Daily Mirror Iraqi Abuse Photos

Click on the title to read more about the sacking of the Daily Mirror's editor, Piers Morgan, following to publication of faked photos which alleged to show British soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners. Lots of issues here - should the Mirror have published the pictures in the first place (whether they were fake or not) or should they have refused to publish them on the basis that they would be protecting the national interest by safeguarding British troops in Iraq? Once they knew they were fake, why did Piers Morgan still claim that "we published the truth.....We have revealed a can of worms. If the government chooses to ignore that, it is entirely a matter for them."

YouTube - the right to reply.

Year 12 and 13 - this is worth looking at. Amazing footage of a BBC Panorama reporter loosing his cool with a representative of the Church of Scientology has been posted on YouTube. You can click on the link above to see the clip, together with how it was reported by BBC News 24. This raises the important point of how sites like YouTube offer those who are reported upon the opportunity of a more enhanced reaction to how they are represented in the media. The Church of Scientology filmed the reporter's interview and have now been able to show the world footage which may never have seen the light of day were it not for sights like YouTube. It is likely that the BBC would have edited out the angry reaction of its reporter. Because of such postings, the audience are now able to see much more of the "whole story" than previously, thereby empowering the audience in terms of deciding upon issues. It also diminishes traditional news media outlet's (like the BBC) role as gatekeeper to what we can and cannot see. It will be interesting to see if Panorama now includes this footage in its report (tonight 8.30 on BBC1). Look at the way BBC News 24 presents the story; it seems to try to excuse the behaviour of its reporter by discussing the pressures he was under at the time.

Why Blog?

The University of Essex have published a report examining why people read and write blogs and the nature of the culture of blogging. Its conclusions demonstrate just how habit forming many new media technologies can be. Some of the respondants in the study admitted to being "addicted" to blogging.
There isn't necessarily anything too novel about this. For years critics have accused traditional media like television of being addictive. However, what is new about the nature of the habit of blogging is how it grows. With television, the habitual viewer tends to switch on and passively feed their habit (at least physically, it is harder to assess if they are actively engaging with the content mentally). This study finds that there is a link between the reading and writing of blogs. Reading blogs seems to provide the motivation for writing blogs. It is doubtful that watching TV provides the motivation for the majority of viewers to make television programmes.

Year 13 Press Regulation - Privacy Vs. Public Interest

This is an interview with a judge from the European Court of Human Rights outlining how judgements are reached when deciding on cases where someone feels the press has invaded their privacy. It's even laid out in an accessible questions and answers format - ideal for you poor stressed out things!