the Vienna Circle (a group of philosophers) actively lived by logical positivism, believing in Wittgenstein’s attitude to philosophy. They assert that there are two types of things: things that can be related to experience or empirical knowledge and can therefore logically proven to be true, and things that can’t and are thus meaningless.
As a journalist, it is important to find links between our HCJ course and professional life, and the verification principle is incredibly applicable to a journalist’s day-to-day life. A journalist is concerned with fact – is this true? How do we know it is true? And how can we prove it, should we need to? There is a constant doubt surrounding journalism – one wrong fact and you could be facing the end of your career. The most applicable aspect of logical positivism, in my opinion, is the methodical approach to verifying something. There is no innate knowledge, so coming at a fact as if it is false and working to prove it is key.
Phenomenology:
Phenomenology is a concept we have come back to again and again on the course. In broad terms it can be defined as a branch of philosophy that deals with subjective experience. Kant began the concept of phenomenology with his ideas of phenomena. In his opinion, everything has a phenomenal and a noumenal nature. The phenomenal nature is things that are perceived, whilst the noumenal nature is concerned with when things are unperceived. It’s the classic – if a tree falls in the wood and no-one is around, does it still make a sound? In the same vain, if we look away from something there is a theory that it remains in place, but becomes‘different. This is confirmed by modern science and quantum mechanics.
Husserl asserts that we all have intention- if you want to see something, you will. Thus YOU create the world.
Economics - Keyne and Hayek
Keyne and Hayek had very different views on economics. The Great Depression brought about the Keynesian revolution – from the war to the 1950s/60s. The Government printed money because of the cost of war, which lead to inflation (HOWEVER full employment which Keyne advocated). In Keyne's mind it was good to print money! “Better to have people digging holes and filling them up again than unemployed” However Hayek criticised this plan as it led to huge state control; all people were ultimately employed by the state. Hayek disputed that money influences anything. This very much links back to Arendt and Totalitarianism – the lack of freedom from the state. Keyne wanted to steer the markets whilst Hayek wanted them set free, although understandably both economists feared a boom and bust cycle. For Hayek the capital structure was key and any bad investments could ruin the economy – SAVING was vital. For Keyne EMPLOYMENT was more important and in fact the main solution for the Depression.
Wittgenstein and The Tractatus
The opening chapter of The Tractatus concerns the world and how we define it. Wittgenstein asserts that "the world is everything that is the case" and that "the world is the totality of facts, not of things".
Wittgeinstein rejects naïve materialism and idealism – there are no ‘perfect’ things.
The concept of Logical Positivism, as mentioned above, was followed by Wittgenstein and states that all knowledge that we can rely on is factual, scientific knowledge. The world is purely made up of facts that are just in our minds, however they all need verifying.
Syllogism = a logical argument which states that facts must be verified by existing facts.
The verification principle comes from the concept of logical positivism and is the idea that any proposition must be verified, otherwise it is left meaningless. Essentially it is concerned with truth claims – things are either true, false (if they cannot be verified) or meaningless. Within this there is a logical problem, as no proposition can prove itself. In Austria, the Vienna Circle (a group of philosophers) actively lived by logical positivism, believing in Wittgenstein’s attitude to philosophy. They assert that there are two types of things: things that can be related to experience or empirical knowledge and can therefore logically proven to be true, and things that can’t and are thus meaningless.
As a journalist, it is important to find links between our HCJ course and professional life, and the verification principle is incredibly applicable to a journalist’s day-to-day life. A journalist is concerned with fact – is this true? How do we know it is true? And how can we prove it, should we need to? There is a constant doubt surrounding journalism – one wrong fact and you could be facing the end of your career. The most applicable aspect of logical positivism, in my opinion, is the methodical approach to verifying something. There is no innate knowledge, so coming at a fact as if it is false and working to prove it is key.
Phenomenology:
Phenomenology is a concept we have come back to again and again on the course. In broad terms it can be defined as a branch of philosophy that deals with subjective experience. Kant began the concept of phenomenology with his ideas of phenomena. In his opinion, everything has a phenomenal and a noumenal nature. The phenomenal nature is things that are perceived, whilst the noumenal nature is concerned with when things are unperceived. It’s the classic – if a tree falls in the wood and no-one is around, does it still make a sound? In the same vain, if we look away from something there is a theory that it remains in place, but becomes‘different. This is confirmed by modern science and quantum mechanics.
Husserl asserts that we all have intention- if you want to see something, you will. Thus YOU create the world.
Economics - Keyne and Hayek
Keyne and Hayek had very different views on economics. The Great Depression brought about the Keynesian revolution – from the war to the 1950s/60s. The Government printed money because of the cost of war, which lead to inflation (HOWEVER full employment which Keyne advocated). In Keyne's mind it was good to print money! “Better to have people digging holes and filling them up again than unemployed” However Hayek criticised this plan as it led to huge state control; all people were ultimately employed by the state. Hayek disputed that money influences anything. This very much links back to Arendt and Totalitarianism – the lack of freedom from the state. Keyne wanted to steer the markets whilst Hayek wanted them set free, although understandably both economists feared a boom and bust cycle. For Hayek the capital structure was key and any bad investments could ruin the economy – SAVING was vital. For Keyne EMPLOYMENT was more important and in fact the main solution for the Depression.
Wittgenstein and The Tractatus
The opening chapter of The Tractatus concerns the world and how we define it. Wittgenstein asserts that "the world is everything that is the case" and that "the world is the totality of facts, not of things".
Wittgeinstein rejects naïve materialism and idealism – there are no ‘perfect’ things.
The concept of Logical Positivism, as mentioned above, was followed by Wittgenstein and states that all knowledge that we can rely on is factual, scientific knowledge. The world is purely made up of facts that are just in our minds, however they all need verifying.
Syllogism = a logical argument which states that facts must be verified by existing facts.
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