newspapers are social media

http://www.wsj.com/articles/newspapers-are-social-media-1477436218

"Newspapers Are Social Media"

The article explains how social media deliberately takes advantage of their crowd or 'loyal subscribers' by putting them in what is known as "The Content Trap". The writer of the article presents and explains steps in how they carry out this scheme, making consumers as a result value content so much that they will be willing to pay for it. It works something like this: Step 1: Produce great journalism. Step 2: Become a trusted news source (e.g., by winning acclaim such as Pulitzers). Step 3: Use that reputation to get subscribers. Step 4: Offer the readers up to advertisers. Step 5: Market the weekend edition to nonsubscribers. And, finally, Step 6: Use the virtuous circle (readers beget advertisers beget more advertisers) to charge high ad prices. 

• Guardian's losses hit £69m but it gains more than 50,000 paying members
• $500,000 to $1 million made are: Brentwood Home Page, Front Porch Forum, Noozhawk, San Angelo LIVE, Technical.ly, The Philadelphia Public School Notebook, VTDigger

Seeing that the majority of users have adblock on, news institutions simply cannot sustain themselves at the moment without any revenue, and as a result the news online news industry is going downhill, as it did with print media.

spend more time consuming media on phone than computers

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/brits-now-spend-more-time-9227627

"Brits now spend more time consuming media on their mobile phones than on computers"

The article states how British people, including adults, consume news more on their mobile phones than the expected desktop computers. Apparently, "mobile devices have overtaken computers as the primary method of consuming digital media in Britain for the first time." As a result, there are objective predictions made based on current statistics, predicting that mobile will have a 29.5% share of total media time spent per day - just a single percentage point behind TV. Comments made, ""In fact, small proportions of digital and mobile time are actually taken up by TV-like viewing, with a plethora of on-demand and streaming options being keenly embraced by UK consumers."; "...data speeds are getting faster and people are becoming more efficient on apps - which means less time spent using them."; "...next year, more than half of all media time in the UK will be spent with digital devices."

• mobile will have a 29.5% share of total media time spent per day - just a single percentage point behind TV.
• adults in the UK will spend an average of 2 hours and 29 minutes per day on their mobile phone or tablet in 2016, compared to 2 hours and 16 minutes on their desktop or laptop.

Acknowledging the situation as a media student, it is no surprise that there is more consumption on mobile phones than on computers simply due to the fact of new and digital media pioneering new methods of news consumption.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/brits-now-spend-more-time-9227627

NDM: News Values

NDM: News Values

1. ) Conflict - World Wars. A war that escalated from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and catalysed by nationalism, pending from country to country. There is a surprise from the discursive politics involved. 

Progress - President Obama January 20,2009. A triumph and achievement in the eyes of a black community, seeing that he was the first black presidential candidate in modern day after the circumstances and events their name has gotten through.

Disaster - 1931 China floods that have an accumulated death toll of around 1 million to 4 million deaths - a very devastating destruction as it is regarded as top in the deadliest natural disasters since 1900. 

Consequence - 2016 Presidential candidate winner Donald Trump. The black and white choice made by America has left one side being affected, while the other side benefiting.

Prominence - Death of Osama bin Laden. America identified him to be the mastermind and power behind terrorist attacks regarding 9/11, and his death simply served as a redemption in some ways.

Novelty - 

3.) One story the factsheet presents:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/
apr/20/british-servicewoman-lisa-headkilled-
afghanistan?INTCMP=SRCH
The story presents the death of a "British" servicewoman who died in Afghanistan, and is more significant because there is someone British mentioned, as opposed to anyone else that would be referred to as just "a person". 

4.) The formal definition of a gatekeeper is that "Gatekeeping is the process through which information is filtered for dissemination, whether for publication, broadcasting, the Internet, or some other mode of communication." Or in simpler terms, gatekeepers are essentially the 'keepers' to what information is to be published and mediated depending on perhaps their importance and people's general interests in order to make headline views.

5.) Ways of bias in news include:

• Only one side of the story is given
• 'Cherry picks' good parts to make something seem interesting and vice versa
• Using subjective values instead of objective
• Unchallenged assumptions
• Lack of context
• Headlines and stories do not match

6.) Twitter for example, is a haven of UGC that influences more subjective values in news being presented as all users have a right to voice their opinions or mediate one by using the app's special features, example, re-tweeting. WikiLeaks also have a similar scheme in the sense that there is some confidential information being leaked, and isn't something that is always being presented in the media. 

7.) Speculations of a "secret meeting" has been bought to view regarding presidential elections of 2016 by WikiLeaks. Essentially creating more controversy, it adds more fuel to the ongoing events, therefore creating more headline views and circulating the situation more.

8.) 

What does this reveal about how Sky views Twitter as a news source?

It states how UGC can benefit the presentation of news by bring objective evidence to the table. 

What does it say about how news is being produced?

News being produced is now at an objective level and is without bias as there are evidence from eye-witnesses sharing their point of the view.

What role does the audience have in this process?

The audience are allowed to give a fair judgement based on what they see from different views of a story.

Why might this be a problem for journalistic standards?

As a result of UGC, essentially everyone is a 'journalist' or some sort, and therefore there is almost no distinction between the consumers and journalists as they're all one sort.

9.) Galtung & Ruge's new values is being affected by digital media technology as the world wide web or Internet due to information being leaked and passed at an unavoidable rate, and as once put by a journalist "Trying to take information out of the Internet is like trying to take piss out of a pool." The judgement in which people stand by is also extended, as there are more accurate assumptions to be made based on objective values.

10.) 

• Negativity - Negativity is now being more widespread, for example, the freedom of speech is demonstrated through the Internet, where people can anonymously express their opinions about something.
• Unambiguity - As we know, the media doesn't always present definitive and viable information to the public, therefore there is always something missing or being misrepresented.
• Predictability - As social networking apps such as Twitter and Facebook spread information and rumors about something significant circulating and aways popping up at your feed, it makes users acknowledge the situation and what is happening.
• Balance - Audiences are now able to view more perspectives of a story.
• Continuity - Regarded as news as the story circulates around the Internet on all social apps, online news headlines, etc
• Elite nations and people - Affairs regarding politics etc are information that is also being presented to the public

Stop media bans

"Stop Media Bans: A Joint Statement By News Organizations"

http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/stop-media-bans-a-joint-statement-by-news-organizations-1622916

The article expresses their frustration over media bans, claiming "As citizens of a free nation and as journalists, we are keenly aware that an independent media is among the pillars of a vibrant democracy. For India to progress, we must move forward in the direction of more democracy, not less. Bans on news organisations are a big, dangerous step backward. Attempts to muzzle the free press must be resisted-we owe it to our fellow citizens." And this states their moral reasoning behind why they decided to take action.

• Media bans are more common in 3rd world countries, where the laws can be breached much more easily 
• Media bans simply cause a chain of problems, from arising protests as a result to start with

Media bans are simply a violation of freedom of speech, and it essentially strips people of voicing their opinions whether for reasons of confidential information being spread and stopped by the government, or simply because their views were unpopular, and as a result were shammed by their peers and the media. End-line being, organisations have every right to take action against media bans.

Can social media call the election

https://www.cnet.com/news/twitter-facebook-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-president-republican-democrat/

"Can social media call the election?"

The article discusses the raging topic in USA at the very moment - which presidential candidate will be elected, Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? The article then proceeds to comment on how the media also has a huge influence on the two answers, where social network posts from the famous Twitter has a contribution to this. The California Institute of Technology unveiled a website Monday called Tweeting the Election that breaks down tweets by geography and the political background of the person tweeting. As a result of all empirical evidence being gathered, these numbers may give us an earlier breakdown of how the election might pan out. Clinton also used social media to her advantage, launching a Spanish-language Twitter feed and website, using the global Internet to show their support for her.

• 120 Twitter accounts in America
• America has Twitter's majority of users, having 3x the users of Brazil who ranks 2nd most country using Twitter

I would answer the article's question by agreeing, and that yes, social media does in fact have a significant influence in how the election will end with, however these results would also have to be analysed at a deep and discursive level to give an unbiased outcome. Social media's will also give an anonymous voice to those who particularly don't want to make their decisions public, and by doing so anonymously on the Internet, they will not be subject to discrimination. 

citizen journalism, UGC, digital Renaissance

Citizen journalism and UGC (user-generated content)

...2.) examples

• divergence and surveillance to real objective evidence
• consumers having an influence in news presentation
• 26th December 2004 Tsunami
• London Bombings July 5th 2005
• Late November 2008 Mumbai bombings
• Benefits to institutions : see the real and unbiased side that the media may not always show, and UGC enables this

3.) A 'citizen journalist' is a person that generates objective sources for news, or as the article states they're known as 'accidental' and 'grassroots' journalists. However they do not present it; the media do, and this may have a negative effect in the sense that what is presented may be twisted and untruthful, purely for reasons such as making headline hits. These citizen journalists are then responsible for how the news pans out, seeing that they're the ones holding concrete evidence from video, audio, etc.

4.) The first examples of news being generated were only a year after the rise of technology in 1991, and this says something about the impact it has on news on a universal level. A reported riot clash in 1992 where "There were six days of riots, 53 people died, and around 4000 people were injured."

5.) As with online news, there are these formats that it is presented in:

• Glanced at headlines
• Read story
• Video clips
• Live video
• TV news programme 
• Live radio
• Podcast
• Live news page
• Read blog

6.) As a media student to say, one of the main differences between professionally shot footage and UGC is that there is a clear distinction of how consumers can make out the information presented. For example, UGC may be shot with a bad camera, and this has an effect in certain situations such as identifying an object (license plates, etc) that is hard to see. On the other hand, if it was professionally recorded, then there would be such problems. However, professionally shot footage may still be subject to bias, in the sense that only footage for their support but not of their opposition.

7.) The formal definition of a gatekeeper is that "Gatekeeping is the process through which information is filtered for dissemination, whether for publication, broadcasting, the Internet, or some other mode of communication."

8.) Gatekeepers are being changed as a result now due to the constant change in news dynamics from consumers themselves having a strong influence on insitutions.

9.) The primary concerns for journalists from the rise of UGC are:

• Jobs for journalism are being declined in the competitive industry
• Irrelevant/obsolete news having to be presented

10.) What impact is new/digital media having on:

• news stories : news can now be shared, consumed, and presented in different formats for people's convenience, and is sometimes free. Also in correlation to the rise of new digital media, there is also a rise in UGC, therefore news being presented is also influenced by consumers themselves as they're the people that supply information and evidence.
• the news agenda (the choice of stories that make up the news) : Similar to news stories, UGC being submitted to companies may be obsolete and irrelevant, and is more influenced by people's trivial interests rather than the grand picture of world affairs for example.
• the role of professionals in news : As stated before with news stories, there is sort of a bias influence in the sense that consumers are the ones supplying information.

Hyper-reality and the digital renaissance

...2.) 

• Positive aspects of new technology : Internet convenience - free
• Internet access and right to information
• Negative aspects of new technology : Too much information being presented, whether they confidential regarding greater risks i.e. politic related
• Bauldrillard : defined "hyperreality" as "the generation by models of a real without origin or reality;" hyperreality is a representation, a sign, without an original referent.

3.) Instagram, also owned by Facebook, has a unique leading social network that is used to share pictures, and this is a digital renaissance in the sense that there has been no other more successful picture sharing network like Instagram itself. 
Twitter also has a unique usability that makes it a digital renaissance. Users can for example retweet to highlight something that interests them, and this creates a ciruclation on any issues that makes them feel like it is worth being acknolwedged. 
And finally there is Periscope, a live streaming app that is able to present information in real time without any preventions like censorship.

4.) Social networks such as the live streaming Periscope and Facebook LIVE apps have sort of pioneered UGC being streamed without consent and without censorship, and purely displays what there is without any restrictions, e.g. news companies refining information that they want/don't want to present due to several legal reasons i.e. censorship. 

5.) 'Digital renaissance' can be linked to our case study on news in the sense that there is a pivotal point and a new pioneering in the new digital media that impacts the news industry, whether it is causing a decline or a benefit