new digital media lessons

L1: New & Digital Media

LO: To identify ‘new & digital media’ forms and to explore

their importance in contemporary society

Starter - Brainstorm

• What do you think constitutes ‘new and digital media’?

• Brainstorm as many items as possible

• You have 2 minutes

New & Digital Media includes....the internet

The web

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) e.g. Internet telephony

Internet chat

New & Digital Media includes....gaming

New & Digital Media includes....new media technologies

PVR’s (Personal Video

Recorders)

In this topic you will be exploring the impact of new & digital media on a specific area, both through a teacher–led case study and an individual case study, investigating an area of your choosing.

The teacher-led case study will be on the ‘impact of new and digital media on news’.

You should make sure your case study includes research on the impact of new media on audiences and on institutions. You will also explore links to any relevant theories and current media issues/ debates.

HW Research Activity – Due 26/11/10

• Using the internet you must research the following and make detailed notes. Post all your research onto your mest 3 blog:o Who are the major players in terms of news

providers in the UK and what exactly do they own?

(You must consider all 3 platforms and commercial as well as non-commercial institutions)

Plenary – Discuss & feedback

• The last 20 years have been more significant in terms of media and its role in society than the whole of the previous 200 years.

• Each person should be able to contribute to this discussion using appropriate examples to explain points made.


LO: To explore the impact of new & digital media on news

Starter Activity

• How does today’s consumer/audience member receive news?

• Brainstorm as many different ways as you can (there are loads!)

• Consider:o How they receive it (forms

& technologies)o What platforms they

receive it ono Where they can receive it

• Extension: How does this differ from 10 / 20 years ago?

Newspapers

Originally news was received through....

Word of Mouth

And then from the 17th Century to the early 20th Century also by.....

1920’s we had radio news....

joined by TV in 1930’s.....

And also by cinema newsreels broadcast in special newsreel

theatres in the 1930’s

You should have come up with some of the following ways in which news has changed......

News

Broadcast

Print

E-media

News

BBC

ITVCH4

CH5Local news

TerrestrialSatellite /

Cable

TV

Rolling

news

CNN SKY

BBC News 24

Teletext

Interactive (red button)

Broadcast

Print

E-media

News

BBC

ITVCH4

CH5Local news


Cable

TV

Rolling

news

CNN SKY

BBC News 24

Teletext


Broadcast

Print

E-media

Radio

UGCTraffic/

Weather

NationalRegional

Local

Speech/ Talk Radio

News

BBC

ITVCH4

CH5Local news


Cable

TV

Rolling

news

CNN SKY

BBC News 24

Teletext


Broadcast

Print

E-media

Newspapers

Freesheets

National

Local

Radio

UGCTraffic/

Weather

NationalRegional

Local

Speech/ Talk Radio

News

BBC

ITVCH4

CH5Local news


Cable

TV

Rolling

news

CNN SKY

BBC News 24

Teletext


Broadcast

Print

E-media

BBC Website

Newspaper websites/ online

versions

Search Engines

Podcasts

Youtubechannels

Newspapers

Freesheets

National

Local

InternetRadio

UGCTraffic/

Weather

NationalRegional

Local

Speech/ Talk Radio

News

BBC

ITVCH4

CH5Local news


Cable

TV

Rolling

news

CNN SKY

BBC News 24

Teletext


Broadcast

Print

E-media

UGC Citizen

Journalism (video)

BBC Website


versions

Search Engines

Podcasts

Youtubechannels

Newspapers

Freesheets

National

Local

Internet

Smart Phones

Search/ web

browser3G

Text news alerts

Paid subscriptions Sports, business,

weather etc

Radio

UGCTraffic/

Weather

NationalRegional

Local

Speech/ Talk Radio

News

BBC

ITVCH4

CH5Local news


Cable

TV

Rolling

news

CNN SKY

BBC News 24

Teletext


Broadcast

Print

E-media

UGC Citizen

Journalism (video)

BBC Website


versions

Search Engines

Podcasts

Youtubechannels

Newspapers

Freesheets

National

Local

Internet

Smart Phones

Search/ web

browser3G

Text news alerts


weather etc

Radio

UGCTraffic/

Weather

NationalRegional

Local

Speech/ Talk Radio

Copy this onto yourpaper

News

BBC

ITVCH4

CH5Local news


Cable

TV

Rolling

news

CNN SKY

BBC News 24

Teletext


Broadcast

Print

E-media

UGC Citizen

Journalism (video)

BBC Website


versions

Search Engines

Podcasts

Youtubechannels

Newspapers

Freesheets

National

Local

Internet

Smart Phones

Search/ web

browser3G

Text news alerts


weather etc

Radio

UGCTraffic/

Weather

NationalRegional

Local

Speech/ Talk Radio

What do you think has been the impact of this explosion in the many different ways & formats

we can now receive news?

• Consider the impact for both audiences and institutions.

• Who has benefitted most?

• You must give explanations for your answers.

• Work in pairs and make notes (you may want to create a table/ spider diagram etc to help you organise your thoughts).

Plenary – Feedback & Discuss

Who benefits most from the impact of new and digital media on news?

VS.


LO: To explore the impact of User-Generated Content on news

stories, the news agenda, and the role of the professionals.

Starter Activity

• Consider this statement in respect of TV news:

‘Is reality becoming more real?’

The Rise & Rise of UGC

• Read the article (Media Magazine, Dec 2009 pg 56-58) and then break it down into a mind map/ flash cards/ or whatever works for you.

• Consider having sections for: o exampleso theory (audience reception etc.) o benefits to institutions o benefits to audience o wider issues and debates o SHEP

Answer the following in your books:

1.What is meant by the term ‘citizen journalist’?2.What was one of the first examples of news being

generated by ‘ordinary people’?3.List some of the formats for participation that are now

offered by news organisations.4.What is one of the main differences between

professionally shot footage and that taken first-hand (UGC)?

5.What is a gatekeeper?6.How has the role of a gatekeeper changed?7.What is one of the primary concerns held by

journalists over the rise of UGC?

Plenary - Feedback & Discuss

• What impact are these changes having on:o News stories?

o The News Agenda? (the choice of stories that make up the news i.e. what is considered newsworthy)

o The role of professionals in news?

L4:LO: To explore and discuss some of the impact of new media on news institutions

Starter: Discuss the following......

Newspapers are currently ‘managing a decline’

(Greenslade: The Guardian).

But why has this happened?

(be specific)

Resources: Handout - NEWSPAPERS: The effect of online technology

Newspapers: In Decline (from handout)

• Newspaper institutions are in competition with one another to ensure they have enough people consuming their products so that they can make money from advertising to safeguard their survival. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult for paper-based news forms to compete with the rise in e-media news services.

• Over the last decade, the UK’s daily newspapers have lost some 2.25 million readers. Falling circulations mean less money through the till and newspapers’ other main source of income, advertising, is also drying up. In the last 10 years, advertising revenues have fallen by about 20%. In the struggle to stay profitable, newspaper companies are cutting staff, closing offices and, in the case of local papers, getting rid of titles. Some within the industry predict that within the next 10 years we could even see one or two of Britain’s biggest daily newspapers close.

Look at the following ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulation) data. Which title has suffered most? Can you think why certain newspapers may be more at risk than others? What other explanations could there be for the decline in sales of certain titles?

Why is the Newspaper Industry in Crisis? (from handout)

• Some of the reasons have to do with the way the newspaper institutions reacted to changes in technology, namely the internet. The last few years have witnessed a revolution in how industries deal with news and how audiences access it. As the internet increases its dominance on the media landscape, readers’ attention and loyalties have become divided as papers compete with round the clock reporting and unmediated content.

• According to Sull, who writes a blog for the Financial Times, there are five reasons why the newspaper industry is in a deeper crisis than it should be:

Reasons for decline (from handout)

• Ignoring Signs of Change: Since the early 1980’s, institutions have been able to access real time news through networks. This was more than a decade before the Internet took off. Most newspaper executives ignored these early signs of changes in news gathering techniques.

• Dismissing unconventional competitors: Newspapers ignored a steady stream of innovations that they might have imitated to enhance their own business model, e.g. distributing news through multiple media (terminals, television, Internet, and periodicals)

• Experimenting too narrowly: Some newspapers did spot the rise of digital technology early and experiment with alternatives. However, most of these companies limited the scope of their experimentation to replicating their paper offering on-line rather than encouraging audience interaction.

• Giving up on promising experiments too quickly: Promising business models take time to become successful in many cases and the process entails many setbacks. Some newspapers did not give new ideas time to build.

• Embarking on a ‘crash course’: Many institutions felt they were not embracing technology quickly enough and pushed for mergers which did not work.

• So, there are many reasons why the newspaper industry finds itself in a transitional period which is calling into question the nature of the production and reception of news. At the heart of this debate is the idea that in the future most news will be either accessed via broadcast or e-media platforms.

• Most institutions have been slow to embrace the web but are now using the platform to target audiences, but it is proving harder to make profits from online publishing than from old-fashioned printed forms. With so many free news sites to choose from, audiences are not prepared to pay money to read newspapers online. That means that they have to rely on web-based adverts to generate income. But it is not straight-forward as online advertisers have many more spaces to choose from and there is less certainty in terms of who will see these adverts, making the market more complex and competitive.

Reasons for decline (from handout)

Traditional Paper-based Form Online News Site

Has a purchase price. Is not free Has predominantly free content

Can be accessed anywhere with internet access

Can be easily marked or destroyed Content remains even if portal of access is destroyed.

Usually target a specific audience base

Costly to produce; paper, printing etc.

Costly to distribute Cheap to distribute

Can offer countless news stories at any one time plus the ability to archive stories, although many of these news stories are simply replications or re-workings of main news stories and may be cut and pasted news stories from other mainstream news sites.

Only print version of story available

Cannot be updated immediately and regularly

Can be interactive

Cannot allow audience immediate feedback/ citizen journalism

Can offer in-depth analysis and comment but is limited by space.

Varied options for expansion of topic matter. In depth editorials and comment.

Complete this table ‘ The impact online technology has had on news’

(on handout)

Traditional Paper-based Form Online News Site

Has a purchase price. Is not free Has predominantly free content

Has to be purchased from a retailer Can be accessed anywhere with internet access

Can be easily marked or destroyed Content remains even if portal of access is destroyed.

Usually target a specific audience base Can target a range of different audiences

Costly to produce; paper, printing etc. The design and the upkeep of site still costly to run

Costly to distribute Cheap to distribute

Can only offer a certain amount of news at any one time

Can offer countless news stories at any one time plus the ability to archive stories, although many of these news stories are simply replications or re-workings of main news stories and may be cut and pasted news stories from other mainstream news sites.

Only print version of story available Can offer different ways of presenting news stories, through video, blogs etc.

Cannot be updated immediately and regularly Offers rolling and breaking news immediately

Is not interactive Can be interactive

Cannot allow audience immediate feedback/ citizen journalism

Can offer immediate feedback for audiences and opportunities for audiences to participate in ‘making’ news

Can offer in-depth analysis and comment but is limited by space.

Varied options for expansion of topic matter. In depth editorials and comment.

PLENARY – Consider....

Should News be Free?

• Each person should be able to give at least one reason either in support of or against news being free before they leave the room.


LO: To explore the debate surrounding charging for online

news content.

Resources: Handout - NEWSPAPERS: The effect of online

technologyHandout - Briefing: The death of the newspaper

STARTERWhat

gratifications might

audiences get from

The Guardian website?

Use the table in your handout to

identify them.

Feature Audience Gratification

Long-running chat boards

Network of weblogs

Leaving comments on articles Can make an audience feel powerful by creating the idea that they are challenging the news institution’s values

Readers can access articles online, on mobile devices through RSS feeds or on eBook readers.

Varied selection of categories in easy accessible genre areas

Images

Podcast

Access to paper-based content

Dating sites/ personals

Who is right? (from handout)

With all of these gratifications for audiences available via online content should news be free?• James Murdoch of NewsCorp has been critical of free news provision

online, in particular he states that the BBC and its “expansion of state-sponsored journalism is a threat to the plurality and independence of news provision,” He also said the scope of the BBC’s activities and ambitions was “chilling” and that news on the web provided by the BBC made it “incredibly difficult” for private news organisations to ask people to pay for their news. “It is essential for the future of independent digital journalism that a fair price can be charged for news to people who value it.”

Who is right? (from handout)

• Essentially, NewsCorp are driven by the need to make money whereas the BBC, a Public Service Broadcaster is less governed by the economic imperative because they are funded predominantly by the revenue generated by the television license. News Corporation has said it will start charging online customers for news content across all its websites in a bid to recoup and generate money from subscriptions, but this does not automatically mean that people will pay.

News Online – The Democratisation of News?

• News providers are finding themselves in a complex position in relationship to online technology but it is the changing lifestyles of audiences that pose the biggest problem for papers.

“The world is changing and newspapers have to adapt”

Rupert Murdoch, NewsCorp

KEY WORDDemocratisation – the act of making something democratic i.e. the people taking action or choosing for others to act in their interests

In pairs discuss and make notes: What are the changes in audiences lifestyles that Rupert Murdoch refers to?

News Online

• The internet has made it easier than ever for audiences to find news. At the click of a button, they can catch up on the latest stories in whatever form they choose – text, audio or video. Rupert Murdoch, chairman of NewsCorp states;

“The internet has given readers much more power. Everybody wants choice and thanks to the

personal computer, people are taking charge of their own lives and they read what they want to read or what they are interested in and young

people today are living on their computers. The world is changing and newspapers have to adapt

to that.”

Plenary: Based on what you have read come up with some arguments in response to this

statement.Should newspapers be charging for news

online?YES NO

Should newspapers be charging for news online? Some possible arguments

YES NOOnline newspaper audiences are growing while print circulations are falling, and news still costs money to gather and report.

It’s pointless locking the stable door when the horse has bolted.

Just because something is now free doesn’t mean consumers won’t be willing to pay for it one day. Look at music downloads

Newspapers should be more innovative, and develop the sort of niche expertise that is worth paying for.

Newspapers play a vital role in democracy and charging could save them. Society will suffer if we let them die.

Media barons have had it good for 100 years or more; they have to accept that their monopoly on news is now over.

Homework

• Read the article ‘The death of a newspaper’ and from the discussions in class and what you have read write a detailed letter to Rupert Murdoch in which you challenge his view for charging for online news content.


LO: To explore the concepts of pluralism & marxism in relation to the impact of new & digital media

on news

STARTER: Card match exercise – based on the following sort the statements you have in front of you as either a

Marxist OR a Pluralist belief

Pluralists argue that we live in a classless society and media organisations are responsive to an audience and are economically determined whereas Marxists believe the mass media are a tool used by ruling bodies to maintain hegemonic control over the masses and a class divided society

Match the ideology and write in your booksSociety is a system of competing groups and interests, none of them predominant (i.e. classless).

Media organisations are seen as enjoying an important degree of autonomy from the state

Control of the media is said to be in the hands of an elite who allow a considerable degree of flexibility in production choices.

Audiences are perceived as capable of manipulating the media and having access to ‘the plural values of society’ enabling them to ‘conform, accommodate or reject’.

Pluralism

Marxism

Media producers produce media texts which maintain social divides.

The media seek greater audiences because of the profit motive.

The media have dumbed down their output and construct texts simply to generate mass audiences

Mass media are seen as a way of entertaining the workers while drip feeding them ideologies and beliefs (effects theory)

Match the ideology and write in your books

Society is a system of competing groups and interests, none of them predominant (i.e. classless).

Media organisations are seen as enjoying an important degree of autonomy from the state

Control of the media is said to be in the hands of an elite who allow a considerable degree of flexibility in production choices.

Audiences are perceived as capable of manipulating the media and having access to ‘the plural values of society’ enabling them to ‘conform, accommodate or reject’.

Pluralism

Marxism

Media producers produce media texts which maintain social divides.

The media seek greater audiences because of the profit motive.

The media have dumbed down their output and construct texts simply to generate mass audiences

Mass media are seen as a way of entertaining the workers while drip feeding them ideologies and beliefs (effects theory)

Applying the theory.... ‘To what extent’ exercise

• Now consider how these arguments/ ideologies can be applied to the impact of new and digital media on news using the following statement:

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?

Teacher note – Laminated ‘To what extent’ cards to use for this activity are in the SOW folder and include instructions they are also on the following slides if you need extra copies

To what extent…………..

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

To what extent debate game….

(Other equipment needed – 5p piece or similar object per group)

Split class into groups of 3 or 4 Using 5p piece and circles running top to bottom of page numbered 1 – 9. Heading at top of paper is ‘To what extent’. Starting with 5p on number 5 students are to debate the exam question:To what extent …………………….For each point that offers positive evidence to support the argument the 5p is moved 1 point up the scale and vice versa. 5p will be moved up and down accordingly providing a wide range of arguments which can be used in an essay answer. Students to work around the group asking each in turn to make a point either agreeing or disagreeing with the statement. All in group must note down each of the points and person providing the point must include a specific textual example to support the point made.

Plenary & Homework – Feedback Key Points

• All students to make notes on key points fed back.

• Write up the arguments for and against the statement regarding audience empowerment as a result of new and digital technology in news.

L7 New & Digital Media

LO: To explore the concept of globalisation and its impact upon

news institutions & audiences today

Resources: Globalisation handout from Revision Express book

Starter Activity – Discuss with a partner

Globalisation has been termed:

The ‘McDonaldisation’ of society / the globe.

What do you think this means?

Defining the concept - Globalisation

• Read the handout on Globalisation (Revision Express) as a class and discuss.

Activity

• ‘The news automatically becomes the real world for the TV user and is not a substitute for reality, but is itself an immediate reality’ (Marshall McLuhan)

• In groups of 4 brainstorm ideas, examples, theories etc that you would use to respond to the statement above. Use the handout to help you answer this question (consider news values also).

Presentations

• Each group is to present ideas back.

• All groups will peer assess each presentation for its range of ideas, use of relevant examples, theories and wider issues and debates.

• All students to make notes during presentations.

Plenary

• Write up a summary list of key points from the presentations.

• Each person to provide a key point regarding globalisation and news before leaving the room.

L8 & 9 New & Digital Media

LO: To assess how a major news institution has been affected by

the impact of new & digital media technology.

Starter

• List as many different companies and their products that you can think of that are owned by NewsCorp. (this includes TV, Music, Websites, Cinema Newspapers .)

• Were you right? Check here....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_Corporation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_Corporation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_Corporation

Class Activity – Complete for Homework (this will be posted onto the blog)

• NewsCorp. is the world's third-largest media conglomerate.

• In the UK (under two subsidiary companies, News International and BSKYB), its news interests include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun & The News of the World (and their online versions) in addition to SKY News & SKY Sports News (a cross-platform , vertically integrated, multi-media company).

• Using NewsCorp as an example in pairs research and respond to the following question: ‘Why and with what success are traditional media institutions

adapting to the challenge posed by new/digital media?’

• This must be a multimedia presentation addressing the above question and must include relevant examples, theories, issues & debates and wider context (SHEP) as applicable.o Include the following in your response:

Online subscriptions Price promotions for newspapers Content and its appeal Paid subscriptions for TV content Audience figures vs. Competition Impact of changes on both the audience and the institution

• You will be presenting back next lessonKEY WORD: Conglomeratecon·glom·er·ate A corporation made up of a number of different companies that operate in diversified fields.

new digital media lessons

News & Politics