Semester One at Winch

The first semester of university is over... it flew by, and felt like a million years all at once. Goodbye's are always the hardest for me, leaving college and my close family friends behind proved to be one of the biggest challenges for me; my problem is I get too attached, I don't deal with change. But, going to University has been the biggest change in my life- moving away from home, (something I never thought I would hear myself say) becoming an independent woman, and beginning the journey and training into becoming a Journalist.

I have noticed a change in myself as a person too, I can safely say I have gone through all of my educational years staying true to myself and not changing for anyone. If anything, uni has made me a better person, I am far more appreciative of the smallest things in life, good company, exquisite food, meaningful hugs and to treasure every moment with the ones I love.

This semester has displayed a wide scope of different aspects in a Journalistic future. From media- to learning the law which was the most interesting for me- to philosophy which although seemed insane at the time has begun to make sense- to learning to write for papers and radio script- to learning shorthand which I wish we continued, achieving 40wpm- to precision English. Wow, we've covered a lot in 3 months, this just makes me excited for the upcoming 3 years!

I'm ashamed to say it, but I even got my first job this year. Earning money and tackling study really did make me feel as though I have grown up. Working at the Christmas Market selling mulled wined, and various Christmas delights including mince pies and stollen, was a pleasurable experience with interesting characters.

 I have made many memories being enclosed in this cute chalet
all of which I will look back upon fondly. 

Winch is now my second home, I love the cute town, the beautiful scenery and historical presence, I even accept the hills... I finally feel more settled but coming back to my real home couldn't be sweeter. I've missed it, it really has made me realise that where ever we may be and who we may be with, our loved ones are forever in our hearts and we should make the most of it all.

 live love laugh

2011 has been a year I'll never forget. Bring on 2012. 

Winchester Hospital Fire

Firefighters dealt with a fire which initiated in the MRI department at Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester about 4pm today. No one has been injured. 

Photograph taken by Ben Steer

As I was working at the Christmas Market at the time, all I had heard were rumours, but it was soon confirmed when an evacuated patient wondered off and found her way to my stand. She was in an unstable way, shaken up, scared and confused... the number of questions running through my mind at this point were unbelievable. The cathedral staff helped her return back to the hospital safely.  

I was overwhelmed by the smell of smoke as I walked home through town; Romsey Road has been closed off and police are on stand by. This was all such a shock to students and residents, but to look on the bright side, no one was hurt. 

A huge credit goes out to all those firefighters and hospital staff that dealt with the safety of those affected by the fire so efficiently.

Ambulance Service Interview at the Christmas Market

Today Nadine and I volunteered to carry out our very first interview! It involved going down to the Christmas market to interview the ambulance service about their intentions to get volunteers on board. It was a great first interview scenario, .the people were approachable, not making it too awkward when standing cm's away from them with a microphone, and most importantly our questions were answered clearly and concisely.

We got back to show the radio team what audio we had achieved, definitely feeling chuffed with ourselves! The MA student who kindly taught us some editing tips, was surprised that we managed to do it all in one take, with no "ums" and "ers"... we were even told the quality of our audio is of a higher standard then some MA students. If only you could see the look on our faces, we left feeling extremely pleased and proud of ourselves!

Rousseau

Background
Rousseau was born in 1712, and died a decade before the French Revolution. He is considered the founder of the Romantic Movement.

He was part of a circle of French intellects, most notably Voltaire who is a french enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher.

Rousseau was anti-enlightenment, he said that the progress of arts and sciences had no beneficial effect on morality, this was a dramatic and permanent break with the principles of the enlightenment.

His most famous work, titled 'Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of inequality among men' outlined that humanity was naturally good, but it had been corrupted by society. The effects of history on us has been compared to the ideology of a sttaue that has be damaged by the elements such as the winds and storms, therefore it is now disfigured and you could barely resemble the fact it like like a human being at all. He suggested that society damages us, and it is only the noble savage* who has not been distorted by society.
*Noble Savage is someone close to nature, who lives outside of society

The Social Contract (oh yes this relates back to good ol' Locke and Hobbes)
"Man is born free, and is everywhere in chains"
Attack on Hobbes - Hobbes believes that life would be "nasty, brutish and short" without a monarchy, "war of all against all" however, Rousseau says that war and such violence only come into being once we are in society, and that the state of war is really the state of society.
Attack on Locke - Locke agrees to a sovereign so that property can be protected, however Rousseau says the main problem is property: "The first person who having enclosed a piece of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple enough to believe him was the true founder of civil society." 
He believed that we are more like animals in our natural state: free agents that operate on our own needs and desires. In addition, he believed that natural man was virtuous and that man is not rational... we are sensitive and this is proven as we have the ability to cry. However, it is society that civilises us and corrupts us by making us obsess about possessions.

The General Will
This is essentially what we all agree on; as a group we discuss and put our opinions together to form laws which we all have agreed upon. Therefore, by following the law you are following your own opinions. Rousseau believe in a direct democracy and that as individuals you represent yourself as you follow what you believe.

Rousseau stated that laws are providing citizens with more freedom as we are following our own opinions. If it turns out during the discussion that there is a majority vote, thus meaning there is a minority of people who disagree with their opinion, they are will be "forced to be free."


The French Revolution
"Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, but to be young was very heaven" - Wordsworth
Men are born free and remain free and equal in rights. Revolution collapsed into terror, and mindless violence was used by the Paris mob. During 1792 Paris looked as though it was going to be attacked by Prussia which led to the Paris Citizens becoming armed. In 1793 the King was executed with a guillotine. The French revolution brought about a time of famine, rising food prices and the government were in masses of debt due to war. During this period in history, hundreds of thousands of people were killed.

Key Concepts Media Revision

Dear fellow media students,

I hope these notes help you ACE the exam:

Mass Culture Theory

Mass culture is a standardised, formulaic, repetitive and superficial culture

High Culture - 'Good Taste' - smaller audience e.g Opera, Ballet

Low Culture - 'Poor Taste' - mass audience, popular e.g Cinema, Reality TV

Taste is socially constructed, and used by different groups to gain status

Cultural Capital -  linked to social status, and can be acquired through education. Its value can shift over time it is not fixed. 

Semiology 

Ferdinand de Saussure says that language is not just a way of classifying objects in an external world, he does not believe that meanings are fixed. He asks why does a word mean what it means?

 e.g why is it that when we hear the word cat, we automatically think of a small cute furry animal?

He also believes that signs are arbitrary 

Signifier - Sound/image/mark on paper

Signified - The concept 

Referent - Real Item

 e.g heart shape is the signifier, romance is signified, but the referent is a heart organ 

Langue - Language

Parole - actual utterances of words 

C.S Pierce distinguishes three types of signs:

Symbolic - no relevant connection e.g Red means danger/stop

Iconic - resemble meaning in some way e.g Queens head on money - wealth

Indexical - signs which indicate what they stand for e.g smoke indicates fire

Structuralism 

Propp - looks at Russian folk tales, breaks them down into basic narrative units called 'Narratemes', he states that there are 31 narrative units and narratives are made up of 8 characters: hero, villian, helper, donar, princess, father, dispatcher, false hero

Barthes - suggests narratives have up to 5 distinct codes: Symbolic codes, Cultural codes, the Hermeneutic or Enigma code, which acts as a mystery/puzzle which engages the viewer to guess what will happen at the end. 

Wright - Western 

Eco - James Bond

Todorov - argues there is a common underlying structure in narratives: Equilibrium - Disequilibrium - Equilibrium this suggests that narratives begin balanced and stable, they then become disrupted, and then the status quo is restored, and a balanced and stable world is restored. 

Fabula - another word for 'story', forms in our minds through influences

Syuzhet - another word for 'plot', arrangement of events by author 

Genre Theory

Contract between producer and audience

Genre Hybridity - two genres mixed together e.g Romantic Comedy 

Intertextuality - draws in other texts 

Political Economy 
Material conditions in which a text was produced/Relationship between hard and soft power
Hard Power - capital, military, legal systems
Soft Power - symbols, discourses, semiotics

Stuart Hall 
Encoder - Message - Decoder
3 interpretive codes:
1. The dominant - fully decodes it
2. The negotiated - partly decodes it
3. The oppositional - understands it but chooses not to share it

New Media 
WorldWideWeb 
HTML - HyperText Markup Language
Internet
- ability to produce content e.g on YouTube
- ability to communicate with others e.g on Social Networking Sites- Facebook

The Chicago School 
Offers a model for Regulation (I remember it as SLAM)
Social Norms - how we should behave
Law - sanctions and threats given if we disobey the law
Architecture - forms of constraints e.g Tinted windows don't let you see in
Market - availability and prices constraint our actions of what we can afford to buy

Narrative
Relationship between 'teller' and 'listener' 
Narratives are all constructed, they are organised as a sequence of events

Framing - tells us what to think, selects what is salient (important)
Priming - tells us what to think about, allows us to have our own opinion, it stimulates thought and emotional reactions
Agenda Setting - media can influence the audience by amount of attention given to a particular news story

CMC - Computer Mediated Communication 
Seperation between reality and online reality


Hegenomy Theory - where popular ideas of 'common sense' reflects the interests of the powerful elites

Uses and Gratifications 
- Audiences are active not passive, they exercise choice in media consumption
- They use media for what they want, they seek media use for specific needs
e.g to find information, create a personal identity, communicate and socialise with others on SNS such as Facebook, for business, for entertainment
- Media use is goal directed

Chomsky and Herman believe that there is a ruling class which controls the media and its effects

Barthes suggests that codes are 'naturalised' to form myths which convey a particular message.
e.g Bleach is like liquid fire and Soap gently 'lifts' dirt
Two levels of meaning
Denotation - first level, what it actually is
Connotation - second level, what it makes you think of

So that's all, hopefully its enough for us to pass!
I wish you all the best of luck x

News Writing - Lecture 2

Today was our second news writing session, and we're already topping the BBC's top lines.
Learning from your own and others mistakes is the best way of improving, I can prove that by sharing with you the top three tips I took from today's session:
1. Keep it simple, no one wants to read overly complicated and discombobulating words
e.g Use the word "car" not "vehicle" 
2. Choose language carefully, make sure that what you are writing is not misleading and therefore wrong.
3. Do not put unnecessary words in, avoid baggage and keep words where possible minimal.
e.g Fresh Fish Sold Here - all you need is "Fish"


Here is the article I wrote:

A 13-year-old boy has been confirmed dead after a collision between a Land Rover and pedestrian yesterday afternoon.

Police and emergency services arrived at the scene at 2pm where they found the young boy from Crowsborough suffering from serious injuries. He later died in East Surrey Hospital. The driver and his passengers are uninjured.

A 62-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of careless driving. Further enquires are due to follow but he has been released on bail until January 16th, 2012.

Officers ask anyone with information who witnessed the collision to inform Sussex Police on 101. Please quote Operation Fairlight.

The BBC's version can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-15976552
After re-reading my article, I would remove the last para after it was brought to our attention how silly it is to ask for witnesses. If you happen to be at the scene and are a good citizen, course you would inform someone, you wouldn't walk away and leave it up to a newspaper article to make you realise you should actually let someone know. I hope!

Chocolate Cake in a Cup Recipe

This is the first time ever, in over 7 years that I have missed a lecture. Ashamed to say it, but I will blame my coma state on the masses of sugar I consumed the night before. After getting serious munchies after a dull day of media revision, I coated everything and anything edible with Nutella... even chocolate bars, like they didn't have enough chocolate in the first place? Then my flatmate suggested we try out this cake in a cup recipe she saw on Facebook, it only took the word cake for me to agree. So here is how it's done incase you want to give it a go.

Step 1.                

Pour into your cup:
2tbl spoons of sugar
3tbl spoons of flour
3tbl spoons of hot chocolate
1 egg
2tbl spoons of oil
2tbl spoons of apple juice (don't ask!)




Step 2:

Whisk it all together and add some chocolate sprinkles

Step 3:

Put it in the microwave for 3 minutes...


... and watch the magic happen!






Step 4:

Tip your cake out on to a plate, and drizzle some golden syrup on it for extra sugary goodness







Step 5:

That leaves one thing left to do...

...Nom nom nom.






All Photography by Me 

David Hume

Impressions and Ideas
David Hume is a skeptic, he believes we have no reason to be certain about anything. Similarly to Hobbes and Locke, Hume is an empiricist, he believes our knowledge is derived from our senses; things that we see, hear, taste, touch and smell on the outside. He classifies all that we can see and touch etc as 'impressions', and it is these impressions which connect information to our minds which combine to form ideas.
Impressions = sensations, passions and emotions
Ideas = faint images of our impressions in thought
Hume believes our brain was empty apart from all the impressions that have sunk in from the outside world.

But, can we always trust these ideas? Hume says NO.

Hume questions the basis of all our beliefs, he believes that we have no reason to be 100% certain, for instance whether the sun will rise tomorrow can not be guaranteed. This leads on to his theory on causation.

Causation 
Causation is the relationship between two or more events, one which follows as a result of the other. Hume disagrees with causation, he believes that is it wrong to think one thing can follow another, he expresses that it could be 'probable' and we can work it out through inductive reasoning, but nothing can be for certain. The example used in HWP is of an apple; how do you know that your apple won't taste like roast beef next time? He persists that just because something has happened before, it does not mean it will happen again. In this case you cannot guarantee what the apple will taste like in the future, even though you are familiar with the taste of the apples you have eaten in the past. Hume states that there is no casual connection between two objects, our minds just conjoin the two. I'm sure Hume would adopt the famous words "expect the unexpected", as he believes that our mind tricks us into thinking that one thing causes another. For instance, when you turn the tap on you expect water to come out, how do you know that custard won't come out of it tomorrow?

The very first cause was God, he is at the top of the long chain of causes. He set the cause in motion but played no further role.
The ontological proof of the existence of god -To doubt the existence of God means to doubt the first cause, because if there was no first cause then the universe would not exist. Therefore God must exist.

Induction
There are two types of logic:
1. Analytic Logic (Deductive Logic) - this is logic which is true by definition e.g all bicycles have two wheels
2. Synthetic Logic (Induction Logic) - this is the opposite to analysis, it is true by observation/verification. It is about building things up. e.g The cat is on the mat

Bundle Theory
Hume's Bundle Theory is the idea that an object such as an apple is made up of a collection of properties. For example, when you think of an apple immediately its properties such as its colour and shape spring to mind. Hume also suggests that the 'self' is merely a bundle of perceptions too.

A final note to end on:
Hume's Law: "You cannot derive an ought from an is" this is stated in his book 'Treatise of Human Nature'. This is the idea that we cannot say something "ought" to be, it either is or it isn't. This supports his belief that nothing is for certain.

News Writing - Lecture 1

What is news you ask? Well, let me tell you...
"News is about people doing stuff" 
It is current happenings, and therefore is new.

News can be split into two sections:
Hard News = Crime, Politics, Natural Disaster
Soft News = Entertainment, Animals

Here is an example of a soft news story that I wrote in this mornings lecture; It is my first attempt, so any mistakes I'll take as a learning curve:

A Hedgehog was found in a sewer in Christchurch, Bournemouth, he has been released back in to the wild unharmed.

Engineers were equipped with a robotic CCTV camera, to observe the conditions of the pipe when they came across the creature hibinating there. “We were extremely surprised to see the hedgehog” Roz Trotman reports.

Staff encouraged the hedgehog to move along the sewer, in order for it to be resuced from a manhole cover point. Flow surveyor is “thrilled that it is now back on safe ground.”

The hedgehog is now among other animals such as a grass snake and a toad found earlier this year.

When writing news, in its simplest form, we must cover the 5 W's:
WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? WHY?

The News Pyramid:News stories are split into paras:
Intro - This has to contain the most important and interesting information. 
You begin with a top line,  this must be between 20-25 words, covering the 5 W's above.
Para 2 - Elaborate on important information, include quotes, this adds colour
Para 3 - Chronology, add more detail
Para 4 - More detail, loose ends

Hopefully, the example of my first mini news story above grasps this format, but i'm guessing practice makes perfect :) 

WINOL 16/11/11 - Paedophile Case

This weeks WINOL, was yet again another success. I was particularly interested in the paedophile court case, as it brought to my attention the laws which they had to abide by. The fact that it raised a personal thought into whether the man had been libeled, made me realise how much I have learnt about the law since starting here. Baring in mind I would never have considered questioning it before starting the course.

Although all aspects of Libel have occurred (identified by name, age and picture, published by WINOL, defamed as a pedophile) the students have a Qualified Privilege defense, which allows them to legally publish defamatory statements as he has been convicted in court.

Journalism Now Article: The features and format of the i newspaper

@TheIPaper
i is a new kind of newspaper, aiming to provide readers with an entertaining and concise daily briefing for just 20p on weekdays and 30p on Saturday
 (Description quoted from their Twitter Page)

The 'i' paper is Britain’s only concise quality newspaper; its format and style is distinct from any other newspaper. The layout presents a very modern and interactive approach, similar to the latest technology of an iPad. The 'i' is divided into six colour co-ordinated sections: news, views, TV, IQ, Business and Sport. Although it is a compact version of ‘The Independent’ newspaper it covers a large scope, supplying the reader with an informative daily briefing. This is extremely useful for those who want to keep up to date with current affairs, despite battling their busy schedules. 

There are many features within the ‘i’ whereby dedicated readers will be able to instantly know where to retrieve information on their interests. This is because the page formatting of every edition of the paper is identical. An exclusive feature to the 'i' is the matrices, such as: ‘The News Matrix’, ‘The Opinion Matrix’, ‘The Business Matrix’ and ‘The Sport Matrix’. These provide the reader with a summary of the day’s current news within that genre, whereby each story is sectioned off into a box format; creating the illusion that you can interact with it and slide them around as though you would with an iPad. It has been advertised on ‘The Independent’ website that the ‘i’ is available for download on the iPad, this shows that they have collaborated with the ‘apple’ market and intentionally created a paper which appears as an interactive representation. In the iPad advertisement the ‘i’ is described as: “Digestible, Portable, Indispensible”, this is an appealing concept for an audience of iPad owners or travellers.

The feature found on page 24 is ‘Panorama - around the world in 10 stories’, this is another unique element to the ‘i’, it brings to light key stories from all over the world. Once again this relates back to the brief and interactive box layout, where the stories are straight to the point. There are other features in the ‘i’ which encourage the use of technology, there is a section titled ‘@i’, which engages with the readers to text, tweet or email in their views with the potentiality of them being published. In addition, the ‘i*spy’ feature which is categorised into two sections: ‘blogosphere’ which provides readers with an insight in to a newsworthy blog post and ‘Twittersphere’ which publishes popular or interesting tweets from MPs, editors, consultants etc. 

There is a clear distinction to the reader between fact and opinion. Compared to other newspapers, the ’i’ gives journalist’s views a grey shaded background. This has a similar resemblance to a speech bubble; reiterating the fact it is their opinion.

The last page of the paper is filled with games and puzzles; this offers an entertaining purpose, and is a light hearted way to end the paper. Conclusively, the ‘i’ is good value for money; it is packed with newsworthy stories. Although it is succinct, sensationalised media is minimal and the regular features keep you informed of news within the public interest. 

Media Law Lecture 8 - Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information Act is like gold for Journalists. It allows you request information from over 100,000 public authorities on a topic of your choice. Once you've chosen the story you wish to investigate, the national information commissioner who oversees the process must process the information within the 20 days time limit.

However, before journalists get too excited, you have to bare in mind that there is a long list of exemptions, and if your request requires a money to gain this information, then you will be charged a fee of up to £100. Information that is exempt means that a public body does not have to issue you with the information, although there is the option to appeal. FOIA does not apply to personal questions, for instance you cannot ask "How much do you earn?" you should adopt the approach of using figures such as "How many people earn over £20,000?" as this is not a direct personal inquest.  

After watching a masterclass taken by Matthew Davis, I learnt the framework of getting information:

1. Immerse yourself into the language, then transfer this back into normal speech.

2. Keep it simple, do not over complicate it.

3. Include comparative statistics, for instance against previous years.

4. Stick to a topic that you may have experience of already

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = one very spicy story

Seminar Paper – Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz

Philosophers Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz are all rationalists. They believe our knowledge comes through reason, meaning that our rational minds can think and use intellect to prove facts and logically make sense of things. This contrasts empiricists who believe our knowledge purely comes from our senses.

Descartes

Rene Descartes was a French philosopher who is classed as the Father of Modern Philosophy. He is also a man of science, discovering refraction and reflection and of mathematics as he invented co-ordinates and powers. All of which I am sure you have come across during your GCSEs.   

Descartes is most famous for his method on Cartesian Doubt. The purpose of this method is to use doubt and scepticism in order to find knowledge that you could be certain was true. Knowledge in Cartesian sense is to know something beyond all possible doubt, therefore by removing all beliefs which you could doubt, would leave you with beliefs that you could trust. Descartes held that you could not trust your senses, or your imagination as there is no way to prove that your sensory experience is not a hallucination or a dream. He believes that at any moment we could be dreaming and that our senses could be controlled by an evil demon that is deceiving you. This demon could have created a superficial world in which we all live in. However, one thing is for certain that no demon could deceive you if you didn’t exist, this could be summed up in a syllogism:

Whatever thinks exists

I think

Therefore I exist

This leads on to Descartes memorable line “cogito ergo sum”, known as “I think therefore I am”. This implies that mind is more certain then matter. Descartes doubted his own experience but realised he would not be able to doubt if he didn’t exist. A general rule that Descartes adopts is “all things that we conceive very clearly and very distinctly are true.”

Another doctrine which Descartes discusses in his book ‘Meditations’ is Dualism; this comes from the Latin word duo, meaning two. It is the relationship between mind and matter; however Cartesian Dualism contains three realms: mind/soul, matter and God. God is an uncreated substance, whereas mind and matter are created substances. Another form of dualism is substance dualism which Descartes supports as he believes that there are two kinds of substances: mental substance being the mind, and material substance being the body. Descartes raises doubts about everything except his mind, he could even doubt whether he had a body because he believes he could have been dreaming about it. This was the starting point to his realisation that the mind was one thing and the body another. He argued that only humans have minds, in Russell’s book it states that Descartes regarded animals as “automata” meaning a mechanical device that were “governed entirely by the laws of physics, and devoid of feeling or consciousness”. However men are different and they have a soul, using ‘reason’ Descartes worked out that the soul is located in the Pineal gland in the brain. The mind interacts with the body at the pineal gland; this form of dualism proposes that the mind controls the body.

In order to emphasise upon the perception that our senses cannot be trusted, Descartes demonstrates this through the wax argument. He uses a piece of wax to explain that there are certain attributes such as the taste, smell, shape, size, colour and hardness which are obvious to the senses, but if you put it next to a fire it will melt and these qualities will change. Although our knowledge tells us that the soft piece of wax is the same as the hard piece of wax, our senses do not tell us that the wax itself is a form of extension flexibility and motion. This can be understood by the mind not our imagination. Quoted from Russell’s book: “I understand the sole power of judgment, which resides in my mind, what I thought I saw with my eyes’, this means that what you think you can see with your eyes is actually understood by judgement which is in your mind rather then your senses. Knowledge of external things must be by the mind and not by the senses, this leads on to the different kinds of ideas:

a) Those that are innate

b) Those that are foreign and come from without

c) Those that are invented by me

The ontological argument is proof for the existence of God, it depends upon the distinction between existence and essence, yet Descartes argues that there is no such distinction with God. Once you understand God’s essence you will understand his existence. Descartes suggests that God is a perfect being, and His existence can be worked out from his nature, similarly to how the angles of a triangle can be worked out from its geometric nature.

Spinoza

Spinoza was a Dutch philosopher; he wrote a famous book called ‘Ethics’ whereby he rejects Descartes theory of dualism. Spinoza theory of monism holds that god is infinite, and nothing is separate from god; he regards God and Nature as two names for the same substance. Descartes believed that these were separate substances; however, Spinoza argues that there is only one substance, and everything that exists in reality is part of this substance. Spinoza is against the belief of free will, as he believes human being is not a separate reality as we are all aspects of god. God is nature and people are therefore part of God. This means that everything that happens is simply a manifestation of God, apart from sin and evil.

Spinoza’s political theory comes from Hobbes, he holds that in a state of nature there is no right or wrong, as if you do wrong you are disobeying the law. ‘Russell’ states that He agrees with Hobbes in terms that the sovereign can do no wrong, but disagrees in thinking that a democracy is the most ‘natural form’ of government. Moreover, Spinoza holds freedom of opinion important.

Spinoza’s theory of emotions:

Spinoza does not object to all emotions, like the stoics, he only objects to those that are ‘passions’ meaning that they spring from inadequate ideas. It is these passions which make our intellectual vision unclear. In ‘Russell’s’ book it states, “He who clearly and distinctly understands himself and his emotions, loves God” this introduces the principle of the ‘Intellectual love of God’, which consists of true thought and joy at the idea of truth.  Spinoza holds that all joy in true thought is part of the intellectual love of God, because it contains nothing negative, and we are taught that “God has no knowledge of evil because there is no evil to be known”. The experience of intellectual love of God occurs in the eternal part of the mind, it is entirely constant and without contraries. Those who possess it embody blessedness.

Spinoza describes the nature of emotions through the idea that freedom comes from the understanding of oneself and ones emotions. The stronger that understanding is the better your understanding of God will be. Freedom comes through acceptance that we are all modifications of god/nature. Relating back to Spinoza’s theory of one infinite substance, Spinoza teaches that our human mind is part of the infinite intellect of god, and that our mind understands God. Spinoza agrees with Socrates and Plato that all wrong action is a result of intellectual error, if a man understands his own circumstances, he will act wisely.

“Only ignorance makes us think that we can alter the future what will be will be and the future is as unalterably fixed as the past” This quote taken from Russell’s Book explains  why Spinoza disapproves of hope and fear because they raise uncertainty of the future. Spinoza believes that any emotion which is to do with an event as future or as past are opposed to reason.

Leibniz

Leibniz was a German philosopher and mathematician. Similarly to Descartes and Spinoza he based his philosophy on the notion of substance. Descartes allowed three substances, god, mind and matter, Spinoza allowed God alone, and Leibniz believed in an infinite number of substances called ‘monads’. This theory was Leibniz greatest contribution to metaphysics.

Theory of Monads:

The human body is composed of monads; each monad is a soul which is immortal. There is one dominant monad in our body which allows changes in our body to occur. For example when I move my arm or leg the dominant monad follows this “instruction”. Leibniz proposes that no two monads are alike, and that every monad is a mirror of the universe. Monads are a “unit” they are expressed as ‘windowless”, which means that no two monads have a direct perceptual relation with each other.

Leibniz believed in free will which contrasts Spinoza’s view, his “principle of sufficient reason” which means that everything happens for a reason, suggests that as humans we all have a motive behind what we do.

Leibniz finalised the metaphysical proofs of God’s existence, which began with Plato and Aristotle, and was formalised by the scholastics. The ontologolical argument was rejected by St Thomas but restored by Descartes.  Leibniz arguments for the existene of God are broken down into four parts:

1.      The ontological argument - depending upon the distinction between existence and essence

2.      The cosmological argument – This presents that everything finite has a cause and the uncaused reason of everything is God. Every particular thing in the world is ‘contingent’ meaning subject to chance, thus it could be possible for it not to exist, but relating back to his principle that everything happens for a reason, Leibniz suggests that this sufficient reason is God.

3.      The argument from eternal truths -  This is another form of a cosmological argument, if a reason can be given for something that exists it must exist, therefore eternal truth must exist but they can only exist as thoughts in the mind as God. An eternal truth is a statement that is always true for example 2 + 2 = 4 is always true, whereas “it is raining” is a statement that could be true or false depending on the weather.

4.      The argument from the pre-established harmony – this is only valid if you accept his windowless monads. It is also expressed as the best of all possible worlds.

The doctrine of possible worlds

This theory states that any world that does not contradict the laws of logic is ‘possible’ and therefore there are infinite numbers of worlds. All of which God contemplated before creating the actual world, but as God is good he decided to create the best of all possible worlds. He considered the best to be a world which had a greater surplus of good over evil; he did not disregard evil altogether because he said that some goods can be bound up with certain evils.

Leibniz was a strong believer in logic; unfortunately he never became the founder of mathematical logic because he never published his work. His reason for this was because he continued to find evidence that Aristotle’s doctrine of syllogism was wrong, but as he had huge respect for Aristotle he chose not to believe it, and blamed himself for the errors. Leibniz most famous mathematical invention was the infinitesimal calculus which was developed with Newton also. Leibniz’s philosophy was based upon two logical laws: the law of contradiction and the law of sufficient reason; this distinguishes truth of reason from truth of fact.

WINOL 9/11/11

WINOL keeps getting better, this week's bulletin was successful as it covered a balance of positive and critical news. Throughout no laws were disobeyed which proves that the production of the bulletin was of a professional standard. In particular, this was evident through the school report, as it obeyed the laws of privacy; no child was named or filmed throughout the story. I also found that the panorama shots of the classroom were sharp and contextualised the voice over reporting well.   

There was a variety of interviews covered which is a prime source for journalists to get information. The interview with the MP of Eastleigh, Chris Huhne, stood out for me as it was clear, concise and informative. Furthermore, I was impressed to see our input was listened too, as we all suggested the sports section should be cut down as for those that do not have the greatest of interests in sport lost interest. This week however, was far briefer, which worked well as it still provided you with short bursts of the key aspects of the game. I also found that the fencing was a nice change from ice hockey. The only criticism for the fencing story, would be to zoom in further on the action, as it was filmed from quite a distance. 

I know that filling up 13 minutes of relevant news is a challenge, but if I am going to be picky, I felt the bin story was irrelevant because it did not provide the viewer with much of an update from last week. It felt as though the story had been repeated and the footage had been reused. Apart from that, the graduation story was a positive way to end, it was reported the day after it happened, meaning the news was very current covering the fast accurate and fair aspect of journalism - Chris would be very proud! For an added bonus it would have been nice to see Horrie become knighted as a professor! 

All in all, good job!

Media Law Lecture 7 - Investigative Journalism

I have left the lecture this morning feeling extremely awake and in an interrogative mood. Brian left us all with an overview into the case of David Morris, as this is part of our third year studies: 'The Innocence Project'. It fascinates me, and gives me an intense burst of excitement to want to fast forward the next two years. But until then, I will wait, and continue to read all about it.

I guess, my enthusiasm got the better of me, so I have began this blog with how the lecture ended, rather than how it started. So back to the start - Investigative Journalism.  This simply means reporting everyday news of events that someone somewhere doesn't want you to know about, and in other words publish. As De Burgh says: "Discover the Truth"

The term "off diary" can be used to explain investigative journalism, as you set your own agenda and prepare what it is you wish to investigate yourself. In comparison to ordinary 'news' journalism whereby you explain news which has been determined by public agenda. There are two key points to be aware of during investigation, malice and conflict of interest. 

Miscarriage of Justice 

The classic "off agenda" is miscarriage of Justice, this means people are framed and convicted for something they didn't do. After Guildford 4 and Birmingham 6, The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) was set up to investigate alleged cases of miscarriage of justice, however, this was not effective and therefore did not work. The legal system has raised the interrogative "but what if the criminal justice system is corrupt?" this leaves hope in the hands of journalists. Now you can see why I began with The Innocence Project because it all ties in nicely; as training journalists we carry this investigation out, we are "students doing something worthwhile" check out the website for more detailed information: http://www.innocenceproject.org/

WINOL 2/11/11

This week's news bulletin was by far a huge improvement from last week. I found the stories extremely newsworthy, the filming was sharper, and the editing was professionally done as it the stories smoothly followed on one after the other. I could tell a lot of hard work had gone in to it this week, perhaps because of our criticism from last week, proving that we can all learn from our mistakes. Looking back over my notes rest assured second years because I have a lot of positive feedback to give.

Starting with the presenter, I felt she was extremely well spoken, she maintained a constant pace and clear voice throughout which enhanced the professionalism of the bulletin. Similarly, the voice overs reporting the filming was also informative and easy to follow. I particularly found that the interview with the MP Steve Brine in London was strong as it was detailed and filmed in a prime location. Although some of the shots were a little wobbly it conveyed the atmosphere well and kept the reader engaged. 

There was one clip which seemed weaker then the others, however this was only because of the low quality footage and nothing against the actual reporter. Similarly to last week we established that the outdoor reporting was harder to understand due to the muffled wind in the background distracting the viewer away from the important audio. 

The Sports section once again covered a vast amount of information and news, I liked the choice of music as it kept the news upbeat and light hearted, however, this did end pretty suddenly and I think it would have worked better if it faded out gradually. Finally, the "sneak peak" of WINOL life consisting of mini clips was fun and entertaining, it was a nice way to end leaving the viewer intrigued to watch next weeks.

The video below may help you understand my review, if you haven't already seen it then you definitely should -  all round very impressive features! :)

"Journalists are like Magpies, constantly looking for new shiny things"

I can now see why "clinic" is an appropriate name, with all us young journo's spread around the room with our heads buried in to our paper waiting in what felt like a doctors surgery. After listening to the Today programme on Radio 4, and taking a trip down to the hospital shop to buy a paper, I am pleased to say I followed Horrie's 8am lecture start instructions and for the first time I felt as though I had my eyes and ears fully open to the news.

This was one of the first lectures that I found directly related to Journalism, as a 'focus group' we discussed Audience and Agenda of each paper:

The Sun - "white man van", working class (Right Wing*)

Daily Mail - Regular men, 40+ middle class (Right Wing)

Independent - Male 30+ (Left wing* - liberal paper, the only paper which didn't have a poppy on, subtly symbolising that they are not telling you what to think - Locke would agree with his strong views on human nature and freedom)

The Times - Older males, upper class profession e.g Business man, Lawyer (Right Wing)

The Telegraph - aka "Tory-Graph" conservative paper, oldest readership (Right Wing)

The Guardian - previously classed as a university paper as many students read it (Left Wing) 

The Mirror - Females audience as many features geared towards fashion (Left Wing)

The Star - youngest readership

*Right Wing - Conservative, Fascism, Rich

*Left Wing - Communism, for the 'people'

To cut a long story short, look out for DFS adverts, the clue is behind advertisements, they are a key to the target audience of the paper. As we established today in our seminar, the difference in the price advertised for DFS adverts differs between each paper as it is targeted towards different readership classes. Evidently, the cheaper prices were published in The Mirror and The Sun ranging from £399-599, compared to the increased price of £899 in The Guardian. 

To be more technical, audiences are broken down in to different classes

A - Upper Middle Class

B - Middle Class

C1 - Lower Middle Class

C2 - Skilled Working Class

D - Working Class

E - Lowest Level 

[Broadsheets are in the ABC1 Bracket, and tabloids are in the C2DE bracket]

Christopher Jefferies Libel Case

A perfect example of defamation has been brought to our attention today through the Christopher Jefferfies case. Eight newspapers have classed Jefferies as a "peeping tom" and "freak", this has led to him suing for libel as it covers the three grounds of identification, publication and defamation. He has received public apologies for the allegations made against him regarding the Joanna Yeates murder, in addition to the headline published by The Sun to describe his character as "Weird, posh, lewd, creepy". These defamatory statements have formed an impression that the individual is a "monster", thus ruining his reputation and invading his privacy when it is proven that he is "entirely innocent". He has suffered the scandal of the British tabloid media, making him the most recent victim of their "witch hunts". However, the papers have apologetically paid out substantial sums for the damage; the Daily Telegraph informs the public that the Daily Mirror has been fined £50,000 and The Sun £18,000. 

The case was won on the basis of a "no win-no fee" system by Jefferies solicitor Louis Charalambous. However as concerns were raised regarding the rules of this system changing next year, The Ministry of Justice released a statement that the government will continue to support "deserving" cases. An interview with Christopher Jefferies was broadcast on Radio 4 this morning; click the link to listen - http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9629000/9629799.stm

Media Law Lecture 6 - Copyright

First things first, this is my blog, my words, and from now on will be of my own images. Therefore, unless you are granted my permission you cannot copy it.

Copyright is self explanatory in its name - do not copy unless you have the right. Any type of work such as literature, drama, music, photography that is yours, only belongs to you; unless you choose to license it, or sell it on to someone and therefore 'pass on' ownership. However, for purposes such as comment, criticism or review you are allowed to use someone's work, on the conditions that it is brief, packaged and most importantly the source is credited.

Always remember that there is no copyright in the facts of a news story. Fair Dealing, aka 'Lifting' is the process where by you can 'lift' quotes out from reports and reuse them. This is certainly a tactile means for journalists to get information and spread the news fast.

Copyright marked the midway point between the first semester, 6 weeks in already! Oh how time flies when you're having fun!!

Yes, I would like to pass my degree...

Home sweet home: three blissful words. It's always nice to return home when you are greeted with open arms and the kettle is on the boil. Everyone is fussing over their 'baby' of the house, fattening me up with everything in sight. I have missed feeling healthy, drinking actual bottled water, and eating nutritious dinners with real tasting vegetables, rather then Iceland's £1 frozen vegetables. Fresh bed sheets on my sincerely missed double bed means I will definitely be sleeping like a starfish tonight, to take full advantage of leg room! It's hit home, literally, on how tired I am; falling asleep all the time... apart from getting overly excited to go shopping in Tkmaxx. (Any one from home who knows me will know that my sister and I used to practically live there till closing everyday!) I feel as though I have been on holiday this weekend, although I did feel guilty watching TV after Chris' talk on avoiding 'entertainment' shows. But, as it included a bit of Question Time (educational stuff) which was filmed in Winchester Cathedral I figured he would let me off. On the topic of TV, I'll make it clearer for you by explaining Chris's pet talk on how to pass our Degree.

The discussion on how to pass our degree took place during our introduction to the new module of our course: 'Journalism Now'. This entails news clinics where we have each been assigned a newspaper to religiously follow. In my instance I will be reading 'The Independent', (or the 'I') ready to inform the others in seminar group A.

Time to get technical - Newspaper Jargon:
The Standing Head - This is the head of the paper, or in this case the large 'i' in the top left hand corner
Modular - This is the layout of the newspaper, it is divided in to paras and smaller boxed sections
Linear - This is the layout of news on TV, new which follows on one thing after the other
Barkers - These are the features at the top of the newspaper
Leader Article - This is the article which is full of comment
Content - This is categorised by advertising and editorials

Remember- News is events led, Features are production led.

As we have been advised to only summarise on our blogs, I will briefly explain Horrie's top tips:
1. Most importantly, read read read read read read read read read! Newspapers should accompany you everywhere, this will show you how journalism is done as no one can teach you better then reading and analysing it for yourself.
2. Hide the remote, block all forms of TV out, including the BBC news for this term, as you are putting yourself in danger of Obesity. As mentioned earlier, this is an entertainment scheme, we must get used to the idea of educating ourselves through the medium of books, and listening to the radio.
3. Never be late, every second counts.
4. Always meet deadlines without fail. Imagine a line -------- if you cross it you are dead.

I guess if you do not follow these tips you will end up obese and dead - and obviously degreeless. (That will be my last 'witty' comment, as Chris already knows that we are cute, so from here on I will aim to be  informative. Starting with the time, the clocks have gone back an hour tonight, so enjoy your extra hour sleep everyone! Zzzz

WINOL 26/10/11

It’s never easy to be critical without sounding harsh, so I will use the famous saying “be cruel to be kind” to justify my comments…

I have to say, this weeks WINOL has been one of the weakest I have seen so far. In general the news felt rushed and disorderly, partly because of the jerky editing between scenes, and fast paced reading off crumpled bits of paper blowing in the wind. In some cases, the background noise, for instance during the football review, over powered the voice making it hard at times to grasp what was being said. Although it seems like I am instantly being negative, when it comes to being behind a camera, especially after studying A level Photography, details such as angles, panning and depth of field stand out to me. Unfortunately, it became confusing at times, when a shallow depth of field technique was used; images were out of focus for more then they were in focus, and by the time the image was sharp it instantly changed not allowing the viewer time to absorb what they are looking at.  On the plus side, the story which stood out for me was the Unison protests in Southampton, this is because the atmosphere on the streets was conveyed well through shots of people and banners. In addition, the sports news was extremely extensive providing those interested in sport with a variety of updates from rugby, football and ice hockey.

On the whole, although the transition between stories and people felt disjointed, this weeks bulletin did cover a variety of interesting news stories. They were supported by precise statistics which certainly ticks the box for accuracy. 

The Clockwork Universe

Astronomy is the study of the heavens, this was key for the Aristotelian Scholastics. They believed the celestial heavens, which is above the moon, was close to god thus all things were perfect and unchanging. Whereas, beneath the moon, known as sub lunar, was where all elements were mixed, and nothing remained constant.

Ptolemy's System agreed with this view. The earth is in the center of the universe, and the moon, sun, planets and stars revolved around the earth in perfect unchanging circular motions.

Diagram of Ptolemy's System

Aristotelian's and Scholastic's viewed the world in terms of perfection; everything moved to express qualities and purposes. 

Francis Bacon

Bacon turned violently against the Scholastic and Aristotelian approach. He strongly believed that mixing religion and science was a huge mistake, as it resulted in confusion and an obsession with word play rather then action. His book 'The New Organon' was a direct attack at Aristotle, it was made up of four teachings

1. Human Knowledge is power

2. Science and Religion should be separated

3. Knowledge is induction which should be tested through experiments*

4. Science is dynamic, we should admit to areas we do not understand 

*One of Bacon's most significant experiences, which lead to his death from pneumonia, was where he was testing whether the cold would preserve meat by stuffing a chicken with snow. Bacon was seen as a Martyr of science because of this. 

Locke on Human Understanding

Locke believe that our understanding develops through experience, which is worked on by our powers of reason to produce 'real' knowledge. He was against the idea of 'innate ideas' meaning originating from the mind, as he believed at birth our minds were a 'blank slate'. Locke believed innate ideas were not needed because God had given mankind the ability to discover knowledge and morality. When our faith goes beyond reason and experience, Locke claimed  we should be guided by private revelation but these revelations should never be imposed upon by the Church or the State.

"Our senses, our intellect, our reason - These were gifts from God" - Locke

Heliocentric Model 

Copernicus, a 16th century polish astronomer, devised a system in which the sun was the center of the universe. This contradicts Ptolemy's system, see diagram below:

Johannes Kepler, was drawn to Copernicus's unproven heliocentric hypothesis, therefore he spent decades working on data and calculations to prove 'The heliocentric model theory'. 

Galileo

Galileo was born on the day that Michelangelo died, and the day Galileo died Newton was born; this links the renaissance. Kepler influenced Galileo, after hearing that a Dutchman had lately invented a telescope, Galileo made one himself. This was a moment of true revelation; it allowed the human mind to observe the heavens with degrees of magnitude undreamed of by previous generations. Galileo discovered many important things:

1. The Milky Way consists of a multitude of separate stars

2. The phases of Venus

3. That Jupiter had moons

4. The moon had mountains and valleys 

His opponents refused to look through the telescope saying it created an optical illusion. However, Galileo was convinced that Aristotle would of. 

In addition, he concluded that there were primary and secondary qualities:-

Primary Qualities - quantitative and measurable e.g. dimension, shape and mass 

Secondary Qualities - depended on human perception, rather then 'real' objects

Galileo alleged that facts were determined by nature, not by men or books. 

The Leaning Tower of Pisa Experiment

Galileo dropped a ten-pound weight and a one-pound weight off the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa to  prove that both would fall at the same speed. Aristotle's theory that the heavier object would fall ten times faster, was proved wrong. This animation sums up the experiment: 

(That nice colorful animation was your only break from all these scientific theories, sorry) 

Newton 1642 - 1727

Newton published a book 'Principia' in 1687, it entailed a mathematical demonstration of the Copernican hypothesis  proposed by Keplar. Newton convinced people for the first time that the world was ordered and knowable, this was known as 'The Clockwork Universe'. After Newton, Aristotle's physics was discredited and undermined. 

Media Law Lecture 5 Confidentiality

This mornings lecture, similarly to all our other law lectures consisted of general banter and anecdotes from the hilarious 'phone man'. I hope I am right in thinking that I have just used Jigsaw identification - This is where you mention certain characteristics, rather then identify the person.

There are three areas of concern
1. State Secrets - This affects certain types of investigative journalism - Official Secrets Act
2. Commercial Secrets - Vital for business to business - Common Law Confidentiality
3. Privacy - Mainly for tabloid/celeb journalism - Human Rights Act Section 8

Shhh it's a secret...
Common law secrets - People have the right to keep secrets so long as it is not against the public interest.
Each person has the right to expect certain people, for instance Doctors, to be confidential.

Breach of Confidence
A person is in breach of confidence if they pass on information which:
1. Has 'the necessary quality of confidence'  AND
2. Provided in 'Circumstances imposing an obligation' AND
3. No permission to pass on the information AND
4. Detriment is likely to be caused to the person who gave in the information.

^ If any of the above are missing, then the information is NOT confidential and it can be revealed without breach.

Perfect timing, I love tuesdays! - Dominos delivery has arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrived! Ciao Amigos x

Radio Script - Downgraded from fresh to frozen food

I would like to think that I am not the only one whose mind is constantly distracted by what may be in my fridge. Even after every meal the comfort of reopening the fridge to check what else there is to eat is a habit I just cannot shake. However the contents of what may be crammed in to my small cupboard, or shelf in my fridge, is sadly far from the luxuries and quality of home. After coming to university, I can promise mum I will never complain about her cooking. What was I thinking when I would call her lazy if she chose to cook something quick in the oven? She would only ever make me microwaveable food now and then when she was short of time, and now, I do nothing but use the radiation machine. It has to be the most used kitchen facility in my flat; warming up my weekly supplies of Iceland’s cheapest micro meals, Heinz baked beans, and too often last nights Domino’s pizza. This may sound like I am just rambling on about food, and although that is what I know best, I am emphasising upon the point of appreciation for food with flavour, taste, and most importantly solidity. Although the idea of solid foods may seem absurd to you because this is the norm, I am exaggerating the fact that I have revisited my childhood of liquefied foods. For instance, “Smash” which although is probably one of the best inventions of mash potato, is purely powder and boiling water; a prime example of how artificial the food is that us students eat. I imagine my mothers crispy roast potatoes, but that is always short lived when my attempt at spicing up the food with some salt and pepper fails. I guess I have to accept that my taste buds are hibernating until I go home for the weekend. I have to say my weekly trip to Iceland has to be one of my highlights, purely because I am there to buy food, and food is what I love. But it is also largely down to the fact that it is cheap. As a student, budgeting our money is what all our parents nag on about, but it is true. For the first time ever, I brought my eggs from the 99p store. Now what does that tell you? Not only does it prove my point of buying it for the sake of it being only a pound, but the fact it is so cheap can only mean that it is of a poor standard. Lets be honest, buying eggs from pound land is just not right. From being brought up in a family where we eat only free range eggs, and organic chickens this is a mistake I won’t make again. I take my hat off to parents out there who cook everyday for their children; therefore I take my hat off to my parents. The moment I’d most look forward to from coming home after a long day at school and jumping in front of the TV, would be to ask mum what was for dinner tonight. Sadly this is now the question I dread to ask myself every day, because I know for convenience it’ll be something out of a box. My point being that due to money, time and quality of food, a balanced and healthy diet will have to be sacrificed in replace for a degree. It seems that my insides are going to have to suffer for three years, till I can swap packet soups for homemade soup, and return back to the pleasures I take for granted.

                                                                                                   

What makes a good journalist?

A good journalist is someone who has the ability to think, question and explore. Key qualities such as determination, drive, persistence and passion are attributes you need to pursue a career in journalism. It’s essential that we have strong interactional and communication skills, as journalists need to be confident and comfortable to approach others.

Yesterday’s law lecture consisted of a few pointers on becoming a good journalist. In the words of Chris Horrie: “Be rude, rude is good”. Although this seems out of the ordinary, we need to challenge journalism and act interrogatively, to excel beyond the standard level. He has continuously drilled three words into our minds: fast, accurate and fair. A good journalist will be up to date with current affairs in order to be able to report quickly, efficiently and fairly. Most importantly, journalists cannot be wrong, accuracy is vital! Although opinions and comments are our own, facts and figures need to be precise.

"What Blud?"

This clip had to be the highlight of my morning, so i'm passing it on...

HARSH.

Media Law Lecture 4 - Qualified Privilege

Well I have to say today's lecture was highly amusing due to Horrie's comical performance with props such as phones, elevating tables, microscopes and of course lighting... I cannot quite work out why I found it so amusing, but it is probably because of the entertaining facial expressions on Chris' face which reminds me of his daughter Lottie everytime :)

Anyway, we will ignore the phone ringing, let the lights turn off, but continue to learn about ...
...Qualified Privilege
When we are reporting about court or parliament, Journalists have QP as a defence. On the condition that we immediately publish it with no errors and no malice*, once again referring back to the tattoo in all us young journos brains "fast, accurate, fair".
*Malice = deliberately saying something you do not believe to be true - nasty nasty!

Absolute privilege will never be granted to a journalist, only Your Majesty The Queen is special enough and rebellious enough to obey no law.
Common Law Qualified Privilege is reporting only if it is in the public interest.
Statuary Qualified Privilege is where a balanced report must be given including the defence, if it is said in court.

Qualified privilege is lost unless you balance both sides of the story!!


The Reynolds Case
Lord Nicholls, who judged the appeal stage of Albert Reynolds Vs The Sunday Times, expanded the qualified privilege protection. This protects the publication of defamatory material provided it met three conditions:

• It is a matter of public interest
• It is a product of 'Responsible Journalism'
• The reporting was working without malice

Lord Nicholls set out a 10 point test, in order for the court to use when examining defences:

1. The seriousness of the allegation
2. The nature of the information
3. The source of the information
4. The steps taken to verify the information
5. The status of the information
6. The urgency of the matter 
7. Whether comment was sought from the claimant
8. Whether the article contained the gist of the claimants side of the story
9. The tone of the article
10. The circumstances of publication

Final Important Point...

As there is no legal definition of 'The public interest' the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) code of conduct is used - Public interest includes:

• Detecting or exposing crime
• Protecting public health and safety
• Preventing the public from being misled by an action or statement

Just one more thing to add, (even though that means I lied when I said final point, then again I guess I didn't because the previous point was 'important') I am with all those other 3 million buyers of The Sun, Chris somehow manages to fill our lectures talking about the daily publication of The Sun, it's brilliant, I love it!