by Calum Rosie Criticising the current state of the English language can be risky; one can easily (and in many cases, justifiably) be accused of snobbishness and elitism, countered with the argument that language evolves and that we should all be willing to adapt to it. And while this is true to a point, it’s incredibly important to remember that language is a tool developed … [Read more...]
MRC submission to inquiry on the future of journalism
The House of Lords Select Committee on Communications recently called for submissions to its inquiry on the future of journalism. In the context of the Covid-19 crisis - in which we have seen a huge decline in advertising revenue combined with a massive spike in demand for quality news - supporting independent and critical journalism is especially significant. The MRC's … [Read more...]
What will the coronavirus pandemic mean for the business of news?
At a time when we need trusted information and analysis more than ever, Covid-19 threatens the very fabric of our news environment. With an announcement today by JPIMedia that it is suspending 12 of its local print titles because of a collapse in advertising and huge problems with home delivery, and the recent decision by Newsquest to put a 'significant number' of its staff on … [Read more...]
Reflections on the election from a journalism student
by Clara Hill There are many things that attracted me to pursue a career in journalism. Mainly, that I might as well monetise my irritating love of 24 hour news I inherited from my father. In some ways, this is an unfortunate ambition because it is no secret that the British media is largely biased towards the right. From my point of view, it is unclear whether this … [Read more...]
American surveillance raises tough questions for British journalists
By Laurence Dodds Over the last week, revelations about the NSA's mass surveillance programme have burst into the public sphere in a storm of reports, op-eds, comments and interviews. But what hasn't gained quite so much attention is how this programme threatens the press itself. For any journalist who uses the web - and, spoiler, that's all of them - the scale and depth of … [Read more...]
Real Journalism After Leveson: how do we achieve it?
This is a talk given by Angela Phillips at an event called 'After Leveson: is citizen journalism the answer?' The event was held by Citizen Journalism Educational Trust on Saturday 8 June. Angela is our Ethics Chair and the editor-in-chief of Goldsmiths-based London news website EastLondonLines. Can we start by getting rid of the title: Citizen Journalism? Journalists are … [Read more...]