Module 3
Getting Started
Journalism: Principles and Practice
Chapter 1:
Journalism is not simply another product but a process of communication. Journalism is said to play a social role in informing society about itself. Chapter 1 is an introduction to what practices and practitioner we will be learning about throughout the book.
Chapter 2:
The work of journalists is influenced by a range of structural factors. A few examples of the factors are regulatory regimes, the system of the media ownership, organizational routines, shortage of time, advertising considerations, race and gender, social class. Constrains and conflicting loyalties lead to claim that individuals have little influence on journalistic output. While others would argue that constraints can be resisted or negotiated in pursuit of ethical journalism in the public interest. Action is needed to defend journalism and journalists from violence and other attacks on independent reporting. Chapter 2 was all about looking after you own safety while reporting on a story whether that’s by expressing your point in a clear way or by not getting attacked by anybody either as there has been cases where journalists have died in the past.
Chapter 3:
News in a selective version of events happening in the world with an emphasis on that which is new and unusual. Not all news is new as much of it is predictable and some does not concern events at all. Journalists identify, select and produce news items according to occupational norms including the concept of what will interest a particular target audience. Journalists measure potential news items against a range of criteria that have become know as factors or news values. It has been claimed that social media content may be undermining the traditional role of the journalist as a gatekeeper, blurring the boundary between producer and audience, informing and altering considerations of what is considered newsworthy. Chapter 3 was all about describing what news is and giving examples of different types of journalism such as broadcast, sports, entertainment, fashion, follow up, print, political to name a few.
This video was me practicing writing and recording two 15 second radio news cues. The first story was about how students felt quite isolated at home while there school was closed due to there being concrete on the school site. The second story was about Actress Sophie Turner and singer Joe Jonas’s recent divorce and how they look forward to be great co-parents.
Overall, I feel like I did a good job in being clear and concise from reading my 30 word cues especially after I took a few deep breaths in between the three different takes for each news cue I recorded. I also just want to credit Pixabay for letting me use there sound effects for my intro and outro to my video.
90 second video vox pop – Banning XL bulldog’s
News Gathering –
My main question for these video vox pops were asking people’s thoughts on the government banning XL bulldogs because it is a very relevant topic in the news at the moment and I feel like the government can find a better solution instead of banning a whole breed on dogs as it feels unfair. However, I suppose that is where the argument comes into play because it’s bad for the dogs and their owners but the dogs have been causing harm to people and children as reported in the news recently.
Target Audience –
For this project I feel like there could be a few different types of people I could aim my voxpops at for the target audience such as dog lovers, people who think its a good or bad idea, people who want to see justice for the people who have been hurt by these XL bulldogs. I think I have received a lot of different answers for the twelve voxpops I have created in total. This will be beneficial to my 90 second voxpop video because it means I could produce a wide range for my target audience to enjoy.
Story Telling –
For the story telling aspect I want the viewers to learn what the public think towards the government banning the XL bulldog’s in England and Wales. This will be important because I have up to six people in my video voxpops which means there will be people with different and possible the same view on this subject.
CUE –
On Tueday 31st October the government have announced that XL bulldog’s have been added to the banned breed’s list in England and Wales. Our reporter Harrison Pearce will be investigating whether it is a good idea and who is to blame for the bulldog’s behaviour.
Final Product
90 second audio vox pop – Smoking ban
News Gathering –
My main question for these audio vox pops was about getting people’s opinions on the prime minister Rishi Sunak trying to implement an smoking ban because it is a subject with an open ended question as everybody will have an opinion whether the person smokes or not.
Target Audience –
For this project I feel like the target audience will be adults between 18-25 because smoking is a massive part of adults lives as it is consumed on a daily bases meaning that people will have a lot of thoughts on this topic. I also feel like non smokes would like these audio vox pops because they might like to hear about people saying that the government banning smoking is a good thing.
Story Telling –
For the story telling aspect I want the viewers to learn all the healthy benefits on what banning smoking can have on a person’s life. I think the prime minister Rishi Sunak wants to create a future where there is no easy access to these products which will stop people consuming them as much as they like.
CUE –
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to put a stop on smoking once and for all as he wants a brighter future for children. Our reporter Harrison Pearce will be taking to the streets of Coventry to ask people their opinion’s on the recent smoking ban.
Final Product
90 second audio package – Are people taking advantage of charity shops
News Gathering –
What makes clothes vintage?
Fashion experts would suggest that clothes that are between 20 and 100 years old are classed as vintage if they clearly reflect the styles and trends of the era they represent. Vintage clothes seem to tell a story of there own even through you dont know where they come from. It’s not just a matter of age, but a combination of design elements, style characteristics, quality of construction, historical significance and rarity and collectability.
Vintage clothes have a certain appeal that cant’t be replicated by modern clothing. They often have unique details and design elements that are no longer in fashion, giving them a sense of individuality and personality. They also have a certain style and aesthetic that is associated with a specific era, making them a tangible piece of history.
What design elements stand out to make clothes vintage?
The colour schemes play a big role in vintage clothes because the colours of musturd yellow, burnt orange and olive green were popular in the 70s while bright and bold colours were popular in the 80s and 90s. Vintage clothing also tends to have a muted or faded color palette due to the natural aging of the fabric. Fabric textures are another important design element when it comes to vintage clothing because natural fibers such as cotton, silk and wool were commonly used in vintage clothes.
Why are vintage clothes so expensive?
You will be amazed at how rare and collectible these garments are as you will be igniting a desire to own a piece of history and feel connected to the past. Vintage clothing isn’t just about the value but about the market itself. The rareity of these garments makes them highly sought after by collectors and fashion enthusiasts alike. As such they are often sold at a premium price and those lucky enough to own a piece can consider themselves as having a valuable asset.
Target Audience –
For this project I want my target audience to be adults that regularly shop at charity shops because I want them to be aware of this taking place so they can be the first ones to snap up there favourite piece of vintage clothing before you get people buying them not for the love of vintage clothes but just to resell them to make a profit.
Story Telling –
For the story telling aspect I want the viewers to learn that this becoming more of a problem within charity shops and to provide a charity shop managers opinions on this topic. However, this might work both ways because the regular customers might not care as much if they are not intersted in vintage clothes and I suppose the charity shop still earns money either way.
Questions I could ask:
Have you seen a rise in the amount of young people who shop for clothes in your charity shops?
Since you have updated your prices on your vintage clothes what does that do to the working class people who cant afford them now?
Do you think the gentrification of people using charity shops has changed?
Are people taking advantage of charity shops?
Are people using vintage clothes as a way to make profit from online shops?
Who to contact:
British Heart Foundation – heretohelp@bhf.org.uk
Oxfam – heretohelp@oxfam.org.uk
British Red Cross – I sent a message through there website.
(Need to contact vintage clothes shops)
CUE –
Charity shops are finding that more and more items of their donated clothing are being sold on for a higher price onto online shops. Our news reporter Harrison Pearce has investigated by visiting one Coventry charity shop to see how this is affecting their business.
Final Product
90 second audio 2 way – Food banks
News Gathering –
Food banks aren’t just about the food they provide, they also bring hope to people in need and deliver social cohesion. Another reason why food banks are so important is that they provide alternative solutions to the increasing issue of food waste. There is two question I could ask in this research which are Why are food banks so important? and Is there an increasing issue of food wasted?
Target Audience –
As a nation, we know it isn’t right that anybody should be left hungry or living in extreme poverty. But whilst they work for long term change food banks provide emergency food and compassionate, dignified support people in crisis. I think my target audience will be people who might need that extra bit of support to help provide for either themselves or there families.
Story Telling –
There are over 1,300 food bank centres in the trussell trust network. The services provided by food banks may vary from area to area as they react to the needs of their community to provide help and support to local people in crisis. My audio 2 way will help teach the viewers what service food banks provide as it is not just food but everyday essentials as well. I want to show the target audience that there is no reason to feel embarrassed about visiting a food bank as they sometimes have people with good jobs seek help because it just depends on the person circumstances.
Food donations
Non-perishable, in-date food is donated by the public at a range of places, such as schools, churches, and businesses, as well as supermarket collection points. It is then sorted into emergency food parcels by more than 28,000 volunteers, to be given to people in crisis.
Food vouchers
Care professionals such as health visitors, staff at schools and social workers identify people in crisis and issue them with a food bank voucher. This means people can receive a food bank parcel of three days’ nutritionally balanced, non-perishable food from their local food bank.
Additional support
Our food bank network helps people break free from poverty by providing additional support to help people resolve the crises they’re facing so that they don’t need to use a food bank again in the future. This could include things like debt advice, mental health support, or benefits guidance . Food banks rely on the support of their local communities to support people in crisis.
I have changed my mind on creating a video 2 way for the food bank because I recently undertook an 2 way video with two ex coventry students about basketball and black lives matter so I want to use that instead. I have also been struggling to find contacts for my audio 2 way gaming affecting children’s mental health so I will swap that for the food bank instead.
Food Bank Questions:
What service do you provide to the community?
Where do you get your food resources from?
How much of an impact does food banks have on people’s lives?
What changes did your food bank have to make during covid?
Do you have a food box scheme?
What are the different ways to donate?
CUE –
APEC food bank is a well-respected organisation that helps a lot of people in the Coventry community. Our reporter Harrison Pearce has spoken to Emma Neat all about what service the food bank provides and how they managed their services during the pandemic in 2020.
Final Product
90 second video 2 way – Basketball and Black Lives Matter
News Gathering –
I will have three questions throughout my video 2 way with the main question centred around What does basketball mean to you? This was because I feel like it was quite opened ended as the two people can either speak about what they have learnt plaing the sport and how they can use them skills in their everyday life.
Target Audience –
There could be two types of target audiences for my video 2 way which are basketball fans and people who support the black lives matter movement because I speak about both topics in the video as these two ex-Coventry students are very knowledgeable people.
Story Telling –
For the story telling aspect I want my viewers to learn how important basketball can be towards helping somebodies life on and off the court with all the skills they can learn. I also want my viewers to continue to learn about the black lives matter movement to try and understand what their life was life growing up.
Questions I could ask:
What age did you start playing basketball?
who were you basketball idols growing up?
Who are your current favourite basketball players?
What does basketball mean to you?
How has basketball helped you outside of the sport?
What does black history month mean to you?
How do you deal with stereotypes?
What are your first thoughts on the black lives matter kit?
CUE –
Two sporty ex-Coventry University students have joined forces to encourage more people to take up basketball. Our sports correspondent Harrison Pearce spoke to them about their love of the sport and how the Black Lives Matter movement has made an important impact on their community.
My Portfolio 