Thursday, 20 June 2019
LO4: IPSO AND W3C regulation
In writing my article I was very mindful of IPSO and W3C regulatory bodies, alike many other medias, journalism has to be mediated by regulatory bodies to ensure that all content is suitable for readers.
IPSO is the main regulatory body for journalism, they have an editors code that I took into account whilst writing my article, this means that no information written can be harmful or offensive, this I didn't find a major problem whilst writing my article due to the subject not being very controversial in terms of people involved and its a problem that affects everyone no matter what race, colour or ethnicity.
Alongside making sure that the content of the article wasn't offensive or harmful I also had to look at making sure that all secondary sources that were used were cross reference and were checked to make sure that the information was valid, this was incredibly important to make sure that I want misleading in my article.
This is especially important when speaking about major companies, in my article I touched on supermarkets, this meant that I had to have very secure data to ensure that I wasn't causing libel against any of these companies.
Due to technical convergence, many major news outlets now have online websites where the majority of their articles are posted this means that my article would probably be posted on an online source rather than printed therefore I would also have to look at W3C as a regulatory board due to them regulating online content.
To follow W3C's guidelines I would have to ensure that it was accessible for a range of audiences e.g I had translations available for people of different nationalities and that I had a range of formats for it to reviewed in to enable people who perhaps had impaired sight or difficulty reading could access the article.
LO4: Mode of adress and structure
I have created the article to have the mode of address of peer to peer, this I thought would be the best way to convey the information without seeming condescending as if I had perhaps written it in a teacher to student or parent to child mode, this is also due to my older target audience who are used to reading pieces in a peer to peer mode due to this being the most common mode used by news outlets such as The Telegraph and The Independent.
My target audience is male and female aged 12-45, this is a very mass audience, I have targeted the younger spectrum of the ages by touching on the younger generation striking and protesting for the environment this allowed me to engage that target audience due to the relevancy to their age and the current headline story. This will enable the younger proportion to relate to the article even if they didn't personally strike they will have heard of the movement, this target audience is also very targeted due to them being very effected by the problem in later life therefore its important that they know the statistics and are very involved in looking for solutions.
I have discussed heavily the damage supermarkets are causing and how they are one of the major providers for single use plastic, this I think will be extremely relevant and will relate with the majority of the target audience due to it being a task done if you live independently or are the paternal roles in your household, this will allow a mass proportion of the target audience to be related to the content and understand how they can improve and evolve around the problem.
I am also aiming for an ABC1 audience this I am doing by encoding the article with specific language and ensuring that the syntax and grammar is more complex to connote the higher social grade.
The ABC1 audience is targeted specifically due to buying sustainable and environmentally friendly food and products is slightly more expensive this meaning that by aiming for an audience with more disposable income more of the audience will see the change as positive because the slight raise in price isn't as impactful for them.
I have included several direct address questions and statements this is important to include as it engages the reader and allows them to feel as if the article is written speaking to them face to face this is especially important to include in an article informing on such a problem as global warming as it allows the reader to really process that they are part of the problem and the problems that they are causing for generations to come.
The ABC1 audience is targeted specifically due to buying sustainable and environmentally friendly food and products is slightly more expensive this meaning that by aiming for an audience with more disposable income more of the audience will see the change as positive because the slight raise in price isn't as impactful for them.
I have included several direct address questions and statements this is important to include as it engages the reader and allows them to feel as if the article is written speaking to them face to face this is especially important to include in an article informing on such a problem as global warming as it allows the reader to really process that they are part of the problem and the problems that they are causing for generations to come.
Alongside direct address I have also frequently placed rhetorical questions, this technique produces a very similar call to action like the direct address due to the reader thinking about their actions and thinking what they can do to help this problem.
The tone of the article is slightly acerbic and biting, this tone comes from the harsh topic of single use plastic, the problem of the overuse of plastic is human fault this means that to break through to the reader and to show them the damage that is being caused the harsh tone is needed to demonstrate the change that needs to be made to ensure that this problem can be resolved if change is implemented immediately.
The tone of the article does change however as closer to the end the article turns reflective as we see and acknowledge the problem and this is where the article gives ideas on how to improve and change to not fuel the problem.
LO4: Write and edit an article
Draft 1
The world is drowning in plastic, marine life getting maimed and suffocated by the day, landfills overspilling into the ocean, plastic reaching 450 years before starting to decompose.
How many items of single use plastic are in your home? That is the question posed and measured on the ‘War against Plastic” a BBC documentary presented by Hugh Fernly- Whittingstall. By asking homeowners to remove all the single use plastic from their homes and lay it out to be counted - they estimated the amount of single use plastic to total 19.5 billion in UK homes currently.
How many items of single use plastic are in your home? That is the question posed and measured on the ‘War against Plastic” a BBC documentary presented by Hugh Fernly- Whittingstall. By asking homeowners to remove all the single use plastic from their homes and lay it out to be counted - they estimated the amount of single use plastic to total 19.5 billion in UK homes currently.
So, what is single use plastic? Single use plastic is
designed to only be used for one time before being disposed e.g food packaging,
cotton buds, plastic straws.
After eye-opening studies and ground breaking documentaries
such as Blue Planet and The War on Plastic the population of the UK are finally
starting to wake up from the unrealistic dreams of single use products and
realise the real-life nightmare of plastic pollution that has created long
lasting impacts for hundreds of future generations to come. But what is
actually happening to stop the masses of single use plastic that is
accumulating at an unnerving rate?
Looking at Sheffield as an example of plastic reduction and
the revolution of sustainable products and way of living, you can see change is
coming.
Unwrapped is a zero-waste shop in Crookes that allows
customers to buy produce without the unnecessary mass of single use plastic,
shops like this demonstrate the inessential flurry of cellophane and vacuumed
plastic that seems to cover food as if it wouldn’t survive human touch.
Unwrapped is just an example of a zero-waste shop in
Sheffield in reality there is a huge growing market for zero waste shops and sustainable
products.
Supermarket giants such as Sainsburys and the Co-op are the
lowest ranking when looking at the reduction of plastic but the growing
scrutiny from customers is building, from what’s been called ‘plastic attacks’
shoppers have been protesting outside supermarkets along with customers
unwrapping items that are placed in unnecessary single use plastic this
lighting the fire and increasing the pressure to change.
The UK however needs to change its ways and quickly, plastic
waste is swamping UK rivers, it has been recently found that the river Mersey
is more polluted than the Great Pacific garbage patch, with 875 pieces of plastic being found in the river
in just 30 minutes.
more than this demonstrating that problems are closer to
home than many think.
This should be seen as a government wake-up call as it’s not
clear that any major political parties in power take the topic of global
warming or the use of plastic seriously, recently school children have been
striking and protesting against global warming and speaking up on their views
on the subject, this demonstrating that the younger generations of the country
understand the importance of the problem and understand the repercussions they
will face.
One of the main environmental factors which is demonstrating
the selfishness of our actions is the backlash on the marine life, currently we
are not completely sure on the amount of plastic in the ocean however we do
know that over 700 marine species are being impacted.
New research has been uncovered which highlights the most
alarming repercussions for marine life being that microplastic is being found
in the bloodstreams of the animals, this plastic being 5mm in size, this
meaning that even plankton, the basis of the marine food chain can mistake this
pollution for food, once the plastic is digested it starts to leak hazardous
chemicals, this being devastating for long term impacts.
One of the biggest culprits for the major environmental
crisis we are currently facing is the rapid consumption and disposable of
single use plastic bottles, with 1 million bottles bought every minute
world-wide this depicts the amount of plastic that is being consumed at an
unimaginable rate.
So why can’t we shake the addiction to plastic? And what can
we do to change and adapt to improve the current situation.
Changing the current problem can be helped by doing everyday
tasks with plastic reduction in mind e.g bring your own bottled drinks and
bringing your own shopping bag.
By showing support for companies that are making positive
changes can really make a difference, when looking at the situation it is about
making lifestyle changes to accommodate the problem and look at it from a
sustainable perspective, this lifestyle can save you money and save tonnes of
plastic being added to growing problem.
Plastic isn't fantastic
Sub-Edit feedback
Draft 2
Plastic isn't fantastic
The world is drowning in
plastic. Marine life are born maimed or being and suffocated by the day,
landfills over spilling into the ocean, and even recycled plastics failing to
decompose until reaching at least 450 years old.
Have you ever thought about how many items of single
use plastics are in your home? That is the question posed and measured on the
‘War against Plastic” a BBC documentary presented by Hugh Fernly- Whittingstall.
By asking homeowners to remove all the single use plastic from their homes and
lay it out to be counted - they estimated the amount of single use plastic to
total 19.5 billion in UK homes currently.
So, what is single use plastic? Single use plastic is
designed to only be used for one time before being disposed e.g food packaging,
cotton buds, plastic straws.
After eye-opening studies and ground breaking documentaries
such as ‘Blue Planet’ and ‘The War on Plastic’ the population of the UK are
finally starting to wake up from the unrealistic dreams of single use products
and realise the real-life nightmare of plastic pollution that has created long
lasting impacts for hundreds of future generations to come. But what is
actually happening to stop the mass of single use plastic that is accumulating
at an unnerving rate?
Looking at Sheffield as an example of plastic reduction and
the revolution of sustainable products and way of living, you can see change is
coming.
‘Unwrapped’ is a zero-waste shop in Crookes that allows
customers to buy produce without the unnecessary mass of single use plastic,
shops like this demonstrate the inessential flurry of cellophane and vacuumed
plastic that seems to cover food as if it wouldn’t survive human touch.
‘Unwrapped’ is just an example of a zero-waste shop in
Sheffield in reality there is a huge growing market for zero waste shops and sustainable
products.
Supermarket giants such as Sainsbury’s and the Co-Op are the
lowest ranking when looking at the reduction of plastic but the growing
scrutiny from customers is building, from what’s been called ‘plastic attacks’
shoppers have been protesting outside supermarkets along with customers
unwrapping items that are placed in unnecessary single use plastic this
lighting the fire and increasing the pressure to change.
The UK however needs to change its ways and quickly, plastic
waste is swamping UK rivers, and it has been found recently that the river
Mersey is more polluted than the Great Pacific garbage patch, with 875 pieces of plastic being found in the river
in just 30 minutes.
This should be seen as a government wake-up call as it’s not
clear that any major political parties in power take the topic of global
warming or the use of plastic seriously. Recently school children have been
striking and protesting against global warming and speaking up on their views
on the subject, this demonstrating that the younger generations of the country
understand the importance of the problem and understand the repercussions they
will face.
One of the main environmental factors which is demonstrating
the selfishness of our actions is the backlash on the marine life, currently we
are not completely sure on the amount of plastic in the ocean however we do
know that over 700 marine species are being impacted.
New research has been uncovered which highlights the most
alarming repercussions for marine life being that microplastic is being found
in the bloodstreams of the animals, this plastic being 5mm in size, this
meaning that even plankton, the basis of the marine food chain can mistake this
pollution for food, once the plastic is digested it starts to leak hazardous
chemicals, this being devastating for long term impacts.
One of the biggest culprits for the major environmental
crisis we are currently facing is the rapid consumption and disposable of
single use plastic bottles, with 1 million bottles bought every minute
world-wide this depicts the amount of plastic that is being consumed at an
unimaginable rate.
So why can’t we shake the addiction to plastic? And what can
we do to change and adapt to improve the current situation.
Changing the current problem can be helped by doing everyday
tasks with plastic reduction in mind e.g bring your own bottled drinks and
bringing your own shopping bag.
By showing support for companies that are making positive
changes can really make a difference, when looking at the situation it is about
making lifestyle changes to accommodate the problem and look at it from a
sustainable perspective, this lifestyle can save you money and save tonnes of
plastic being added to growing problem.
Earth provides
enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed. ― Mahatma Gandhi
LO3: Primary research
Contacting Sheffield zero waste shops
In my article I want to include quotes from zero waste shops, therefore I have emailed them a set of questions for them to answer, I have included questions such as 'what are the main benefits of zero waste shopping' these questions will allow qualitative and open ended answers and will make great quotes'.
Contacting Sheffield City Council
Here you can see that I have contacted Sheffield City Council to try and gain some more information on how Sheffield is changing to adapt to the current problems we are facing in terms of pollution, I thought that Sheffield city council will be the best people to receive valid data.
Friday, 24 May 2019
LO3: Be able to research and plan content for an article
LO3: NEWS VALUES
Frequency
Frequency is how often something is mentioned in the media, a high frequency in terms of journalism normally happens when a tragic death or a event happens.
e.g https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jun/25/michael-jackson-dead
Threshold
Threshold is how many superlatives and clear hyperboles that are used on the front covers of newspapers.
Threshold is used to pull readers in and the titles are normally outrageous and rhetorical to catch a range of demographics attention.
Unambiguity
Unambiguity is reporting on stories with solid facts and no doubt.
https://www.livescience.com/topics/global-warming
Meaningful and Newsworthiness
relevance in terms or demographic in relation to news stories,
Consonance
Stories that you begin to believe or support due to them being reported several times - this makes them seem more reliable in the eyes of the public.
Unexpectedness
http://www.sportbible.com/latest/sport-how-much-the-champions-league-streakers-stunt-was-worth-20190602
Reference to Elites
This is where royal family, actors, sporting personalities ,musicians or politicians are mentioned, this news is normally very popular due to the idea of ideal self and success surrounding the elites.
Personalisation
When a journalist uses rhetorical questions or personal pronouns to reach an audience on a more personal level, or reveals information about a celebrities life that the reader may already know
Negativity
this is where the news reports on a very negative or sobering story.
I am going to write my article covering the plastic revolution and the changing ideology on choosing environmentally friendly products over convenience. This topic will be incredibly relevant and isn't a niche subject due to it being a huge news headline at the moment, because it effects everyone this article will have a huge audience reach and this isn't a problem just faced by one generation.
In the article I really want to explore the actual change experienced by people in their everyday lives surrounding the reduced plastic wastage, alongside this though i want to cover the backlash against the plastic revolution and the groups that are fighting the change.
For research i will gather both secondary and primary research I will try and contact green party members to try and include a more political side to the article alongside using online research to look at the success of online shops selling reusable everyday tools such as metal straws.
I will gather my research by both secondary and primary methods, alongside using web sources to gain facts I also want to feature quotes and opinions from actual Sheffield businesses and groups, this I will complete by reaching out with a small questionnaire for them to complete which will enable me to use direct quotes.
Frequency
Frequency is how often something is mentioned in the media, a high frequency in terms of journalism normally happens when a tragic death or a event happens.
e.g https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jun/25/michael-jackson-dead
Threshold
Threshold is how many superlatives and clear hyperboles that are used on the front covers of newspapers.Threshold is used to pull readers in and the titles are normally outrageous and rhetorical to catch a range of demographics attention.
Unambiguity
Unambiguity is reporting on stories with solid facts and no doubt.
https://www.livescience.com/topics/global-warming
Meaningful and Newsworthiness
relevance in terms or demographic in relation to news stories,
Consonance
Stories that you begin to believe or support due to them being reported several times - this makes them seem more reliable in the eyes of the public.
Unexpectedness
http://www.sportbible.com/latest/sport-how-much-the-champions-league-streakers-stunt-was-worth-20190602
Reference to Elites
This is where royal family, actors, sporting personalities ,musicians or politicians are mentioned, this news is normally very popular due to the idea of ideal self and success surrounding the elites.
Personalisation
When a journalist uses rhetorical questions or personal pronouns to reach an audience on a more personal level, or reveals information about a celebrities life that the reader may already know
Negativity
this is where the news reports on a very negative or sobering story.
Genre Ideas for my article
I am going to write my article covering the plastic revolution and the changing ideology on choosing environmentally friendly products over convenience. This topic will be incredibly relevant and isn't a niche subject due to it being a huge news headline at the moment, because it effects everyone this article will have a huge audience reach and this isn't a problem just faced by one generation.
In the article I really want to explore the actual change experienced by people in their everyday lives surrounding the reduced plastic wastage, alongside this though i want to cover the backlash against the plastic revolution and the groups that are fighting the change.
For research i will gather both secondary and primary research I will try and contact green party members to try and include a more political side to the article alongside using online research to look at the success of online shops selling reusable everyday tools such as metal straws.
Article plan
WHAT
In my article I am going to focus on the sudden reduction of plastic in Sheffield everyday life and what actions are being put in place to create a more sustainable society for future generations, I hope to look at Sheffields wastage so the article can be more focused and can be a surveillance piece (Denis Mcquail) for Sheffield readers therefore they can learn and make small changes to help in reducing plastic pollution.
I will also mention and link in Sir David Attenborough's most recent documentary 'Climate Change - The Facts' this being due to it being seen as the catalyst for the sudden reduction of plastic as the documentary shows shocking scenes of where our plastic is ending up.
WHO
In the article I will feature Sheffield shops, both independant and chains that are changing the way plastic is being used, I also want to feature online shops that are selling recycled and plastic free items, this will be the secondary source of research and will be gathered mainly through social media.
WHERE
I want the article to be based on Sheffields plastic problems therefore the information gathered for the article will come from local sources such as Sheffield city council, Sheffield Live and other Sheffield sources, this will ensure that the information is reliable and relatable to the area i am focusing on.
WHEN
The article will be based on the current events due to the topic being a ever-changing subject that people are tackling on a daily basis, however in the article I will look at time periods where peoples concern was focused on convenience over sustainability in regards to plastic waste.
WHY
I want to create an article on this topic due to the importance of the issue covered, this is a global problem that needs everyone to start making small changes to see a big impact, it is seen by many as a problem too big to start correcting at this stage and this is a wrong mindset therefore I want to raise awareness on not only the subject but for it to be instructive on how to improve.
HOW
I will gather my research by both secondary and primary methods, alongside using web sources to gain facts I also want to feature quotes and opinions from actual Sheffield businesses and groups, this I will complete by reaching out with a small questionnaire for them to complete which will enable me to use direct quotes.
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