Press Reform Debate Coverage In The British Media

In the first decade of the 21st century, the British newspaper News of the World, owned by Rupert Murdoch, and its sister publications were involved in a controversy. The employees of these newspapers were accused of phone hacking, police bribery and other improper influences. This controversy came to be known as the News International phone-hacking scandal. As a result, the British press became the focus of a heated debate. This led to a press reform debate which focused on issues such as the impact of media ownership on the standards of the press. It also discussed the effect this could have on the ability of the press to accomplish its goal in a democracy. This book covers some of the key issues including press freedom, public interest, privacy, press regulation and media ownership. It focuses on how the British media covered the issue and the reforms that followed. For someone with an interest and eye for detail, this book covers the most significant topics on this issue.

This open access book provides a detailed exploration of the British media coverage of the press reform debate that arose from the News of the World phone hacking scandal and the Leveson Inquiry. Gathering data from a content analysis of 870 news articles, Ogbebor shows how journalists cover debates on media policy and illustrates the impact of their coverage on democracy. Through this analysis, the book contributes to knowledge of paradigm repair strategies; public sphere; gatekeeping theory; the concept of journalism as an interpretive community; political economy of the press; as well as the neoliberal and social democratic interpretations of press freedom. Providing insight into factors inhibiting and aiding the role of the news media as a democratic public sphere, it will be a valuable resource for the press, media reform activists, members of the public, and academics in the fields of journalism, politics and law.

This open access book provides a detailed exploration of the British media coverage of the press reform debate that arose from the News of the World phone hacking scandal and the Leveson Inquiry. Gathering data from a content analysis of 870 news articles, Ogbebor shows how journalists cover debates on media policy and illustrates the impact of their coverage on democracy. Through this analysis, the book contributes to knowledge of paradigm repair strategies; public sphere; gatekeeping theory; the concept of journalism as an interpretive community; political economy of the press; as well as the neoliberal and social democratic interpretations of press freedom. Providing insight into factors inhibiting and aiding the role of the news media as a democratic public sphere, it will be a valuable resource for the press, media reform activists, members of the public, and academics in the fields of journalism, politics and law.

The processes of convergence and digitalization have altered the technological conditions in which the press operates. More than that, they have altered the environment in which the press stakes its claim to freedom and strives to protect its turf from other media players. The advent of internet-based services and applications has blurred the technological boundaries between the press, broadcasting, and telecommunications, challenging their regulatory silos. Press Freedom and Regulation in a Digital Era: A Comparative Study assesses the extent to which the emergent regulatory model for online news media is shaped by analogies from the past, or rather by a newly prevalent culture of control. By interweaving two distinct strands of analysis - the concepts of press freedom and regulation, and the phenomena of convergence and digitalization - this book examines the key implications of digitalization and assesses the challenges for press freedom in the nascent digital news ecosystem. Drawing upon decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), as well as from cases in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, this comparative work comprehensively explores the regulation of the press in the digital era and the impact of the proliferating media laws, policies, and jurisprudence on press freedom. Irini Katsirea identifies the regulatory ruptures that persist and makes concrete and timely recommendations for the evolving online news ecosystem.

This book dispels myths surrounding the newspaper industry’s financial viability in an online world, arguing that widespread predictions of pending newspaper extinction are based mostly on misunderstandings of the industry’s operations. Drawing from his training as a business journalist, Marc Edge undertakes a thorough analysis of annual financial statements provided by newspaper companies themselves to explain the industry’s arcane economics. This book contextualizes available data within the historical context in which various news publishers operate and outlines the economic history of UK newspapers. It also investigates how UK newspapers survived the 2008–09 recession, considering both national and provincial markets separately. A rigorous look at an often-neglected aspect of the newspaper industry, this volume will be an essential read for scholars of media studies, journalism studies, and communication studies, especially those interested in studying journalism and news production as occupational identities.

This book analyses and explains the role that the study of media texts has played in English curricula across the last 30 years, exploring the implications of these changes for teachers and students. Presenting a documentary analysis of the key evidence surrounding the history of media texts within English, the book focuses on how media has been characterized in the subject of English in the UK National Curriculum, while also reflecting on the position of media texts in other English-speaking National Curricula such as Australia and New Zealand. It dissects the changing role of media texts in English, considering media texts which range from newspapers and print adverts, films and TV through to digital, web-based and multimodal texts. The book charts the history of this part of English and considers what it can tell us about the nature of curriculum and English education more broadly. Speaking to important issues of curriculum in education, this book will be key reading for researchers, students and practitioners of media education, English education and the history of education.

"A classic text of journalism education that goes beyond the basics to ask the questions that anyone thinking of becoming a journalist really needs to consider. An ethical, entertaining and enduring read - highly recommended." - Michelle Stanistreet, General Secretary, National Union of Journalists This is the one book you need to guide you through university and into your career in journalism. It features stories and tips from a diverse range of journalists, including Ayshah Tull and Cathy Newman of Channel 4 News; Emma Youle of HuffPost; Andrew Norfolk of the Times; and the Mirror’s Nada Farhoud. Covering everything from print to podcasting, it will equip you with the skills and understanding you need to become a successful and ethical journalist. Tony Harcup’s Journalism: Principles and Practice is simply the best guide there is to studying and practising journalism today. "A holistic assessment of what journalism is all about, with plenty of enterprising interpretations of our trade - a word I prefer to ′profession′. I never met a more ′unprofessional′ breed than that of my fellow hacks. This book will, I hope, lead our successors both to question and rebel more than we have." - Jon Snow, Channel 4 News

The Routledge Companion to News and Journalism brings together scholars committed to the conceptual and methodological development of news and journalism studies from around the world. Across 50 chapters, organized thematically over seven sections, contributions examine a range of pressing challenges for news reporting – including digital convergence, mobile platforms, web analytics and datafication, social media polarization, and the use of drones. Journalism’s mediation of social issues is also explored, such as those pertaining to human rights, civic engagement, gender inequalities, the environmental crisis, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Each section raises important questions for academic research, generating fresh insights into journalistic forms, practices, and epistemologies. The Companion furthers our understanding of why we have ended up with the kind of news reporting we have today – its remarkable strengths, the difficulties it faces, and how we might improve upon it for tomorrow. Completely revised and updated for its second edition, this volume is ideal for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers, and academics in the fields of news, media, and journalism studies.