Newspapers

Newspapers are dated back to Roman Times where the Acta Diurna started around 59 B.C. This was a daily handwritten news report posted in a specified public place under the orders of Emperor Julius Caesar (100–44 B.C.) It was used to keep small communities informed with what was happening locally.

In the 1900’s there were two major kinds of periodical news publications: the handwritten news sheet and single item news publications. On 7th November 1665, The London Gazette began publication. This paper is still around today and is used to update people with what is going on in court. This newspaper decisively changed the look of English news printing using the format of two columns, a clear title, and a clear date.

Newspapers began to emerge due to technological infrastructure developments as the roads improved allowing there to be links between towns. In 1637 the weekly post began in main towns. New ideas were able to come into force such as religious and political ideas that were communicated in print and became fairly popular. The newspapers (specifically stamped) targeted a male upper class audience as these were the people with the money. It was predominantly male as in the 1700s only 40% of females could read compared to 60% of males. Radical unstamped papers catered for the industrial working class up to 1836 as these were cheaper due to the low production costs and illegal street sellers.

The state controlled the printers by issuing licenses to print, advertising tax and stamp duty. Prime minister Walpole spent £50,000 on bribing journalists from 1783-1793 including £600 to the Morning Herald and £300 to The Times. This meant that the state also controlled what was being put into the papers (Marcuse1923) influencing public opinions with their own beliefs.

During the half century ‘taxes on knowledge’ meant that many radical newspapers closed down. Militant journalism survived (Kittler) in the form of small circulation national periodicals and struggling local weeklies. This decline occurred during the period of rapid press expansion when a new generation of right- wing national newspapers came into being. The working class gained the vote in 1867 and trade unions were seeking to improve wages and working conditions. It was claimed in 1843 when the News of the world started that some poor houses saw inmates having to wear prison clothes. Eventually in 1868 the usual hours worked in many industries fell from sixty hours a week to fifty-four hours and average wages rose by around 84%.

Due to the stamp duty being abolished (1836) along with the advertising tax in 1853 the mainstream newspapers attracted an advertising revenue. Some advertisers made a clear distinction between skilled and poor working class, ‘The advertisement duty entirely prevents a certain class of advertisements from appearing’ (Cassell 1853). This was due to exclusion from the early market research studies in the 1920s as they simply weren’t bothered about. In 1900 there was an estimated 2072 local weekly papers catering for either mass, middle-market audiences or small elite audiences.

Along with the Daily Mail being launched in 1896 (Lord Northcliffe) came the tabloidization of newspapers as they concentrated on entertainment rather than political analysis. These papers secured a larger audience as they interested all classes. According to Virginia Berridge tabloidization is to blame for the decline of ‘committed journalism’. Due to the publishing costs rising the ownership and control of the popular press changed from the working class to wealthy businessmen.

From 1945 onwards the newspaper circulation declined as broadcasting and entertainment industries began to grow. In 1987 the structure of the news industry changed as there was emphasis upon profit and commodification of news. In todays society the circulation of newspapers remains at around 2,751,219 with The Sun being the most popular.

Most newspapers today still have focus on some form of entertainment depending on its target audience. For instance The Guardian focuses on arts, theatre and music whereas papers like The Sun concentrate on television, celebrities and football. In the 20^th century there are a range of newspapers to choose from that cater for both genders and class. The range of newspapers forced to compete with one another may also contribute to their decline.

As the news converges online the circulation of newspapers continue to decline. People in today’s society are so media literate that we use the internet and social network sites almost everyday. Therefore they are the quickest and cheapest way to access the news with 9.7m people using the BBC News site and apps a week (Herrmann 2012).

Jonathan Safran Foer

Jonathan is an American author best known for his novels 'Everything is illuminated (2002) and 'Extremely loud but incredibly close'. 


I just thought I would share this quotation with you I found which I believe to be brilliant in the idea he has come up with but also the imagery it produces. It is an extract from his novel 'Extremely loud but incredibly close'.


“What about little microphones? What if everyone swallowed them, and they played the sounds of our hearts through little speakers, which could be in the pouches of our overalls? When you skateboarded down the street at night you could hear everyone's heartbeat, and they could hear yours, sort of like sonar. One weird thing is, I wonder if everyone's hearts would start to beat at the same time, like how women who live together have their menstrual periods at the same time, which I know about, but don't really want to know about. That would be so weird, except that the place in the hospital where babies are born would sound like a crystal chandelier in a houseboat, because the babies wouldn't have had time to match up their heartbeats yet. And at the finish line at the end of the New York City Marathon it would sound like war.” 

* Winter Wonderland *

Winter Wonderland was set in Hyde Park London from 18th November until the 3rd December opening from 10am to 10pm and was  a main attraction for people all over the UK. Since its opening in 2007 it has attracted over 8 million visitors.

Its main attraction was the large ice rink that's the biggest of its kind in the UK consisting of real ice, and was lit up with fairy lights around a band stand. It allowed all ages to skate catering for younger children by providing special skates that made it easier for them. There was loud music playing keeping everyone in the festive spirit throughout their hour skate. This was probably my favourite attraction as I enjoy ice skating and found it nice to skate outside in the open amongst people of all ages and abilities. The only problem was at times it became crowded and people were being knocked over by others that were still wobbly on their feet! 


The next attraction that Winter Wonderland had to offer was the circuses, one for the children that consisted of the magical adventures of Rudolph and the second dare devil show called Cirque Extreme. The most jaw dropping part of the adult circus was the dangerous Motorbike Globe of death that consisted of 3 Brazilian bike riders driving up to 60mph in a small steel globe. Other acts included Trapeze and high wire acts, chainsaw juggling, fire acts and break dancing. The circus lasts an hour and really gets the audience involved as well as being thoroughly entertaining. My favourite act by far was the Brazilian bike riders who had me squirming with fear as they raced around a small globe at speeds of 60mph. At one point they even had a little Chinese lady stood in the middle of the globe as all 3 bikes whizzed around it! This act was awarded a well deserved standing ovation when everyone could finally relax as the bikes made their way out of the globe safe.


All around the Wonderland was the large German market that consisted mainly of food and mulled wine and cider. This year there was a Carousel Bar which rotated gently whilst you sipped your mulled wine out in the crisp air. There was also a number of bars with live music and a Spiegel Saloon which was situated in a ballroom with cosy booths and chairs. Other stools sold German hats and scarves, hand made christmas decorations and other little bits and pieces such as jewellery. There were also a number of rides for the adults such as a large Christmas coaster and for children such as a fun house all around the site.

I really enjoyed Winter Wonderland as an evening out and although I moaned it was too cold it gave the perfect Christmas feel to a magical place in Hyde Park. I recommend this attraction next year to everyone as it keeps all ages entertained for hours.

It is also close to the well know RItz as you can see!

'ANIMALS DO THE FUNNIEST THINGS' - A DISTRACTION FROM REVISION!

As our exams are tomorrow I am sure you have all been revising hard so I have some images of my lovely animals that will make you laugh! I am sure you will enjoy them and I hope that it doesn't distract you too much! PS: GOOD LUCK :)

Note: Sherbert is the black and white cat  Libby is the brown and white dog (with the long ears) Rupert is the little chihuahua (as you probably all know as he is a mini super dog) and Rocky is the hamster.

'Who let the pigs out?'

Say cheese poser

Tom and Jerry (Cat VS Mouse)

Midnight snack
(this is where he was found in the morning
he has escaped from his cage and found his
way into his food!)

Talk to the paw!

Jingle bells jingle bells we love
our Christmas collars

mmm one of my five a day.

I didn't think the fur coat
looked like this!

Sleeping beauty (or the beast?)

Neighbourhood watch!

A present from the nan and her knitting
needles :)

I wish I was taller, I like watching my
friend

'Ouch Charlie bit my finger'  

Catch me if you can!

These are all my beautiful animals except the pigs who belong to Manor Farm and the hamster who is Luke's but all of these animals are a joy to own and bring me happiness daily. I am sure you will all agree that animals are 'for life, not just for Christmas'. Please take extra care of animals over the Christmas period as the RSPCA have around 3 abandoned pets every hour over the Christmas. These animals then need re homing and cost the RSPCA over £3000 a day to keep the Stubbington Ark RSPCA shelter open. So if you are ever thinking over getting a pet remember the RSPCA who have lots of lovely animals who are looking for a good home. 

My cats Sherbert and Pip are rescued from the RSPCA as they were locked in a shed at birth and left to die. They are the most loving cats we could have ever asked for and bring us lots of happiness.

Sheep Invasion.

BAA BAA BAA..

After our law lecture we had a 3 hour break, so decided to go and sit in the canteen to eat some chips. As I was eating my chips I discovered some sheep grazing on the grass on top of a building in the University. At a quick glance I really did believe they were real so thought I would share this with you as we found it rather bizarre.

If anyone would like to let us know why it was a good idea to plant sheep on the roof next to the Stripe (if you hadn't already realised that's where they were) please let us know. We thought it may be a Nativity Scene being set up, but then why would this happen? Also, what is the relevance of sheep to Winchester University?!

Nevertheless it was entertaining for us to watch these sheep being hoisted up by the builders and being placed carefully in position!


Feel free to comment and leave your thoughts on why you think this is :)

How Top Gear SAVED my life!!

So here is a little story I am going to share with you, some of you may be interested some may not but I have decided to share something with you to make my blog more personal! I know a lot of you will be thinking those idiots Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May who mess around with cars and make a show of it can't save someones life. Well in fact they didn't but the messing around with cars and finding out particular things did help my Uncle to save our lives and this is how..


I was in year 3 at school so around the age of 7, my grandad lived in South Africa. We didn't see him often so my mum had decided to book a trip for us to go and visit for 3 weeks. My sister who was only 5/6 years old was also coming along with my mum, dad, Auntie and Uncle we were all looking forward to visiting in a couple of months time. Sadly my Grandad passed away just before Christmas time. This meant that we would still have to go to Cape town but instead to pick up his ashes and bring them back to England. We were no longer looking forward to travelling so far now as all that was there was his house and my step nan who none of us knew that well.


So when the time arrived we were all sat on the aeroplane for around 11 and a half hours (i think!!) it seemed forever. When we arrived the air was so hot it felt like it smacked me in the face as soon as I got off the aeroplane. Anyway basically when we arrived we were given my Granddad's car to help us get around in out there. At this time it was still quite dangerous to be a white person out there as only 9% of the population were white since the apartheid. So on our second night we were travelling on their equivalent of a motorway  however the slow lane was on the edge of a cliff! As there were 6 of us in the car (you are allowed to do that out there as they don't have such strict laws) wearing no seat belts because most of the cars out there weren't made with them we were forced to drive in the slow lane (Yes that was on the edge of the cliff!) My Granddad's car was quite old, as we were travelling along the high way at around 70mph my uncle who was driving suddenly said, 'woaahhh I can't stop!' We all thought that he was joking so we ignored him and carried on looking out of the car. It was pitch black so we couldn't see much but coming up ahead were a set of traffic lights that had just turned red. There we are flying down at 70mph with what seemed to be no attempt to slow down.


My Mum and Auntie at this point were shouting at him to slow down as my sister and I were only young. The next few words were the only words I heard in what seemed ages 'I am not joking I cannot stop the car, the accelerator is stuck down!' The car fell silent no one really understood what was happening. We could tell by the scared look on all of their faces that it was something bad. All our lives could of ended there. We could of gone through the red light so fast and caused a crash, or gone off the edge of the cliff never to be seen again (which was the likelihood in the situation we were in.) The car was speeding up and he was frantically trying to do something to help us slow down and stop. The process seemed to take minutes when in fact it must have been seconds or we would have been through the red lights. My Uncle did something none of us will understand or know as he just did it. He later said it was something to do with pulling the handbrake up whilst pumping the brake. I can't remember exactly but it was to avoid the car from skidding and allow it to come to a stop. We were all sat in shock at the edge of the road overlooking a cliff. My uncle told us that he had seen it on Top Gear a few years ago. It had suddenly popped into his brain before it was too late! 


We were then stranded in the middle of South Africa in the pitch black with nothing to be seen around us. We couldn't leave the car as the wheels and everything on it would have stripped and taken by the Africans. Anyway that is another story, but it is safe to say Top Gear did in fact save my life. This proves that programmes that may appear stupid and pointless in actual fact do give out some important information that may come in use one day. It's just a shame I hadn't seen or remembered what it was exactly my Uncle did in order to stop the car. Just one things certain, it was a scary moment and I would not like to experience it again. 


Apologies if this story built up suspense and ended in a way you wish it hadn't of!!

Katie Price VS Frankie Boyle

The Heated Debate- What do you think?

Frankie Boyle is a well known comedian who features on Mock the Week and has his own channel 4 show called Tramadol Nights. It was here in December 2010 that he made the most crude 'despicable mocking' (Daily Mail 10th December) against her 8 year old son Harvey Price who suffers from condition known as septo-optic dysplasia (underdevelopment of the optic nerve) and has also now been registered as blind. On his comedy show which was broadcast to over 1 million viewers he made the harsh joke 'Jordan and Peter Andre are still fighting each other over custody of Harvey - eventually one of them will lose and have to keep him.' As if this wasn't enough he went on to say 'I have a theory about the reason Jordan married a cage fighter - she needed a man strong enough to stop Harvey from f****** her...' This seemed to be a step too far as it raised at least 50 complaints from viewers and angered Katie who called in her lawyers to investigate and formally write a complaint to channel 4 on her behalf. Although his comment was written in the form of an opinion I cannot see that this could be referred to as 'fair comment' as although Frankie believes what he has written to be true (or he can be accused of malice which would destroy his defence), he has used both offence language and comment to offend not only Harvey and his family, but also other parents and children that are similarly disabled. As Katie complained alongside the public it lead Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom to also have to investigate further into the comments towards her disabled son. As the comments weren't recorded in a written form, this can be seen as a case of 'slander' where the damage may not have intended to be permanent as it was spoken, however does allow Katie and Harvey to  be libel for compensation due to there being an audience of over 1 million. It can also be argued that although he spoke the comments, there would have been a written script that has been accepted by Channel 4 as mentioned below.

The Channel 4 chief executive, David Abraham admitted that he personally signed off Frankie Boyle's controversial joke about Katie Price's disabled son, as a committee of MPs attacked the broadcaster's senior management for failing to offer an unreserved apology for the comedian's comments. It wasn't just Katie and the public that his comments offended, he also received further backlash against his shows after a blind charity called for a boycott of his latest tour. The comedian who was well known for his confrontational style of comedy is facing the wrath of the Royal London Society for Blind People who have described his jokes as ‘outrageous’. Although Katie had her lawyers involved to write a letter to channel 4 on her behalf to complain about the comments of Frankie, she didn't sue him or take him to court as all she wanted was an apology from both Frankie himself and Channel 4 for allowing such an offending comment to be made on live television. However even this seemed to be impossible for Katie as Channel 4 refused to apologise for the comment by Boyle, stating 'that it was part of his live routine which has been used previously on his tour,' the channel also issued a warning of explicit and ‘uncompromising adult material’ before screening the show in December. However it might prove useless as Boyle hasn’t got any more live dates in his diary, leaving people with no gigs to actually boycott.


Although it was supposed to be a 'joke' on live television used supposedly as part of his comedy act it will also have damaged Katie's reputation as well as offended her by not only it being her son, but the way in which Katie was also used in context. The script was clearly not based on 'facts' when referring to Katie and Harvey's relationship as although Katie has to be more loving and caring to Harvey no one should step the line by making such crude allegations. Although this may not have literally taken Katie and Harvey's reputation away from them due to the public complaints, it in a way has damaged Katie's as it refers to her as   being a uncaring and unkind mum specifically when the media have twisted the idea of Peter and Katie arguing against one another to not have Harvey, when in fact it was more likely to be over who has custody over Harvey. Using the equation..


Publication + Defamation + Identification= Libel


I will evaluate weather there could have been a case where Frankie may have been taken libel in court against Katie (who can represent Harvey as he is still classed as a child under the age of 16). Using the idea of publication, it appears that Frankie had defamed Harvey and his condition in a permanent way via the script and the audience that were watching when the comments were made. In a way it can be seen to have 'defamed' both Harvey and Katie, as Harvey's disability was joked about which caused him to be exposed to some hatred from Frankie Boyle. It also lowered Harvey in the eyes of the public by the way that his condition was made out to be lower than the public in order to cause a joke out of him for everyone. It also lowered Katie in the way that she was made out to not care about her son when 'arguing with Peter Andre'. Considering most issues have been covered with this case, to me it appears that Frankie Boyle used an attack towards Harvey (who was named) which was intended to be a 'dig' towards Katie Price. It also seems to be an unfair and rather inappropriate joke that 'crosses the line' between a funny joke and something that wouldn't even amuse the public as it offends not just Harvey, but many other disabled children around the world. Therefore I think that Frankie Boyle is libel to be sued by Katie Price on behalf of Harvey or should be made to make a public apology to Katie and Harvey Price along with anyone else he may have offended. (It's a shame he couldn't even be a man and make a formal apology, or try to realise the consequences of his comments towards a ill child.) 

Due to the comments made from Frankie, it inspired Katie Price into making a documentary 'Standing up for Harvey' which highlights the sensitive issue of his condition and the day to day medication and lifestyle both Harvey and Katie are used to due to the condition. It allows Harvey to be filmed in order to show the harsh reality of Harvey's condition and the ways in which Katie supports him and helps him to deal with it. In the programme Katie attempts to repeatedly to get Boyle to apologise for his vile comments. Katie felt that she should produce a programme as she stated, 'It is impossible to truly describe the disgust I felt when I heard this attack on Harvey. What's more, the vile suggestion that he could be guilty of rape was a swipe at not just my innocent son, but every disabled person in Britain - which is why I decided to invite the TV cameras into my home to defend Harvey and talk openly about him for the first time'  The programme focuses on mainly Harvey, however also on the bond between Katie and Harvey as mother and son, which is special as she is also like his carer. Katie is the one that gives Harvey over 10 lots of medication a day and continually has to tell him what is happening in his surroundings to prevent his autistic symptoms of violence when his routine is suddenly changed- and when she 'tells him he has had enough cake' The programme teaches society the reality of children's lifestyles that are ill or disabled and the pressure that it can put on the family without needing to be made a joke by a comedian. If you haven't seen this programme I recommend you do, as it does make us think how lucky we are and feel sympathy towards Harvey and other disabled children who will have been offended by these nasty comments. I personally believe Frankie should have received a fine or been made to apologise on his programme or to have made an appearance on Katie's documentary as she wanted him to. What do you believe?...

The Dreaded First Day?

So. Who was worried about dragging themselves out of bed, getting dressed even having breakfast all by the early time of 9:30am ready to start at 10am? I can guess for nearly all of us this was the first 'early' start in days, weeks and maybe even months! Well as I live in Southampton this was the case for me, however I was awake and up by 7:30am!! Yes 7:30 in the morning ready to be picked up for 8:30am to start our long drive to Winchester (although it wasn't that bad we arrived around 9:30!!) Then there was the panic of where we had to go, who was going to be there, what was our induction about, were we going to be tested on current news affairs and most of all.. would we enjoy the sound of the course that would be overtaking over lives for the next 3 years? And then it began.. The moment Chris started cracking his jokes and entertaining us with his humour (which lead him slightly off track more than once forgetting what the important point was he was trying to make) we all began to feel at ease. As the induction went on everyone had an idea of who people were and managed to latch on with people they felt were most similar to which meant that no one was left alone. Finally after a complicated lesson of setting up this Blogger and hoping (with fingers crossed!) that it would eventually work the lesson came to an end 1 hour and 30 mins early and being told that was it until next week, everyone could leave smiling about the days events and the people they had met. Obviously the only thing that was pushed to the back of their mind was which books were needed by next week and hoping that eventually they could write a blog.. IF IT WORKS! So here we are Hi i'm Sophie Webb aged 19 from Southampton. As you can see I commute to Winchester with a long term friend Georgia as we take it in turns to drive each day. I get along with anyone so don't feel as though you can never speak to me :) and as Winchester is so close to Southampton, I recommend that you do go out to Bedford Place on Tuesday's (which is student night so you will find that drinks are a lot cheaper, plus we aren't in a lecture on the Wednesday!!) I enjoy sport and eventually may want a journalism career for Sky Sports being a presenter.   . . . Here goes I hope that this blog works. :)