Journalism is not Dead

David Higgerson, Head of Multi-Media at the Trinity Mirror gave a lecture to second year students yesterday about the rise of online journalism.

Journalism students are being told time and time again that journalism is going out, there is no market for it anymore, people are losing jobs all over the world. David Higgerson re-assured them - he is not out to kill newspapers.

Higgerson explained how journalism is rapidly moving to an online world but the myth that the internet is killing journalism is wrong – “it’s a very exciting time”.

People value getting news and information from one place and the skills of a journalist still matter more than ever. Accuracy being the most vital; “It only takes 5 minutes for someone to correct you on Facebook these days”. He gave the explanation of Jan Moir’s article from the Daily Mail Online, within half an hour complaints were pouring in and the Press Complaints Commission has received more complaints than ever before.

The students were told how news must be delivered the way people want it and when they want it. Active communication is a necessity, encourage people to post comments on your stories, know your audience and their reaction to you and your writing.

You will be pleased to know – the need for our talents as journalists has not declined “we’re doing what we’ve always done – providing the best coverage we can”.

Higgerson also gave the students tips on how to get a job in his company:

1) Have a blog - If somebody is blogging it’s an indication that they are creative and can already engage an audience with what    they have to say. It is not impressive when you see a blog that has been set up the week before the interview.

2) Basic video and audio skills – The online world requires more than just simple journalism, think about different ways of putting your story across.

3) Written technique – Online writing requires a different technique to print journalism. He gave the example, if there was a car crash, the area must be described in the first paragraph, unlike print journalism, because that is what people will type into a search engine. The one thing that attracts people to his site is the use of names in headlines.

4) You must know your audience – In an interview, we would look to see how they would try to connect with their audience for example Twitter is a great source of information.

He described how his Birmingham City writer talks to people on Facebook about their opinions on what they want to read about. “Don’t be afraid ask the people what they want”.

The most important advice he gave was: “Be Your Own Brand”, be visible to your potential online audience, whether through Facebook or your own blog. “It is a valuable commodity to be known online”.

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A strange, lonely and troubling death…

The day before pop star, Stephen Gately’s funeral, Daily Mail journalist Jan Moir writes an article blackening his name and leading to the Daily Mail being accused of homophobia.
Ms Moir harshly states in her article: “A founder member of Ireland’s first boy band, he was the group’s co-lead singer, even though he could barely carry a tune in a Louis Vuitton trunk.
He was the Posh Spice of Boyzone, a popular but largely decorous addition”.
Although the article claims to be about the star’s untimely death, she finds it appropriate to attack his talent and life’s work. One of the many complaints fans have put to the complaints commission.

As a budding journalist it is fair to say that we should not use Moir as an example of a good journalist, she has no balance in her views and is no role model for students.
Boyzone performed at Newcastle’s Telewest Arena in May of this year and had to add an extra date due to popular demand.
The term ‘out of order’ does not cover Moir or the Daily Mail’s actions in publishing this article.

The outrage hit the 10 o’clock ITV news on which Moir stood by her comments, claiming that the complainants had not read the full context of the article. Have a read for yourself:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1220756/A-strange-lonely-troubling-death–.html#comments

Retailer, Marks and Spencer pulled their advert from the page immediately and were closely followed by every other advert on the page.

After researching acute pulmonary oedema for a matter of 5 minutes online I found that, it is a chronic condition which can develop suddenly; supported by the fact that Gately’s parents have announced a history of family heart disease. “The sugar coating on this fatality is so saccharine-thick that it obscures whatever bitter truth lies beneath. Healthy and fit 33-year-old men do not just climb into their pyjamas and go to sleep on the sofa, never to wake up again”. Sadly: Yes they do.
Moving on to the next argument, Moir completely obscures all issues of privacy surrounding the issues of the night of Stephen’s untimely death. “And I think if we are going to be honest, we would have to admit that the circumstances surrounding his death are more than a little sleazy”. It has been suggested that Gately and his partner were ‘entertaining’ another man in their holiday home on the night of the tragedy. This is a private home; the men were on a private holiday and are entitled to a private life. Stephen Gately is not a Katie Price or Peter Andre of the world, he has never invited the press into his home and has always saved the limelight for his time on stage – any interference or suggestion about the activities Stephen took part in on this night are completely unimportant as a post mortem has proven the young star died of fluid on the lungs. Lifestyle is not an issue.
So far 821 comments have been left on the Daily Mail’s website about this story, the majority of which complaints and it has not yet been 24 hours. The most interesting being:
“I have an 8 month old baby with a heart condition diagnosed purely by chance.

The cardiologists told us that the science is getting better, but there are 20 and 30 year olds out there whose hearts have adapted to congenital defects, but suddenly encounter problems, and death, without warning.

I believe the condition has nothing to do with being gay.

Might I suggest you reconsider the links suggested in your article, Jan Moir.

And, if you’re sure of your stance, perhaps you would agree it would be a nice gesture to donate one pound for every complaint received by the Press Complaints Commission for this article, to a charity such as Wessex Heartbeat who support the families hit by pre-existing conditions suddenly presenting themselves.

You’ll find them on google, underneath the avalanche of reaction to your piece”.

Neil
A proud dad, whatever his son grows up to ‘do’.
- Neil, Hampshire, 16/10/2009 15:55

A friend of Stephen’s  has commented on the article:  “It is absolutely disgraceful and should never have been written. It wasn’t a representation of the man he was. It was terrible”.

Jan Moir has said that it was “mischievious” to suggest her article had homophobic  undertones.

Stephen Gately is being cremated today in Dublin after the remaining Boyzone members spent the night in a vigil around his coffin.

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