Blurred Keys

Justin Mason's mate, Tom, spotted an Irish Examiner article where the sums add to nothing much:

All six episodes of Charlie Brooker's Newswipe, made for BBC4, are now available to watch as a playlist on YouTube. While the series is UK-focused, it covers news output which makes it into the Irish market, including Sky News, BBC News, and the UK tabloids and broadsheets. As the Beeb says:

The aim of Charlie Brooker's News Wipe is to expose the inner
workings of news media, just as [Brooker's] Screen Wipe does to TV in general.

The
series will be a funny, thoughtful and scabrous digest of recent news
events. News Wipe will take a look at the brilliant or preposterous
way the news is presented to us.

There will also be experts on hand to pick apart certain stories and
analyse the news media's obsessions.

The experts include political journalist Peter Oborne, Flat Earth News author Nick Davies, Bad Science columnist Dr Ben Goldacre, and documentary maker Adam Curtis.

A WARNING: Those who read  Blurred Keys every once in a while but are so
native to think the contents of this blog just show once-off media blunders
will likely find Newswipe too cynical, while some of our more intellectual readers will
probably find it too low brow.

With the advent of social networking and photo-sharing websites, the question of what to do if a newspaper uses your content without permission is becoming a more frequent one (boards.ie, YourTechStuff.com, al et). Here's what you can do:

First, to explain: All content is copyrighted once you take a photograph, write a blog post etc. So, you own the copyright to photos you take, the videos you record, and the text you write. Nobody is allowed to use your content with out your permission. You do not need to register or do anything along those lines.

If a newspaper uses your image you have a number of options, including:

• GET THEM TO PAY YOU: Ring them up and ask for the picture desk. Ask what they pay for images of the same size and placement as they used your photo, then send them a bill. We've written about this before, at least some will pay. You may even want to try to charge over their standard rates — its up to you. If they pay you, this would likely exclude you from using both of the below options.
• COMPLAIN TO THE PRESS OMBUDSMAN: The Ombudsman has previously told this site that plagiarism is covered under Principle 3 - Fairness and Honesty of the Code of Conduct which all national newspapers and most local papers subscribe to. You'll need to contact the newspaper to complain first, it is explained how to make a complaint on the website of the Press Ombudsman.
• CONTACT A LAWYER: Taking a court case for a breach of copyright would likely be unrealistic, unless you have just won the lotto and want an inventive way to spend your money. And while a letter from a lawyer should be taken more serious by newspapers, it will cost you too, unlike the options above. According to the Press Ombudsman's website, it is not advisable to engage the services of a solicitor before/while making a complaint as the newspaper will also engage its legal advisers, which will most likely take the issue out of the hands of the editor.

For written content, complaining to the Press Ombudsman is the most realistic option as this will be more highly contested by newspapers, or ignored if you simply ask them for payment.

Irish editions of UK tabloids can be quite different. In a quite substantial example of this, Ben Goldacre, writer of the Guardian's Bad Science articles, has caught the Daily Mail out on the issue of the cervical cancer vaccine.

In the London edition it's scare headlines, as Goldacre writes:

And it the Irish edition it's used to bash the government:

[via boards.ie]

The word 'bloodbath' used in two headlines on newspaper front pages: In the Irish Daily Mail it refers to a story which says over 700 nurses will lose their jobs. The Irish Daily Mirror has quite different news values — their "bloodbath" was the news RTE will not recommission, the only focus is on the two "stars" who will lose their jobs.

Another "star" who has quit TV3 is also somehow included in the "bloodbath." In fairness to the Mirror, other tabloids also cover the same story, but two stars losing their jobs and another quitting is hardly a 'bloodbath'… and should we even be expecting more from an English paper with little more than an Irish wraparound? [Via Today FM]

The Belfast Telegraph went totally from broadsheet to tabloid size last week.

Roy Greenslade talks about it here and there's a promo video on the newspaper's website, with staff and readers talking about the move here.

Two scholarships open to prospective journalism students are nearing the deadlines for this year. From DCU.ie:

DCU are inviting applications for two journalism and marketing scholarships.

The Veronica Guerin Memorial Scholarship is awarded in memory of
investigative journalist Veronica Guerin. The deadline for applications
is 12pm, Monday, 7 April 2009. View attached pdf for further information.

The John Thompson Marketing and Media Scholarship is awarded in
memory of John Thompson, former Chief Executive of Associated
Newspapers Ireland (Daily Irish Mail and Mail on Sunday) and Managing
Director, The Star. The deadline for applications is 4pm, Tuesday, 31
March 2009. View attached pdf for further information.

Tomai O Conghaile, editor of the contemporary Irish language magazine nos*, writes to us about the publication which launched online last March and has recently released a monthly print edition, he says:

Too many journalists and editors do damage to their outlets
and journalism in general due to daily blunders, which they don’t seem to care
about.

The attitude could be that few people in specialised areas will
notice so it does not matter, or it’s covering a minority so it does not
matter. Or it could be that the journalist needs to get the story or create a
new angle and nothing else matters (ie filling the white space journalism… if they
were skilled they could have been a copywriters and got paid more).

A prime example of this is in today’s Irish Independent: ‘New
'cycle to work' scheme gets just one query.’

The headline is clear, one query. The first par then reads: “The
Department of Finance has received only one query regarding its cycle-to-work
scheme announced in the Budget last year.”

But one bicycle shop sent a message into the Last Word saying
bicycles have already been bought from them under the scheme, a press release
from Ciaran Cuffe today said “Over 7,000 people have visited the Green Party's
bikescheme.ie” since January 1, and at least one company, biketowork.ie, has been set
up to handle the paperwork.

So the Indo got it a bit wrong then?

Worst still, it was a follow-up story that was covered in the
Sunday Times yesterday. Which in its self was flawed enough to start with.

The ST story centred on how departments have been slow to
take up the scheme. But it had to go on to say “Calls to seven of the 10
companies voted ‘Best places to work in Ireland’ revealed that only one has
introduced the programme” – which is like akin to conducting a political polls by
doing a vox pop on the street out side the newspaper.

The Cleraun Media Forum is restarting next Monday, its location has moved to Dublin City Centre. Details of the first event this year are as follows:

• Topic: Lisbon Treaty 2008: a case of balanced media reporting?
• Speakers: Mark Hennessy, political correspondent, the Irish Times, and Peter Feeney, head of public Affairs, RTE
• Date & time: Monday 2 March 2009, 1930 to 2100
• Venue: Ely University Centre, 9 Hume Street (Just off St Stephen’s Green, between Merrion Row and Leeson St)

"The main target audience comprised
senior journalism students and younger journalists, according to the events organisers, and the objective is to "discuss issues related to professional
integrity".

« Older Entries