The BBC website is on the right track with this package

25/10/11


'Russian officials have backed the idea of a rail tunnel linking Russia and the US.'

That's the story, now step forward the BBC's web team. Digital content, such as this package, does not carry a byline on the Beeb's website, but whoever put together this brilliant piece of animation deserves great credit. They have taken a solid but somehwhat dry news item and created an engaging, educational and entertaining package.

A snapshot of the BBC package

There is no voice over or narration, nor any interviews of any kind. The only aural stimulation provided is a fast paced backing track. The story itself is told with a seamless combination of real-world footage and digital animation. The package features maps and facts, figures and diagrams. It ticks all the right boxes. The text that is displayed on screen is kept short and snappy and is never allowed to slow the pace of the piece.

This is a prime cut of modern journalism (click here to take a look). The story is clear. All the relevant information is neatly wrapped up in there. At just over two minutes in length it mirrors how the story would and could have been tackled on radio on TV. Most importantly of all the journalist behind the piece has explained to the consumer the context - why the story should matter to them.

I firmly believe that this is an example of a digital news package which can compete with the best that radio and TV have to offer, and one can imagine at only a fraction of the cost.

They say that by 2041 you will be able to take a train direct from New York to Moscow. Long before then though great digital news packages could become the norm.

This report contains thoughts that some readers may find distressing

21/10/11

The death of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi at the hands of Libyan transitional forces yesterday sparked scenes of jubilation throughout the newly liberated state, and a sense of quiet relief amongst the NATO powers.

The undignified end to the life of one of the world's cruelest contemporary despots also brought with it less agreeable consequences.

British broadsheet reaction

Print and broadcast media around the globe leapt upon the story. Sky News, BBC 24 and Al Jazeera all ran live reports and analysis, and were all eager to uncover as much 'exclusive' material as possible. Sadly coverage from most quarters was dominated by gruesome footage and images of Gaddafi's bloodied corpse.

Al Jazeera immediately ran with the grainy mobile-phone shoot footage of his body apparently being dragged through the streets of Sirte. It has been suggested to me that the editorial ethics that surround such content in the Middle East are markedly different from those in the UK, although I strongly believe that it was a ill thought decision.

More shocking however was the response of UK based media. There is a commonly accepted standard of taste and decency in the British press, but one which evaporated on Thursday lunchtime. Before long the Sky and BBC rolling news channels ran with the images, and the BBC website was dominated by a large photo of the gunshot wound to the Colonel's head. It seems to me that such content is entirely inappropriate and distasteful in a public forum if not otherwise signposted.

Television news reports, to be fair, carried the 'this report contains disturbing images'/'some viewers may find the following report distressing' warning at the top. Online coverage offered no such warning. Online users were greeted with the images as soon as they logged onto news sites - whether they wished to see them or not.

This morning demonstrated the poorest editorial decisions of all - those of the broadsheet newspapers. Each of the four main titles choose to feature the pictures prominently on the front page above the fold. It was unavoidable for anybody walking past the news stands. Indeed there was nothing to prevent children from seeing the images.

Why has the display of gratuitous violence, or at the very least its end product, suddenly become fair game? Firstly I believe the fact that he died not at the hands of British soldiers but at those of his own people was a contributory factor. There was no element of guilt, no sense of glorifying violence condoned and supported by UK. Secondly, his actions as a cruel dictator have allowed the media to dehumanize Gaddafi, and to an extent have desensitized the sensibilities of news consumers. Finally, and perhaps most disturbingly, I believe that the market forces which dominate the modern media market forced the hands of many editors and news producers. Once Al Jazeera ran the footage the UK groups were playing catch up. Fleet street editors knew that the other papers would put the pictures front and centre and were afraid to shy away from them.

There is a degree of hypocrisy about the situation. When Osama Bin Laden was killed earlier this year many people called for photos to be released, believing that 'justice must be seen to be done'. America rebuffed the calls, fearing that such photos would provoke a fierce backlash and fuel the fire of martyrdom which surrounded the whole affair. Looking further back, to the execution of Saddam Hussain, the indecent footage of his death was not made readily available. Many have subsequently sucessfully searched for it online, but they did so off their own backs, nothing was forced upon them.

On a personal level I do not find the images and footage themselves excessively offensive. Perhaps I too have been desensitized. My concern is that regardless of whether or not viewers and readers had a desire to see, or felt comfortable seeing them, the choice was taken away from them. It was an entirely 'in your face' moment.

Hopefully in the future editors can show some bravery and not resort to the level of a anachronistic lynch mob.

'The Independent' could teach Dr Who a thing or two about regeneration

12/10/11

The new-look Indy

New Independent editor Chris Blackhurst has radically redesigned the paper on the eve of its 25th-anniversary, the third such redesign in four years. There is a shiny new masthead (though of course the same old name) and a new stable of fonts throughout the paper. One of the most radical changes is the abandonment of The 'Viewspaper', the pull out opinion section introduced by previous editor Simon Kelner.

In his notes Blackhurst said: "I’ve become aware that The Viewspaper could be something of a ghetto, to be taken out and read later – but in truth, put on one side and, during a busy day, forgotten."

I wholeheartedly concur. Although I was a avid reader of the 'Viewspaper' pull out, I can understand that others who placed less importance on it as a section could easily disregard it, accidentally or otherwise. The marrying of the opinion and leaders into the main body of the news section successfully fulfills Blackhurst's self imposed mission statement of creating a 'faster, more accessible and urgent paper, one that is easily navigated and that puts you in no doubt what The Independent stands for.'

The last redesign of 'The Independent' took place almost exactly 12 months ago. Kelner attempted to move the paper more upmarket at a time when the paper's baby brother, 'The i', was being introduced. Now that 'The i' has successfully established itself as a leading metro newspaper, and with the arrival of the more hard-news orientated Blackhurst, 'The Independent' has moved into new territory. Presumably the goal of this latest reincarnation is to position the paper more inline with 'The Times' and 'The Daily Mail' (in style rather than agenda) as a compact and commercially viable product. 

Reaction to the new format has been mixed. Many have praised the eye-catching new red masthead and one letter featured in the second issue of the new format described it as 'the first newspaper I noticed with its fabulous bold header and very readable text'. The move towards a single main section, one that mirrors 'The Guardian's' recent change, is positive.

Others have been less flattering. In the comment section of the Press Gazette website the new style masthead has been labeled 'vulgar' and 'naive' in its attempts to draw in new readers. I disagree. 'The Independent' has always prided itself on its individuality, indeed much of the paper's credibility and reputation is built on it. The adoption of this rather unique masthead (in British market terms at least) is simply an extension of this individuality. Sadly I do concede that the new fonts and headline styles are a step backwards. The fonts are slighter cruder than before and the headlines are so crammed together that on occasion a second reading is required.

All told, I firmly believe that Blackhurst's efforts are a step forward for a paper which appears in good health, but regardless of new colours, fonts, mastheads and sections the most important thing is that 'The Independent' has retained the strong, unwavering objectivity and fearless approach to journalism that has kept readers come back for more for 25 years.

Poxy Knoxy: The Media Darling

05/10/11

Amanda Knox

The ongoing battle for justice in the Meredith Kercher murder trial has been one of the most divisive legal proceedings of the last half-decade. The question of the involvement of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollectio in the British student’s murder has split judicial, public and media opinion both in Italy and around the world. The true victims – Meredith and those who loved her – have long since been forgotten in the media maelstrom that surrounds the case.

Meredith Kercher

In the four years since Kercher was discovered naked and bloody in her Perugia home the press has nurtured a disturbing obsession with the alleged perpetrator of the crime. ‘Foxy Knoxy’. The Femme Fatale. What was it that drew the media to Knox? Was it the salacious nature of the accusations made against her? Or was it that in her the press had found everything they look for in a murder case: a young, attractive female victim? Only this time the ‘victim’ was the girl in the dock.

From the moment the Italian authorities fingered Knox as the one who’dunnit the true human story was lost. Today’s newspapers are filled with emotional colour pieces about Knox’s visits to the prison chapel, and about the lengths to which her family have gone to ensure her freedom. There is little mention of the Kercher family and the impact yesterday’s decision has had on their lives.

The murder of Meredith Kercher certainly is news. She was a British student who was brutally murdered. There is a British emotional investment in the story, but the cult of personality that dominates large sections of the media hijacked the case. Sadly Knox became the story. The newspapers and online press (particularly the Daily Mail online) focused on Knox's physical appearance, her demeanor and the fact she visited the prison chapel before the verdict was announced. The post appeal Kercher press conference was relegated to second tier news.

The case also spotlighted unprofessional and amateur practices on the part of the press. The below article, accidentally uploaded in the moments after the verdict was announced, is a perfect example:

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/8510/falseknoxstory02.jpg

The case showed the worst in the media. Their treatment of Kercher's death as a 'story' rather than a 'tragedy', their focus on the suspect who they transformed into the victim, and the callous disregard for the Kercher family. When the circus undoubtedly rolls out in force again the next time a pretty white girl is accused of murder, hopefully the public won't buy into it quite so much.

12/10/11

It is worth noting, in hindsight, the excellent coverage provided by the BBC. On the most part they rose above the frenzy. In particular the live coverage in the moments after the verdict was announced was excellent. Their reporter gave a composed and informative evaluation form the steps of the courthouse amongst a scene of mixed joy and anger.