Today’s media is a growing and changing industry. Technology is developing and becoming more interactive, key players in the media have to make changes to keep up. Our taste for entertainment gives rise to debates about the quality of broadcasts and publications. Meanwhile discussions about freedom of the press continue, sparked by issues like celebrity privacy and freedom of information.
The information comes from a wide range of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper reports, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.
Control
New media regulation and convergence, The media, UK media frozen out for new Potter, Ofcom announces guidance on media mergers public interest test, Parliament to decide whether media ownership has affected news, BBC funding debate, Illegal broadcasting in the UK, An introduction to newspapers in the UK, Using the media, Talking to journalists, How can young people get their voices heard more in the media?, Blair backs new online journalism register.
Accountability
Regional papers making good use of FOI, report shows, Freedom of information, ‘Unacceptable’ freedom of information delays, Two-year FOI battle over ‘Donnygate’ quiz ends in victory for the Star, Protection of sources upheld in High Court, Royal scoop too ho to handle, Reuters reacts to doctored photos, A snap too far, Media responsibility and personal privacy, Journalists given new freedom under libel law, Teenage magazines – a responsible medium, The role of teenage magazines in the sexual health of young people, Do lads’ mags teach young men about sex and relationships?, Suicide coverage: time to take stock.
Impact
News news, future news, Cross-cultural analysis of the Danish Prophet Muhammad cartoons, Hottest online brands in 2006, Social networking, Blogaholics anonymous?, The ‘networked generation’ finds TV is a turn-off, Gaytime TV.
Key Facts
Glossary
Index
Additional Resources
Acknowledgements
Key Facts
• There are growing restrictions on the use of new media, brought about by the increasing volume and sophistication of communications. (page 1)
• The publisher of the Harry Potter books threatened newspapers with legal action if they revealed details of the plot before the book’s publication date. (page 3)
• The Communications Act 2003 requires Ofcom to investigate matters of public interest arising from the merger of newspapers or broadcast media companies, should such an investigation be requested by the Secretary of State. (page 4)
• More than two-thirds of people surveyed agree that ‘the BBC is a national institution we should be proud of’, but less than a third were happy with how it is funded. (page 6)
• Some illegal radio stations attract a substantial audience, with 16% of adults in Greater London regularly listening to them. (page 7)
• Under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006, it is illegal to broadcast without a licence and under the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom is responsible for keeping spectrum free from interference. (page 7)
• UK newspapers are generally grouped into three groups – mass market tabloids, or red–tops (eg The Sun), middle–market tabloids (eg the Daily Mail), and quality broadsheets (eg The Times). (page 8)
• Journalists should seek permission from an appropriate adult (parent/guardian/ teacher/supervisor) before interviewing OR taking pictures of a child or young person (under 16). (page 11)
• The reporter’s job is to ask questions, but you are NOT obliged to answer them, especially if it involves revealing personal information you would prefer to keep private. (page 11)
• The Freedom of Information Act (2000) came into force on 1 January, 2005. (page 17)
• The FOI gives you the right to ask any public body for all the information they have on any subject you choose. Unless there’s a good reason, the organisation must provide the information within a month. You can also ask for all the personal information they hold on you. (page 18)
• If you request information about the environment it cannot be refused just because of what it would cost the public authority to comply. (page 19)
• In the first quarter of 2005, more than a third of all requests to government departments (36%) took longer than the Act’s 20 working day deadline to answer. (page 20)
• The law recognises ‘a vital public interest’ in the protection of a journalist’s sources. (page 22)
• The media should not publish misleading information, including modified pictures, according to the UK Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. (page 24)
• If the media publish a false story, people mentioned can take the company to court for libel or slander. Slander is when things have been said about someone that aren’t true, for example in a TV report. Libel is when untrue things are printed in a newspaper or magazine. (page 26)
• If a journalist reports allegations about public figures responsibly and the allegations are in the public interest, they will not be prosecuted under English law. (page 27)
• There are guidelines on how sexual material should be covered in magazines targeted at teenagers. (page 28)
• Journalists need to take care when reporting on suicides to reduce the risk of copycat behaviour. (page 30)
• Ofcom found that while news helps just under half (43 per cent) of people feel part of the democratic process, almost as many (37 per cent) claimed that TV news puts them off politics. (page 31)
• Young people and minority groups were less likely to be engaged with news. (page 32)
User-generated content is a theme of the fastest growing brands on the internet. (page 35)
• New technologies mean that young people are watching less TV, even though older people are watching more than ever before. (page 38)
Media Issues Study Guide
Each book in the Issues series has a study guide. These four-page guides provide a variety of discussion points and other activities to suit a wide range of ability levels and interests.
Publisher: Independence Educational Publishers
Price: £1.50
ISBN: 978 1 86168 427 1
|
