This Week's Winol

I have seen the Winol broadcast improve week after week. The main signs of improvement is the better quality audio and shots that seem more relevant to the stories.I’ve enjoyed the variation in presenters; it keeps each broadcast fresh which is important if you are trying to attract a young audience. I enjoyed the first news story this week which was about the attack on a man in Winchester, I found it relevant as it’s in our area, and the style it was presented in was very professional and I was impressed with the extent coverage of the story...

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Precision English

For the last few week’s we have been studying Precision English with Annette. It was quite a shock to suddenly realise how little knowledge I had about grammar, spelling and punctuation. Despite studying English at A level, it soon became clear (after a horrid spelling test and a few grammar and punctuation exercises) that my English wasn’t up to scratch. I‘m hoping that after these few weeks of practice, I will now be able to write not only these blogs but any other work with more confidence that what I am writing is of a higher standard. Already...

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Confidentiality - Journalism Law

Confidentiality focuses on private matters and is treated as a civil law. However, secrecy/state secrecy is seen as criminal law. An example of state secrecy would be revealing the location of British troops at any time (without permission).In Section1 of the ‘Official Secrets Act’ it covers state secrets such as telling enemies of tank positions, or revealing secret codes.Commercial secrets usually affect businesses ad is seen as civil law. This can include revealing a secret recipe for a certain food or restaurant, or claiming they break certain...

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Journalism Now

Photojournalism in the Early 20th CenturyAt the beginning of the 20th Century, it was believed by the majority of the public that everything seen in a photograph was true. Photojournalism soon became a distinctive form of photography. Unlike in the 21st Century, it was impossible to tamper with photographs using a computer. This meant that they were used as irrefutable evidence which was supported by empiricism and modernism.The New York Times started publishing photographs in 1896, and newspapers across the world soon did the same. When photos...

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John Locke - HCJ

John Locke was crucial for Journalists and philosophy. He had many important ideas such as the social contract which is the way people agreed to be ruled by governments. Locke fled to Europe which is where he wrote most of his books.History shows why John Locke felt religion should be removed from the public domain. He saw that religion tore the country apart. He felt that religion should be kept private, away from politics and no longer influence it. Many of his views reflect those that now exist in America.John Locke seemed to have very modern...

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Qualified Privilege

Qualified Privilege is one of the best defences against libel.The requirements for solid defence are:-- Justification- (Fair)Comment- PrivilegeYou should always think about what fact is and what comment is when writing/reporting a story as it can be easy to confuse the two.Privilege makes you exempt from Law (libel law in certain circumstances).Statutory Privilege allows the Journalist to publish certain specified information. Parliamentary Privilege means you can report certain parliament events.If an MP says something at Parliament with malice,...

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Copyright Law Lecture

On Monday 18th September we had a guest lecturer to talk to us about copyright law. The guest speaker was Peter Hodges. He was the former 'Head of Copyright at the BBC.Knowledge of copyright and how it works enables broadcasts; an article etc to go ahead without any issues, and ensures that anything a journalist produces is protected from copyright issues.Copyright Law effects sound recordings, broadcasts, books, performances, designs etc. However, an idea cannot be copyrighted.And you are required to have permission (or pay for permission) if...

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Defamation and my visit to Winchester Courts

In this week’s lecture we focused on Defamation and the trouble journalists can get into when accused. A defamatory statement has the tendency to damage somebody’s reputation in the minds of other people. Libel Trails (involving a Judge and Jury) is where a Journalist can be sued for Defamation.Ridicule/Contempt can cause them to be shunned or avoided. It affects their business, trade or profession and tends to alter their image to right thinking members of society.Defamatory damages can possibly go into millions. Journalists try to stay away from...

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This Week's Winol

I've just finished watching the latest live Winol Bulletin. First looking at the stories that were given, I found the majority of them relevant to their target audience. Particularly those focussing around student life such as the international students struggling to get into certain bars and clubs, as well as the potential removal of tuition fee caps. Also the story about the Queen could generate some interest as she was not too far from our location. Although I feel the minimal coverage meant that it wasn't a particularly interesting story and...

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My 1st History of Western Philosophy Seminar

Well, it was a daunting experience, not knowing what to expect when i entered the room. Being on eof the first people to supply a seminar paper added to the pressure and tension. But i've survived it, and found my 1st seminar in philosophy to be quite useful in establishing that i'm on the right track with my reading.Bertands book is certainly a challenge to read, particularly if you;ve never studied philosophy before. However, i feel like i am starting to get to grips with it's theories and ideas, and even some of the language is starting to make...

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My Philosophy Seminar Paper

General Characteristics and Italian RenaissanceThis began with the church dominating ideas in the dark ages. It was a time when the only true point of knowledge was what the Greeks had written in their texts and books. As these were written down, they could not be challenged or questioned.However, it eventually leads to the diminishing authority of the church whilst the authority of Science started to increase. These were two very important changes in modern history as they re-shaped our views on the world and religion as a whole.Democracy had...

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An Introduction to Essential Law for Journalists

Law is essential knowledge for any aspiring Journalist, without knowing the laws, there is a risk they could break it when reporting. In this blog i will look at the basic laws and knowledge that is required as well as observing a recent news story that explores some of the points raised.Why Law is important to Journalism:-- It’s a source of News.- Crime always interests for a wide audience – murder, violence, fraud, deception.This is shown by the large number of newspaper sales, particularly when a crime is on the cover.Law is a constraint to...

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