Weekly NDM #9

Schools monitoring on-line bullying with slang translation software

Program used at 1,400 schools, which also tracks self-harm, checks internet communications against dictionary of slang

More than a thousand British schools are monitoring pupils' online communication for bullying and self-harm using software that analyses andtranslates slang for teachers.

The software uses a constantly updated dictionary which includes words that most adults would not understand. These include acronyms such as "gnoc" (get naked on camera) and "dirl" (die in real life) and words such as Bio-Oil, a commercial product which can be used by children who self-harm to reduce the appearance of scarring.

The program also monitors more conventional vocabulary used in bullying such as homophobia and taunts of "terrorist" at children of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent.

The software is part of an education package made by Impero. Jonathan Valentine, a developer, said the program had alerted teachers to potential suicides.

"We originally developed the software to deal with misbehaviour, but we decided to focus on e-safety and came up with the idea of a dictionary of certain words and phrases," he told the Times Educational Supplement.

Weekly NDM #8

BBC targets social media users with Instagram video news

Corporation hopes to reach new audiences as mobile and tablet viewing figures overtake desktop

BBC News is stepping up its efforts to reach new audiences on social media platforms after mobile and tablet viewing figures overtook desktop use for the first time in December.

On 16 January, BBC News launched Instafax, a new short-form video news service delivered to Instagram users. The project is a month-long experiment, with three 15-second videos uploaded a day, intended to serve as a roundup of the day's news.

The name is a throwback to the BBC’s former Ceefax service – the world’s first teletext service that ran on UK television until 2012. This is described as the updated version of a text-based, short-form news service for the digital age

Weekly NDM #7

BBC news chief: problems facing local newspapers 'not our fault'
James Harding responds to calls for BBC to rein in coverage, telling press to focus on web rivals such as Google or Facebook

James Harding, the BBC News director, believes the corporation has an obligation to deliver local news and the problems facing local newspapers are"not the BBC's fault".

Harding, the former Times editor, in his first public speech since joining the BBC in August last year, said he thought the view that the corporation should limit its local news output for fear of damaging local newspapers was mistaken.

He added that the BBC thrived on competition with local papers and would do "anything to help" them, but they should be worrying about internet rivals such as Google and Facebook, not the corporation. As the internet is rising highly on a daily basis people today are more immune to finding out the news by themselves anytime any day of the week. Therefore, today newspapers locally aren't doing well. For example, the papers that are posted to my doors in the morning are now free. Previously, it used to be sold normally for 80p. But now, as there is no success of the newspapers they come to our door free of charge because only then would the house holds read the local news. In this article, newspapers were blaming the BBC.

Weekly NDM #6

There's been a big increase in the number of people who have stopped sending expensive Christmas cards this year and turned to video instead to express their greetings.

Holderness, couldn't resist putting on their Christmas jammies for a rap video, which also features their children, Lola and Penn Charles. Penn has just left his job to join forces with Kim to start a production company in Raleigh, North Carolina. With more than 3 million people viewing their Christmas effort on YouTube, it could be the best business ad they will ever make.

If that was a good day at the office for the Holderness family, KSN Wichita anchor Justin Kraemer had his worst one. Justin got the sack after turning into Ron Burgundy when he signed off at the end of the news on Saturday evening. Listen to what he says as the closing credits roll … (Caution: contains un-Christmassy language)

In the past few years as the internet has increased heavily, this has moved many people to convert to the internet even seasons such as xmas. As they hit instagram and twitter to show there family xmas pictures or to say a well wish to all the fans etc out there. 

Section 1

David is discussing how the fact that the internet is free, allows us to get news through various free websites. He is comparing newspapers and the internet. But, some people are still use to reading an actual newspaper, due to the fact that reading news online isn’t the same as reading it on a newspaper.

Section 2

I think that the article shows that more and more websites are joining to eliminate newspapers. More people in America are reading their newspapers now than ever before, they are reading more of The Times and the Post. It shows how the newspaper industry is declining and how some newspapers are vulnerable to one another.

Section 3

This shows that 10% of the existing 210,000Baltimore Sun readers, for example, who pay a subscription rate less than half the price of home delivery, or roughly $10, would represent about $2.5 million a year. Absent the cost of trucks, gas, paper, and presses, money like that represents the beginnings of a solid revenue stream. 

Section 4

This section shows that there is a risk of newspapers going behind a pay wall without local readers getting free national, international, and cultural reporting from the national papers. Some of the newspapers have already taken this action and it seems that it does work and more newspapers will join a pay wall.

Overall, I think that his point is correct only to a certain extent, as he is only comparing newspapers and the internet. The internet is becoming easier to access, and this is having a heavy impact on newspapers, as audiences are able to access news easily. He is backing only newspapers, which is clear, as he only says positive things about them. He thinks that they won’t die if they change the way they are currently running, as they could create a new wider mass audience, an example he used is the fact that newspapers have the ability to change the front covers and revolve around the entertainment industry.

I'd be glad to pay a subscription; hell, I pay subscriptions toward my TV bill to watch English football, and I would be glad to pay for my newspaper online as well. I don't work for free, why should any person think they should receive for free the work of tireless professional journalists? This whole internet fantasy has all the value and charm of a letter addressed to Santa Claus. Pay up, America, and grow up, too!

#49 Posted by Richard Steele on Fri 24 Jul 2009 at 06:18 PM

This person agrees with the journalist, as he feels sorry for the journalist and knows that that journalists work very hard having to provide the latest news for the public. He believes that that journalists do work hard and that they do have the right to charge customers for the newspapers. 

Fascinating. What about the big gateway sites, like Yahoo and MSN? I bet a lot of people mostly read their news on Yahoo's home page. Yahoo pays the AP,right? Is there some kind of wholesale deal possible there?

#12 Posted by Rob on Fri 17 Jul 2009 at 03:19 PM

 I agree with the fact that no one in the mass media are ready for the fact that internet broke the advertising business model. The content is valued however, it has been hidden in the advertising profits stream for so long, is there another place in the online environment that can shoulder that cost, in addition to subscriptions.

The reason NO ONE will pay for news is because print editors and reporters have killed the medium with their terrible writing -- "impacted," "presser," and "newser" are three horrid additions forced on the public lexicon -- and the fact that they didn't report ten years of wars, nor "reported" the financial and housing meltdown, nor are reporting on America's infrastructure crisis, nor will they report on healthcare.

But by Jove I can read in depth every time Sarah Palin empties her trash or another D-list celebrity dies from drugs or about Michelle Obama's latest fashion -- NONE of which any of us care about paying for.

#56 Posted by zaine_ridling on Sun 26 Jul 2009 at 08:09 PM

This person feels that no one would be willing to pay for newspapers, due to the fact that journalists have terrible writing and the fact that they haven’t reported financial data or about America’s crisis and healthcare.

Weekly NDM

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2538488/SMS-takes-seat-IM-number-texts-sent-Britain-falls-time.html

Number of text messages being sent falls for the first time ever as more people turn to Whatsapp and iMessage. 

The number of texts sent in Britain peaked at 39.7billion in 2011, having sparked the new language of text speak, from OMG (Oh My God) to LOL (Laugh Out Loud) and XOXO, meaning hugs and kisses. However, this year the number is predicted to fall to 21billion, less than half the 50billion ‘instant messages’ that will be sent.

The number of texts that are being sent has fallen due to the fact that there are other ways of contacting people, for example, whatsapp and iMessage and other apps. There are so many new apps that allow people to contact each other that texts are becoming irrelevant. People are no longer paying for texts, they are paying for more internet so that they can use the apps. I agree with this story, as I don't use texts any more and I hardly know anyone who use texts to contact someone. There are other ways such as calling, through Whatsapp and other apps. 

How has news changed in the last 20 years? Who has benefited most?

Consider the impact for both institutions and audiences.

Over the last 20 years, the news has changed dramatically. There are many different ways we can access news through the three digital platforms, which are print, broadcast and e-media. For example, print media is declining due to new and digital media. The sales in newspapers has fallen, as there are easier ways to access the news, such as smart phones. There are apps on smart phones which allow us to read the news whenever we want. We can go on the internet and read the news on there, however some websites such as The Sun, have a pay-wall. This means that they have to subscribe to the paper and pay a monthly fee or something along those lines. This is a benefit for The Sun, as people will want to read the news and have access to it whenever they want and will pay for the subscription. This will benefit The Sun, as they will have an increase in sales and will continue making money, even though their newspaper is declining.

Smart phone sales have increased, which links to all three platforms, as it is easier for people to access the news. Smart phones allow you to download apps which allows us to have access to the news whenever we want. Also, you can download social-networking sites such as Twitter. Twitter is one of the most popular social networking sites in which we can access news. News is spread quite quick on Twitter, due to hash-tags and trends. This is a benefit for audiences, as they wont have to pay for any subscriptions and will be getting there news for free. Smart phones allow the audience to become 'citizen journalists'. This allows them to send in videos and pictures of events that have taken place to news websites and would probably end up on the news. This a benefit for institutions, as they won't have pay journalists to go and find out news and will end up saving money.