Newspaper regulation: blog tasks
Read the Media Magazine article: From Local Press to National Regulator in MM56 (p55). You'll find the article in our Media Magazine archive here. Once you've read the article, answer the following questions:
1) Keith Perch used to edit the Leicester Mercury. How many staff did it have at its peak and where does Perch see the paper in 10 years' time?
130 journalists, it will be weekly,expensive, have a small circulation and only employ 5 to 6 workers in 10 years.
2) How does Perch view the phone hacking scandal?
That a small section of the press acted unacceptably but regulation for all press isnt necessary.
3) What does IPSO stand for and how does it work?
Independent Press Standards Organisation. A newspaper has 28 days to deal with a complaint. If it isnt, it can be taken to the IPSO complaints committee who will decide if the Editors Code of Practice has been broken.
4) What is Perch's view of newspaper ownership?
He doesnt believe that people such as Murdoch should be forced to sell some of their titles because he says people can ignore their these titles and buy others.
5) Do you agree with his view that broadcast news should have less regulation so that TV channels can support particular political parties or people?
Personally I feel that broadcast news should be less biased as news broadcasters have a larger viewing. There arent as many quality broadcasters for there to be biased approaches for certain parties. Many people will vote simply on what they see so if the BBC for example was mainly right wing, it wouldnt be helpful for the election.
Task Two: Newspaper regulation essay
Write an essay on your blog answering the following question:
What are the arguments for and against statutory regulation of the newspaper industry?
Your answer should be at least 750 words and feature a minimum of five paragraphs.
Statutory regulation has many different arguments for and against, causing a large divide in opinion amongst different journalists. One argument in the regulations favour is the fact that it ensures the privacy of the public, especially celebrities. The News of The World was orced to shut down due to the "phone hacking scandal" in 2011 which was based on a case where a 13 year old schoolgirl went missing in 2002. In 2006-07, an editor of the News Of The World was convicted of hacking her phone in order to intercept voicemail messages in order to gain content for their article. This is an example of the violation of privacy which can occur without statutory regulation. Many celebrities are also stalked and followed by paparazzi and reporters trying to create an exclusive stories. These include stories on their private love life which they may not want to share with the public. Without statutory regulation, reporters can also publish whatever content they wish even if it isnt very adherent to the truth. This can ruin a persons public image or even create a sense of bias depending on the topic. Having regulation means that these reporters wont be able to delve into peoples private lives and making sure that articles are unbiased, fair and true
However, a point against statutory regulation is the fact that the government will be actively controlling what can and cant be published. This goes against freedom of speech as people wont be able to voice their opinions without the worry of being prosecuted. Accountability journalism will also take a toll as reporters wont be able to find out any injustices government are participating in behind closed doors. This leaves a large gap for corruption to happen within politics.The Government will be able to omit certain things that may be published about them if they feel it may damage their pubic appeal. There will also be no opinion based journalism as they will have to ensure that they have an unbiased article. This may cause issues in affairs such as global warming as the facts show that it is actually happening, however if presented in an unbiased way, people may become misinformed.
1) Keith Perch used to edit the Leicester Mercury. How many staff did it have at its peak and where does Perch see the paper in 10 years' time?
130 journalists, it will be weekly,expensive, have a small circulation and only employ 5 to 6 workers in 10 years.
2) How does Perch view the phone hacking scandal?
That a small section of the press acted unacceptably but regulation for all press isnt necessary.
3) What does IPSO stand for and how does it work?
Independent Press Standards Organisation. A newspaper has 28 days to deal with a complaint. If it isnt, it can be taken to the IPSO complaints committee who will decide if the Editors Code of Practice has been broken.
4) What is Perch's view of newspaper ownership?
He doesnt believe that people such as Murdoch should be forced to sell some of their titles because he says people can ignore their these titles and buy others.
5) Do you agree with his view that broadcast news should have less regulation so that TV channels can support particular political parties or people?
Personally I feel that broadcast news should be less biased as news broadcasters have a larger viewing. There arent as many quality broadcasters for there to be biased approaches for certain parties. Many people will vote simply on what they see so if the BBC for example was mainly right wing, it wouldnt be helpful for the election.
Task Two: Newspaper regulation essay
Write an essay on your blog answering the following question:
What are the arguments for and against statutory regulation of the newspaper industry?
Your answer should be at least 750 words and feature a minimum of five paragraphs.
Statutory regulation has many different arguments for and against, causing a large divide in opinion amongst different journalists. One argument in the regulations favour is the fact that it ensures the privacy of the public, especially celebrities. The News of The World was orced to shut down due to the "phone hacking scandal" in 2011 which was based on a case where a 13 year old schoolgirl went missing in 2002. In 2006-07, an editor of the News Of The World was convicted of hacking her phone in order to intercept voicemail messages in order to gain content for their article. This is an example of the violation of privacy which can occur without statutory regulation. Many celebrities are also stalked and followed by paparazzi and reporters trying to create an exclusive stories. These include stories on their private love life which they may not want to share with the public. Without statutory regulation, reporters can also publish whatever content they wish even if it isnt very adherent to the truth. This can ruin a persons public image or even create a sense of bias depending on the topic. Having regulation means that these reporters wont be able to delve into peoples private lives and making sure that articles are unbiased, fair and true
However, a point against statutory regulation is the fact that the government will be actively controlling what can and cant be published. This goes against freedom of speech as people wont be able to voice their opinions without the worry of being prosecuted. Accountability journalism will also take a toll as reporters wont be able to find out any injustices government are participating in behind closed doors. This leaves a large gap for corruption to happen within politics.The Government will be able to omit certain things that may be published about them if they feel it may damage their pubic appeal. There will also be no opinion based journalism as they will have to ensure that they have an unbiased article. This may cause issues in affairs such as global warming as the facts show that it is actually happening, however if presented in an unbiased way, people may become misinformed.
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