Innovation in Journalism - The iPhone and all it brings.

Broadcast journalism is traditionally associated with a high-tech studio, professional lighting, and hours of rehearsal and perfection. But now there’s a whole new wave of broadcast journalism which, rather than utilising expensive equipment, is all centralised around the use of an iPhone.

What was once the result of hours of filming on one device, editing on another, and then publicising on another, can now all be completed on a handheld device that many people already have in their pocket.

With the introduction of hundreds of journalist-friendly apps, the capabilities of the industry have changed forever, and created an entirely new creature; the digital journalist.

Vericorder is a company which has created a series of software and hardware accessories which allow journalists to record and edit on the move. The “mCam lite” is a case for your iPhone which incorporates an external microphone, a wide angle lense, and also has the capability to attach further accessories, such as a tripod to stabilise your set up shots.  The addition of an XLR cable allows journalists to attach a high quality microphone, of their choice, to their iPhone. This ensures optimum sound recording, whether you are recording breaking news or pre-planned interviews. This system is used by news corporations across the globe, including; CBC News, CTV, BBC and CBS.

The advances in mobile recording are not limited to the accessories you can attach to your phone. Mobile applications have opened up a whole new world to journalists and their individual capabilities. Applications such as “Voddio” make it possible for journalists to edit packages for TV, radio and online, to a high broadcasting standard. The application allows journalists to create the same complex edits that they would in the news room, or simply cut recordings down to the exact quote required.

The ability to create complex packages on one small device, gives journalists the opportunity to create content in situations that otherwise would have been impossible. For example the BBC's Middle East bureau chief, Paul Danahar, recorded footage in the village of Qubair in Syria which was then shown on the BBC’s 10 o’clock news. Without the use of an iPhone it would have been near impossible for him to get any footage in this hostile environment.

The bar doesn’t stop at small video clips. Philip Bromwell produced an entire package for RTE news, from beginning to end on an iPhone 5. “Dublin Dockers” was recorded in full 1080p HD and is indistinguishable from any other TV news package. The ability to transform your mobile phone into a high quality camera or microphone in an instant expands journalist’s horizons when it comes to creating clever and informative packages.

Print journalism has also been affected by the ever expanding influence of the iPhone. The newspaper industry made the transition from film to digital photographs in 2003. This was due to the ability for the press to receive and use the photos quicker than ever before. Press photographer, Marc Daniels said “digital photography quality is inferior to film, however, because of the low printing quality associated with newspapers, this does not matter”.

The transition to digital has meant that in conjunction with Wi-Fi and 3g technology, the photograph taken can be on the news editor’s computer within minutes, with a simple click of a button. Ever since 2000 and the release of the first camera phone, technology has exploded and “the world is now drowning in images” (The Guardian, 2013). With the expansion and the easy availability of camera phones, people are more likely to use their phones compared to a compact or SLR camera. Even though smartphone cameras don’t currently match the quality of traditional cameras, the technology is constantly evolving.

Although the iPhone has advanced the opportunities of journalists, it has also made their job that much harder. The iPhone and social networking sites go hand in hand. One has the capability to easily create content and take high resolution images, and the other allows for easy distribution. The expansion of social media alongside the fact that the majority of the general public own smartphones, means that journalists have more competition when it comes to reporting breaking news stories.

Major news events regularly break on Twitter before any journalists have even got wind of its occurrence. Over 50% of people have learned about breaking news via social media, rather than official news sources (Roy Morejon, 2012).  Infamously, Abbottabad IT consultant Sohaib Athar, unknowingly live-tweeted the Navy SEAL raid that resulted in Osama Bin Laden’s death. This tweet took place approximately nine hours before the news even hit the wires. This emphasises the power that Twitter holds.

 The iPhone has not only changed how people upload news, but it has also altered how they consume the news. Having the world at your fingertips creates a thirst for knowledge.

There are more than 200 million active Twitter users worldwide, and 60% of their tweets come from mobile phones (Telegraph Technology, 2013). 1.75 billion people are expected to use a smartphone in 2014 (E Marketer, 2014). These are 200 million people that have the capability to tell the world of current events and 1.75 billion people that have the potential to take the corresponding footage.  This is a massive market for journalists to compete with.

However it’s not all doom and gloom, as journalists have one thing up their sleeve that the layman doesn’t. Accuracy. The 140 character restriction on twitter can lead to crucial facts being left out. It also encourages the escalation of rumours, as the ability to re-tweet means that tweets can far outreach their committed followers. Journalists and news publications provide a dependant source for news and current affairs. Although Twitter offers convenience, it’s a world that is still open to Journalists, it’s just a matter of them getting on top of the news first.

The iPhone is just the beginning of a new generation in news. It has not only affected how people consume their news, it has given them the ability to create it. The balance of power has shifted, and the media moguls need to keep up.

Reporting on Crime

Reporting on crime is a tricky business. It is necessary for journalists to report on on-going cases as it is in the public interest but it can cause all kinds of problems for the reporter, so it is critical that you know the law inside and out (or that you have a handy lawyer on staff that you can badger with questions).

A recent example of a legally questionable article is this one by the Daily Mail Rosdeep Kular - Daily Mail (and yes I’m only putting the link to cover my back).  This report was regarding Rosdeep Kular who has been charged with the murder of her son Mikaeel Kular. The article is headlined “Party lifestyle of Mikaeel’s mother who called herself the dancing queen” and Rosdeep Kular is pictured with an apparently alcoholic drink in hand.  As this is an “active case” this report could be damning on her character and therefore effect how she is viewed by the jury. An article like this is prejudicial to an ongoing case which could result in contempt of court.

It is crucial for a journalist to understand when a case is “active” as this drastically changes what is able to be reported. A case is immediately made “active” from the point of arrest. It is also made “active” by a charge, summons, or an arrest warrant.

The Daily Mail would be able to defend their article on Rosdeep Kular by referring to the “fade factor”. The case is still in its early stages and there is still isn’t a jury, therefore there isn’t a jury to influence. By the time of the trial the article will be old and will have faded from the memories of the public. However this was still a questionable article to publish and if I were in their situation I think I would have chosen not to publish (but this may just be because I am young and forever fearful of making mistakes).

The Mikaeel Kular case is very different when it comes to reporting the case, as it is being carried through in a Scottish court. The first hearing was a private hearing in the “sheriff court” which meant journalists weren’t allowed in. This differs to English courts where journalists are allowed to report on every stage of the trial.

There are opportunities to slip up everywhere you turn. If the media discovers that a person is being investigated by the police or another agency and then publishes this, identifying the person, then that person could sue the publisher for libel if that investigation doesn’t then lead to a prosecution. Even though it is factually correct that this person is under investigation, it is defamatory as it suggests guilt. An example of this is Chris Jefferies in 2011. This is also an example of how wrong the media can get it.

In 2011 Chris Jefferies won substantial settlements against eight newspapers for articles they published about him. Joanna Yeates who was one of Chris Jefferies was found dead and he was then subject to an investigation, arrested and released. Newspapers published defamatory material about him repeatedly and his face made the front page on several occasions. However another man was charged with murdering Joanna Yeates. What was published about Chris Jefferies resulted in two newspapers being charged with contempt of court.

Sometimes in high profile cases publications may choose to publicise a suspects name before charge, for example if it concerns a celebrity. This is because the celebrity may not wish to alienate the media or cause any more negative publicity so will choose not to sue in order to avoid making it into the limelight once more.

7 things to include in a court report:

1.       Name of the defendant

2.       Age and address

3.       Name of the court

4.       Plea

5.       Any applications for Bail

6.       Charge

7.       names of solicitors

It is also important for journalists to understand the different types of cases; civil and criminal;

Civil Cases are disputes between two individuals or organisations and will be shown as a name V a name e.g. Brown V Smith. In a civil case the person is “liable or not liable”. The standard of proof in a civil case is “on the balance of probability”.

Criminal Cases are offences which harm the whole community and are therefore against the sovereign. Criminal cases are shown as R V a name (R represents the sovereign) e.g. R V Smith. In a criminal case a person is “guilty or not guilty”. The standard of proof in a criminal case is “beyond reasonable doubt”.

The main thing to remember when reporting on crime/ court cases is that you cannot be too safe. You should be conscious of anything that represents itself as being a fact and you need to consider whether anything you report could be contested in court.

If in doubt, call the lawyer.

Magazine Lecture #1

The first magazine was the “Gentleman’s magazine” which was launched in 1731 in London. This wasn’t your stereotypical “lads mag” like we’re familiar with today, instead it consisted of more political and economic content.

It took longer for women’s magazines to appear, with “Dress” and “Vanity Fair” both launching in 1913. “Vogue UK” wasn’t released until 1916, and was only launched due to the fact that during wartime “American Vogue” couldn’t be shipped to the UK.

There are around 3,000 print magazines in the UK today, covering four different markets; business, professional, consumer and specialist consumer. However there is very little brand loyalty when it comes to the consumer “glossy” magazines. People are fickle and advertising on the front page is key, an article on the front saying “100 ways to have an orgasm” is enough to make a reader switch publication. This is evident across the magazine industry where publications are closed down frequently, for example “Maxim” and “Arena” closed in 2009 and “More!” closed in 2013. Whereas in specialist and business publications loyalty is key, people want accuracy and reliability which requires the publication to have a strong reputation.

Magazines are led by advertising in a very different way to newspapers. Magazines will regularly print articles entirely focused around advertising or reviewing certain products. They also print large full page advertisements throughout their publication. A perfect example of this is “Vogue”, in 2007  it ran 2,020 pages of advertising at an average of £16,000 per page, providing an income of £32million. “Vogue” is infamous for its high end advertisements, and in many cases this provides another incentive for the reader to buy it, it’s an opportunity to see the newest high end items.

As the industry changes and becomes more digitally focused magazines need to adapt to keep up with the trends. This is often done through supplying online subscriptions and Ipad editions, however this can have a backlash as it can cause print sales to fall. For example “Marie Claire’s” print sales have dropped by 14% since 2009. It could then be presumed that this would have been offset by digital sales, however they were just 1,764 in the first half of 2013.

The future of magazines is clearly going to be digitally based, and this is only going to be accelerated by the development of applications such as “Flipboard” which give the reader more choice and freedom to build their own magazine collection adapted to their specific tastes and needs.

Two surprising facts:
1) The top 3 selling magazines in the UK are; “TV Choice”, “What’s On TV” and “Radio Times”
2) Tesco magazine over took “The Sun” in terms of readership in 2012. 

WINOL WINS AT BJTC!

On Wednesday WINOL was awarded with "Best News Day of the Year" for our coverage of "The Budget". Several students went to the ceremony at Coventry University to collect our certificate.

Well done to the whole WINOL team for another BJTC triumph! I would like to personally congratulate the whole team for this fantastic recognition of everyone's hard work.

Our Award Winning Bulletin

Fleet Street Fox visits WINOL

Fleet Street Fox has revealed herself as Susie Boniface and her subsequent lack of anonymity means that she was able to pay a visit to us in the WINOL news room. (We're not that wonky in real life - promise!)

She highlighted the importance of identity as a journalist and the identity of the Fleet Street Fox is structured right down to the colour of her clothes and even to her unique style of eyeliner. Some may consider it to be vanity, but appearance is crucial when you want to be take seriously. Even the simplicity of choosing to wear heels over flats, or deciding to be clean shaven with a tie, as opposed to rough and ready stubble, can really make a difference. Red, white and black- these are the colours of success. Their eye-catching combination is used throughout the industry with the red masthead on a tabloid paper, and even in the Fox's dress sense.  

Make the most of the internet! Twitter is your friend and you should make the most of it. It is important to understand who your audience is and what they will be interested in reading. The same applies for Blogger, Facebook and anything else you can use to your advantage. 9am, 2pm, 4.45pm, 8pm, 10pm.. these are the peak reader traffic times and the moments when you should really be plugging your work!

She was brutally honest when asked about the balance between personal life and journalism life and the forecast did not leave any of us with high hopes! The points she made were valid, but they were also ones few of us had ever considered. The constant dependancy on your phone, incessant nosiness, and never being able to switch off can be very draining on your relationships. The novelty of the journalist life will wear off on others around you. 9-5 hours do not exist in the journalist world but your passport will accumulate an awful lot of stamps. I think it honestly depends on the type of journalist you want to be, but if you want to be one of the big dogs then the family life probably isn't a realistic dream to have.

On the upside there appears to be an awful lot of jagermeister in this line of work.

WINOL - Week 2 - Market Stall Closure

This week was my second week on WINOL and it proved to be a stressful one, however I did learn an awful lot, so here it goes…

My idea for a news story this week was the “Get Britain Cycling” inquiry that was launched in Parliament on the 23rd of January. This inquiry could cause national changes to cycling safety and will affect cycle safety regulations in big cities, such as the introduction of cycle superhighways. Our local MP Steve Brine is the co-chairman of the inquiry and a big supporter of cycling, so my plan was to interview him regarding how this inquiry could affect Winchester. I then organised to film a local cyclist on his usual route around Winchester City, getting footage on both a JVC and a GO PRO. I used the go pro on several different mounts so I could get a wide variety of shots. Unfortunately Steve Brine was unable to meet me for an interview, and as was pointed out to me in the news meeting, my story needed more of an angle than just him. However I haven’t abandoned this completely, as the inquiry is on-going throughout the next month, this is a story I can revisit once I find a stronger basis for it.

I was then lost without a story and feeling somewhat panicked…

On Monday evening I then attended a Standards Committee Meeting of the council in the vague hope that there would be a glimpse of a story. However I was unaware of the fact that in this particular type of meeting they only discuss the internal positions with the council, and nothing which affects the general public. As the matters they were discussing were private, all members of the public (me and my notepad) were asked to leave the room. I then lingered outside the door for forty minutes in the vague hope they would let me back in and something fantastically news worthy would be discussed. At this point all of the meeting members left the room, where one of the councillors explained to me that this was the one meeting of the council I don’t need to come to. 

I was once again lost without a story and panic stricken…

Tuesday came and my morning was taken over as I returned to the comfort of production for a few hours. Prince Edward came to unveil a new building in the university and during his visit he was introduced to the world of WINOL. Our lecturers made sure that Prince Edward could see every aspect of our course so after a quick visit to the news room he went to the TV studio, where I directed a mini version of WINOL. The whole production team were extremely nervous that we got it right and had no mishaps in front of our visitor. However it all went smoothly and just acted as a reminder for me of how much I enjoy directing and every other aspect of production.

I then returned to the news room to panic about my lack of story…

After a lot of press release searching and very little luck, I discovered that Christina was having trouble with her court report this week which unfortunately also left her without a story. At this point we decided to go on an OOV hunt. We found three possible stories, all of which we could get pictures for, but the main one we wanted was the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice. I then drove us to Alton where we go permission to film inside the Jane Austin museum which had a special Pride and Prejudice display on for the occasion. On our drive back from filming, Ben Hatton (our news editor for the week) phoned us with a follow up story from an incident that had happened in Winchester the previous week. As it was too late in the day to get the interviews we needed, we phoned up and organised an interview for 9am the next day.

I now had a story but was panicking about turning it all around in one morning…

Christina and I agreed that I would do the piece to camera for this package as I had very little experience in this area, as it was only my second week on news. Christina conducted the interview with Andy Salter as it was something she wanted to gain more experience in, and I did the filming. After a busy morning gathering shots we went back to the news room to edit the package. I had to re-record my voiceover for the beginning of the package, as what I had said in my introduction piece to camera wasn’t sufficient enough to tell the story. I was very pleased with the overall package especially the “walkie talkie” style piece to camera we chose to end it with. Although I am the one presenting this package, it was entirely a joint effort between me and Christina.

Written Story:
The council have decided to suspend several market stalls after a young boy was hit by a bus last Friday. The 10 year old was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital and his injuries are said not to be life threatening.
The incident sparked an online campaign highlighting the dangers of Winchester High Street. Andy Salter, a local businessman, created the Facebook page “Danger in Winchester High Street” on Monday, which has already reached over six hundred likes. Mr Salter had previously written to the council outlining his concerns and said: “it was pretty inevitable that something was going to happen”.
The council have responded to this incident by suspending the market stalls at the end of the high street for the foreseeable future.

Video Report:

Codes of Conduct

Codes of conduct are your bible, stick to them. This is your best tool for self-preservation as a journalist and to break the code of conduct is simply unethical.

There are four different codes of conduct for journalists:
1) National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Code of Conduct
2) Press Complaints Commission (PCC) Code of Conduct
3) BBC Producers Guidelines (“Standards and Values”)
4) OFCOM Broadcasting Code (Sections 5,6,7,8)

NUJ Code of Conduct:
*Uphold the right of freedom of expression
*Ensure that information is conveyed honestly, is accurate and is fair
*Prevent harmful inaccuracies
*Differentiate between fact and opinion
*Obtain material by honest and open means, with the exception of investigations that are overwhelmingly in the public interest
*Do not intrude into people’s private life, grief or distress
*Do not produce material likely to incite hatred or discrimination
*Do not commit plagiarism
*Do not advertise via the medium which you are employed
*Resist threats or other inducements to distort or supress information

Lets just keep this between you and me...

Three elements in a Breach of Confidence:

1.       Must have the “necessary quality of confidence”

2.       Must be in circumstances imposing an obligation of confidence

3.       Unauthorised use of that information must cause “detriment”-they must show how they will be hurt.

Obligation of Confidence exists in:

·         Contractual relationship e.g. employee to employer

·         Membership of security services – Spycatcher Case http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/13/newsid_2532000/2532583.stm

·         Disclosure - in legal proceedings – protected until released at court or referred to a t a public hearing

·         Domestic Relationship – e.g. 1969 Duchess of Argyll prevented her former husband from publishing marital secrets. By 1980’s this was extended to the publication of kiss and tell stories, but details of transient affairs (e.g. with a prostitute) are unlikely to be protected

·         Third Parties e.g. Journalists, who come into possession of confidential information come under legal duty to respect the duty of confidence

·         Information gathered through unethical behaviour e.g. theft or trespass, is still under obligation of confidence

Journalists must give an individual or institution on which they publish damaging information a “right to reply”. This is an opportunity to respond to allegations before publication. This can be an issue for journalists as it gives the individual a chance to have an injunction imposed, and prevent the publication.

Three Areas of Concern:

1.       State Secrets – mainly affecting types of investigative journalism, and reporting communities with links to the armed forces – Official Secrets Act 1911

2.       Commercial Secrets – vital for solid news, investigative, and specialist reporting (e.g. health). This is common law confidentiality.

3.       Privacy – mainly for celebrity/tabloid journalism – Privacy Law and section 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 right to “normal enjoyment of family life”

Section 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998:

·         Everyone has the right to respect for their private and family life, their home and their correspondence

·         Except:  1) In the interest of national security/ public safety/ economic well-being of society

 2) Prevention of disorder or crime

 3) Protection of health or morals

 4) Protection of the rights and freedoms of others

The wording of section 8 of the Human Rights act 1998 suggests it only gives protection for privacy against a “public authority” but this also includes the media.

The main aim of the Official Secrets Act 1911 is to prevent spying. It is an example of statutory privacy. Section 1 concerns the revelation of information which could pose a risk from an enemy of the state.

Confidentiality Law e.g. conversations with doctors or lawyers, is often just expected or implied.

Gagging Clauses: often in contracts of employment (Journalists don’t like these)

·         Employees owe employer a “duty of confidence” even if it isn’t specified in their contract

·         Extends to matters of public concern – Graham Pink Case
Graham Pink Case: He held concerns that the hospital was not being properly cleaned, and spoke to a journalist of these concerns .Cases like this have a duty to report issues to the employer or to follow the internal complaints procedures, not to report to journalists. This is because it gives the employer opportunity to respond to the issue. The Public Interest defence is limited where there are internal systems to handle complaints. Where the organisation is covered by the Official Secrets Act the defence is also not allowed.

·         It’s generally seen to be a pretty bad thing

Princess Caroline Case:
Although she is royalty she argued that she had a right to privacy under section 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998 in circumstances where she has clearly tried to be private. It is forbidden to take a picture of someone without their permission unless they are involved in a public activity, or are carrying out their job e.g. a policeman on duty.

Max Mosley Case:
News of the World published story that he was involved in and enjoyed a Nazi themed sex orgy. He was defamed, although it was defensible as true because he did not deny his behaviour with prostitutes. However he claimed his behaviour was his own private affair and reporting it was in breach of s8 of the Human Rights Act 1998. He won his claim against News of the World as Mr Justice Eady rejected the papers claim it had a Nazi theme and ordered £60,000 damages. Mosley later claimed that because he was unaware of the article beforehand the opportunity of an injunction was not available to him.
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=42168&c=1

Radio Article Attempt

Aimlessly wandering the hallway I couldn’t suppress the nervous feeling that had taken up residence in my stomach. It was so quiet; I couldn’t be the only person there surely… It all seemed so foreign to me. The emptiness and clinical style furniture made me feel like I was in a doctor’s waiting room. Could I really live here for a whole year? Standing in what would be my room, I tidied myself up and got changed from my crumpled travel clothes, hoping to make a good impression on whoever it was that would be filling the five other rooms. As someone who is permanently awkward, with the social skills of a chair, I was dreading the impending weeks of trying to convince people they should be friends with me. Was university really the best idea for me?

Fortunately whilst I was in the kitchen, two girls came in bright eyed and eager to introduce themselves. Unfortunately I was stood with my head in the bin, not quite the impression I had hoped to make. This happy and enthusiastic introduction gave me hope that perhaps this would work and I could belong here after all. As we chatted and gave the standard information to one another; what we’re studying, where we’re from, I discovered that I was living with a girl from my hometown, Braintree. It was one of the most surreal moments of my life. What were the chances that of all the thousands of potential flatmates, I would be living with a girl who had for the past eighteen years lived five minutes down the road from me? This was the defining moment when I felt like flat fifty two could be my home.

Unpacking my things I came to the sudden realisation of how much stuff I had, and how little shelf and cupboard space I had to fit it into. Words cannot begin to describe how excited I then became when I realised the mass of storage space under the mattress of my bed. I then came to the realisation of how lame I was for finding this mundane discovery quite so exciting. As her parting gift to me, my mum, bless her, made my bed and reorganised all of the unpacking I had done. Apparently my form of organisation has no logic, and it is impossible to deny the fact that everything is better if a mum has done it.

Although my awkwardness has not improved, whilst being at university I have developed my social skills, learned to cook, learnt much pointless yet interesting information about America from my Californian flatmate, and gained thighs of steel from the hills. So maybe with time university will kick the gawkiness out of me.

What makes a good journalist?

In a perfect world, a good journalist would be someone who could report fact to the public without bias. It is also important that they would not be afraid to ask the difficult questions, and would be willing to stand by the words they print. They would be able report with accuracy and would also have a well-rounded knowledge of media law to prevent libel action. Another quality of a good journalist is that they would be willing to put in the background research behind an article, to ensure they have a full understanding of the subject they are reporting on. To be able to employ a variety of writing styles so their article applies to their target audience would also be a quality of a good journalist. Essentially a good journalist is someone who follows legislation, reports with accuracy, and enjoys their job. 

If you go down to the courts today...

On this depressing and drizzly day Christina and I decided to head to the courts. What better way to spend your mid-week break than to have a nosey at the court system? I am not going to deny how out of place we looked, as the only people in the entire building not wearing black or some form of suit jacket, alongside the fact we were at least twenty years younger than every person we encountered. I have never felt more like a sore thumb. Fortunately the security guard sensed the no doubt overwhelming nervousness we were emitting, and lightened the mood with some university related banter whilst he rifled through my belongings.

We were greeted with a sigh from a woman behind the desk, apparently today was a poor choice on our part, as today was a slow day and there was only one case left to be heard. However refusing to be disheartened, we found our way to court seven and snuck into the public gallery. Unfortunately the case we were hearing was in its third day and was not due to conclude until tomorrow, so the first half an hour was one of the most confusing moments of my life. After a while we managed to get a gist of what we were observing and it turns out was a case about drugs possession by a prisoner. However a previous assault which had taken place within the prison against the defendant was the focus of today, as this was the basis of his defence of duress. It was all going quite well, sitting in silence, learning about how the court system works, and then it happened, the ever embarrassing stomach rumble. If there was ever an inappropriate moment for my body to express a need for food, this trumps them all.

Two hours later the judge decided to call it a day, he gave speech to the jury about why they shouldn’t discuss the case with other people when they get home, and we took this as our queue to sneak out. Slightly dazed and confused we attempted to grasp a clear understanding of what we had just heard as we softened our starvation with a shared cereal bar. As far as this case is concerned I guess I shall never know what will happen to the prisoner sat behind the glass, but I would without a doubt sit in the public gallery again through another trial. Although perhaps next time I’ll eat a hearty meal before I go…

Bookworm..

I think it’s fair to say that your first ‘assignment’ at uni is something that can either make you or break you, and I have to say, I am beginning to feel slightly broken. What’s even more disheartening is the fact that my first ‘assignment’ was to read the first chapter of a book. This in any other context would be child’s play I grant you, somewhere in line with the first week of high school homework, where you have to go home and cover your book with some form of wallpaper, because the book itself simply isn’t sufficient. However this is no ordinary chapter, and it is from no ordinary book. No, it is the first chapter of McNae’s ‘Essential Law for Journalists’, this course just got serious. The sheer size of the book is enough to make you quiver in your boots.

Despite this I still managed to knuckle down and get reading, and I cannot deny I found it incredibly interesting. Fortunately I had been foolish enough to spend the past two years studying A-level law so many things were very familiar to me. Having a pre-formed knowledge of the judiciary system served me a great help, I don’t know how I would of coped had I not known the meaning of all the legal jargon. Although it just serves as an introduction to the rest of the book it goes into great depth about the right to freedom of expression, and to the extent that it actually exists in practice. For example the Human Rights Act 1998, thought to provide better protection for freedom of expression, has been attached to several other bills such as the Coroners and Justice Bill 2009 and the Counter Terrorism Act 2008. This has resulted in disappointment from journalists, as the attached bills do not seem to demonstrate the same level of protection to the freedom of expression. I like the fact that this book pre-warns you of your possible future disappointment, I appreciate the honesty.

Now, I am about to embark upon the next section of assigned reading, if I start now I may just about grasp a vague understanding of it by my lecture a week from today. Fingers crossed I can blog with some intellectual insights by then.