Media regulation + censorship resources

Post on Twitter and libel law (+ this one);
post on media bias;
posts on censorship;
post on Thatcher/Ding-Dong Witch is Dead controversy;
...and look for other linked tags on the mediareg blog

See David Conn's analysis of an official report into the racism and other abuse footballers and clubs have received on Twitter and other social media.

EU: Understanding the European Union

Is it the final countdown for Europe...


I've gathered several resources below which should help you get to grips with the EU, a complex organisation which has a major influence on life in the UK but about which we tend to know very little.

Of course there is a Wiki you can use, but you should try to avoid relying on a single source.

Media bias - some resources

Tabloid Watch is a useful blog with a variety of detailed posts looking at the frequent inaccuracies of papers such as the Mail and Express.You can click on tags - the Mail tag flags up 790 stories!
My MediaReg blog covers media regulation; this post, for example, highlights a few cases of inaccuracy by papers such as the Mail. I have also blogged on some satirical videos, though some are not suitable for KS3/4 viewing.
You can also find profiles of what kind of person reads each newspaper (and other media organisations) here.
The name of The Sun Lies blog rather gives away what it looks at!
Is media ownership an issue? Some politicians think so. There's a Wiki too! There's a long government document on this.

One of many resources you can use

HYPERLINKED LIST OF MEDIA REGULATORS
below the line, a list, hyperlinked, of many of the media regulators and campaign groups

Image Issues: Miliband's big speech

We will be exploring the issue of image in politics, how reportage and perception of personality can predominate, leaving actual policy as a secondary matter.

Here's how (traditionally pro-Labour, left-wing) The Guardian's cartoonist Steve Bell reflected Miliband's September 2014 Labour Party Conference speech - seen as a key step on the way to the 2015 general election:

C4 News produced multiple packages to reflect his speech. This one is relatively 'unvarnished', and presents Miliband's 6 policy pledges in a fairly straightforward fashion:


This second C4 News package precedes any word from Miliband with correspondent commentary which frames Miliband and his speech in a largely negative light, which continues with the manner in which his actual speech is presented. It is worth reflecting on the point that while newspapers are not prohibited from being biased (although their own self-regulation Editor's Code includes a clause on 'Accuracy'), it is strictly illegal for broadcast news media to be biased. OfCom can remove the license to broadcast from offenders - and indeed has done just that to some cable/satellite news stations:


According to these young writers, Milliband appeals to young voters.

The Hackgate Scandal

Your task today is to produce a briefing on one of the recent major media/politics stories:
(1) the so-called 'Hackgate' scandal that has lead to the convictions of some prominent media figures, and difficult questions being asked of the Prime Minister, David Cameron

We'll watch the short Newsround report on the Hackgate trial, 


You/your group will get a stamp for every informative section you include on elements such as...

• who is Andy Coulson; what jobs has he had? [Guardian articles] [Wiki]
• what is his link to the PM? [BBC, with video of PMQs] [Guardian] [Daily Mail: Piers Morgan]
• who is Rebecca Brooks and why was she on trial? [Guardian articles] [Wiki]
• who is Rupert Murdoch and what does he have to do with this? [Wiki] [Guardian articles]
• what UK media does Murdoch own? [21st Century Fox companies] [News Corp companies]
• what media does he own in the USA and elsewhere? [21st Century Fox companies] [News Corp companies]
• what is 'Hackgate'? [Wiki]
• what was the Leveson inquiry? [Wiki] [BBC guide]
• who are 'Hacked Off' and what is their viewpoint? [Wiki]
• what is IPSO? [Wiki]

You can easily find informtaion with searches including some of the following:
Hackgate, phone hacking, News International, News of the World closure, Milly Dowler hacking, Hacked Off Hugh Grant, News International court case, Rebecca Brooks Andy Coulson trial, Rupert Murdoch hacking questions (etc)

Some sample links are contained in the list above, but here are a few more:
the Wiki;
BBC timeline (up to 2012);
CNN facts guide;
Guardian newspaper articles on phone hacking;
the prosecution case (BBC summary);
the main players (BBC guide);
2014 who's who (updated BBC guide).

Party Policies: 2013 Party Political Broadcasts

A party political broadcast (also known as a party election broadcast or party conference broadcast depending on the date of broadcast) is a television or radio broadcast made by a political party.
In the United Kingdom, political advertising on television or radio is illegal, but parties are instead allocated broadcast slots across the traditional terrestrial TV channels. On a given day, a given party will be allowed to broadcast a piece about five minutes long.
[Source: Wikipedia]

The major parties are granted opportunities to communicate directly to mass TV audiences through occasional party political broadcasts. As a form of advertising, these are essentially propaganda on behalf of a party, seeking to persuade viewers/voters that this party is the superior brand, the one they should vote for and believe in. These PPBs often focus on the alleged weaknesses or drawbacks of their opponents.
UK PPBs are fairly tame; its legal in the US to pay for political advertising, and many ads are savagely critical of an opponent. Critics of this system argue that, because of the huge cost of paying for TV ads and the fundraising required, this opens politics to corruption: wouldn't someone donating a million want something in return?

PPBs are easily spoofed too; this example twists the Conservative message into a very silly manifesto for delivering fudge and slaughter ...


Nonetheless, these short ads help to further your understanding of what the parties stand for.

Lets look at some examples...

2013 Tory PPB 12.4.2013
Having been out of power from 1997-2010, the Tories calculate that Eurosceptic policies and attacks on welfare will win the 2015 general election for them, and hope that their austerity policies deliver economic recovery, arguing there is no alternative after years of Labour overspending.


2013 Labour PPB 19.4.2013
After 13 years in government, Labour find themselves widely blamed for the economic disaster that kicked in in 2008; they seek to tread a fine line between attacking Tory austerity and agreeing to some of their economic policies and welfare reforms. Their central argument is on fairness.

Twitter and the long arm of the law

Few people seem to realise they can be fined or jailed for the content of their tweets...

A student who racially abused footballer Fabrice Muamba received a 56 day sentence in March 2012 …

lThe same month as a law student was given 2 years community service after pleading guilty to racially abusing ex-footballer Stan Collymore on Twitter.

lKuwait jailed a citizen in January 2013 for tweeting an insult about the emir 

Lord McAlpine is suing 500 Twitter users for tweeting he was a paedophile (he's offering to let users with less than 500 followers off if they donate £25 to Children in Need). He's suing Sally Bercow for £50,000 damages 

See David Conn's analysis of an official report into the racism and other abuse footballers and clubs have received on Twitter and other social media.

lThe Attorney General is seeking fines or imprisonment for the Twitter (and Facebook) users who posted pictures of Jamie Bulger, in contempt of court proceedings. Google, Facebook + Twitter were all ordered to remove the pictures.

Another tweeter was arrested in July 2012 for messages about Tom Daley's late father.

Back in August 2012 The Guardian published a list of 10 ways in which Twitter users could find themselves in court.

The case that perhaps best demonstrates how far the police are prepared to get involved over tweets concerns a joke, but was no laughing matter for the tweeter involved, who was found guilty and faced jail after 3 trials, but finally won his freedom after his third appeal succeeded at the High Court and his conviction was quashed.

Here's some resources to help you explore this case, gather 5 key facts, and 5 specific arguments for and/or against his conviction:

Lets start with the Wiki on the case! 

Here's an editorial from The Guardian on the case; 

Comedian Al Murray writes on the case; 

(Now former) Tory MP Louise Mensch condemns the prosecution;

More reaction to the ruling; 

After the publicity the case recieved, the legal guidelines on when to prosecute social media users was altered to prevent unnecessary prosecutions in future - here's a BBC summary. 

There are yet more Guardian articles here, or simply try googling 'twitter joke trial' with additional search terms. 

Media and the law

There are various key resources we will use for this:
Wikis on the Press Complaints Commission and libel/slander; the Press Complaints Commission's own website; Media Guardian articles on media law; my blog on Media Regulation.

Lets start by pinning down the difference between libel and slander:

"Defamation" is the general term used internationally, and is used in this article where it is not necessary to distinguish between "slander" and "libel". Libel and slander both require publication. The fundamental distinction between libel and slander lies solely in the form in which the defamatory matter is published. If the offending material is published in some fleeting form, as by spoken words or sounds, sign language, gestures and the like, then this is slander. [SOURCE]

Lets check out today's front pages: thepaperboy.com
Do you think these papers serve our democratic need to be well informed citizens? What sort of content is featured as headline 'news'?

Yr11 L5: Free speech + web (in)accuracy

See David Conn's analysis of an official report into the racism and other abuse footballers and clubs have received on Twitter and other social media.

Throughout this lesson we will explore and discuss the proposition that:

"People should be free to put whatever they want on the internet"

Download, save and use the Word document below (its also in the Citizenship/Yr11 folder, so you can also copy/paste into your My Documents). Type (or print + write) into this as we go.

L5 Free Speech Web Tasksheet

TASK ONE:
State whether you agree or disagree with the quote above, and write down one argument in favour of this AND one argument against.
FEEDBACK: We will take an initial vote on this and come back to it for a second vote by the end of the lesson.
We will also note down some of your initial points for and against the proposition.

A tweet claiming Wikileaks endangered lives

TASK TWO:
Click on one or more (ctrl+click to open in a new window or tab so you don't have to re-find this web page!) of the hyperlinks below and make brief notes on a recent case where the limits of free speech online have been tested.
WIKILEAKS accused of endangering soldiers' lives and national security: BBC article; Wikipedia entry; Daily Telegraph on Bradley Manning trial; Washington Post on threat from Wikileaks; has Wikileaks damaged Freedom of Information in the USA?; FreeBradleyManning.org on the question of whether his leaking endangered lives.
TOM DALEY - arrests over abusive tweets (D. Mail); controversial right-wing columnist Melanie Phillips argues this is censorship.
JAILED FOR REVEALING RAPE VICTIM'S IDENTITY ONLINE - Independent reports two charged over tweets in footballer rape case; Mirror report.