It’s very rare to see a lead singer wearing a hoody on stage. First impressions would be, ‘oh dear, this is going to be unenergetic’. But forget that when Asking Alexandria step up to the mark.
Reserved looking vocalist James Murray seems to smash many preconceptions as a front man, with effortless vocal malice instantly making you sit up and take note of what you’re witnessing.
On the back of album “The Irony Of Your Perfection” reviews, such as “one of the most outstanding riffs you’ll hear all year” and “it rapidly kicks arse, violently and with extreme force”, the live set this band put the final nail in the coffin of those who imagine the conceptual “emo” to be a crying wreck, sapped of energy from hating the world.
Live, it’s important for the band to enjoy what their producing. Unmistakably so, with influences such as UnderOath, Killswitch Engage and Blessthefall, this was never going to be the case.
There is a clear evolution in the song writing in Asking Alexandria, with older songs such as “Bite Your Lip And Fake It” still being musically ace (in fact with pounding riffs and breakdowns), but somehow the newer material seems more progressive.
Songs such as “Bitter Revenge Sweet Tragedy” almost force you to at the least move your head, with the more punk based beat and the “Hey! Hey!” that the crowd seem to lay in wait for.
Even the keyboard use in “Wings for the Sake of Falling” seems to euphorically contradict the vocals in an eerie, gut twisting style and song “The Irony Of Your Perfection” has an definite tinge of more brutal Avenged Sevenfold about in the closing solo.
Unfortunately, the poor crowd turn out through the poor promotion marred slightly the potential for a riot, but seemed to not tarnish the vigour of the bands stage presence, and the handful that turned up certainly did not regret doing so.
Don’t get me wrong, the self confessed emo band conform lyrically to the stereotype, with lines such as “scream goodbye, your dropping dead, and it’s all over”. But it’s clear that this is no emo-dribble. In fact, there is no reason why 2008 is the year we all hear of Asking Alexandria.
Friday, 30 November 2007
Thursday, 29 November 2007
Current Trends In Mass Media
The ever growing concentration of the media is increasing the mass media market. Therefore it could be argued that the public are receiving far from a diverse press in modern society. So what are the main trends in mass media today?
Firstly, liberal theories suggest that a self regulated free market would be the best way to ensure the press remains diverse. They also suggest that the press must serve the public in three ways: Inform the voting public of political plans; oversee the government and inform the public of any political unrest, and articulate a public opinion. However, with concentrated ownership in the media, depending on which political stance the owner has, these may not be reported fairly as to not damage their politics.
As the main source of income for media institutions in advertising, often stories may be untold as to not upset the paying advertiser. For example, if a magazine had a regular high paying advert slot filled by a company that uses sweat shops to produce its product, that magazine would be restricted as to what it could say in a story regarding sweat shops, as it may deter the advertiser from using that magazine again.
The Frankfurt School are exemplary in locating trends in the mass media. One point raised by them is the rise of the ‘hollow’ commodity fetishism that has replaced the important values in the media, mainly due to the evolution of the consumer society.
From the points raised above, the trends occurring due to mass media seem to be slightly negative, due to the lack of freedom and diversity in the media the readers/viewers are receiving. The fact political and economic determiners of the media hinder the possible representations in stories could be seen as negative, but without these there would be a very small number of media sources compared to today.
Firstly, liberal theories suggest that a self regulated free market would be the best way to ensure the press remains diverse. They also suggest that the press must serve the public in three ways: Inform the voting public of political plans; oversee the government and inform the public of any political unrest, and articulate a public opinion. However, with concentrated ownership in the media, depending on which political stance the owner has, these may not be reported fairly as to not damage their politics.
As the main source of income for media institutions in advertising, often stories may be untold as to not upset the paying advertiser. For example, if a magazine had a regular high paying advert slot filled by a company that uses sweat shops to produce its product, that magazine would be restricted as to what it could say in a story regarding sweat shops, as it may deter the advertiser from using that magazine again.
The Frankfurt School are exemplary in locating trends in the mass media. One point raised by them is the rise of the ‘hollow’ commodity fetishism that has replaced the important values in the media, mainly due to the evolution of the consumer society.
From the points raised above, the trends occurring due to mass media seem to be slightly negative, due to the lack of freedom and diversity in the media the readers/viewers are receiving. The fact political and economic determiners of the media hinder the possible representations in stories could be seen as negative, but without these there would be a very small number of media sources compared to today.
Photojournalism
Photojournalism works on the public perception that photographs have more sense of the truth than the words on a page. However, with modern technologies and deliberate cropping of images, to what extent is this perception true?
Before photographs were used in newspapers, representation of scenes visually were displayed through carved prints. This allowed the reader to grasp a sense of the events decisive moment, such as an explosion, whereas modern photographers only capture the after effects of events at that scale. Even though the prints were drawn, therefore not representing the truth as well as a photograph, the print allowed the reader to gain an insight into what the incident really looked like.
Anchoring a photograph is very important, as an image is open to numerous interpretations. This can be used to the editor’s benefit, as a photo can be recycled and used in different stories, such as a soldier fighting in Iraq could be used for numerous war stories. Anchoring encourages the reader to view the image in a certain light.
Nowadays, the technologies in place to alter images are readily available, and used to suit the interests of the paper, but in most cases are doctored to sensationalise a story to grab the reader’s attention. Possibly the most memorable of these recently were the doctored images in “The Daily Mail” of prisoners in Iraq being abused; a stunt in which Piers Morgan lost his job. This fact alone conjures questions about the authenticity of photographs in modern media. This also begins to disprove the work of media theorists, such as Sontag, who stated photographs offer a trace of what was there, and provide a tangible proof of something that happened.
Cropping is also an easy means of creating new meaning to an image. Leaving out certain aspects of an image that may sway the direction of a story produces another sense of falsity in the scene. However, in defence, a photograph is always a small part of the frame, and to experience a true representation of the scene, you would in fact have to witness the event first hand.
In conclusion, photography in the past, before the modern technological society, may have offered photographs as evidence of the truth. However, the means to doctor images in today’s society is so widely available and used, that images should not be taken at face value, as they may have been manipulated to suite the needs of the media.
Before photographs were used in newspapers, representation of scenes visually were displayed through carved prints. This allowed the reader to grasp a sense of the events decisive moment, such as an explosion, whereas modern photographers only capture the after effects of events at that scale. Even though the prints were drawn, therefore not representing the truth as well as a photograph, the print allowed the reader to gain an insight into what the incident really looked like.
Anchoring a photograph is very important, as an image is open to numerous interpretations. This can be used to the editor’s benefit, as a photo can be recycled and used in different stories, such as a soldier fighting in Iraq could be used for numerous war stories. Anchoring encourages the reader to view the image in a certain light.
Nowadays, the technologies in place to alter images are readily available, and used to suit the interests of the paper, but in most cases are doctored to sensationalise a story to grab the reader’s attention. Possibly the most memorable of these recently were the doctored images in “The Daily Mail” of prisoners in Iraq being abused; a stunt in which Piers Morgan lost his job. This fact alone conjures questions about the authenticity of photographs in modern media. This also begins to disprove the work of media theorists, such as Sontag, who stated photographs offer a trace of what was there, and provide a tangible proof of something that happened.
Cropping is also an easy means of creating new meaning to an image. Leaving out certain aspects of an image that may sway the direction of a story produces another sense of falsity in the scene. However, in defence, a photograph is always a small part of the frame, and to experience a true representation of the scene, you would in fact have to witness the event first hand.
In conclusion, photography in the past, before the modern technological society, may have offered photographs as evidence of the truth. However, the means to doctor images in today’s society is so widely available and used, that images should not be taken at face value, as they may have been manipulated to suite the needs of the media.
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
Producing the News
What makes any potential story newsworthy? According to Gauting and Ruge ’81, news values can be broken into nine points: frequency, threshold, intensity, meaningfulness, consonance, unexpectedness, continuity, composition and reference to the elite. Gauting and Ruge believe that any story wound come under at least one of these headings in the news. For example, the accusation that Madeline McCann’s parents killed their daughter could come under continuity, as the story follows on from the main abduction; and meaningfulness, as well as perhaps frequency as parents are rarely accused of killing their own children.
The object of reporting these stories all revolve around the reporter not being biased and corrupt. Events that occur are assumed to be self-evident and developing, and to exist independently. Detecting and reporting on the event is seen to not change the process of events that may occur. Also, the event should occur logically and temporarily before detection.
There are three things to remember when the journalist is reporting a story. Will the story hold the readers attention, and is it important/relevant/entertaining/interesting enough to sell stories? Secondly, is the story prominent enough to report, and is there a possibility of the reporter getting to the event to report it? Finally, is the item consonant with the pragmatics of technical and organisational productions?
There is an important role in the newspaper team, where one person sifts through the many stories coming into the workplace to find and events that are good enough to report on. This is known as the gatekeeper. He/she works to eradicate any media, and has to be imbedded in social ideologies as to not work from a personal whim.
The production cycle follows a simple four step plan: planning, gathering, selection, and finally production. Planning involves knowing of any key dates that are coming up, such as press conferences, protests and political meetings, but also being aware that unpredictable events may occur at any time to report on. Gathering is simply actively collecting information of craft a story from sources and witnesses. Selection is the editing and culling of the gathered news, and finally the production is the forming of the story in a way that would fit audience expectations.
The object of reporting these stories all revolve around the reporter not being biased and corrupt. Events that occur are assumed to be self-evident and developing, and to exist independently. Detecting and reporting on the event is seen to not change the process of events that may occur. Also, the event should occur logically and temporarily before detection.
There are three things to remember when the journalist is reporting a story. Will the story hold the readers attention, and is it important/relevant/entertaining/interesting enough to sell stories? Secondly, is the story prominent enough to report, and is there a possibility of the reporter getting to the event to report it? Finally, is the item consonant with the pragmatics of technical and organisational productions?
There is an important role in the newspaper team, where one person sifts through the many stories coming into the workplace to find and events that are good enough to report on. This is known as the gatekeeper. He/she works to eradicate any media, and has to be imbedded in social ideologies as to not work from a personal whim.
The production cycle follows a simple four step plan: planning, gathering, selection, and finally production. Planning involves knowing of any key dates that are coming up, such as press conferences, protests and political meetings, but also being aware that unpredictable events may occur at any time to report on. Gathering is simply actively collecting information of craft a story from sources and witnesses. Selection is the editing and culling of the gathered news, and finally the production is the forming of the story in a way that would fit audience expectations.
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
Technologies of Journalism and the Information Age
The world as we know it is becoming more and more dependant on technology. It makes work easier, leisure more accessible, and communications that were once thought impossible now simple. So is it now fair to say that we live in an information age?
Technology within the world of Journalism has almost certainly raised newspapers to the status it is today. The enhancement of paper mills in the 1880’s meant factories could churn out large amounts of paper to print on. When coupled with the printing press, this allowed faster print cycles and more copies to be dispersed, therefore increasing readership. This was only furthered in the same decade with the production of the Linotype, which simplified the process even more.
The media embraced the web more than any other group in the late 90’s, which allowed for up to date news to be accessed by anyone anywhere at anytime, and furthered readership even more. However, the reliance on the internet can be seen in the international panic caused with the Millennium Bug scare in 1999. The panic led to people predicting the end of the world, and all due to a technology. So if people believe the fall of technology could lead to the end of the world, then does this not foreground the idea that society is dependant on these technologies, therefore living in an information age?
There seems to be no escape from technology even on an individual level. The majority of people sleep with their mobile phones on whilst they sleep, so are never far away from news that may not effect them in the slightest. The explosion of networking sights on the internet such as Facebook and Myspace has led to measures in the workplace to reduce their usage in certain companies. The arrival of Email has led to the postal service being known now as snail mail due to the speed at which travels being almost static when compared its new rival.
All the above examples are examples of information transfer, which shows that society almost has a craving for up to date news and info. But it perhaps could not be said to have evolved into reliance…yet.
Technology within the world of Journalism has almost certainly raised newspapers to the status it is today. The enhancement of paper mills in the 1880’s meant factories could churn out large amounts of paper to print on. When coupled with the printing press, this allowed faster print cycles and more copies to be dispersed, therefore increasing readership. This was only furthered in the same decade with the production of the Linotype, which simplified the process even more.
The media embraced the web more than any other group in the late 90’s, which allowed for up to date news to be accessed by anyone anywhere at anytime, and furthered readership even more. However, the reliance on the internet can be seen in the international panic caused with the Millennium Bug scare in 1999. The panic led to people predicting the end of the world, and all due to a technology. So if people believe the fall of technology could lead to the end of the world, then does this not foreground the idea that society is dependant on these technologies, therefore living in an information age?
There seems to be no escape from technology even on an individual level. The majority of people sleep with their mobile phones on whilst they sleep, so are never far away from news that may not effect them in the slightest. The explosion of networking sights on the internet such as Facebook and Myspace has led to measures in the workplace to reduce their usage in certain companies. The arrival of Email has led to the postal service being known now as snail mail due to the speed at which travels being almost static when compared its new rival.
All the above examples are examples of information transfer, which shows that society almost has a craving for up to date news and info. But it perhaps could not be said to have evolved into reliance…yet.
History Of Journalism II
The role of the press has changed dramatically since the nineteenth century. Possibly the most noticeable change was the number of people it was able to reach with the occurrence of the printing press. Although it was an expensive item, more copies of the print could be distributed, thus increasing the sale and therefore the income of the media organisation.
The role of advertising shifted the media to an economic determinism, as the power of mass advertising was noticed after the abolition of advertising duty in 1853. This gave way for more ‘glamorous’ adverts to be used with no tax to be paid, therefore cheaper for the advertisers but better for the publications as more business was coming their way.
The dependency on advertising soon emerged, as £20 million was the revenue of advertising in 1907: a huge figure. The power of advertising was also able to put publications out of business, such as left wing print which was boycotted by advertising for obvious reasons.
Politicians also noticed the formation of the mass of the population that the media was now reaching. As parties wanted to gain votes from society, getting their voice heard in the media seemed like an ideal format to use.
A mass society was from here on established, with mass media, mass advertising and mass politics reaching most of the populus. It could be said that this furthered the consumer state we now live in: competition for the best “stuff” forces people to go out and buy more.
In modern society, Journalism has now swayed more to lifestyle writing. This may have come about with the nature of employment allowing for more leisure time, thus appealing to people with hobbies, sports interests and other lifestyle choices. It allows readers to feel their identity is being targeted and explored, as well as allowing them to search for how their image within their lifestyle choice should be.
The role of advertising shifted the media to an economic determinism, as the power of mass advertising was noticed after the abolition of advertising duty in 1853. This gave way for more ‘glamorous’ adverts to be used with no tax to be paid, therefore cheaper for the advertisers but better for the publications as more business was coming their way.
The dependency on advertising soon emerged, as £20 million was the revenue of advertising in 1907: a huge figure. The power of advertising was also able to put publications out of business, such as left wing print which was boycotted by advertising for obvious reasons.
Politicians also noticed the formation of the mass of the population that the media was now reaching. As parties wanted to gain votes from society, getting their voice heard in the media seemed like an ideal format to use.
A mass society was from here on established, with mass media, mass advertising and mass politics reaching most of the populus. It could be said that this furthered the consumer state we now live in: competition for the best “stuff” forces people to go out and buy more.
In modern society, Journalism has now swayed more to lifestyle writing. This may have come about with the nature of employment allowing for more leisure time, thus appealing to people with hobbies, sports interests and other lifestyle choices. It allows readers to feel their identity is being targeted and explored, as well as allowing them to search for how their image within their lifestyle choice should be.
Assignment 7 - Runningham Student Protest
Angry students at a Wishingshire University barricaded themselves in their vice-chancellors office on Thursday, resulting in the college backing down to student requests.
Police were called after six students, infuriated with recent claims that the University of Runningham will charge the top end of the top-up fees, intruded into the building.
After weeks of lobbying the vice-chancellors office to discuss the fees but with no success, the actions of the six protestors, believed to be studying Fine Art, finally forced the college to give in, and a meeting has been scheduled.
“We are furious that this college has decided to charge the maximum £3,000 in top-up fees to students, when we are seeking nothing in return but long-term debt.” Amanda Donne, Student Union President said.
“Certain members of the student body obviously felt so strongly about this that they decided to take positive action.”
A police spokesperson confirmed that eventually after negotiation, the six students emerged, and were taken to Wooley Green station, but were released later without charge.
James Robbins, a third year photography student, said: “I think it’s great that these students decided to make a stand and to demonstrate how serious the issue of student finance has become.”
Mary Monkton, head of communications at the Arts University, said: “We appreciate that the students are unhappy with the new legislation but we are very disappointed that a small group decided to adopt such aggressive behaviour.”
Top-up fees were introduced into England as Universities say they need more money, to which the Government replied in 2004 that Graduates, based on their financial background, should pay for the benefit of having a degree in the form of a loan.
Repayments are made after the Graduate’s income exceeds £15 000, at a minimum of 9% of all earnings over that year.
300 words
Police were called after six students, infuriated with recent claims that the University of Runningham will charge the top end of the top-up fees, intruded into the building.
After weeks of lobbying the vice-chancellors office to discuss the fees but with no success, the actions of the six protestors, believed to be studying Fine Art, finally forced the college to give in, and a meeting has been scheduled.
“We are furious that this college has decided to charge the maximum £3,000 in top-up fees to students, when we are seeking nothing in return but long-term debt.” Amanda Donne, Student Union President said.
“Certain members of the student body obviously felt so strongly about this that they decided to take positive action.”
A police spokesperson confirmed that eventually after negotiation, the six students emerged, and were taken to Wooley Green station, but were released later without charge.
James Robbins, a third year photography student, said: “I think it’s great that these students decided to make a stand and to demonstrate how serious the issue of student finance has become.”
Mary Monkton, head of communications at the Arts University, said: “We appreciate that the students are unhappy with the new legislation but we are very disappointed that a small group decided to adopt such aggressive behaviour.”
Top-up fees were introduced into England as Universities say they need more money, to which the Government replied in 2004 that Graduates, based on their financial background, should pay for the benefit of having a degree in the form of a loan.
Repayments are made after the Graduate’s income exceeds £15 000, at a minimum of 9% of all earnings over that year.
300 words
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Development of Tabloids
The circulation of the tabloid press now dominates the world of the newspaper media. The most bought paper in the UK is The Sun, with a readership of 2.9 billion. But as tabloids are deemed poor journalism, why is this?
The development of the tabloid came about with changes in industrialisation, economics and urbanisation. It also seemed to gain a readership of dominantly females, which was a new turn in the reception of the news. This may have been due to the different approaches to news: no longer heavy concentration on international politics etc. but more over, in contemporary tabloids, celebrities and intertextuality with other media forms the readership is involved in.
Tabloids also seem to follow a pattern in how the stories are written. Often, sensationalism is used to invoke a striking and shocking emotion into a story that usually is not very newsworthy, and included mainly for shock value. Emotionalism is used to almost tell the readership what to feel about a story, such as the headline “Pray For Maddie” used by the Sun tabloid. The use of human interest appeals to readers to capture an insight into activities of a few named people, such as survivors of catastrophic events. Pictorial focus is also used in tabloids, but is finding its way into broadsheets also, for example the centre spread in the Guardian is now always a photograph.
All of the above appeal to a post modern audience, as each invokes private meanings to the readership, but on a mass scale.
These focuses, coupled with the tabloidesque style of writing brings a clear difference between the reading ages of broadsheets and tabloids: the average reading age of the Guardian is 13, whereas the Sun is a mere 6. This obviously makes the paper much less taxing to read: perhaps another factor that appeals to middle class society.
The development of the tabloid came about with changes in industrialisation, economics and urbanisation. It also seemed to gain a readership of dominantly females, which was a new turn in the reception of the news. This may have been due to the different approaches to news: no longer heavy concentration on international politics etc. but more over, in contemporary tabloids, celebrities and intertextuality with other media forms the readership is involved in.
Tabloids also seem to follow a pattern in how the stories are written. Often, sensationalism is used to invoke a striking and shocking emotion into a story that usually is not very newsworthy, and included mainly for shock value. Emotionalism is used to almost tell the readership what to feel about a story, such as the headline “Pray For Maddie” used by the Sun tabloid. The use of human interest appeals to readers to capture an insight into activities of a few named people, such as survivors of catastrophic events. Pictorial focus is also used in tabloids, but is finding its way into broadsheets also, for example the centre spread in the Guardian is now always a photograph.
All of the above appeal to a post modern audience, as each invokes private meanings to the readership, but on a mass scale.
These focuses, coupled with the tabloidesque style of writing brings a clear difference between the reading ages of broadsheets and tabloids: the average reading age of the Guardian is 13, whereas the Sun is a mere 6. This obviously makes the paper much less taxing to read: perhaps another factor that appeals to middle class society.
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
Guest Speaker - Kirsty Newton
Editor of “Cornwall Today” Kirsty Newton spoke to Journalism students yesterday regarding her experiences of the magazine industry.
Gaining a Post Graduate diploma in Journalism in Preston, Kirsty worked around regions, such as Devon and Cornwall, working through the media. She worked from home usually, saying “The money was great but could get a little lonely”.
That said, she says: “Don’t turn your nose up at regional journalism would be my main advice.”
Kirsty has been the editor of the Cornish lifestyle magazine for only a year, but already she has added many new features and topics. This was part of her arrival remit, and has increased the page count by 40, to 216 pages an issue. This, she says, “allows for a broader range of advertising” which in turn increases the income of the publication.
The majority of articles are written by freelance journalists, who usually work from around 10p a word, equating to £100 for a 1000 word article. She also says that the “very good photography and really good designers” key to the magazine, and its appeal.
However, she says that it is “sad but true” that the main drive behind the magazine is to make money for parent company Northcliffe. At the moment, 16000 copies are printed each month, but the sales figures are steadily rising each time a new issue is printed.
As a monthly magazine, Kirsty says that news issues that relate to Cornwall are difficult to write about, as quite often the stories could be old by the time the issue is printed. This is why the topics are very lifestyle based: food, motoring, art and so on. Because of this, the readership is mainly ABC1, and, unusually for lifestyle magazines, fairly evenly split between male and female.
Gaining a Post Graduate diploma in Journalism in Preston, Kirsty worked around regions, such as Devon and Cornwall, working through the media. She worked from home usually, saying “The money was great but could get a little lonely”.
That said, she says: “Don’t turn your nose up at regional journalism would be my main advice.”
Kirsty has been the editor of the Cornish lifestyle magazine for only a year, but already she has added many new features and topics. This was part of her arrival remit, and has increased the page count by 40, to 216 pages an issue. This, she says, “allows for a broader range of advertising” which in turn increases the income of the publication.
The majority of articles are written by freelance journalists, who usually work from around 10p a word, equating to £100 for a 1000 word article. She also says that the “very good photography and really good designers” key to the magazine, and its appeal.
However, she says that it is “sad but true” that the main drive behind the magazine is to make money for parent company Northcliffe. At the moment, 16000 copies are printed each month, but the sales figures are steadily rising each time a new issue is printed.
As a monthly magazine, Kirsty says that news issues that relate to Cornwall are difficult to write about, as quite often the stories could be old by the time the issue is printed. This is why the topics are very lifestyle based: food, motoring, art and so on. Because of this, the readership is mainly ABC1, and, unusually for lifestyle magazines, fairly evenly split between male and female.
Assignment 6-Drugs Seized In Police Crash (more info)
A man was killed and nearly £50 000 of drugs found following a road accident with a police vehicle in the centre of Moonville last night.
The driver of the car, a red VW Golf, was announced dead on arrival at the St. Monty’s Hospital, with the policeman, PC Steve Rodgers, being “treated from concussion and a fracture of the nose and left leg” a hospital spokesman said.
The Police car had collided into a monument at the junction of Scar Road in Moonville, and the other car crashed into a shop.
A press conference earlier today police revealed that they are hunting for the passenger of the Golf, who fled the scene before police arrived. A rucksack was also found at the scene, and contained a quantity of drugs.
“The drugs were in a black canvas rucksack. The cannabis resin and cocaine had a street value of £30 000 and £17 000 respectfully.” said DCS Angelica Stripes.
“The man was described as slim, around 5 feet 8”, with a pale complexion and dark spiky hair. He was wearing red converse shoes, skinny jeans and a brown leather bomber jacket. The is no description available as yet of the dead driver.”
Police said that they believe the fleeing passenger to be a local man, and known to drug users in the area.
Josephine Rockwell, 31, was working at the Bluehound Pub at the time of the accident, witnessed the events:
“The driver of the [VW Golf] was slumped over the wheel…it looked as if he was really badly injured. The passenger of the car, who was very agitated, ran off down the street.”
Police believe that the driver panicked regarding the drugs in his car when he saw the blue flashing light of PC Rodgers vehicle, and lost control.
The hospital said that PC Rodgers is in a “comfortable condition”.
The police urge anybody with information regarding the accident to ring the hotline on 212121.
325 words
The driver of the car, a red VW Golf, was announced dead on arrival at the St. Monty’s Hospital, with the policeman, PC Steve Rodgers, being “treated from concussion and a fracture of the nose and left leg” a hospital spokesman said.
The Police car had collided into a monument at the junction of Scar Road in Moonville, and the other car crashed into a shop.
A press conference earlier today police revealed that they are hunting for the passenger of the Golf, who fled the scene before police arrived. A rucksack was also found at the scene, and contained a quantity of drugs.
“The drugs were in a black canvas rucksack. The cannabis resin and cocaine had a street value of £30 000 and £17 000 respectfully.” said DCS Angelica Stripes.
“The man was described as slim, around 5 feet 8”, with a pale complexion and dark spiky hair. He was wearing red converse shoes, skinny jeans and a brown leather bomber jacket. The is no description available as yet of the dead driver.”
Police said that they believe the fleeing passenger to be a local man, and known to drug users in the area.
Josephine Rockwell, 31, was working at the Bluehound Pub at the time of the accident, witnessed the events:
“The driver of the [VW Golf] was slumped over the wheel…it looked as if he was really badly injured. The passenger of the car, who was very agitated, ran off down the street.”
Police believe that the driver panicked regarding the drugs in his car when he saw the blue flashing light of PC Rodgers vehicle, and lost control.
The hospital said that PC Rodgers is in a “comfortable condition”.
The police urge anybody with information regarding the accident to ring the hotline on 212121.
325 words
Assignment 6 - Police Vehicle Involved In Fatal Crash
A man was killed last night following a road accident with a police vehicle in the centre of Moonville.
The driver of the car, a red VW Golf, was announced dead on arrival at the St. Monty’s Hospital, with the policeman, PC Steve Rodgers, being “treated from concussion and a fracture of the nose and left leg” a hospital spokesman said.
The Police car had collided into a monument at the junction of Scar Road in Moonville, and the other car crashed into a shop.
Josephine Rockwell, 31, was working at the Bluehound Pub at the time of the accident, witnessed the events:
“The driver of the [VW Golf] was slumped over the wheel…it looked as if he was really badly injured.”
A search was later carried out for a passenger of the Golf, and a rucksack found in the car was removed and now in the possession of the Drugs Squad.
152 words
The driver of the car, a red VW Golf, was announced dead on arrival at the St. Monty’s Hospital, with the policeman, PC Steve Rodgers, being “treated from concussion and a fracture of the nose and left leg” a hospital spokesman said.
The Police car had collided into a monument at the junction of Scar Road in Moonville, and the other car crashed into a shop.
Josephine Rockwell, 31, was working at the Bluehound Pub at the time of the accident, witnessed the events:
“The driver of the [VW Golf] was slumped over the wheel…it looked as if he was really badly injured.”
A search was later carried out for a passenger of the Golf, and a rucksack found in the car was removed and now in the possession of the Drugs Squad.
152 words
Monday, 19 November 2007
Music Scene Frustrating Students
Many students at UCF feel disappointed with the one way music scene that has evolved in Falmouth, and are pleading for some diversity.
Drum and Base and DJ sets seem to dominate the live acts that come to Falmouth, such as Pendulum on Saturday at The Stannary, which leaves fans of other genres dissatisfied.
"Rarely do I or any of my friends get any live acts here that I would want to go to." says student Jamie Hiles-McKellar.
However, new event management company SW1 productions are trying to change this for the better. Recently bringing down post hardcore band “Hell Is For Heroes” to Falmouth, SW1 “know that lots of people want a more diverse scene down here, so we are trying to get more bands to come down and play in Cornwall” a spokesperson said.
The company is urging people to contact them regarding what they want to hear, and to not stay frustrated any more.
“Cornwall seems to home many unheard talents in our genre. We would love to play there to get our voices heard down south, but Plymouth is the furthest down country we are heading.” said lead singer of screamo band ‘Asking Alexandria’ James Murray.
On Saturday, the ‘No One Gets Out Alive Tour’, a tour dedicated to promoting “six of the best breaking British bands”, graced Plymouth’s Voodoo lounge, with Asking Alexandria, recently signed to Sony, headlining.
“The South West has produced some amazing groups, such as Muse and Reef, so obviously there is potential there, it just needs to be played to crowds.” he added.
Critique
When choosing to submit a final story, I was torn between this and the story “Fears for Falmouth’s Female Students”. However, I chose this as, although I felt less newsworthy, it seemed more researched and had a better range of quoted sources.
It would also appeal to a large percentage of the student-aimed readership, as students who can relate to the claims made in the story will be interested in the potential solving of the diversity drought.
I felt quite passionate when writing this story, as it’s a position I feel I am in also. I felt I wrote reasonably fluently complying with the inverted pyramid, and made full use of contacts for quotes which authenticates the stance taken.
I feel the story could have been enhanced with more viewpoints from students regarding the musical requirements in Cornwall, as it could be interpreted that only a minority of people wish for the claims made.
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Globalisation and the Global Media
According to theorist Ben Bagdikian, by the year 2010 there will be only five owners in the media in the North of America. This is due to buyouts and merging of companies such as the powerful Time Warner AOL who blended in 2001. The occurrence of this oligopoly and press conglomerates is subsequently looked upon as a form of globalisation within the media, as the once segmented ownership is becoming more and more concentrated.
The most obvious example of a super power in the media is Rupert Murdoch, who owns BskyB, Fox, Harper Collins, The Times, The Sun and The News of the World as well as the other 175 papers he publishes world wide. His gross profit in 2005 would have been in the region of $7.2 billion, with an overall revenue of $55billion, and employs 15 000 people in his media empire.
Closer to home, one of the largest media companies in the UK is the Daily Mail and General Trust, who made profits of £234 million: a huge amount in any other industry, but weak against the example given above. Titles they own include Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and The Evening Standard. They also own Northcliffe papers, who are a regional paper producer.
On a slightly smaller scale, the Northern and Shell PLC, owned by ex porno magazine mogul Richard Desmond, made a profit of £1.4 million in 2004 with a turnover of £20 million. Although Desmond was forced into selling his top shelf titles like “skinny and wriggly”, he still owns magazines such as OK! And papers such as The Daily Star, and has kept his porno television channels. With only 200 employees, again out of context that is a respectable profit, but within the media world it is tiny.
All the dominant media ownerships have reaches throughout the world, but even smaller single title companies, with the aid of technologies and economic factors, can have their titles bought in nearly any country in the world. However this globalisation is not a new occurrence: European imperialism produced a global market by the end of the 19th Century. However, the technological and economic factors mentioned before have sped the process up hugely.
Theorist Tunstall claims that in television news, most foreign news is dominated by the US and UK, and comes from only three sources: Associated Press, Reuters and BBC. However, foreign news is expensive to obtain, which often leads to the “repurposing” of footage.
The most obvious example of a super power in the media is Rupert Murdoch, who owns BskyB, Fox, Harper Collins, The Times, The Sun and The News of the World as well as the other 175 papers he publishes world wide. His gross profit in 2005 would have been in the region of $7.2 billion, with an overall revenue of $55billion, and employs 15 000 people in his media empire.
Closer to home, one of the largest media companies in the UK is the Daily Mail and General Trust, who made profits of £234 million: a huge amount in any other industry, but weak against the example given above. Titles they own include Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and The Evening Standard. They also own Northcliffe papers, who are a regional paper producer.
On a slightly smaller scale, the Northern and Shell PLC, owned by ex porno magazine mogul Richard Desmond, made a profit of £1.4 million in 2004 with a turnover of £20 million. Although Desmond was forced into selling his top shelf titles like “skinny and wriggly”, he still owns magazines such as OK! And papers such as The Daily Star, and has kept his porno television channels. With only 200 employees, again out of context that is a respectable profit, but within the media world it is tiny.
All the dominant media ownerships have reaches throughout the world, but even smaller single title companies, with the aid of technologies and economic factors, can have their titles bought in nearly any country in the world. However this globalisation is not a new occurrence: European imperialism produced a global market by the end of the 19th Century. However, the technological and economic factors mentioned before have sped the process up hugely.
Theorist Tunstall claims that in television news, most foreign news is dominated by the US and UK, and comes from only three sources: Associated Press, Reuters and BBC. However, foreign news is expensive to obtain, which often leads to the “repurposing” of footage.
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Assignment 5 - Wishingshire Protests
Protesters are demonstrating today to prevent the demolition of a copse despite a court order to remove them.
Supermarket chain Megabuck plans flatten the wooded area in Moonville, Wishingshire, to make way for 70 homes, shops, a restaurant and a petrol station, as well as the supermarkets car park.
The felling was meant to have begun this morning, but was foiled by the twenty conservationists who have set up their tarpaulin homes in the canopies of the copse.
Joseph Bloggs, 24, the initiator of the protest has braved snow and his vertigo for the last two weeks to prevent to plans from succeeding:
“I have been here for two weeks and I am not going anywhere. They will have to drag us from these braches.”
Older residents are also upset with the proposal, as the town’s war memorial would have to be relocated to make way for a road to accommodate for heavy goods traffic to the supermarket.
However, some residents have welcomed the idea, as it would tidy up the area and provide better services for locals:
“A new store would be fantastic for the town: more jobs, more business. Anything has to be better than staring at this old dump.” said resident Toby Gunn, 65.
A Megabuck spokeswoman would not comment on the fate of the protesters, or when an eviction attempt would be made, but announced that they “intend to replace the trees that are cut down”.
The company owns an estimated 180 other sites nationwide for development of their stores.
254 WORDS
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
Guest Speaker - Boyd Farrow
“Very few people actually make money as a journalist, but it's an amazing way of meeting your idols.” This seemed to be the dominant theme in Boyd Farrow’s lecture on the 5th of November: Journalism is not a career, but moreover a lifestyle.
First year Journalism students heard of Boyd’s journey from a Philosophy degree to the streets of London, where he begged for jobs on the doormats of prestigious publishers around Soho, until he gained a position as an Editorial Assistant.
However, the peak of his career was obtained when he maneuvered up the position ladder of “Screen International”, ultimately settling as editor. This job sent him round the world, meeting all of his idols, bar Martin Scorsese, and attending Cannes Film Festivals.
However, he soon escaped the pressure at the top of the board, and opted instead for a career where he could “Remain a teenager for the rest of his life”. Referring to the late nights, lie-ins and partying of the freelance world, Bryn Farrow described the first seven years as a diet of “Cigarettes, Jack Daniels and Tom Waits” and writing throughout the night.
Boyd seemed to foreground the idea throughout that the relaxed lifestyle of freelancing was better than any stable wage how could have been offered, as he has “only been working for three days a week” for the last year.
He added “The best thing about being a Journalist is being able to travel”, but never really spoke about his income, excusing the loose pattern of his wage as an “Adrenaline rush” that many people feel they need to have.
He concentrated a lot on the things he could take for free whilst being a Journalist: hotel rooms, first class flights, even ash trays. This does seem to coincide with the idea that Journalists remain adolescents, as the ‘taking something for nothing’ hints at a childish greed that does invoke a sense of adrenaline.
To sum up his argument in favour of the excellent lifestyle of freelance journalism over the prospect of no money, Boyd simply said:
“People don’t lie on their death beds and say ‘Oh, I wish I had more money in the bank.’ They do, however, say ‘I wish I would have done this.’.”
First year Journalism students heard of Boyd’s journey from a Philosophy degree to the streets of London, where he begged for jobs on the doormats of prestigious publishers around Soho, until he gained a position as an Editorial Assistant.
However, the peak of his career was obtained when he maneuvered up the position ladder of “Screen International”, ultimately settling as editor. This job sent him round the world, meeting all of his idols, bar Martin Scorsese, and attending Cannes Film Festivals.
However, he soon escaped the pressure at the top of the board, and opted instead for a career where he could “Remain a teenager for the rest of his life”. Referring to the late nights, lie-ins and partying of the freelance world, Bryn Farrow described the first seven years as a diet of “Cigarettes, Jack Daniels and Tom Waits” and writing throughout the night.
Boyd seemed to foreground the idea throughout that the relaxed lifestyle of freelancing was better than any stable wage how could have been offered, as he has “only been working for three days a week” for the last year.
He added “The best thing about being a Journalist is being able to travel”, but never really spoke about his income, excusing the loose pattern of his wage as an “Adrenaline rush” that many people feel they need to have.
He concentrated a lot on the things he could take for free whilst being a Journalist: hotel rooms, first class flights, even ash trays. This does seem to coincide with the idea that Journalists remain adolescents, as the ‘taking something for nothing’ hints at a childish greed that does invoke a sense of adrenaline.
To sum up his argument in favour of the excellent lifestyle of freelance journalism over the prospect of no money, Boyd simply said:
“People don’t lie on their death beds and say ‘Oh, I wish I had more money in the bank.’ They do, however, say ‘I wish I would have done this.’.”
Capital Fraudsters Worst In Country
London remains the UK’s identity fraud capital with Kensington being the cities scam hotspot, research today uncovered.
Kensington residents sport a five times above national average chance of falling to fraudsters, making them the cities worst affected area, according to Experian, a credit ratings agency. Residents inside of the M25 are more than three-and-a-half times more likely to suffer and Clapham Junction residents are also at increased risk.
The wealthiest sections of society are most expected to be pin pointed by fraudsters; however those renting are also at a high risk.
Outside of London, commuter towns such as St. Albans, Guildford and Slough, which house the capital’s workers, are over twice as likely to suffer compared to the rest of the country.
It was also revealed that there has been a 68% increase in frauds reported since last year, with the most popular form of identity theft involving interception of mail.
Cases involving fraudsters redirecting the victims post to a new address raised the most, with cases taking 32% of all problems documented.
Joseph Bloggs, 37, fell victim to identity fraud after moving house and the new occupiers running up a £6500 credit card bill in his name:
“Despite doing all the right things to protect myself I still became a victim. It is an extremely stressful and unnerving experience to have your identity stolen and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.”
Credit experts advise the following to the public to keep the threat of identity fraud down:
• Regularly review credit reports to check for suspicious anomalies, such as accounts opened in your name.
• Watch out for any missing mail, and report any missing items quickly.
• Destroy revealing documents, such as bank statements and utility bills, by shredding or burning them.
• If moving home, have your mail forwarded to your new address for at least six months.
Helen Lord, Fraud and Regulatory Compliance Director at Experian, says no member of the public should be complacent regarding ID theft and fraud, and “Although people are more aware than ever before of the threat, everyone is a potential victim”.
353 words
Saturday, 3 November 2007
Falmouth bid farewell to Heroes
Falmouth’s Princess Pavilions was graced for the last time by one of England’s paramount post-hardcore bands Hell Is For Heroes last night.
Formed in September 2000, the five-piece from Camden have finally decided to hang up their coats. This comes after their final self-titled album attempt failed to make much of an impact compared to their disputably finest ‘Neon Handshake’ debut, which was released in 2003 and was voted in the top 60 best British Albums ever by Kerrang! readers.
The band announced their split on their website last month:
“We're up for spending more time at home working on other projects and potentially a fourth album if we can beat our last effort.”
Support band Resonate, from Exmouth, displayed great talent, and were obviously heavily influenced by the likes of The Fall Of Troy, but lacked the stage presence and energy required to leave their footprint on the stage for the headliners to step into. However, being a young looking twenty years each, this may develop in time.
Also supporting was My Awesome Compilation, who’s rather weak pop punk failed to impress many bar the obvious handful of fans in the crowd.
Performing classic earlier songs such as ‘I Can Climb Mountains’ and ‘Night Vision’ Hell is For Heroes stirred up the smaller-than-expected crowd, but failed to make much of an impact with their newer tracks: a factor that may be assumed affected the recent break-up announcement.
The band were also plagued with technical errors, such as front man Justin Schlosberg’s keyboard connected via a faulty lead, microphones not working, and guitar strings breaking. After seven years, things like that should not be happening, but live music is, in the end, live.
Ending on ‘Five Kids Go’ as usual in the encore, the band bit adieu, and thanked all the fans for their support through their seven year reign as one of the British bests.
Soon to come to Princess Pavilions is 70’s folk entertainer Richard Digance, and local hardcore stars NATO. For more information visit Princess Pavilions web site:
www.carrickleisureservices.org.uk/
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