NDM story

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/02/infringing-websites-list-anti-piracy

This article states that taking individuals to court over piracy isn't doing much and so in 2014 there are going to be attempts to follow the revenue generated. That means focusing their efforts on piracy sites, through three main tactics: pressuring search engines to remove links to infringing files and demote piracy sites in their rankings; forcing ISPs to block their customers from accessing those sites; and trying to squeeze their flow of advertising revenues.

An Infringing Website List (IWL for short) was created to gather the URLs of piracy sites and persuade brands, media agencies and ad networks to ensure they're not advertising on them.

The IWL is the result of a three-month pilot in 2013 backed by a host of creative industry bodies – the BPI and IFPI from the music industry, FACT from software, The Publishers Association from books – as well as advertising industry bodies the IAB, ISBA and IPA.

"Disrupting the money unlawful websites make from advertising could make a real difference to the fight against copyright infringement," said creative industries minister Ed Vaizey this week. 

Not everyone agrees that it's such an excellent thing, however. The Pirate Party UK has criticised the initiative, pointing out that the IWL will not be made public, and that even if website owners find they are on it, it is unclear how they can apply to be removed.

I believe that it is a better and more effective way of dealing with piracy however, it won't prevent people trying to download things for free, they may attempt to go around these tactics and won't be prosecuted as everyones focus would mainly be on the sites as a whole and their owners who create the filesharing sites.

NDM Story

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/01/uk-wifi-routers-internet-attacks

Millions of routers worldwide vulnerable to digital criminals, 800,000 of which are in the UK, with potential for serious disruption

As many as 24m routers across the world can be used by cybercriminals to launch massive attacks on internet infrastructure, while simultaneously disrupting home connections and costing communications companies dearly.

Research shown exclusively to the Guardian showed 800,000 of those routers are based in the UK, opening up the potential for serious disruption of the country’s data networks.

Over a single day this year, Nominum said it recorded 5bn requests for such domains. This produced 12 terabytes of traffic, which is a significant amount of data flying around the internet solely for malicious means.

Nominum said over a single day in February more than 5.3m of the routers running the feature were used to generate attack traffic in Asia. An attack in January used up 70% of an internet providers Domain Name System servers.

News On The Tweet

Why are respected news brands good news for Twitter?

News brands bring an audience to Twitter and entertain them as well as inform them. Audiences which had been selected as a sample for a twitter and news report called "#NewsOnTheTweet" states that top three answers to why they use Twitter were that it allows time to pass (39%) which could be used scrolling through news stories on Twitter, Twitter also allows audiences to be aware of what is going on in the world (39%) which obviously refers to reading news stories and audiences also wish to stay connected to people they're interested in but don't know (38%) which may refer to celebrities that audiences are fans of which suggest they use newspapers to tweet on the latest gossip of that celebrity. A large proportion of the sample also agree that they enjoy seeing news on twitter and watching it break on Twitter first before breaking worldwide, Twitter allows them to stay updated faster than anyone. 40% check Twitter frequently to see what's going on with their favourite newspaper brand(s). 60% are actually more likely to be a daily Twitter user to check in the news than non-followers of a brand. 

Why in turn is Twitter good for respected news brands?

Twitter allows 60% of people an opportunity to engage with newspaper brans they wouldn't normally read in print form e.g. Mr Halsey buys The Guardian but wouldn't buy the Daily Telegraph, he would however follow them on Twitter to keep track of how they report certain stories in the media. Twitter also allows quite a quick, easy and instant access to the online newspapers

The report suggests that old and new media “are not, in fact, in direct competition, but often work extremely well together to enhance both the media eco-system and the consumer experience”. What evidence do they provide to support this idea? Do you agree with it?

53% of people feel that Twitter helps them keep connected to their favourite news brands. Both Twitter and Newsbrands provide gossip and banter, knowledge, opinions and can help surround readers in a community of like-minded people. This therefore suggests that working together can enhance user experience as they are able to connect more easily over the news they have read from news brands on twitter and can formulate opinions and speak to like minded people and have a bit of a gossip. An instant update from a trusted news brand makes a lot of readers gossip and spread news through word of mouth so if the news brand is on twitter it could encourage billions of people to gossip about the news and the fact its from a verified news brand it makes the news legitimate and trustworthy. Twitter helps make the news reach people more quicker, it allows to give audiences "the chance to consume news within a community (online) of like-minded people (globally)". Many use twitter to get a summary of the news and keep up-to-date in the morning before going about their day.

On page 24/25 of the report, the focus turns to gossip or banter. What example tweets from journalists are used to illustrate this?

The example tweets at first seemed mainly about celebrities and football but then do eventually talk about politics and university however all of these tweets are used in jokingly ways or mockingly. E.g. Lucy Tobin tweets how a uni has spend £20,000 building a pub to allow students to investigate why people get drunk… it's poking fun at the irony. Other examples are like Neil Ashton tweeting "Arsenal are toast" referring to the arsenal toaster instead of the match they are going to be in, he then says "in all seriousness now, what are the sales figures like for this kind of stuff?".

Do you think the increasing amount of gossip or banter is harming the reputation of news and journalists?

I believe it breaks down the professional barrier between readers and journalists. It makes the journalist seem less professional as they are poking fun at news stories. However, I think it actually makes news more appealing to younger audiences and can attract more people and possibly get more retweets suggesting that the news will be spread much more quickly and much more if the news contained some gossip and banter. 

What does the report say about trust in Twitter and journalists (look at pages 34-39)

That news content is important and needs to be from a trusted and verified brand as it helps build trust in the content. Having personality from a journalist is more attractive and appealing than the news brand itself and therefore having journalist on twitter can allow readers and journalist to deepen their relationship (according to 48%), having them on twitter makes the news trustworthy and a faster source of news according to 39%.

Finally, do you think new and digital media developments such as Twitter have had a positive or negative impact on traditional newspapers?

New and digital developments such as Twitter has had both a negative and positive impact on traditional newspapers. It has allowed the journalist from newspapers to engage and interact more with their readers as well as break down the professionalism barrier which encourages their readers to read and follow their newspaper. However, it has led to many newspaper go head-to-head in price wars trying to lower their prices to gain greater circulation of their newspapers. The online sites such as twitter could encourage readers to buy print copies but its unlikely that will happen, unless the news story on the front cover or the newspaper issue is a special edition or special story e.g. the royal wedding.

News Corp

1) Research News Corporation’s response to the growth of new and digital media by listing each of the institution’s brands (Sky News, Times etc.) Have any closed, changed or been in the news in the last five years for any reason?

- Falling sales cut into profit of the Times and The Sun

- News Corp can save money on staff thanks to New and Digital media. News Corp can now use User Generated Content and citizen journalism instead of professional journalist. However the use of UGC leads to a loss of quality and that could tarnish the News Corp brand image as the professionalism is lost. The Sun on Sunday is also an example of how News Corp is saving money, they use the same journalist and resources as The Sun to cut costs.

- Rupert Murdoch felt that his company was at threat by New and Digital technology as it has allowed audiences a greater choice of variety of news and websites to obtain the news from for free. This therefore led to The Sun and The Times to put their content behind a pay-wall to ensure that their status remains high and that they can try and attract a loyal fan-base that receive perks of paying for the pay-wall e.g. The Sun giving people the opportunity to receive up-to-date goals on football sent to their phones.

- The use of New and Digital media has led to an opportunity to attract younger audiences. Due to many teenagers receiving their news online, News Corp can try and appeal to teenagers through the use of their websites and making their main page story being mainly about celebrities

- Sky Go is easy to watch on the go and is convenient for the majority of audiences which may affect other aspects of the business e.g. Sky News (TV) or The Sun (Online and Newspaper version)

- Price wars. Many newspapers are competing to be the cheapest or to have some major promotional offer to entice an audience in to pick up their newspaper and increase their readership and circulation

- Phone hacking scandal had led to the closure of News Of The World. Which later was replaced by The Sun on Sunday.

2) Develop examples of the impact that new and digital media has had on News Corp’s brands (paywalls, readership figures, audience share etc.) I think I already spoke about them in the above question

- Rupert Murdoch felt that his company was at threat by New and Digital technology as it has allowed audiences a greater choice of variety of news and websites to obtain the news from for free. This therefore led to The Sun and The Times to put their content behind a pay-wall to ensure that their status remains high and that they can try and attract a loyal fan-base that receive perks of paying for the pay-wall e.g. The Sun giving people the opportunity to receive up-to-date goals on football sent to their phones.

- Phone hacking scandal had led to the closure of News Of The World. Which later was replaced by The Sun on Sunday.

- Sky Go is easy to watch on the go and is convenient for the majority of audiences which may affect other aspects of the business e.g. Sky News (TV) or The Sun (Online and Newspaper version)

- Falling sales cut into profit of the Times and The Sun

- News Corp can save money on staff thanks to New and Digital media. News Corp can now use User Generated Content and citizen journalism instead of professional journalist. However the use of UGC leads to a loss of quality and that could tarnish the News Corp brand image as the professionalism is lost. The Sun on Sunday is also an example of how News Corp is saving money, they use the same journalist and resources as The Sun to cut costs.

3) Use what you have found out about News Corp to answer the following question:

Why and with what success are traditional media institutions adapting to the challenge posed by new/digital media?

I feel that News Corp has attempted to adapt and to some extent has done so with some success. News Corp felt threatened and therefore had placed a paywall up to make their news and up-to-the-second goal app. They had attempted to entice football fans to pay for the paywall just for the goal app, this therefore was a successful way of adapting. However, there are many other sites for just general news which the majority of users would go to. Sun readers online may just check twitter for news (especially if they are teenagers) as twitter has now become one of the fastest ways of communicating news to a mass audience, by the time newspapers print it or even post an article, millions of people would have read a brief summary of an event. The Sun being behind a paywall will therefore be at a disadvantage at this point as many of the people online would want a range of viewpoints and will most likely go to the free online sites such as The Guardian. This could have also been the cause of the fall in sales of The Sun and The Times.

The fall in sales could also have been due to the whole new/digital media as it provides much quicker and more convenient access than a newspaper. The internet also provides billions of online reviews, opinions, articles etc from professional journalist and also bloggers and this content tends to be free. Linking to the professional journalist, News Corp did lose News Of The World due to the phone hacking scandal but led to the creation of The Sun On Sunday which used some of the journalist from News Of The World. Some journalist may also not be needed as the internet and the creation of camera phones has allowed anyone and everyone to become citizen journalist recording events as they happen on their phones and then sending it in to a newspaper to print about and inform readers that the video is on their website. Sky Go was also created as a way to keep up with the changing world of today, we are able to view videos on our phones or tablets while going out, it allows more convince and is quite successful in the battle against digital media and institutions.

I believe that the creation of new and digital technology has led newspaper to a near end. Newspapers are becoming redundant and News Corp has decided to try and revive their news institution through the use of new and digital technology and have been successful to some extent.

1. 9/12/13 - So Twitter is ruining journalism? Really?

2. 6/1/14 - Pirate Bay plans new 'anti-censorship' browser

3. 13/1/14 - UK entertainment spending increasing

4. 28/1/14 - Obama's funeral selfie is a fitting end to my Tumblr – Selfies at Funerals

5. 29/1/14 - Teenagers say goodbye to Facebook and hello to messenger apps

6. 29/1/14 - China blocks the Guardian, censorship-tracking website says

7. 29/1/14 - Yes, I sometimes Google my patients. Is this surprising?

8. 29/1/14 - Does technology pose a threat to our private life?

9. 29/1/14 - ITV to launch pay-TV drama channel on Sky

10. 29/1/14 - Pirate Bay ban lifted in Netherlands as blocking torrent sites ruled ‘ineffective’

11. 5/2/14 - Web advertising: still a small net in a very large pond

12. 5/2/14 - Sky's internet service mistakenly blocks web-critical plugin

13. 11/2/14 - Flappy Bird creator removes game from app stores

14. 12/2/14 - @Future of Journalism: Hans Rosling on the case for data

15. 10/3/14 - Jasmine Gardner: News travels fast in cyberspace but can we trust it?

16. 10/3/14 - Boy, 12, raped younger sister after viewing porn on games console

17. 19/3/14 - Daily Mail and Guardian digital 'minnows', says News UK chief

18. 19/3/14 - Thousands of Morrisons staff personal details leaked online

19. 19/3/14 -Flappy bird may return to app stores

20. 7/1/14 - (An additional NDM done in class) No, Larry Page and Sergey Brin are not to blame for the decline of the media industry

Marxism and Pluralism (I want to add more)

Developments in new/digital media mean that audiences can now have access to a greater variety of views and values.  To what extent are audiences empowered by these developments?

I believe that audiences are empowered to some extent with these developments. Yes audiences do have more power over using UGC and becoming citizen journalist but the mass media have major control suggesting that we live in a marxist world instead of a pluralist world. Pluralists argue that we live in a classless society and media organisations are responsive to an audience and are economically determined while Marxists believe that the mass media are a tool used by ruling bodies to maintain hegemonic control over the masses and a class divided society. Hegemony is a word used to describe the dominance of one social class over others, this dominant class can decide what is accepted as normal or what is normal.

In modern day society we as audiences have been given more control and power due to new and digital technology. The internet is possibly the most "empowering tool" (as according to Al Gore) and is considered the "most important medium of the twentieth century" (Briggs and Burke). In some cases such as the K-Pop artist who had used parts of the Quaran in songs had led to many audiences being empowered as they were able to convince the singer to apologise through the use of comment sections on videos on sites such as Youtube, it did also lead to the hashtag being created and widely used known as #StayStrongCL which allowed audiences to show their support for the artist and come together in helping the artist stay positive against any negative comments. The internet along with smartphones, apps etc. have created an access to wider content and more variation of where to obtain their news from. e.g. from blogs, online organisations such as MailOnline or through twitter. This variety of views and content can allow the audience to formulate their own opinions and therefore empowered in that sense. New technology can also help create citizen journalist and capture something which media organisations wouldn't usually capture which therefore makes it possible for audiences to decide on what is news, the new technology can also lead to UGC and allow the truth to be revealed e.g. the Ian Tomlinson case. Audiences and UGC through the use of smartphone recordings had recorded the attack on Ian Tomlinson before his death, which is when he was pushed onto the ground during a G8 riot by police officers. At first the police weren't considered to be at fault for the death until the video was emerged and became news. Other ways in which the audience were empowered by new and digital technology would be through comments sections again, during the olympics after the opening ceremony a journalist had mocked the NHS and opening ceremony as well as been racist by saying that a white woman and black male cannot be living together in a house happily (as portrayed in the opening ceremony). As soon as this article was posted a herd of users had flooded the comments hating on the journalist and what the article had stated which led to the article being pulled down shortly after. Other than this online news organisations and sites such as twitter, youtube and Facebook had given  audiences power as they all gave valid reasons for the London Riots stating that the riots weren't positive but occurred due to the Government ignoring those in need. In a slightly more positive note, youtube and Facebook did create a viral video to assist a young asian male during the riots and a male who had been knocked off his bike which was then robbed, the asian male was a student who came into contact with a gang who robbed his backpack and then beat him and left him to stumble off. This video made many online organisations pick up on this and decide to choose the videos (UGC videos) as main/home page news as well as try to raise money and support for the asian student. Earlier on there was a small negative empowering of audiences through the riots and the K-Pop artist being hated and to add to the list wikipedia allows many people to publish anything on the site, it does get monitored and checked but doesn't mean every page can be 100% reliable and could lead to a "dumbing down of society." 

Some believe that the 80/20 rule (Pareto's law) can be applied to new and digital technology and that 80% of the news consumed by audiences come from 20% of the major mass producers, however that is just a theory unlike Lin and Webster's data which suggest that the top 5% of all websites accounted for almost have 75% of user volume. This therefore suggests differently to the pluralist perspective and leads on into marxism. People such as Rupert Murdoch has hegemonic control and chooses what does on to Sky and what can go into the Sun etc. This suggests that even though audiences have empowering tools they can never choose what is considered news. We don't have gatekeeper control an example of this would be when Rupert Murdoch chooses to say that the Times man of the year award goes to George Osbourne. Other ways in which the media is empowered instead of audiences was when Nek Nom challenges were going on which is when friends challenge others to do a certain task which usually is drinking a certain number of shots etc. and these have at some points led to deaths of those participating. Once the media organisations had told people about the dangers and deaths the Nek Noms had decreased which therefore decreased the number of deaths that may occur. 
  

Globalisation and news

Is our news influenced by American cultural imperialism?

The majority of our news I believe has been influenced by American cultural imperialism. Most of the news we consume is usually relating to American life or celebrities, we have similar ways of presenting the news to Americans and we also do have 24-hour news channels which I believe was first introduced by CNN. However, some of the news we consume isn't influenced heavily by American cultural imperialism, we consume news that usually is important to British people and concern British people.

Has the increased globalisation of news improved the audience experience? How? Why?

The rise of globalisation of news has improved audience experience as it allows audiences to now receive quick, live up-to-date feeds of global news. News can travel much more faster and can generate conversation between billions of people globally. However, not all the news received can be completely reliable as sometimes news spreads too quickly and is false and therefore has not benefited of improved the audience experience as they would have been believing and spreading false news which once found out would seem embarrassing, especially if it is a news institution who reports the fake news believing it was real.   

Has globalisation benefited or damaged major news institutions?

Globalisation has both benefited and damaged major news institutions, a major benefit is that they now do not need to pay to have a lot of staff as globalisation makes quick easy links between countries and journalist and also encourages citizen journalism to help cover news that journalist may not have seen or been able to report. But the damaging effects of globalisation is that the news that is sent in from citizen journalist may not be as reliable or professionally done as the news institution would have done themselves. Also globalisation has increased news institutions competition as globalisation makes them compete with other news institutions globally which therefore makes it harder for the major institution to be seen or heard on a global scale, which means they could potentially lose some of their audience.