Assignment One - Comparing Radio Bulletins

In this assignment I will be critically analysing and comparing different types of radio stations. I will be comparing Heart, BBC Radio 2 and Jack solent.

Jack Solent is easily identifiable as an 'Adult Contempoary' station, due to the type of music it plays. This happens to be a mixture of pop hits and ballads from the 80's and 90's. The target audience for this type of radio would most probably be attracting listeners 40+. This station have a 2:25 minute long broadcast for it's news update broadcast. Within this broadcast they do not only include a mixture of stories with different topics, but they also update listeners on the weather. At the beginning of this broadcast, it starts with a quick promotion of the radio company by letting the listeners know who they are listening too and to grab your attention. The presenter(s) are mainly male, due to the entire radio being aimed at a more male oriented audience. The style of language is formal yet informal as it's very chatty and is as if they are having a conversation with you. 

This broadcast includes 3 main segments, the first one being the news that is making the headlines. Obviously their are hundreds of stories making the headlines, but as Jack solent are a more male oriented radio station, they're going to choose the story that all listeners share an interest in. The first headline discusses a deal between welsh footballer Gareth Bale as he signs on to the world famous football team, Rio Madrid. This story began with a clip of the presenter introducing the headline, and then it cut to a pre recorded clip of Bale's ex Tottenam manager giving his opinion on the deal. This story only really has one or two news values, which is for entertainment purposes and the fact that it is of public interest to the male population. 

Moving onto a more serious topic, the next headline in the broadcast spoke about how the American Government had recently found chemical gas within the warfare in Syria. Shortly after the headline is announced by the presenter, the story is then treated with a copy that discusses how American are planning on getting involved. Headlines from the US are always of public interest to all of us as they are our world leaders and it is important that we keep up to date with their movements as some of the things that happen or may happen can effect us over here in the UK.

And finally to follow this headline, it ends with a headline with news values purely of public interest. They use a local national story about a mother from Portsmouth who has been looking for help from the Government to get her children back from Oman after their father kidnapped them almost a year ago. Stories like this grab listeners attention as they are emotional. Listeners with children could maybe relate to the mother as they may have experienced worry or concern with their child about anything before. Parents can relate to the worry and upset. Following the presenter announcing the headline, they played a short clip from an interview with MP Penny Martin who had joined the mothers cause. 

To finish the main section of news they used a variety of short stories either connected to the stereotypical males hobbies and also a few local stories. These stories have no connected audio and are not covered in a detailed manor. These stories include the news of a mostocyclists death in car crash, the Bournemouth air festival, the death of actor David Frost and an ad for a band looking for a new singer for their local Fareham based band.

The second radio station I have decided to analyse is BBC Radio 2. This radio station is a tax funded organisation, therefor the news we pay for has to fit a certain criteria. This is another Adult Contemporary radio station, that tailors their news towards a more mature audience, aimed at ages 30-50. The target audience are usually medium/working class and will be educated as within their broadcast's, Radio 2 discuss topics such a politics etc. 
BBC Radio 2 have a very catchy and well remembered introduction tune. 
The producer begins by introducing the radio station and then follows by wishing 'Good Morning' to the listeners. The language is very professional and formal. The producer continues on to introduce the headlines very briefly, and then goes on to elaborate on them all together. The broadcast is 5 minutes long. 

The first story is mainly based on politics. It discusses the way the American government are persuading congress to take up arms because of the current situation in Syria. BBC's treatment of this story is a sound bite of a reporter that is currently in Washington where the head of he government is currently weighing the situation. By having this reporter there, they are not only gaining the latest information but they are also displaying the fact that they have deeper research into the subject and are covering every detail.

The next story is aimed more towards parents and families. It talks about how some pupils will have to re-sit some of their GCSE's if they do not achieve the minimum grade of a C. They again used a clip for the treatment of this story again with another correspondent that adds that extra expertise. This makes the story seem reliable and credible and this is what an older audience will want as they are less naive then younger generations.

The broadcast had many segments of headlines and a mixture of different types of stories. One example of a less serious headline, and more for entertainment purposes is the fact that scientists have established that european men are 4 inches taller than a century ago. They producer shares that this fact has been researched from 2 popular universities which will allow listeners to know that this is more credbile. They also announce the fact that this study has been published in Oxford economic papers. They then cut to another correspondent who elaborates on the story. 

Other stories in this programme include Vodaphone sales decreasing by 45%. This was a short statistic based story that may be of interest to listeners with a strong buisness career. We then got a headline about the warning of pests increasing around the world due to global warming. This story was a short insight into the world around us and its development. To accompany these copy stories they also use a clip and discuss the European equal pay changes that could change working people lives this will effect BBC 2 audience as they tend to be professionals who hold down full time jobs.

Finally the last Radio Station I will be discussing is Heart South Coast. Again, this is an Adult Contempoary station and is recognized by it's famous slogan 'more music variety'. The first headline the presenter discusses is the pressure the prime minister is facing to consider a second vote on miltiary action in Syria. The presenter then goes on to state facts about the matter, very briefly. This story is of relevance to everybody as what normally happens in the US will effect us in some way or another. The second headline talks about Boris Johnson, and discusses how our troops should still be sent. It then cuts to a clip from an MP stating his opinion. After talking about Politics, the presenter changes topic to talk about child care, which is of great relevance to all listeners. 

The producer then goes on too talk about Gareth Bale's famous football deal. This radio station is unisex and aimed at ages 25-40, so nearly everybody is going to have an interest in this story. Maybe not so much women, but if they have husbands or boyfriends or even girlfriends that are interested, it's helpful that they know what's going on. 

The language is chatty and informal, and the pace is fast but relaxed all at the same time. 

Assignment 3 - Practical Radio News

*Waiting to publish voice clips from Documentary assigment*

Assignment Two - Law - Rosie Kinsella

Assignment 2 

In the digital age of media, their are 3 important area's of law that are important for every journalist to follow and learn. These are; Defamation, Contempt and Reporting Restrictions. In the world of Media it is important that people that work within the creative sector have rules and guidelines to follow, for example; A journalist is not able to release information in a  story they have written revealing the identity of a murder suspect before the court and the judge have allowed them to do so. But to break it down; 

Contempt of Court:  Contempt of Court (covered by the CCA - Contempt of Court Act 1981) exists the protect the running of court. It occurs when somebody is being disobedient to the administration of justice. Within CoC; contains a 'strict liability rule' which is there to prevent any publication or broadcast from affecting the decisions from the court. The maximum prison sentence in the UK is 2 years. 

• An example of an interference with Contempt of Court would be revealing someone's identity that had been protected by the court. To prevent this from happening, their is something that exists called "Super Injunctions". When a SJ is granted it is due to the judge believing that an individuals privacy needs to be protected. Following this, if a newspaper was to then publish a story including the name of that individual, then they could be summoned to Contempt of Court and could face possible imprisonment. 
• A second example of interfering with Contempt of Court would be if you were to partake in Jury service. At the end of a trial everyone that takes part in Jury service will be sent to deliberate over the case and will then have to put forth a vote deciding whether the suspect is guilty or not. All the information discussed between the other members of the Jury and in the court room MUST be kept confidential. The punishment for discussing the case or information with anybody else besides the Jury can result in being sent to prison.

Depending on what has happened, the judge does not always sentence prison time and may sometimes just sentence a fine, and before a fine there is sometimes just a warning - depending on how disobedient an individual has been towards not following the law.

Reporting Restrictions: The main reason for Reporting Restrictions is to protect someones identity. However, there are different types of Reporting Restrictions, and these are:

• Automatic - They will always exist
• Discretionary - The judge will make a decision 

An example of a Reporting Restrictions case study is the James Bulger case back in 1993 where the 2 year old was abducted and tortured to death. Throughout the murer trial the two suspects, both aged 10 were refered to simply as "Boy A and Boy B". Their identities were protected at all times. This is the general rule that all journalist's must follow and obtain throughout their reports when covering a story of this type.

An example of restrictions being lifted is back in may 2014, 61 year old Ann Maguire was stabbed infront of pupils by one of her 15 year old students. By November 2014, the judge decided the lift the restrictions and reveal the boys identity due to there being a public interest in naming defendants who are convicted of murder. 

"The judge agreed with the media that “there’s a potential deterrent effect” in naming him, “but I do not put it as high as the general interest in open justice”. He said: “There is a public interest in open justice. There is a public interest in naming defendants who are convicted of murder.” - The Guardian 

Proceedings in the Youth Court are not allowed to be open to the public and press are automatically restricted from reporting on anyones identity or any details that would reveeal the identity of the young person involved. 

The media have full right to attend all court hearings and are also allowed to report on those proceedings. The public have the right to know what is currently happening in a criminal court. 

Different cases may be under different levels of protection and different reasons. Some may be under automatic protection this also can be dependent on the case itself. If a journalist does not know the level of protection that is placed on a particular case they need to check with the authorities.

The Open Justice - This is the central rule of law. This procedure helps to ensure that trials are all properly conducted, and this must be done in public. 

Acts such as The Young Persons Act 1993 bans the public from attending youth court proceedings. This is to ensure their is as much protection as possible for the suspect. Their are many rules and regulations that come with hearing these trials - one example being that when it is ever necessary to hear parts of a case in private, the court will make efforts to exclude the public from that part of the trial. 

Journalist's and reporters are banned from discussing in the media the name of the suspect, their school, the address or anything that would reveal the identity of the suspect. 
However, the automatic reporting restrictions may be lifted over time, with the reasons only being;
- If the court are satisfied it is appropriate to do so
- To assist in the search for a missing, convicted or alleged young offender

Victims of sexual offences are given a life time of anonymity. 

Defamation

This is the action of damaging a good reputation of somebody; slander or libel. Slander is the use of  spoken words or a shared message to create the damage for example gossip or the spread of harmful rumors. Libel is instead the use of the written word used most typically in print media such as Magazines and newspapers. This area of law deals with the protection of reputation, it gives people a chance to take legal action against those that are responsible for damaging their reputation. This law attempts to balance both sides, for example, one should not be able to ruin other people's lives by spreading false information around about them, but within reason they should have the ability to speak freely without the fear of getting into trouble. 

If someone believes they have been defamed, to prove that you usually have to show evidence of a statement that is usually:

- published
- false
- injurious
- unprivellaged

The statement vcan be written, spoken, pictured or even gestured. 'Published' means that a third party had heard or seen the statement. This is someone other than the person who made the statement, and who it was about. 'Published' can mean on anything, social media, a newspaper, radio, magazines, or even a loud conversation.

A defamatory statement must be false - otherwise it isn't considered damaging. Its becomes tricky as most opinions cannot be counted as defamation as they cannot be proved false. For instance, when a reviewer says 'that's the worst film ive ever seen' she's not defamaing the director, because there's no evidence for it to be proven false. 

An example of a false case of Defamation was back in May 2004, The Mirror published photos that showed British soldiers torturing Iraqi POW'S. It was then discovered that these images turned out to be fake. The consequences of this resulted in a damage to the reputation of the Soliders from the Queens Lancanshire Regiment, along with editor at the time, Piers Morgan, being sakced. Sources clearly were not check before the newspaper went on to publish this story and that got them in a lot of trouble. They then publised a front page with the headline 'Sorry...we were hoaxed'. 

Journalists are not the only cause of defamation, as the digital age has progressed it has brought active community with it allowing people to share a whole range of wider opinions that can break many of the laws. This has lead to reoccurring cases involving statements said on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. These sites allow anyone and everyone to have an opinion that could be read by thousands. 

This becomes a problem, because everyone has to be cautious with the type of things they are posting online. It is understood that an individals social media is their own private and personal way of communication, but people still have to be cautious with the type of things they are posting. Katie Hopkins is a perfect example of this, as she seems to voice her opinions on absolutely everything and anything all over twitter, without a care in the world about how it will effect other people. 

In 2013 The Defemation Act of 1996 was replaced due to its lack of protection covering the new cases caused by new media, especially social networks. These updated Act changes that were made include changing the court proceedings which has resulted in any and every victim has to show series harm or damages.

Conclusion

Defamation, Contempt of Court and Reporting Restricions are all put in place to protect the proceedings of the court and everybody involved within them. These laws and regulations allow Journalist's to know what they are allowed to publish and discuss in public, due to general interest. Journalist's today in our modern age should be fully trained and be able to follow Journalism laws. This then balances out the protection on not only their careeres, but the those in the courts. 




bibliography:

http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/james-bulger

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3716151.stm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-27250270

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/04/ann-maguire-will-cornick-reporting-restrictions-judge