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I'm a freelance journalist, having written for publications including Kettle Magazine of London, the digital publications of Twin Cities PBS and the Society of Professional Journalists' magazine Quill.
I am an active member of the Society of Professional Journalists.
I've known the signs all my life - episodes of vertigo that could be short or long, tinnitus (ringing in the ear), hearing loss and feeling like the ear is full. They come with questions: What impact will these signs have today? Has stress exacerbated those conditions?
Upon first entry through the side entrance in a busy shopping centre, life appears to stop. People sit down, drinks and other items in hand, and focus on the conversation. The queue when I visited on a Saturday morning this past February was long, with sound of drinks being made all while the woman at ...
As Minnesota prepared for an early April storm that would dump over a foot of snow in the Twin Cities, Minnesota Public Radio and Garrison Keillor struck a deal.
When President Trump spoke Wednesday night at a fundraiser for a Republican Senate candidate in Missouri, he spoke about the trading relationship with Canada. Yet as he spoke, he said that he made up a claim that the United States has a trade deficit with Canada, instead of a surplus.
Next Thursday, International Women's Day is observed - the day where women's contributions to society, including in journalism, are celebrated. Much of the conversation has been on the role of women in journalism in light of the #MeToo movement on social media and the sexual harassment allegations against prominent male media figures, including Mark Halperin, Charlie Rose, Michael Oreskes, Garrison Keillor, Harvey Weinstein, and most recently, Tom Ashbrook.
It is a piece of guidance which is as established as the institution of journalism itself - as you work your way through school to get a degree, you form a specialism along the way. This specialism would guide much of the work that you would do during the course of your career.
At first, stepping through the side entrance located in a busy mall located in the Minneapolis Skyway, life appears to come to a screeching halt. In the middle of a Saturday morning, as a multitude of conferences, exhibitions and other events were taking place across the city, and the line of people stretched to near the door, there was still an element of life pausing.
When Reuters were looking for reporters to send to Rio de Janeiro to cover the 2016 Summer Olympics, a company-wide email was sent out asking reporters to apply. Along with that application, reporters were asked to write an essay on why they should go. Liana Baker, a reporter in San Francisco who writes about business, ...
"Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?," President Donald Trump reportedly asked Thursday at a White House meeting discussing immigration policies and protections for people from Haiti, El Salvador and the African continent. The president's remark made news organizations around the world decide how to handle words that are viewed by many as offensive.
"Nobody knows exactly what impact it'll have, but in a lot of ways, it looks like the end of the social news era." That is how Jacob Weisberg, the chairman and editor-in-chief of The Slate Group, summed up Facebook's planned changes to its News Feed last week.
As the Golden Globes prepared to get underway in Los Angeles, news came regarding a letter written by Carrie Gracie, a prominent journalist at the BBC. Gracie had stood down from her post as China Editor after it emerged that she was being paid 50 percent less than that of her male colleagues.
The record is not your traditional indie rock record. It begins simply with a piano and a vocal with a soft echo. Synthesizers are added to balance the echo, but then the drums and bassline kick in over the synthesizers, and the expectations you have of this record evolve.
This past week, a column appeared in the Business section of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, encouraging students to find a vocation that they would find themselves useful in, instead of following their passion.
It is said that the things that are the simplest are often the most important. This can be said in the case of honesty, for an honest journalist is a credible journalist. Whether its a breaking news story, a recap of the day's events or an enterprise story, journalists owe it to their audiences to be honest in their reporting.
"It's part of the DNA here. If there is some kind of mess-up, I go into the newsroom and ask what happened, talk to editors and complaintants and come to an assessment about what we need to do. It's so ingrained here people know they need to talk to me."
One of the biggest questions that journalism has faced over the course of the past year is how to maintain trust, in an era where the criticism "fake news" has become a norm. It is a conversation that is likely to continue over the course of the next year, as journalists and news organizations try to maintain trust with audiences.
One of the pressing questions journalism is facing is how outlets can restore the trust of the public. Last week, the Poynter Institute held a summit to discuss journalism ethics (which SPJ's national president, Rebecca Baker, attended), which coincided with the release of a media trust survey.
The newsletter appeared near the top of my inbox, as it always does, on a Thursday every couple of weeks. Yet, the particular edition of this newsletter was special, as it signaled the passing of the baton, and allowed for an opportunity to pause and to reflect on the important work by its author.
Minnesota Public Radio should follow the lead of other news organizations in dealing with harassment allegations. Minnesota Public Radio journalists are seeking answers from their company after it severed ties Wednesday with Garrison Keillor, who is accused of " inappropriate behavior with an individual who worked with him ."
NBC News has said it has fired Matt Lauer, the longtime co-host of the Today Show. In an email to staff, Andrew Lack, NBC News' chairman, said a complaint was received on Monday night, and that a review of that complaint led to the termination of his employment.
Two tube stations within London's Underground were reopened after reports emerged that shots were fired on Oxford Street in central London. In a message on Twitter, British Transport Police, which looks after trains and the subway network, said there was no such evidence of gunfire.
One night in April 1986, Garrison Keillor stood on the stage of the World Theater (now the Fitzgerald Theater) in St. Paul, Minnesota, as part of celebrations for its grand reopening after years of renovation. His program, A Prairie Home Companion, was simulcast that evening on public radio and public television stations nationwide.
Today in the UK is Equal Pay Day, where The Fawcett Society, a campaign group promoting gender equality and women's rights, says that both genders will be paid equal only by 2117. According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK's equivalent to the US Census Bureau, women are paid 7.2 percent less than men.
The stories filtered through my Twitter algorithm with a unison voice. Sarah Portlock, to them, was more than just any other colleague or journalist. Portlock, a reporter and editor for the Wall Street Journal, died Monday in New York. A memo from Journal editor Gerry Baker said she had suffered a traumatic brain injury earlier in the year.
When you're writing on a deadline-either for work or school or when applying for jobs-writer's block can be a killer. If the stakes are high, interruption of your creative flow can cause you to miss deadlines and opportunities. There's long been a debate of what exactly exactly cures writer's block.
They are stories that make you pause and think. They are stories that people did not necessarily wish to tell, but told them in the hope that they could start a conversation of change. They are stories of events that should never have happened at all.
On the public television station in the part of the US where I live, a daily programme comes on late in the morning featuring the renowned chef, author and television personality Julia Child. "What fun we are going to have, baking all kinds of incredible cakes, pies and breads, right here in my own kitchen!"
This is something I'll freely own up to. I am a subscriber to The Cohort, the newsletter from the Poynter Institute curated by Katie Hawkins-Gaar. The newsletter aims to celebrate and promote women kicking ass in digital media.
Journalists and news organizations have been intensively covering Sunday's shooting at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. At least 58 people were killed and over 500 were injured as spectators enjoyed a festival of country music. At the core of the coverage has been user-generated content - eyewitness footage of the shootings.
New York Times book reviews are a big deal. The paper's Sunday Book Review publication is considered a stepping stone that can set career trajectories for fiction and non-fiction authors. But a recent study from McGill University in Canada has raised questions on how the Times reviews books by women.
My reaction is intermittently similar to that of Hugh Grant's character in Four Weddings and a Funeral. As Charles prepares for his first wedding, he awakens in his London flat in a stupor and looks to the clock on the table beside him. It only takes three words to sum up how he's feeling: "Oh, fuck.
The gender pay gap is a perennial issue-but it's still making headlines. Most recent examples include the controversy surrounding an engineer at Google, James Damore, who was fired after writing an internal memo suggesting the lack of women in the tech industry is because women are more neurotic than men.
"Journalism is a team effort." That was how Jake Tapper, the chief Washington correspondent for CNN and anchor of The Lead and State of the Union, described the profession as he accepted the John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award from the RTDNA at the Excellence in Journalism conference Friday night.
When Raney Aronson-Rath began her journalism career at an English language newspaper in Taiwan in the early 1990s, she witnessed the emergence of a free press, in a time where the country was undergoing significant political reforms. Aronson-Rath, now the executive producer of the PBS documentary program Frontline, said that witnessing that was an a-ha moment, a moment that would provide guidance to the work that she would do in the future.
This past week, Village Voice, the New York based alternative weekly known for its cultural output, announced that it would cease publication of its print edition. After that news was announced, a Twitter thread appeared from Andrea Swensson, music journalist and presenter of The Local Show, a program on 89.3 The Current, the music service of Minnesota Public Radio, which showcases Minnesota's music scene.
This past Saturday marked Women's Equality Day, the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote in the United States. Women have made significant contributions to civic and cultural life, and as journalism continues to evolve in the digital age, they have allowed our industry to become stronger.
There is no question that social media has challenged how audiences consume journalism, but it has raised several ethical concerns, notably surrounding the algorithm. But not enough is being done, nor is enough being asked about it. That was a point Jon Snow, a presenter of Britain's Channel 4 News, raised this week in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Spring, 2009. A medical trifecta led to me completing the last half of my junior year and my entire senior year of high school as a homebound student. The days saw my mom and I commute to a plethora of doctors appointments, while the nights saw insomnia - a side effect of all the medications I was on.
"I don't know what to make of the news. But I promise we will cover it with fairness and without fear. We work for America."
Thanks to social media, we can talk about current affairs with people all over the world. Users flock to Facebook and Twitter daily to share stories and engage others in debate. But more discourse also means more opportunity for conversations to spiral out of control.
Saturday, 22nd July. At the Walker Arts Centre in Minneapolis, a hub of the American Midwest, there was a moment of peace and serenity as the sun began to set on the summer day where Rock the Garden, a prominent music and culture festival, was taking place.
It's Tuesday, the 8th, at just after 10 in the morning. At my desk, I prepare to make some phone calls to Britain for research for a story I'm working on.
Baking is, in many ways, a pastime as American as baseball. It has become a quintessential part of celebration, a staple of holidays and get-togethers with friends and family. In recent years, baking has become even more popular thanks to a British reality show on PBS that has become a household favorite in the U.S.
While she was a correspondent at the Financial Times, Cathy Newman was asked for recommendations for people management could take on as reporters. One of those people were hired, but it later emerged that the individual earned £10,000 more than she did. Considering Newman's role and seniority at the organisation at the time, it was outrageous.
It's a somewhat overcast afternoon as I look out of the window in the small office of my apartment in Minneapolis, where I'm ending my first full week as a Minnesotan. In the distance is the city skyline, a view that echoes the apartment in Seattle where the fictitious psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane lived.
When we try to decide what we want to do for a living as a career, a lot of questions come to mind. What are we passionate about? What piques our interest? Is there a profession that calls to us to...
Last year, when SPJ convened in New Orleans for the annual Excellence in Journalism conference, my colleague, Elle Toussi (who co-chairs SPJ's International Community) and I co-wrote a resolution with the help of chapters and colleagues nationwide calling for women in journalism to be supported, and for resources to be made available to help them thrive in the industry.
In an edition of Write On, the former BBC World Service programme devoted to examinations of its output, a programme they profiled was described as one that split listeners. It was said to be a phenomenon that either caused "blood to boil or the heart to beat just a little bit faster."
Feeling Stressed? Baking Can Make It Better Baking is, in many ways, a pastime as American as baseball. It has become a quintessential part of celebration, a staple of holidays and get-togethers with friends and family.
Last Thursday, the UK held a general election which saw a hung parliament. It also saw negotiations begin on a minority government between Prime Minister Theresa May and the Conservatives, and the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland.
On first glance, the role of Public Editor may not make sense to an average reader. It may appear to be a way to promote good PR for a media organisation - an idiosyncratic method to exclaim to the world that their journalism, and only their journalism, is the best.
Why Streaming Has Changed How Music is Written Despite a rise in interest in throwback formats like tapes and vinyl, music lovers have never been more digital than they are today. In 2016, for the first time ever, revenue from digital music made up half the global record industry's total revenue, according to IFPI.
The dissertation reflects an interesting point in one's time at university. It is a symbolic representation of the end - the culmination of your degree reflected by a plethora of research and references, ready to be typed into a document, then bound, all to submit.
What Readers Need to Know About Political News Political news is everywhere you look these days, and it isn't going away. But it could be improving. After the 2016 presidential election, some media consumers raised concerns about how politics is covered, and trust levels between journalists and the public diminished.
When Prime Minister Theresa May called a general election last month, The New York Times ran a leader suggesting that a general election was the right call. The election, the Editorial Board wrote, was justified amidst the negotiations between London and Brussels on the UK's exit from the European Union.
Journalism is one of the most rewarding professions in the world. It also can be one of the most stressful, especially for those who aspire to hope to work in the industry.
The year is 1982. In a radio continuity studio in central London, an announcer prepares to light a cigarette, as the arts and culture programme Meridian concludes. "We're talking about A Good Marriage, by Eric Rohmer," the presenter says, referring to the latest film at the time by the renowned French director.
At midday last Wednesday, MPs gathered in the House of Commons for Prime Minister's Questions, the last before the UK General Election on 8 June.
"I don't believe in odds, and I don't believe that you can predict a campaign before it starts." Those are the words of Jérome Riviére, a senior defence advisor to Marine Le Pen, in an interview on Radio 4's Today programme Monday.
Facebook's annual F8 conference began today in San Jose, California. F8 is a two-day conference designed to examine and look ahead to new features for developers and other parties who want to use the social network as part of their work. The business of journalism and the business of social media have been synonymous.
Next Monday (April 24th) begins Ethics Week, an annual event here at SPJ that looks at the role of ethics in journalism, why the Society's own Code of Ethics is important - and to explore its four key principles - seek truth and report it, minimize harm, and be accountable and transparent.
The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation's most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.
In the world of social media, content is king, and for journalists, social media has allowed for new ways to not just inform audiences, but also to engage them - creating new dimensions in the relationship between consumer and news organization.
At NPR's headquarters in Washington, two sets of keyboards, both connected to microphones, appear before a musician. He sits down and performs three tracks from his album - a performance that is as intimate as it gets, a performance that is powerful and can showcase talent.
The news came this past week that George Osborne, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, was to become the new editor of the London Evening Standard. Osborne will be taking over from Sarah Sands, who has been appointed the new editor of the Today programme on Radio 4.
This week is Sunshine Week. Sunshine Week is a week held annually reminding us of the importance of the public's right to know. At the core of this is the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which was signed into law in 1966.
"The future of media looks like this." That is how a tweet from Josiah Ryan, a senior producer for CNN in New York, began when discussing the recent front page cover story on the network from The Hollywood Reporter. Featuring the network's chief executive, Jeff Zucker, and other journalists and personalities, including Jake Tapper, Anthony Bourdain, Casey Neistat and W.
Last month, Laura Davis of the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Journalism curated a series written by her students about how products affect trust with news organizations. Journalism, in all its forms, finds itself in a quandary as the digital age.
In New York, in the lobby of the hall at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University that bears his name, sits a plaque of a quote recorded in 1904 by the newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer. It says: "Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together."
One of the first people I remember interviewing was the renowned Canadian journalist, author and broadcaster Stuart McLean. It also happened to be an interview which I was late for, but nevertheless, was excited to do.
In spite of financial concerns outlined last week where its stock prices fell 11 percent, Twitter continues to play a dominant role in the world of journalism. Whether its consuming news, disseminating information or gathering material for a story, Twitter has become ubiquitous with journalism, while journalism has become an essential component of the business of social media.
A little over two years ago, a woman walked into a job in the city to begin temporary work as a receptionist. Her temporary supervisor objected to the flats she was wearing, and she was told to get shoes with heels 2 inches high. She refused, and was sent home without pay.
Facebook announced last Wednesday changes to its trending topics section, which is the box of subjects users see on the top-right corner of the screen. The social network's software will only recognize subjects covered by multiple credible sources, according to The Wall Street Journal . The subjects won't be adjusted to user preferences.
It was written when he was 17 years old - a song which chronicles a melancholic sense of regret over an affair and its ensuing reactions. Though commonplace in a lot of songs, this one was different, as it challenged the culture of the music industry.
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia - Monday, the 16th. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come to this community, just outside Halifax in the eastern part of the country, for a town hall with members of the public to discuss various aspects of policy, as well as the future.
It was a night in Spring 2009, just before 1am. The house was quiet as my mom and sister tried to sleep. In my room, I found myself awake because of insomnia, stemming from treatment of a trifecta of illness that kept me from attending high school.
Five years ago this October, two brothers from Reigate in Surrey got together and struck gold in popular music. The brothers, Guy and Howard Lawrence, better known to the world as the house music duo Disclosure, became household music names overnight.
The record in the background is one with a driving rock, sort of punk sound, with vocal elements that echoes a sound nearly similar to that of the British rapper The Streets. Not too far away, a visual recording is taking place. "Today, we're kinda channeling a little carbon silicon - a little big audio dynamite."
It is considered to be one of the most extravagant concerts of the year, a concert that sees tickets drawn by lot, with competition for seats as vivacious as tickets for Radio 1's Big Weekend or a gig at Wembley Stadium.
Social media remains at the center of news consumption for audiences. The platforms have become ubiquitous with news consumption, as they become publishers and media companies in their own right. They also have been ingrained in how audiences see and perceive the news. Oxford Dictionaries announced last month that post-truth is its international word of the year.
Journalism is in a quandary. As we prepare to say goodbye to 2016 and head into 2017, we do so with a challenge to the identity and culture of our profession. In light of the geopolitical headlines, notably with the recent US presidential election, we're attempting to trace our next steps.
Five and a half years ago, ITN, the news organisation that produces Channel 4 News, did something that was a first for that programme - it named its first female co-presenter, sharing presenting duties with Jon Snow. Cathy Newman since that time has become one of the most prominent women in television, and in British journalism.
In two weeks from now, we will say goodbye to the old year and hello to a new one. Crowds will gather at Times Square in New York, around the South Bank in London, and at other areas around the wor...
It was 1am on a Spring night in 2009, and I was sitting in my room tuning the dial on my radio - the volume low to not awake my mum and sister in other parts of the house.
Over the last few years, social media has become an integral part of our relationship with journalism. Journalism is designed to help us to understand what is true and what isn't. The last year has challenged that design, notably with the vote surrounding Britain's departure from the European Union, as well as presidential elections in the United States.
Five years ago, there was a question that began a debate within the British radio industry - why are there less women in the industry, and what can be done to correct it? At that time, a group of 14 women came together to establish Sound Women, which aimed to answer that question.
Social media coverage drives the conversation surrounding the 2016 presidential campaign - whether it's live-tweeting of a campaign stop or a Facebook Live broadcast of a campaign speech. The presidential election is one of the most significant news stories of the year. Audiences expect quality analysis and insight.
As the world of social media has evolved, so too has the dissemination and the curation of journalism, from how we inform and engage our audiences to how we enhance the stories that we tell. Every day, we find ourselves flocking to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other places to help tell these stories, to enhance our crafts, and to reach our audiences in new ways.
As we prepare for careers in this ever changing media landscape, some of the most quintessential things to remember can be items that can easily be taken for granted. In this digital age we find ourselves in a competitive environment, trying to be the first to get the story to audiences, through as many platforms as possible, be it either social media or conventional means (radio, television or the web).
It was the 21st of September, 3pm London time. As the contest for the Labour Party leadership between Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith, discussions about the outcome of the UK's exit from the European Union, and plans about the future of the Great British Bake Off dominated the headlines, Lynn Walsh was sitting down with colleagues in a conference room of the Sheraton hotel, over 4,600 miles away, in the US city of New Orleans.
There are many things that journalism students ponder about as they prepare to return to university for another year, from planning schedules and content for student media (and elsewhere) to dates for pending work experience placements. There is however the ultimate question - am I able to get a career in the industry that I'm studying?
The idea for it came from a connection - a desire to bring Britain and the United States "closer together in understanding and affection." The program was Letter from America, which was first broadcast 70 years ago.
Journalism is changing right before our eyes, and as it does so is the strategy to have a successful career in the industry. There is much to consider, from the route you go in or if you should build a specialism, to the role LinkedIn and the web should have in bolstering your career.
Geopolitics has been at the epicenter of the news the past few months, from the news of Britain's referendum on leaving the European Union with a new Prime Minister, and the diplomatic conversations surrounding the conflict in Syria, to the closely watched campaigns for elections for president of the United States.
It's Monday night, 8:30pm. In a studio on the eighth floor of Broadcasting House, known to the world as the bastion of journalism and media in central London, Annie Mac introduces the Power Down playlist, a signature element of her nightly programme on Radio 1.
On Read a Book Day, Alex Veeneman considers why books are important, and why the art of writing is worth preserving.
In the next few weeks, students from up and down the UK will begin their return to university, adapting back to student life, and continuing (or in some cases concluding) their degrees. Others will start their degrees, either at the undergraduate or graduate level. Whatever the circumstance, many of them will be in journalism.
This week, it emerged that the editors behind the Trending Topics section at Facebook had been fired, and that the algorithm would be at the core of finding stories that users would want to hear about. It hasn't gone quite as planned. The notable instance came last Saturday about a story surrounding the Fox News presenter Megyn Kelly.
Recently, The New York Times did something rather interesting when it came to its coverage of the forthcoming presidential elections. It assigned a foreign correspondent to cover them, allowing for not just an interesting way to cover these elections, but also an indication of trends in media and how they will impact storytelling overall.
Last Friday, Joanna Geary, the Europe, Middle East and Africa lead for Twitter's Moments project, took to the social network to consider her role in journalism, and how she sees her work in the industry moving forward.
It was announced last week that Twitter plans to roll out Moments, its program that features content from news organizations and others, to everyone. Introduced last October, it was designed to help engage users on the social network and to attract new users, something that chief executive Jack Dorsey has been trying to do since he took over as CEO from Dick Costolo last year.
Last night, John Oliver used humor to make a point about the future of this industry. A portion of his HBO program Last Week Tonight was devoted to a look at journalism, and the future of newspapers, amidst the decline of advertising revenue.
It has become a common theme for Facebook in the past few weeks. Another day comes, and with it comes another change to its algorithm. The most recent change came this week, when the social network announced its plans to combat clickbait by examining headlines of articles.
A haircut is rarely ground-breaking worldwide news. Yet it only took whispers of this event for emotions of some individuals to become rampant. For these particular users of Twitter, it was enough to vex them. They knew the back story of this individual's life, they wondered why this person did it, and had one simple question to ask: Why did he not bother telling us?
In the United States, the final leg of the race for the country's highest political office is underway, as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stood at the Wells Fargo Arena in the Mid-Atlantic city of Philadelphia and accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for President.
In the year 1995, at BookExpo America, a convention for the publishing industry in the US city of Chicago, a slogan of a particular booth caught the eye of Roger Doeren, a bookseller from Kansas City. It was a prevalent part of the business which occupied it.
The House of Lords has said Channel 4 must not be sold off, amid concerns that it may be privatised by the government. The Lords' Communications Committee said it expressed concerns that an owner focused on profit would dilute its public service remit, including diversity programmes, film production and news.
At a meeting at the United Nations in New York earlier this year on gender equality, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared to the world that he was a proud feminist, and would keep repeating it "until it was met with a shrug."
C.P. Scott had one sentence that described his editorial philosophy. This sentence, written in 1921 to commemorate the Guardian's first centenary and his 50 years as editor, became synonymous with the paper's editorial philosophy. "Comment is free, but facts are sacred."
On a recent edition of Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, the vascular surgeon David Nott recalled stories from his work on the frontlines of war torn countries. Away from his work in the NHS in London, Nott volunteers for the medical charity Medecin Sans Frontiers and the Red Cross as a physician in areas of conflict.
Social media has had a significant impact into how we distribute, disseminate and curate journalism. We use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and other platforms to inform as well as engage users in conversations about the day's events, be it the recent vote on the UK's membership in the European Union, who is number 1 in the charts, or the forthcoming sporting fixture at the weekend.
It was 9pm, and the people of the city of Chicago were celebrating the fact that it was a holiday weekend. The weather was supposed to be decent, and the forthcoming work week would be abbreviated.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the public broadcasting station WGBH in Boston began and ended its day with the airing of a small montage, telling viewers in New England about its role. In that montage was a simple summary of its mission: "Our purpose is to help you cope better with the world and your own life."
Facebook this week announced plans to implement another change within its algorithm. Yet, these changes would have further implications on the social network's relationship with journalism. Facebook said it would be changing the algorithm to place more of a focus on content from a user's friends and family, which as a result would see content from publishers and news organizations appear prominently less in other news feeds.
Recently, Dr. Talia Stroud, the director of the Engaging News Project based at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote about a study looking at the role of gender and age in consuming news in the social media and mobile age.
It came suddenly, late on Wednesday - rumours that The Independent could be sold and its print editions closed. Speculation was rampant as to the future of a cornerstone of British journalism. Then, earlier on Friday, Evgeny Lebedev confirmed that The Independent would stop its print editions and move solely online, and that the i newspaper would be sold to Johnston Press.
The media industry is an industry in interesting times as news organisations try to adjust to an increasingly digital landscape. Yet, alongside the alignment towards a digital future, the gender ratio too is in interesting times, as UCAS data details more and more women studying journalism at universities up and down the UK.
The New York Times today published an interesting collection of pieces in its Room for Debate series on if Facebook is saving journalism or ruining it. The series of pieces comes amid accusations last week that the social network was suppressing content supportive of Conservative policies and ideas, and the release of documents giving guidance to editors on trending topics.
On an ordinary day, a man sits down in a pub. He is greeted by the barman. "And what can I get you sir?" the barman asks. "Oh, get me a gin and tonic," the man replies. "No, make that a double. I just bought my television licence."
People across the UK went to the polls Thursday to cast their votes in local elections, and the elections dominated the front pages both Friday and Saturday. There was a significant difference to how each of the papers covered each election result.
The Online News Association announced April 1 that it was introducing an ethics code for newsgathering practices on social media. The ONA Social Newsgathering Ethics Code - whose founding supporters included CNN , Agence France-Presse , The Guardian and Storyful - was designed to give guidance on social newsgathering practices, from rights and verifying information, to the safety of sources and journalists themselves.
Last Tuesday, at its F8 conference in the United States, Facebook made available Instant Articles, the initiative where publishers can post content and have it hosted on the social network, to any publisher from around the world. Instant Articles was introduced last year after rampant speculation.
Next week is Ethics Week here at SPJ, a time to celebrate the Code of Ethics, and to examine and consider its four principle values in journalism - to seek truth and report it, minimize harm, be accountable and transparent, and act independent.
Last May, I picked up the telephone at my desk and dialed into New Albany, Indiana. Situated on the Indiana-Kentucky border, it was the town that was home to an idea that is at the core of SPJ's beliefs, principles and ideas.
The RAJAR radio ratings for the last quarter of 2015 came out this week, and it indicated that radio as a medium in the UK continued to be resilient, attracting 48.2 million listeners (90 per cent of the population). RAJAR data indicated that 53.5 per cent of listeners were listening to BBC services, compared to 44.1 per cent for commercial radio.
Radio is a medium that is unique amongst existing platforms. What has allowed it to thrive since Marconi transmitted the first transatlantic signal in the 1900s, when the BBC began broadcasting in 1922, and when commercial radio followed decades later, was the 1 to 1 relationship with the listener.
Immediately following the inauguration of Justin Trudeau as Canadian Prime Minister, he made global headlines for appointing a gender neutral cabinet - 50 percent men, 50 percent women. When a journalist asked him why he did it, he had one simple answer. "Because it's 2015," Trudeau said.
Members of journalism advocacy groups in the United States are to meet with senior officials with President Barack Obama's administration next month to discuss the relationship with the country's media. Officials with the Society of Professional Journalists and the Society of Environmental Journalists are to meet with White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest on 15 December to discuss the issue, including access to information and transparency within the administration.
For months, it had been known solely as Project Lightning. Twitter, long considered an influence on journalism and newsgathering, had a major programme in the works that would have significant influence on how its users consume the news, as well as how news organisations present it.
Three weeks from now, we will inaugurate a brand new year - a year where the citizens of the United States go to the polls to determine their country's future, where the intersection of social media and journalism will continue to grow, and where questions will continue to face a certain social network as to its future.
Last week, Facebook announced its plans to expand its live streaming feature. The social network, in a blog post, said they were testing the feature, known as Live, with a small portion of its users by iPhone.
The author Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote that the pen is mightier than the sword. The pen, whether through ink or through the keys on a computer keyboard, mobile phone or other device, produces the written word, words that evoke emotion, conversations, ideas and debates.
The BBC's Sound Of list is a good indicator of new musical trends - the artists and sounds to hear out for are eclectic by nature, and gives good indications on the direction of the industry itself, amid a constant barrage of American style pop sounds from Taylor Swift, Nick Jonas and Justin Bieber.
It all started with a YouTube video, then, mere hours, a tweet merely stating: "Radio X. Monday 21st September. 06:30." Chris Moyles, famously known as the presenter of BBC Radio 1's Breakfast Show with his team of producers and sidekicks, had revealed something that had long been rumoured - he would be returning to radio.
A little over three years ago, in April 2012, I received notification that I had a new follower on Twitter. The follower was identified as Kettle, a publication aimed for student writers who wanted to expand their craft and opportunities.
Justin Trudeau has been elected as Canada's next Prime Minister, winning a majority government for his Liberal Party. Of 338 seats in Canada's House of Commons, 170 was needed to achieve a majority. The Liberal Party gained 189 seats, the Conservative Party gained 104 seats, and the New Democratic Party, or NDP, gained 34 seats, according to data reported by national broadcaster CBC.
Editor's note: This post was amended at 2:09pm CT to reflect updated information on CNN and Facebook's partnership on the debates. Tonight, CNN and Facebook are to host the first presidential debate between the Democratic candidates.
The University of Sussex Student Union is said to have suspended the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Badger. Newspaper staff, in a message on Twitter, said Paul Millar had been suspended by the Union because of concerns they had on content for their recent issue.
A report emerged today that Twitter is to expand its 140 character limit, by way of a new product. According to a report from the tech news site Recode, the product would allow long form content to be published to the social network.
It was 2pm Pacific Time as Twitter's interim chief executive Jack Dorsey walked into a room at Twitter's offices in San Francisco, preparing to give details on its second quarter earnings. The main issue Dorsey faced was one similarly faced by his predecessor, Dick Costolo-the issue of user growth, as it continued to stall, and it was a big concern for investors, hoping to hear some good news.
Officials in Switzerland have begun a criminal investigation into FIFA president Sepp Blatter. In a statement, the office of the country's Attorney General said they are investigating Blatter over criminal mismanagement and misappropriation of funds. Authorities are investigating a television rights deal signed while Jack Warner was the head of the Caribbean Football Union in 2005.
When the government announced its plans to review the Freedom of Information Act, signed into law in 2000, there were questions on how it would affect the ability for journalists to uphold the watchdog principle of journalism - holding people and organisations to account and to keep the public informed about civic life.
Prime Minister David Cameron has said businesses should be campaigning for the UK to stay in the European Union. Speaking during a visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Cameron said business leaders should get out there and start campaigning.
Ten years ago today, Jack Dorsey composed a message that started a revolution. It was 140 characters in length, and would significantly have an impact on how we communicate, and, most importantly, how we consume media. It was a simple message, and would change the business of social media forever.
Next Tuesday (April 12th), at Facebook's F8 conference in San Francisco, the social network is to open up Instant Articles to every single publisher in the world. Instant Articles, which was launched last May, started a revolution into Facebook's relationship with journalism, and how users consume journalism on social media.
It all started with an idea - in the middle of February, Emily Reynolds, Mollie Goodfellow, Ellie Mae O'Hagan and others got together to discuss how more women working in journalism can be recognised for their work.
The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to her second child Saturday, and the news was of particular interest on social media, especially Twitter. As previously mentioned on this blog, royal officials broke the news on Twitter before the traditional placing of the easel at Buckingham Palace.
Next week, David Letterman will retire from television, after a 33 year career that saw the creation of two late night TV franchises, NBC's Late Night and CBS' Late Show. Letterman will have been hosting the Late Show for 22 years on May 20, with 11 years of his career being spent at NBC, leaving...
This week, the debate continued at Westminster on the form of the referendum on whether the UK should stay as a member of the European Union. Specifically focussing on the bill to set up the vote, made as part of the manifesto from Prime Minister David Cameron and the Conservatives.
Jacques Pepin and I, through our professions, are different. Pepin is the successful chef, author and broadcaster, known to millions as the host of multiple cooking programs airing on public television. I am a journalist who writes primarily about journalism and digital culture.
The search engine Google is synonymous with the search for information - the word itself signifies the search for the truth. Google is used by everyone in every profession, including this one. But could Google, at some stage, lead the way in becoming an encyclopedia of fact, in addition to the reference we all have come to know and love?
The House of Commons' Culture, Media and Sport Committee have called on changes to the governance and funding models of the BBC. In a new report released today, the Committee says the BBC makes a valuable contribution to the lives of many in the UK, through its reach of 96 per cent of the population weekly as well as services to international audiences.
We live in a multi-platform age of media. This age includes a number of platforms becoming hubs of content, notably social media platforms. As a result, there has been significant competition for attention for younger audiences, and the recent competition has come from an unexpected source.
Social media is everywhere-it is on every platform and at the heart of every conversation on the major topics of the day. It has shaped journalism and the wider culture that we know. But with that culture comes many a question-why is that topic at the centre of attention, and more so, what does that say about the current culture and society?
For music in the United States, the twentieth century was a beacon, for the genre of jazz began to take shape, beginning in the city of New Orleans with the Dixieland bands, and then evolving as musicians went to New York, Chicago and other cities to spread the sound that got folks off their feet and dancing.
In less than two weeks, the Independent Booksellers Association will meet in Warwick to discuss the independent bookshop and the role it has in the British book industry. The debate takes place as the state of the industry faces questions with the rise of e-books and recent calls from experts in the book trade for independent booksellers to do more to stand out.
Trends in journalism for younger audiences are constantly changing. As new technologies develop, they have an effect on what younger audiences expect from news organisations. Newsbeat, the BBC Radio 1 programme that curates news and information, is one of them.
The coffee company Starbucks has announced a programme due to give its workers in the United States an ability to complete a university degree online for free.
William Hague resigned as Foreign Secretary late Monday and said he would not stand at the next general election, due in May. Hague, in remarks through the social networking site Twitter, said he would become the Leader of the House of Commons to complete the remainder of his term, replacing Andrew Lansley, who, according to a report from the BBC, had left the government.
As the lead up to voting night on the independence referendum in Scotland grew closer, and supporters of the Yes Scotland and Better Together movements were making their case to the electorate, voters aged 16 and 17 were making their voices heard.
The year was 1993, and Jeff Bezos was looking for a change in direction for his career. Bezos was living in New York, working in the financial sector in Manhattan. The internet was on the rise, and web functionalities and availability was increasing day after day.
On the 18th of June, Emily-Rose Eastop received a letter from the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Eastop, who was pursuing an MSc placement at Wadham College, Oxford, specialising in Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, the study of human beings through the mind and evolution, had her grant application denied.
Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney and his wife, Nancy Sherrell, have placed fourth on the Sunday Times' rich list in the music industry. McCartney and Sherrell have a fortune worth £710 million, an increase of £30 million, with the help of Sherrell's stake in a US trucking firm.
Last Monday, outside the BBC's Broadcasting House in central London, it was one man, one box and one bike. Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw cycled for 12 hours straight, concluding at 7pm a cycle in the box as money was raised for Sport Relief, whose culmination of charitable competitions was held last week.
A new study on journalism in the United States has shown journalists in the country are more dissatisfied with their work. The study, from the School of Journalism at Indiana University, indicated some of the biggest concerns in the industry today included a decline in profits in the industry, as well as hasty reporting, according to a report from the Poynter Institute in Florida.
"A grocery store would sell this on its generic shelf: the brittle upper-class British cleverness is strictly standard issue. Maybe you'll enjoy it, but don't expect to remember it ten minutes later, or even to believe in the characters while you're watching them."
A new report indicates that over three quarters of universities are violating consumer law when it came to providing information to prospective students. The report, released by the consumer group Which?, researched 50 psychology courses from universities.
It has grown in popularity since debuting in 2011, and provided top ratings for BBC One's programmes this past Christmas. For Mrs Brown's Boys, and its star and creator, Brendan O'Carroll, success has appeared, and with it much international interest, particularly from the United States.
New York - The mobile app Foursquare, known for its location services, is to split itself into two separate apps, it has been announced. In a post on Foursquare's official blog, the new app, Swarm, would allow a user to keep up with friends, such as figuring out who would be up for getting together as well as posting what you are up to.
Alex Veeneman looks at the debate surrounding proposals on broadcasts of debates of the general election.
It is an important question - a question where the opinion you get will be different every time it is asked, a question that has been asked a lot recently. But most of all, it is a question that may not be easy to answer at first, but allows a great debate and eye as to where this industry will go.
Image from Wikimedia Commons: The New York Times is one of many news organizations trying to strike the right balance in journalism's relationship with younger audiences. Alex Veeneman, Assistant News Editor The relationship between news organizations and younger audiences has been evolving as new technologies adapt over time, changing the way journalism is consumed and perceived amongst young people, especially through the rise of social media and the internet.
When the US based company General Electric announced Monday its plans to move a manufacturing gas engine plant from the state of Wisconsin up to Canada, it was more than an issue of cost.
As the debate continues on the future of the National Health Service, and the services that patients need under the NHS, the issue of funding has been centre in that debate. That debate increased on 7 July when a group of health organisations expressed concern regarding the future of the funding structure.
We are in a new media marketplace, and within this marketplace plenty of opportunities to consume media are made available for audiences, especially younger audiences, be it a favourite television or radio programme, or catching up with the news through an app or via Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.
The courts of SW19 have been good to Andy Murray within the last two years, from the 2012 gold medal win at the London Olympics to last year's win at Wimbledon over Novak Djokovic, becoming the first British man since Fred Parry in 1936 to hoist the trophy.
As the clock struck 4 early Tuesday morning in the UK, much of Chicago's television media began their 10pm news broadcasts. Going to air, there were two items of note in the third largest city in the United States-the first being the weather, as heavy rain and flooding on a humid June day made commutes to and from work and elsewhere utter havoc.
It was announced earlier this week that Lester Holt would permanently take over as anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, months after its former anchor, Brian Williams, was suspended by the network after exaggerating certain information about reporting in Iraq.
Videos from the US rapper Wiz Khalifa and singer Taylor Swift have been included on YouTube's top ten music videos of 2015 list. The list, released Tuesday, saw Khalifa's song with Charlie Puth, See You Again, seen in the film Furious 7, claim the top spot of the list.
The makers of the popular drama Downton Abbey have confirmed the sixth series of the programme will be the last. Reports had previously indicated that the programme, which began airing in 2010, would finish airing on ITV after the forthcoming series.
In just over four months from now, voters in Scotland will go to the polls to answer the question that has faced increasing debate-should Scotland remain a part of the United Kingdom, or become an independent country? As Yes Scotland and Better Together make their cases, a similar debate is being held about independence almost 400 miles away, in Wales.
The preservation of the Welsh language has been a significant debate. Yet, with numbers from the 2011 Census indicating a decline in the number of people who speak Welsh, its future has been at the centre of debate.
The year was 1991. At a meeting of affiliates of the US network NBC in New York, Johnny Carson, its key late night star for 30 years, announced that the 1991-92 broadcast season would be his last as host of its flagship entertainment programme, The Tonight Show.
Radio, as an industry, is changing. New technologies are seeing the availability of programmes change and new audiences come through. Yet, at the core of the medium is the intimacy - you and the voice behind the microphone. Sara Mohr-Pietsch knows this well.
Right now, you're feeling energetic. Your last exam is over. All that studying and rushing to finish any last second projects is out of the way, never have to be worried about again (or at least for a few months). You want to party. You've called your mates.
YouTube has confirmed its plans to launch a new music service. The service, known as YouTube Music Key, will allow users the ability to listen to music and watch accompanying without advertisements, as well as play music videos when switching to another app.
New York - The US television network ABC covered the cost of marriages in New York City, in a promotion for the season finale of comedy Modern Family. The initiative, announced on the network's morning program Good Morning America, covered ceremonies held at the New York City Clerk's Office May 12, according to a report from the Gawker web site.
The last couple of weeks has seen a debate play out about the future of the BBC, and in an ever changing media environment, what model it should have. With the charter review forthcoming, questions began to be asked as to what funding model the BBC should have, and its effect on the organisation's mission to the UK and the wider world.
For festival fans, this is the part of the year where the anticipation begins-the list of performers come out, the tickets go on sale, and the plans are made for what will be a brilliant weekend. Yet, with the rise of social media, the overall festival experience has been taken a step further.
Last September, we were introduced to a new kind of social media platform. Snapchat was a new photo and video sharing platform, where media can be sent through mobile devices, ranging in time from 1 to 10 seconds, then being destroyed and leaving the server.
Television, one of the unique mediums of media, and how we consume it, is changing. Particularly with younger audiences, the experience of watching television is becoming digital, as catch up services, either on TV or on mobile or tablet, become popular ways to watch a particular favourite programme, be it The Great British Bake Off, Made in Chelsea, Glue, or other shows.
Access to journalism for younger audiences is, day by day, becoming increasingly diverse. In addition to the traditional methods of radio, television and the newspapers, many young people are flocking to the internet, social media as well as through mobile platforms to access information, be it the day's top stories, whether Arsenal made that top signing, or if the Arctic Monkeys are to release another album.
New data from Britain released today has given a new indication as to the role social media has in the world of modern journalism.
There are various reasons as to why we go into journalism. We pursue this work because it is a calling, because we have the ability to make a difference for the common good, and ultimately because we believe that the power of the written word or the broadcast segment evokes the ability to impact the civil discourse of our society.
Last week, Twitter made available to some users in the United States a new feature called the News Tab. This tab, available on the social network's iOS and Android platforms, allows the user access to top headlines from varied sources.
Rhys Powell and Louis Ross were on a mission. The duo from Barry, in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, wanted to put the town back on the map for its residents and increase tourism.
Today is International Women's Day - a day to celebrate and recognize the contributions women have made to the world. As journalism evolves, ideas and contributions by women have allowed to make the industry stronger for the future. International Women's Day occurs amid interesting roles for gender equity in the industry.
It's been a wild week for Facebook. The social network came under criticism this week for allegedly suppressing content that advocates Conservative policies when it comes to the content that appears on its Trending Topics list.
Twitter is known by many journalists to be a curator for information, allowing a new way to inform and engage audiences on various subjects. But a recent report may suggest Twitter may be going beyond its curating role. A report from the Business Insider web site suggests that Twitter is considering acquiring the mobile app Circa.
Twitter earlier Tuesday released its second quarter earnings. While analyst expectations for revenue were beaten, the issue that interim chief executive Jack Dorsey faces continues to be that of user growth.
For Robert Evans and his colleagues at The Guardian, 26 March would be a day they would not forget anytime soon. In April 2005, Evans filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to see letters written by Charles, the Prince of Wales, to government ministers and departments regarding specific policies, including, according to a report from the Financial Times, letters to the Cabinet Office, and the Business, Education, Culture and Environment departments.
The leader of the House of Commons, Chris Grayling, has said that US President Barack Obama does not understand the UK's relationship with the European Union. In an interview Sunday with Andrew Marr, Grayling said Obama did not understand the transfer of power that was conducted.
As Twitter prepares to celebrate its tenth birthday, its influence on journalism is significant. As part of a series leading up to its tenth birthday, SPJ Digital is looking at Twitter's influence, as well as best practices and advice. Here, SPJ's Alex Veeneman revisits Britain's general election to highlight the best practices of live tweeting and credible reporting on the platform.
Since its launch last January, Snapchat has been trying to make its Discover feature work when it comes to social journalism. It attracted the likes of many various publishers, from ESPN and CNN to Comedy Central.
In the final scene of the legendary sitcom Frasier, as the eponymous character prepares to embark on a new chapter in his life and career, he sits at the microphone at fictitious Seattle radio station KACL and recites a passage from Ulysses, the poem by Lord Tennyson.
He sat at that desk, and told us of what happened in the world that day. Not only did he make us laugh, but for some of the population, he informed. When 11:30 Eastern time struck, as most people turned off or switched to Letterman, Kimmel or Fallon, he had done more than just talk about the news of the day.
The major broadcasters in the UK are said to be in negotiations with Downing Street over debates on the EU referendum. The BBC, Channel 4, ITV and Sky are looking to air a debate between the campaigns advocating for Britain to remain in the EU and those in favour of exiting it.
San Jose - A jury in the United States has said the smartphone maker Samsung must pay the technology company Apple in the infringement of three patents. The amount Samsung was to pay remained unchanged at $119.6 million, according to a report from the Reuters news agency, after additional deliberations had been considered at the trial at a federal court in San Jose, Calif.
It was a week where journalism was shown to be at its best. As Sepp Blatter stepped down as the president of FIFA amid a wide ranging corruption inquiry among its executives and the 2018 and 2022 bids for the World Cup.
Thursday the 7th of May has come down to this. After nearly six weeks of campaigning, and hearing pitches from politicians, people across the UK are making their ways to the polls to tick the box to who they believe should form the next government.
Student media hasn't had it easy recently. From action against 'The Badger' student paper at the University of Sussex in September, to recent concerns about changes to the Freedom of Information Act with the potential exemptions of universities from the Act possibly compromising the ability for stories to be told.
Twitter has introduced a new version of its homepage to users. The new homepage features tweets from celebrities using the platform, as well as current news events. The new homepage was rolled out to the UK and other countries after it was made available in the United States and Japan, and allows users also to read and access tweets without signing in.
The subject of mental health can be, at best, a difficult one to talk about, and indeed, report on. Many a portrayal has been made about mental health and its conditions, from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression to anxiety and agoraphobia, many albeit inaccurate, which has been the subject of criticism by viewers, readers and media consumers alike.
In a couple of weeks, in Iowa and New Hampshire, delegates from both the Democrats and the Republicans will begin the process that will formally confirm the nominees for both parties for the President of the United States, ahead of elections in November. That will culminate in July with both party conferences.
Three residents of the United States were sold winning tickets for the large Powerball jackpot worth $1.5 billion (£1.03 billion). The residents were based in California, Florida and Tennessee, and were confirmed in the drawing early Thursday GMT. One of the winning tickets was sold at a 7-Eleven convenience store in the Los Angeles suburb of Chino Hills.
Haggis could be made available in the United States as early as 2017 after discussions with the Scottish and US governments. Scotland's Rural Affairs Secretary, Richard Lochhead, speaking after meetings with US Agriculture officials in Washington, said US officials indicated that draft rules coming into effect next year would indicate sales of haggis and Scotch lamb in 2017, according to a report from the Scotsman newspaper.
A teacher in Somerset has launched a campaign calling for photos of social media users and bookshelves on the social networking site Twitter. Utilising the hashtag #shelfies, Sarah Keelty, the Literacy Coordinator of Fosse Day School, a school with students who have special needs, said the campaign would help her students learn about not just reading, but allow the skill to be taught, especially for autistic students.
As mentioned in Sunday's blog post, Twitter reported its fourth quarter earnings last week. The social network had 288 million monthly active users according to its earnings release, with 80 percent of the active users using mobile apps. One of the primary issues that investors raised with Twitter CEO Dick Costolo and his managerial colleagues was that of user growth.
Twitter unveiled January 27 two new features - the ability to send direct messages privately to groups, and the ability to upload 30 second video clips directly through the social networking site. The features were unveiled amid uncertainty with the social network's investors that user growth would be possible.
NOTE: This story was updated May 1 at 11:17 ET to reflect new information. The telecommunications company AT&T has said to be making inquiries to acquire the satellite television distributor DirecTV. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV, if confirmed, would be worth $40 billion.
The American pop singer and songwriter Prince has died at his home in suburban Minnesota. The singer, born Prince Rogers Nelson, born in Minneapolis in 1958, achieved commercial and critical success in the 1980s and 1990s, with a string of hits including When Doves Cry, Sign o' The Times, 1999, Little Red Corvette, and most notably, Purple Rain, which later became a film.
Over the course of the twentieth century, the Canadian communications scholar Marshall McLuhan wrote and spoke of a global village. No longer would we be barred by borders or oceans to interact with the world. Instead, we could communicate with one another and have access to the same opportunities, thanks to the development of new technology.
Last week was a really good week for Radio 2. The BBC station not only won Station of The Year at the Radio Academy Awards, but also broke records in listener figures through the release of the RAJAR listening figures.
Social media has been at the forefront of communication, as well as leading an influence in how people get news, whether its the results of Britain's general election or the news that the Blackhawks defeated the Minnesota Wild to advance to the NHL's Western Conference semifinals.
When the first set of this US Open quarterfinal began at just before 10pm Eastern time (3am UK time), the over 20,000 people gathered at the Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows in New York were expecting a high quality game of tennis, featuring Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
The Chancellor George Osborne has said the government will make available a system for students to take student loans to complete a master's degree. The system, which will allow £10,000 of loans to be taken out, will be made available beginning in the 2016-17 academic year.
The clip starts in black and white with a woman talking on a mobile flip phone. She then arrives at a house - a house that is vacant, dreary and bereft of life. As she removes her sunglasses, she begins removing dusty covers off of furniture and other objects.
The phrase "The pen is mightier than the sword" is ubiquitous with the form and elements of change that can stem from the English language. Yet, in this digital age, the phrase by the English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton expands, for it is not the pen that can be mighty, but the video can too.
It all began a few years back with a song called 'Latch'. Three years on, Guy and Howard Lawrence, two brothers from Reigate in Surrey, are on top of the world with hit after hit and millions of eager listeners along for the ride.
Social media has allowed us to do many things in journalism, from help tell a story and inform new audiences, to curate a conversation on various subjects. For WGBH, they have shown social media can do that and then some through the new program Point Taken.
Our favourite family from Springfield-Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson, have been on television 25 years this week. There are a lot of memorable episodes that its millions of fans come back to see time and again, amid criticism that the programme has declined in quality in recent years, from Homer's new snow removal business with the catchy song in "Mr Plow" to Bart's clever way to spoil Sideshow Bob's plans of killing him in "Cape Feare."
New data released Wednesday suggested some interesting conclusions about Twitter. The data, compiled by the social media analytics firm parse.ly, suggests that while Twitter has significant influence, it doesn't help when it comes to traffic for news organizations.
The week of 30 September is a week that Acting Editor Daniel Green and his colleagues will likely want to forget. At the offices of The Badger, the student newspaper at the University of Sussex, the team were trying to put a paper together and keep students informed in the face of censorship from the student union.
The American journalist and newspaper editor, Ben Bradlee, known for editing the Washington Post, died on 21 October. Bradlee was editor of the Post from 1965 to 1991, and was notable for overseeing the Post's coverage of the Watergate scandal, which broke in 1972 and led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in August 1974.
The Queen has set the record for the longest reigning British monarch in history, surpassing the record held by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. Speaking in Scotland, at the opening of the Borders Railway, the Queen said she was humbled by the messages of support and kindness from people within the UK and abroad.
Twitter, in its nearly 10 year existence, has become ubiquitous with live events. It allows users to keep up with friends, family, and especially the media when it comes to life here and now. It has also become quintessential when it comes to breaking news, including covering the shootings Wednesday at a social services center in San Bernardino, a suburb of Los Angeles.
At least 18 people are reported to have died in attacks in the French capital Paris.
As the polls in the Atlantic provinces of Canada closed after elections Monday, the 32 constituencies in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador began to turn red in data polling.
When James Corden signed on last year for the American 'Late Late Show' chat programme on US network CBS, he did so as late night TV began to undergo a significant cultural shift.
On his Radio 2 show at just before 7:30 on Wednesday morning, Chris Evans was doing his segment featuring what things the kids of the UK were doing for the first time. During that segment, Evans took a call from Isabella, from Brigg in Lincolnshire, who then said what she was doing tonight.
The High Court has ruled that the US motoring app Uber does not violate the law. The Court had been asked to consider whether smartphones from the company were considered taximeters, which currently is against the law for private vehicles and only available to drivers of black cabs in London, according to a report from The Guardian.
Twitter turned ten years old on Monday, and as the occasion was marked, a debate continued to play out. The subject at hand was how to reverse the long term decline in users to the social network, and how chief executive Jack Dorsey plans to tackle it.
As the issue of lad culture in universities continues to be at the centre of debate for students, remarks from Business Secretary Sajid Javid have raised questions as to what role the government might have in solving the issue. Last month, Javid said an inquiry would be launched into the problem.
When Atlanta Yeatman was considering what to study at university, she wanted to pursue her interests-Drama and Philosophy. After finding that a joint honours degree in both was possible in only five universities, she found Bath Spa University, which offered both.
One of the items in modern journalism education that has been examined as of late is the rise of women studying journalism, and that despite more women studying the subject than their male counterparts, more of the jobs are going to men.
They have been common occurrences in our Facebook feeds over the last few weeks - a news organization, journalist or publisher on the social network sends a notification to its fans that its live doing an event or doing a Q&A on a subject.
I consider myself to be a lifelong Chicagoan. I was born in Cook County, and have lived in the Chicagoland area most of my life. I've learned many things living here, the first being never buy gas in Cook County, the taxes are always higher. I learned as Gov.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said cabinet members should back him in any deal that comes from Britain's negotiations on reforms on membership of the European Union. Speaking at a meeting of the G7 in Germany, Cameron said he remained confident he could get a result that was in the UK's interests.
Prime Minister David Cameron has denied claims that he engaged in acts of bestiality while at university. The claims, raised in a book co-written by former Conservative Party Deputy Chairman Lord Ashcroft and journalist Isabel Oakeshott, also included suggestions that Cameron smoked marijuana and cocaine.
Los Angeles - The Walt Disney Company expressed interest in purchasing the viral news web site BuzzFeed, however were concerned of the price. According to a report from Fortune Magazine, cited by the technology and media news web site Mashable, talks were ongoing between Disney and BuzzFeed, but Disney had expressed concern over the $1 billion price to buy the site.
Pauline Cafferkey, the nurse from Scotland who had contracted the Ebola virus after working as a volunteer in Sierra Leone, has been readmitted to hospital. Cafferkey was transferred to the Royal Free Hospital in London early Friday by helicopter after being admitted Tuesday to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.
When Chancellor George Osborne stood in the House of Commons and presented his budget last July, he announced changes to maintenance grants. From the 2016-17 academic year, the grants would become loans. The loans, with a maximum value of £8,200, would need to be paid back when graduates earned more than £21,000 a year.
As Sian Elvin was preparing to finish her English Literature degree at the University of Warwick, one of the final modules she completed was on the work of Shakespeare. She decided to do an experiment - could Othello, the personal tragedy that was first performed in the early 17th century, work on a platform like Twitter?
It had been a series of announcements that surprised few, made many laugh, and some scratch their heads. Why would the major American technology companies-notably Google and Apple, come up with watches and glasses?
At its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco today, Apple unveiled a new app for content from various publishers and news organizations. The app, which is to launch with iOS 9 when it launches later in the year, is to replace its newsstand app, which, according to a report from Mashable, did not fare well with users.
When the main broadcasters released proposals on 13 October for 4 debates leading up to the general election in May, the subject that took up much of the political debate was that of inclusion.
The British government has paid the balance owed to the European Union's budget. A spokesperson for the Treasury, reached by telephone, told Kettle the balance, £1.7 billion, had been paid as of the 1st of September. EU officials last October said the UK needed to pay the money to the EU budget because the British economy had performed better compared with other member states.
In this social and new media age, sound is everywhere, from downloading that wicked new tune to listening to a new podcast, and sharing it with the world through your phone. Yet, there are some platforms that can support the sound, but it doesn't enable you to do anything else.
In a year in politics, 2014 has been one where much focus has been placed on the role of women. The subject was the focus of many political events of the year.
The quote appeared simply on the Facebook page of a colleague of mine based in the States: "It can't be over so soon!" The "it" she was referring to was Downton Abbey, the Julian Fellowes written drama looking at the lives of the Crawleys - Lord and Lady Grantham, Lady Mary, Lady Edith, the Dowager Countess, and their staff, and the evolution of titled families and class in the 1910s and 1920s.
As we begin a brand new year, we may find something new when we log in to use Facebook, which may affect the appearance of content from news organizations. The social network is testing multiple news feeds by topic, instead of the normal news feed.
On a July night at Wembley Stadium in 2015, 87,000 people flocked to see a major singer-songwriter in the first of three sold-out performances. The timing of the gig comes in conjunction of a tour to support his second record, and the expansion of his international fanbase into the millions, and counting.
As the countdown to the 18 September vote on whether or not Scotland should become an independent country continues, social media has become front and centre in the debate, from the discussion of specific issues such as currency and education, to debating whether to tick yes or no when the vote occurs.
The Duchess of Cambridge was admitted into the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in the Paddington borough of London early Saturday. In an announcement on Twitter, Kensington Palace confirmed the Duchess was admitted at 6am London time (12am Chicago time) after traveling by car from Kensington Palace.
Last March, Twitter unveiled an update on iPhone which revealed an experiment it was conducting when it came to watching television and interacting with it live. The experiment, called TV Timelines, sees a new interface when it came to certain programs, including the Fox reality competition American Idol and the CBS comedy The Big Bang...
Political campaigning continued in the UK Monday, as the parties make a final campaign sweep ahead of Thursday's general election. But at the center of the campaign lies the possible question of a hung parliament, with recent opinion polls conducted over the weekend suggesting the possibility of no party's MPs reaching a majority of seats...
In the lead up to the general election, the Conservatives campaigned on the economy and job creation, and at the helm of its media manifesto was the BBC licence fee. The government had controversially frozen the £145.50 in 2010 for six years, and the BBC took on the funding of the World Service from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as well as the Welsh language TV channel S4C.
Earlier this month, Andrew Hamilton, the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, said the £9,000 limit on tuition fees at universities should be raised to £16,000. Hamilton, according to a report of his remarks in The Independent, said the cost of a higher education should be more in line to the cost of an education at the university.
Education connects all of us, whether you're an undergraduate or postgraduate student just starting, finishing your degree or trying to figure out what you want to do, it plays a unique role in our lives.
Photo by Anthony Kurt: Derek Abin, a sophomore criminal justice major heads into the bookstore at Lewis University to purchase books. Alex Veeneman, Asst. News Editor Legislation was introduced in the Senate Nov. 14 intended to reduce the cost of textbooks. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.)
You may have seen some tweets appear in your stream over the past couple of weeks utilizing two tools recently made available to the public - Meerkat and Periscope. Immediately, news organizations began testing them, seeing what works and what couldn't work when it came to developing new relationships with audiences.
Social media has changed the course and direction for engaging audiences, especially younger audiences. Instagram is at the core of that, with a recent study from the Pew Research Institute saying 53 percent of 18-29 year olds use the photo sharing app, while 49 percent of users use it daily.
It was 46 years ago this month. In a hearing room at the US Capitol, Fred Rogers appeared before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications. The subcommittee, chaired by Senator John Pastore of Rhode Island, was examining the funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the organization that provides federal grants to public television and radio stations...
The All England Lawn and Tennis Club, the organizers of the Wimbledon tennis tournament in the UK, have said they are banning selfie sticks being brought onto the grounds. All England Club spokesman Johnny Perkins, reached by telephone, confirmed the ban, which was reported by the BBC and the Sunday Times newspaper.
On Saturday, a Christmas tradition commenced-the airing of the annual John Lewis Christmas advert. The animated ad, portraying a hare who is trying to convince his friend the bear about the meaning of Christmas and featuring Lily Allen covering Keane's Somewhere Only We Know, got a lot of reaction on social media after airing during the advert break on The X Factor.
"Guys, post the utterly fabricated story about me & Top Gear, my timeline has been full of blokes wishing me dead..." That is how, in a series of three tweets on 14 April, the comedian and personality Sue Perkins began the message that she was to take a leave of using Twitter.
Over the course of the last decade, consumers of the book market had been asking one simple question - print or electronic? Devices such as the Kindle and the Nook have become king, which have raised several questions as to the future of the paperback and hardcover books.
Earlier this week, I wrote an op-ed for this blog advocating for the funding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides federal funding for the nation's public television and public radio stations. Last Thursday, the Senate had approved a joint resolution outlying the federal budget for the 2016 fiscal year, which included funding for...
A helicopter has crashed on top of The Clutha pub in Glasgow, located on the banks of the River Clyde. The helicopter crashed Friday night at 10.25 pm, and there were three people, two police officers and a civilian, in the helicopter, according to Police Scotland.
The cable network MSNBC has made available two programs exclusive to Facebook. The first program, Sound Off, looks at a breaking news story for Facebook fans to discuss, while FacePalm looks at the day in weird news, according to a report from AdWeek's Social Times.
News has emerged this week that Twitter has bought a start up that could expand how journalists use video on social media. Periscope, a live streaming start up, was bought by the social network for $100 million. The deal closed last month, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal, but news of the deal emerged this week.
It was a deal, in the words of Los Angeles Times political columnist Doyle McManus, a deal with something for everyone to dislike. Yet, the idea of a government shutdown in January in the United States appeared to be averted with the announcement of a budget deal this week by the country's legislators.
A couple of weeks ago, Michael Rosenblum gave a talk in the Irish capital Dublin at MojoCon, a conference surrounding mobile journalism and what could happen. In an age of new technology and a shifting media environment, the video journalist trainer and founder of the defunct American Current TV network made this argument about the future.
Recent research commissioned by the BBC has indicated that female candidates are underrepresented in Scotland ahead of May's general election. The research showed that the SNP had 36 per cent of female candidates, while Labour had 26 per cent.
The order of the broadcast of the general election debates were announced last week. The debates, due to be held on the 2nd, the 16th and the 30th of April, would begin with ITV's broadcast, featuring a debate with the leaders of the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, UKIP, the Scottish National Party, the Green Party and the Welsh party Plaid Cymru, which advocates for Welsh independence.
A little over 45 years ago, Fred Rogers appeared before the Subcommittee on Communications of the United States Senate. At the time of his testimony, a grant for $20 million for the newly funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting, established in 1967, was in jeopardy, as President Richard Nixon wanted to cut that funding in half.
Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Sam Smith were among the big winners at the 2015 Brit Awards, held Wednesday at London's O2 Arena. Sheeran won Best British Male Solo Artist and Best British Album of the Year, for his most recent record X. He also performed the track Bloodstream from the album.
When the actor David Suchet began his role as Agatha Christie's Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in the 1980s, he wanted to take a different approach to how the character had been portrayed. Poirot had been seen in many cinematic adaptations of the novels by the woman known as the Queen of Crime, but the appearances at the movies were comical.
A petition calling for the stoppage of publication of end of year exam results is being considered by officials at the University of Cambridge. A meeting was held on the 1st July by the General Board's Education Committee at the university to discuss the petition, which was started in May and attracted almost 1,300 signatures at the time of submitting this article to editors.
It has long been established that social media has changed how we think about engaging with our audiences, from developing stories to informing them of what is going on as it happens. Yet, there is one particular question that arises when it comes to informing - to be first, or not to be first?
Today, Facebook is launching its Instant Articles initiative, where news organizations will be hosting content on the social network's site. The official confirmation comes in a blog post from Facebook after previous reports, most notably in March from the New York Times, prompting rampant speculation as to what role Facebook would have, and how it would exactly affect the relationship it had with publishers.
Recent research from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University in the UK indicated that there were more women studying journalism compared to men in multiple countries, including the United States. Yet, despite that, a majority of the jobs in journalism still go to men.
American coffee company Starbucks has said it plans to unveil a food and beverage delivery service. In a conference call with investors on 30 October, the company's chief executive, Howard Schultz, announced initial plans for it to be rolled out.
As social media, especially Twitter, continues to play a role in how we interact, communicate and engage, a conversation ensues about similar interests. In New York, the Public Library has begun collecting the conversation about not only library events, but also that of literature and the culture of literature in the digital age.
Peter Oborne resigned Tuesday as the chief political commentator of the Telegraph. The resignation was a surprise for many observers of the media and that of politics, as Oborne, who also serves as Associate Editor of the Spectator magazine, was one of the most respected observers of British politics.
The Chancellor George Osborne has said the government will make available a system for students to take student loans to complete a master's degree. The system, which will allow £10,000 of loans to be taken out, will be made available beginning in the 2016-17 academic year.
The BBC is to hold an event next Tuesday looking at how to start a career in the media. The event, which is taking place at the BBC Tent at the Hay Festival in Wales, is being held as part of the BBC's events at the Festival.
Sam Smith has claimed a number one spot for his song for the upcoming James Bond film, Spectre. The song, Writings On The Wall, was the first number one of a theme in the 53 year history of the Bond's film franchise. Smith beat Justin Bieber's latest record What Do You Mean to the number one slot.
As the lead up to last month's general election came to a conclusion, social media and the web were at the helm of media coverage. Tweets had observations and dispatches from campaign sites for each party, and articles and multimedia features about the campaign were front and centre.
Yesterday, it was announced that Dick Costolo would step down as chief executive of Twitter, and be replaced on July 1st by Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of the site and himself a former chief executive.
Sport is engraved into the culture of Chicago. The action, the pace, the thrill and the chase shine brightly in the third largest city of the United States, from the Chicago Bulls basketball team to the Cubs and White Sox baseball teams. Yet, one Chicagoan would suspect these factors to go above and beyond when the subject of the Chicago Blackhawks NHL hockey team arises.
Radio 1 is in a unique scenario. As work continues toward a younger audience, at the request of the BBC Trust, new media, particularly social media, has been at the helm of what people have come to expect from the BBC' s pop music station.
It took just 90 seconds for Channel 4 to get its message across one Friday night. Over on BBC Two, the ceremonies were taking place for the opening of the Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. As coverage got underway, viewers on Channel 4 saw an advert, not for a particular programme, but for a particular cause.
It happened this week-listeners to Radio 4's Today programme heard a new voice alongside John Humphrys, Evan Davis, Sarah Montague, James Naughtie and Justin Webb. Mishal Husain joined the programme, and her arrival was significant to the future of the programme.
This week is a particularly significant week for Facebook, as it today celebrates its tenth birthday. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg in a dormitory room on the campus of Harvard University in the US state of Massachusetts, it is commonly known of the social network's influence on the whole of the world of social media.
As the direction of the radio industry changes, some have wondered if a career is possible in the industry. Many different routes are taken to get into radio, but some debate whether a career is viable.
Starting tomorrow, you may see something new on your news feed when you log in to Facebook on your computer or on your phone-a video advert. The social network is said to start rolling them out Thursday, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
London - British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he is confident a referendum on the UK's membership in the EU can be conducted in 2017. Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr, Cameron said the referendum will be held by the end of 2017 on an in-out membership of the EU.
In 2005, The Guardian filed a Freedom of Information request regarding 27 letters written by the Prince of Wales between September 2004 and April 2005. The letters are said to contain opinions held by Prince Charles on the subject of government policy, on issues that are important to him.
In the early history of the internet, the blog became the king of content-from specialised blogs on fashion and other niche interests, to the thoughts on current affairs and politics. In Wales, as social media and new advances in technology and the internet, the blog scene thrives, from local meet ups to making connections.
Twitter has said it will ban users for tweeting graphic images of the execution of the American journalist James Foley. In a message via the social networking site, its chief executive, Dick Costolo, said the site had been looking at and suspending accounts seen to have been tweeting images.
When the August bank holiday winds down, and as people prepare for the abbreviated week ahead after a jam packed weekend of festivals including Creamfields and Reading and Leeds, Jonathan Ross will be preparing for his first of four shows on Radio 2, the first programmes on the BBC station since exiting the Corporation in 2010.
Recently, Twitter announced plans to revise its 140 character length. The changes come as chief executive Jack Dorsey continues to try to find ways to engage new audiences with the social network, amid a history of decline of the number of users.
Journalism in Britain continues to evolve right before our eyes. In the span of a month, The Independent ceased publication and moved to online only, while Trinity Mirror launched a new newspaper, titled New Day.
The media industry is changing right before our eyes. As it changes, the ways students need to stand out to enter the industry are changing with it. Student media is of course a great way to hone your skills and perfect your craft, whether working on a student paper or web site as a writer or editor, or broadcasting on student radio or TV.
When working in journalism, the objective of reporters is to tell a story and make sense of events. One never expects to be a part of the story, yet for Laura Kuenssberg, she was.
Over the weekend, teams from various student publications met at the Students Union of Loughborough University for the annual conference of the Student Publication Association. At the centre of the conference was the ability to celebrate student media, and for those behind the publications, to hone their craft, to learn from peers, and work together to boost the future of journalism.
Los Angeles - The US television network ABC is to renew the contract of the comedian and television personality Jimmy Kimmel for two years. According to a report from The New York Times, Kimmel, who has presented the late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live since 2003, was to be given a two year contract renewal that would keep him at ABC through January of 2017.
It was a petition James Kenny hoped he didn't have to write. Kenny, the former station manager of Forge Radio, the student radio station of the University of Sheffield, studying for a Master's in Creative Writing, had called on the university's Student Union to approve his proposal for Forge to be played in Our Shop, the Union's shop on campus.
John Lewis has been shown to be the brand that most British people identify with when it comes to Christmas. Research released Friday, cited by The Guardian, indicated that 27 per cent of people surveyed showed the retailer they thought to be most connected with the festive period.
This week, a new direction emerges for the BBC World Service, as on 1 April it will transfer from funding from the Foreign Office to the BBC licence fee, a move, since the plans to do so came to fruition nearly 4 years ago, caused a series of debates as to whether the World Service can survive.
BBC Three is to become an online only channel and moved off of television. The move comes after a week-long Twitter campaign to keep the channel instead of moving it in order for the BBC to save money. The programmes, according to a report from The Guardian, would only be made available via iPlayer.
The February 17, 2014, edition of The Flyer featuring contributions by me.
MPs have voted in favour of authorising airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria. The vote passed 397 to 223, with a majority of 174. Speaking on the floor of the House of Commons, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the group posed a significant threat to the UK, and there was a compelling moral threat to proceed.
An emoji icon has been named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries. In a blog post on their web site published Monday, Oxford University Press, which owns and operates the Dictionary, said the emoji, face with tears of joy, had summed up the feelings of persons over the course of 2015.
The BBC has announced the date when BBC Three will switch its operations from television to online only. BBC Three New Logo In a blog post on the broadcaster's web site, the channel's head of marketing, Nikki Carr, said the switch would be made on 16 February.
Users of social media have been paying tribute to veteran broadcaster James Naughtie, who presented his final edition of Radio 4's Today programme Wednesday. Naughtie is becoming Special Correspondent for the station, where he will be reporting on elections, political matters and the EU referendum.
The musician David Bowie has died after a battle with cancer. The news was confirmed on Twitter by his son, Duncan Jones, as well as his publicists. Bowie was an active performer over the course of nearly five decades. He began his career in 1967 with a self-titled debut, and then released the single Space Oddity in 1969.
When you first come across it, BuzzFeed does not appear to be an ordinary news site. With memes, GIFs and other items to create a more visual experience, it has within the last few years taken off in popularity, showcasing a new way to tell stories through list pieces and other content, including the news of the day.
Sarah Sturrock had a simple goal when deciding what to pursue for a career - she wanted to help people, and a career in the medical profession would do just that. "I knew I didn't want to work in an office and I knew that I didn't want to work in a commercial environment where I had to sell people things," Sturrock said.
The video sharing site Snapchat has said it will release a new version of its app after a leak of users' identifications and phone numbers over the New Year period. The app, according to a statement on the network's web site, would allow users to opt out of appearing in the Find Friends feature, after their number had been registered.
The Flyer student newspaper from April 28, 2014 with pieces from me - my last issue as a Flyer contributor.
This week, a new direction emerges for the BBC World Service, as on 1 April it will transfer from funding from the Foreign Office to the BBC licence fee, a move, since the plans to do so came to fruition nearly 4 years ago, caused a series of debates as to whether the World Service can survive.
The March 17, 2014, edition of The Flyer with contributions by me.
Social media has become, in the span of a few short years, an essential part of the future of journalism. It has become, for today's journalism student, a necessity. Engagement on platforms is crucial as audience tastes shift to the web, not just to communicate, but also stay informed on the news.
Atlanta - The owner of the Atlanta Hawks NBA basketball team, Bruce Levenson, has said he would be in favor of the removal of Donald Sterling as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. In an interview April 28 with the Atlanta radio station 92.9 The Game, cited in a report from USA Today, Levenson said Sterling should be given the maximum penalty allowed for recent controversial comments.
Two weeks ago, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg met with Jan Koum, the founder of WhatsApp, over dinner in California, and the two men did something extraordinary. Zuckerberg made an offer to buy WhatsApp for a total of $19 billion (£11.4 billion) in cash and stock.
Washington - The US public radio organization National Public Radio has named a new chief executive who will begin at the organization in July. Jarl Mohn, the chairman of the board of directors of NPR member station Southern California Public Radio (KPCC), based in the Los Angeles suburb Pasadena, is to take over from Paul G.
Last October, Malala Yousafzai was on her way to school in the Swat Valley of Pakistan when she was shot in the head and the neck by a gunman associated with the Taliban because of her support for education for girls.
It was only the first Monday of the new year, and the sub-headline of that day's USA Today newspaper spelled out the toxic nature of politics in the United States capital-"Barbs already flying as lawmakers return," as President Barack Obama and members of Congress returned to Washington to resume work after the Christmas holiday, in a year that may likely change the course of current policy.
As 2013 came to an end, the Nieman Journalism Lab of Harvard University in the United States asked several experts in journalism to get their insights on where journalism would be in the New Year.
As media continues to become more multiplatform, a number of conversations have started as to how to support it, from the debate on paywalls in newspapers to the second screen on the telly. This conversation has also been taking place on the future of radio, and what role radio can have in a multiplatform age.
The Scottish Parliament passed same sex marriage legislation Tuesday night by a vote of 105 to 18, with the first possible weddings to take place in the autumn. As the debate took place leading up to the final vote, social media conversation had been a constant, with the hashtag #equalmarriage being at the core of that discussion.
It's come to this. Tomorrow, crowds will gather outside Big Ben and the House of Commons at Westminster, at Times Square in New York and other places to say goodbye to 2013 and say hello to 2014.
This week, the singer of the rock band Lostprophets, Ian Watkins, was convicted at Cardiff Crown Court on counts of sexual abuse, including the attempted rape of a baby. As the news of Watkins' conviction continues to reverberate with fans in the UK and around the world, the retailer HMV announced it would no longer sell the band's music in their stores.
Minneapolis - The chief executive of the American retail store Target has announced his resignation as the fallout over customer data breaches continues. In a letter to the company's board of directors, Gregg Steinhafel said it was time for new leadership after, according to the letter, the passing of several key milestones, including the 2013 data breach.
Los Angeles - The comedian and television personality Craig Ferguson announced April 28 his plans to step down as host of his CBS program The Late Late Show. Ferguson, who has presented The Late Late Show since 2005, made the announcement during the recording of that night's episode that he would leave at the end of 2014, according to a report from The New York Times.
The journalism industry is one that is in a state of flux. For those who aspire to enter it, several questions are faced. What route should I take? Should I study journalism at uni or should I just focus on gaining experience? How will this route help me enter the industry?
London - A spokesperson for British Prime Minister David Cameron has said nothing has been ruled out when it comes to 2015 general election debates. The remarks come in response to a report from the Sunday Times newspaper, which suggests Cameron would be open in a debate with the leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, according to a report from the BBC.
Tributes were paid last week to Stephen Sutton, the fundraiser who died from cancer at the age of 19. Sutton gained recognition for his fundraising efforts for the Teenage Cancer Trust. At 11am on May 30, the hashtag #ThumbsUpForStephen spread across Twitter in tribute to Sutton.
On a Thursday night in Santa Monica, California, Charlie Rose sat across from Sean Penn, cameras rolling. Penn was being interviewed for a 60 Minutes segment on CBS (which aired January 17th) discussing his Rolling Stone article on Joaquin Guzman, also known as El Chapo, the drug kingpin who was recaptured by marines in Mexico after escaping from a jail in that country.
This past June, Instagram announced that it would be expanding advertising to users in the UK, Canada and Australia. When making that introduction, the Facebook owned app said ads would help allow it become more of a sustainable business. This week, Instagram implemented ads for UK users.
It has long been known that Twitter has become an essential social media platform for journalists, either through editorial or career purposes. Yet, there had been recent speculation on if the social network would introduce an edit tool to allow users to edit their tweets. The most recent speculation came just before last Christmas.
In the nearly ten years it has been in existence, Twitter has become a must use platform for all in the media industry. While stories can break on Twitter instantly and interview requests can be made quicker, there is still a debate on the best ways to use Twitter.
The perception of pop star Robin Thicke has been seen to cross, to borrow a song, Blurred Lines. The song of the same name has been the subject of bans across several university campuses in the UK, as well as raised questions on the perception of women through the lyrics.
When you begin to consider what university is the best fit for you, a wealth of information is at your fingertips. But, the signature information is the prospectus: a book that you can order to be posted to your house or view online.
Earlier this month, Oxfam tweeted a campaign against austerity measures introduced by the government. In the tweet, the measures introduced at Westminster were leading more people in the UK to enter poverty. Lifting the lid on austerity Britain reveals a perfect storm - and it's forcing more and more people into poverty.
It's 12:45 in the morning. The day that has ended was either wonderful or excruciating. Your mind wonders towards what you must do the following day-you are excited or you are worried. You are hopeful for the best, and would like to avoid the worst.
Within the last few weeks, there has been much debate on social media's effect as a platform of journalism. The news coming out of Ferguson, Missouri in particular with the protests in light of the death of Michael Brown, has seen much reflection on what Facebook and Twitter can become for journalists.
What can Instagram's new app do for journalism? This past August, Instagram unveiled its new Hyperlapse app, designed to create time lapse clips from videos. This week, it got its first outing in journalism, as it was used during coverage of New York Fashion Week.
When Apple announced earlier this year it had hired the veteran Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe to work on iTunes Radio, there was a rumour frenzy as to what the next steps would be for the technology company. What exactly would this entail?
Radio is changing. As the world of social media and advanced technology continues to be embraced, it is changing how stations and programme makers approach the idea of the one-to-one relationship between the listener and the medium.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is to make regular appearances on Chicago Tonight, the news program of public television station WTTW. The discussions, which began on May 13 and are due to be held every 4-6 weeks, are to look at city issues with various reporters with the program.
A year ago this week, an email appeared in my inbox confirming my membership with the SPJ. I had just graduated from university, and I was trying to figure out the next steps. The journalism industry was changing, and I knew there was still more to do.
On 11 November, an amendment in the Wales Bill, the bill currently in Parliament to devolve powers to Wales, was included to allow the Welsh government the ability to set the age limit for a vote in a referendum on tax, should one be called by the Welsh Assembly.
The editor of The Guardian newspaper, Alan Rusbridger, has announced that he is stepping down from his position. Rusbridger, in a message on the social networking site Twitter, said he would step down next year. A statement from The Guardian said he would be going to chair The Scott Trust, effective in 2016 when its current chair, Liz Forgan, reaches the end of her term.
The journalism industry is going through a state of flux. As it goes through its state of flux, one man came forward with sharp insight and analysis that made the industry stop, listen, and take notice, whether you are beginning to enter the industry (like I am) or you are a veteran of the industry.
MPs returned to the Commons today (1 September) for what will be widely seen by political observers as a session to watch for as the general election in May draws near. But as the election approaches and MPs reach out to their constituents to check on support, questions arise as to the engagement of the younger demographic.
The BBC is looking for 18-24 year olds for the opportunity to take part in programmes leading up to the General Election in May, as part of a new initiative focusing on young people.
It was announced last week that Instagram was the fastest growing social network in 2014. The research from the Pew Research Center indicated that 26 percent of the US adult population was using the Facebook owned social photo and video site, an increase of 9 percent from 2013, while 53 percent of 18-29 year olds use the service.
We all have a TV show or series that we love, a show that we turn to when we're feeling lost or sick or tired or heartbroken. Somehow, these shows manage to support us through difficult times in our lives, and we never tire of them.
Music fans in the UK have long shown their affection for house music. From its upbringing in Chicago during the 1980s, its creation of a uniquely British sound in the '90s, to its unique influence in pop, house has had a history in music, and saw people dance the night away in clubs up and down the country.
As Parliament continues it's summer recess, the effects of the proposed referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union remain the subject of debate. That debate has since been extended into higher education, with questions on how the referendum would affect universities across the UK.
The last couple of weeks have seen changes to Snapchat's Discover feature, the platform established in January by the Los Angeles based social network that has seen content from providers including CNN, ESPN and the Comedy Central network. Two weeks ago, a new iOS update was made available, putting the feature front and center before stories and updates from other users.
As media coverage continues to intensify of the campaigns for the 2016 presidential election, at the helm is social media, and how that will likely influence coverage. There are however new platforms in play compared to events in 2012, and there now appears to be a debate at play among platforms on engaging younger audiences in political coverage.
Coming into this week, Dick Costolo had faced a significant amount of pressure as the chief executive of Twitter. The key issue was that of user growth, and whether Costolo and his colleagues could expand it, as much of top management was replaced within the period of the last year.
As Facebook celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, its role in how people consume journalism has changed how news organisations see outreach and engagement on social media, and how audiences consume journalism.
The newspaper publisher Newsquest is facing criticism from within the media industry after it was revealed students were charged a fee having a by-line appear with their published content.
Twitter and Google announced 5 February that the social network would partner with the search engine to incorporate tweets into real time live searches. The partnership was announced ahead of its recent fiscal earnings report, as investors in the United States raised concerns about whether Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo and his colleagues could expand user growth.
On April 7, Rahm Emanuel was re-elected as the Mayor of Chicago in the first runoff for the office in the history of the city. Emanuel, known to many as a Congressman and the former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, defeated Cook County commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, 56 percent to 44 percent.
It has been a momentous week for Facebook, as it held its F8 developer conference this week in San Francisco, with discussions on how the social network will work and what it can do for the future.
One of the biggest talking points in the journalism world at this writing is the just released report from the Columbia Journalism School on the story in Rolling Stone magazine regarding rape at the University of Virginia. The report, which notes failures that could have been avoided, also has implications for those working in social media and digital journalism.
It has been a momentous week for Facebook, as it held its F8 developer conference this week in San Francisco, with discussions on how the social network will work and what it can do for the future.
In just ten short years, there has been many a revolution in journalism - driven in large part by social media. Originally sculpted as a way to keep in touch with friends, it has changed how we as journalists think about the consumption of our crafted work as more and more people take to more and more platforms to be instantly informed about events, either on our own university campus, or on the other side of the world.
The president of the National Union of Students in Wales, Beth Button, has said Wales faces a brain drain of postgraduate study if the Welsh government does not match the postgraduate loan funding announced in the Autumn Statement.
As dawn broke on Friday the 8th, the political effects of the night before were still being felt. In Scotland, the SNP had taken many of the seats, many held by Labour, while the Liberal Democrats faced a decimation of MPs to the single digits.
Brian Williams has not had an easy year. The anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News was suspended without pay in February after concerns were raised about an account he gave of reporting during the Iraq War, saying a helicopter he had been in was shot down by rocket fire.
As the Media Musings blog comes online within the ChicagoNow network, many journalism students at universities across Chicagoland and around the world, are preparing to complete their degrees and enter the workforce. Other students are about to take final exams and take the summer off, going on vacation or going to internships or seasonal jobs,...
This week is the SPJ's annual Ethics Week, a celebration of, and a time to examine deeper, the Code of Ethics and its primary values - to seek truth, report it, minimize harm, be accountable and transparent, and act independent.
In the days leading up to the 2010 general election, the Liberal Democrats were experiencing a significant rise in their political popularity with students. At the centre of their manifesto was the scrapping of tuition fees, phasing them out over six years and scrapping fees immediately for final year students.
Every summer, the Royal Albert Hall in London and other venues across the UK, are filled with the excitement, the thrill and the anticipation of the world's biggest classical music and culture festival, the BBC Proms. For 2 months spectators will come from near and far to see some of the best performers from across the UK and around the world.
At the age of 16, Lizzie Roberts wasn't sure if she wanted to go to university. She had just finished her GCSEs, so she stayed on to take the A Level Politics and Government course. After a while on the course, her mind was made up.
The Welsh government has cut funding for the Arts Council of Wales by £300,000, and the Council is advising organisations it already funds not to rely too heavily on support from its grants. In a letter to its beneficiaries, Professor Dai Smith, chair of the Council, said they were dismayed by the cut.
In 2013, David Giliani and students at the University of Southampton established the Student Publication Association, with the aim to support the student publications, newspapers and writers inside and outside the universities of the UK, similar to what the Student Radio Association does for radio and the National Student Television Association for TV.
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, John Boehner, is resigning from Congress. Boehner, the Republican representative from the state of Ohio, was elected House Speaker in 2011, after Republicans gained the majority in the House after 2010 elections.
Contents from a new book co-written by the Conservative Party's former Deputy Chairman have suggested that Prime Minister David Cameron engaged in acts of bestiality while at university. Lord Ashcroft suggested that Cameron committed the act whilst being initiated into the Piers Gaveston Society, a dining club based at the University of Oxford.
Twitter today unveiled the item that has been known for months simply as Project Lightning. Moments was introduced on desktop, Android and iPhone versions in the US. These include pieces from news organizations including BuzzFeed and the Washington Post.
One trend that has been present as of late in the US is the rise of women studying journalism. However, this trend does not apply just here, but also in the UK, where recent research from the university application charity UCAS showed more women were studying journalism compared to men.
The power of cinema lies in the effects films have on people. Films can make you cry, laugh, alter your opinions, influence you, be representative of a milestone in your life and can even change your life. Our new weekly film column, 'The Film That...', explores the impacts of cinema on people.
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have said they will donate 99 per cent of their shares in the social network to charity. In a note released late Tuesday, Zuckerberg and Chan said the donation, made through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, would be made to ensure their daughter, Max, can live in a better world.
The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation's most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.
Students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the United States are operating a Dial-A-Carol service for the holidays. The annual service, being held for its 55th year, operates for 24 hours a day for one week, where you call and student volunteers will sing a carol of your choice.
Modern journalism has without a question been revolutionized by Twitter. A replica of a wire service, the social network allows users to keep up with the events of the world, and new ways for journalists and news organizations to tell those stories.
On the heals of a concerning report to investors on iPhone sales, Apple is said to be introducing subscription content through its News app. The tech company, which introduced the app last June as part of the new iOS 9 software, is looking to continue its competition with Facebook and its Instant Articles initiative.
On a mild Sunday morning in September, one would suspect the queue at my local Dunkin Donuts shop would be non-existent, the place completely desolate. However, whilst traveling after an errand for some of the good tastes that reflect its namesake as a weekend treat, I was mistaken.
This weekend, in Loughborough in the English Midlands, a few of my colleagues and their peers are getting together for the Student Publication Association 's annual conference. At the helm of the conference are sessions on honing the journalistic craft, alongside awards, networking and the ability to celebrate the work of these student publications up and down the UK.
He wanted an intimate experience - an experience of just him, his cello and the listener. Yo-Yo Ma got that and then some as he sat down and played the six unaccompanied cello suites by Johann Sebastian Bach to a sold out crowd at the Royal Albert Hall, on the penultimate Saturday night of the BBC Proms season.
Republicans have gained a majority in the Senate and are due to keep a majority in the House of Representatives as vote counts are finalised in midterm elections in the United States. Early projections had indicated the Republicans would take over the Senate, the first time in 8 years, but there had been questions with regard to control of the House.
The February 3, 2014, edition of The Flyer with contributions from me.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Snapchat would be hiring content analysts to help with its coverage of the forthcoming presidential elections in the United States. The announcement came as the Pew Research Centre in Washington D.C. said in a study that Facebook was the number one source of political news for younger audiences.
The October 21, 2013 edition of The Flyer with contributions from me.
The October 7, 2013 edition of The Flyer with contributions from me.
It was just before 8 on a Wednesday night, as televisions across the UK were being tuned to BBC One for the return of one of British television's robust spectacles. A sense of anticipation was filling within normal conversations and within conversations on social media for this very moment.
The September 23, 2013 edition of The Flyer with contributions from me.
The December 9, 2013, edition of The Flyer with contributions from me.
The November 18, 2013 edition of The Flyer with contributions from me.
The November 4, 2013 edition of The Flyer with contributions from me.
The April 22, 2013 edition of The Flyer with contributions from me.
The April 8, 2013 edition of The Flyer with contributions from me.
The March 18, 2013 edition of The Flyer with contributions from me.
The February 18, 2013 edition of The Flyer with contributions from me.
My work during my internship at the Uloop Student News Network from May through the end of July 2012. I oversaw writers and wrote posts on national and international news, technology, sports and the media.
Essay Understanding Canada was published - see page 50
See page 71