Wikipedia editors have voted to ban the Daily Mail as a source for the website in all but exceptional circumstances after deeming the news group “generally unreliable”
The editors described the arguments for a ban as “centred on the Daily Mail’s reputation for poor fact checking, sensationalism and flat-out fabrication”
The decision by Wikipedia comes amid widespread debate over the rise of fake news, which has widened to include concerns about misleading information in traditional publications
A spokesman for Mail Newspapers said that only a tiny portion of the site’s millions of anonymous editors had been involved in the decision, adding: “It is hard to know whether to laugh or cry at this move by Wikipedia. For the record the Daily Mail banned all its journalists from using Wikipedia as a sole source in 2014 because of its unreliability
Last year, the Daily Mail and MailOnline together published more than half a million stories and yet received just two upheld adjudications each for inaccuracy from the UK industry’s regulator IPSO
The issue of fake news is growing wider and more extensive therefore the cut down and attempt to remove anything that could be deemed as 'fake' is understandable. However the most interesting thing about this article is the facr that last year the Daily Mail and MailOnline together published more than half a million stories and only 2 were upheld for it's inaccuracy, whilst the Daily Man banned all its journalists from using Wikipedia in 2014 due to its unreliability. It is interesting because Wikipedia is a site known for it's accuracy as anyone is able to publish on there, therefore it becomes an issue of blaming different sources to higher their reputation as an institution who are trying to impress an audience, whereas they themselves are not.
'Google and Bing to deprecate piracy websites'
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/20/google-and-bing-to-demote-piracy-websites
Internet users will find it harder to search for pirated films and music and illegally streamed live football matches under a new plan to crackdown on piracy websites
The code, the first of its kind in the UK, will accelerate the demotion of illegal sites following notices from rights holders
Ofcom has supported the discussions by examining in detail the way that search results are presented to internet users
Piracy is an issue that has been ever-growing and the fact that now there will be a procedure to cut down on this is a great thing as institutions will now be able to achieve the profit that they truly deserve. Thinking of this from the music industry perspective, I think it is a really great thing as artists will now receive the profit they deserve.
'The clock is ticking for Spotify' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38930699
The Swedish firm is now a major player in 60 countries
streaming accounted for 51% of music consumption last year
it hatches its plans to go public
In the interest of finally becoming a profitable company, it would like to lower that percentage, but this is unlikely to go down well with artists, who argue that the royalties they receive from streaming are unfairly low as it is
"If it's not already too big to fail, it's headed in that direction quickly," concludes the magazine
I think that it is no surprise that Spotify isn't making a profit given the discounts and the amount it spends on royalties. Another issue that reduces profit is the 'free' version of Spotify Users aren't entitled to pay as long as they endure ads, which i don't think will make as much profit as a payed subscription would.
'Fake news is 'killing people's minds', says Apple boss Tim Cook' https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/11/fake-news-is-killing-peoples-minds-says-apple-boss-tim-cook
The technology boss said firms such as his own needed to create tools that would help stem the spread of falsehoods, without impinging on freedom of speech
“All of us technology companies need to create some tools that help diminish the volume of fake news."
Fake anti-Trump stories during the election included one in which it was falsely claimed that he had groped the drag queen and television presenter RuPaul
A study by economists at Stanford University and New York University published two months after November’s US presidential election found that in the run-up to the vote, fake anti-Clinton stories had been shared 30 million times on Facebook, while those favouring her were shared eight million times
I think institutions are simply trying to reveal what the audience wants to hear and not actually acting upon the situation. Fake news has become something that has influenced important events such as the US elections and therefore this makes it a huge and serious problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, so whilst institutions are trying to diminish the volume of fake news, reporting the issues of this is not actually acting upon the issue itself.
Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project?
Bates started the project because she experienced sexism in day to day life, which became a routine for her. Bates didn't act on this because she thought this was normal until she realised that a lot of other women were in the same position and didn't act on the issue either. How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies?
Her project highlights how feminism is still required as women are still being treated unfairly and being objectified, showing that feminism is still an issue today. How can you apply Judith Butler's theory of gender as a 'performance' to the creation of the Everyday Sexism project?
The thoughts that Bates addresses reveals how gender has been socially constructed through the media by the idea that young children believe that their appearance is the only thing that matters when it comes down to it, linking to Butler's theory of gender as a performance rather than biological.
How does Angela McRobbie's work on female empowerment link to the Everyday Sexism project?
The project highlights McRobbie's work on female empowerment as the whole concept addresses the issue and shows other women that they are not alone and do not need to take the abuse, instead are allowed to feel empowered and act on it positively and successful.
Media Magazine: The fourth wave?
Read the article: The Fourth Wave? Feminism in the Digital Age in MM55 (p64) Summarise the questions in the first two sub-headings: What is networked feminism? Why is it a problem?
The new fourth wave of feminism is also known as ‘networked feminism’. it aims to tackle social equality issues found with modern technology. User-generated content websites are all being utilised to set up, grow and oppose campaigns. Twitter is a big player in representing modern feminism; people are now able to instantly engage with the ideologies, and hashtags. Feminists in 2015 still deal every day with misconceptions and prejudice.feminists are still frequently characterised as ‘man-haters’ – indeed, the Greek term to describe hatred of men, misandry, is often used to describe the movement in traditional and conservative media.women. But the basis of feminist theory is that we have to fight society’s original structures in order to create new, equal ones.
What are the four waves of feminism? Do you agree that we are in a fourth wave ‘networked feminism’?
The ‘first wave of feminism' began in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, with a main focus on suffrage.
The ‘second wave’ began in the 1960s, campaigning for the growth of equal rights and leading to the Equal Pay Act of 1970, amongst other equality laws.
Since the late 1990s, we are believed to have entered the ‘third wave’ (often identified as post-feminism).
The new fourth wave of feminism is also known as ‘networked feminism’. it aims to tackle social equality issues found both on, and using, modern technology.
I do believe we have entered a fourth wave of feminism and more importantly it has become an even more exaggerated and prominent issue due to the fact that the US president is Donald Trump. This therefore re-ignites the issues of feminism once more and does bring us into a new wave.
Focus on the examples in the article. Write a 100-word summary of EACH of the following: Everyday Sexism, HeForShe, FCKH8 campaign, This Girl Can.
Everyday Sexism - Bates started her campaign as she revealed examples of all the issues she faced personally with sexism. She used to keep these quiet and didn't tell anyone of her issues until she voiced them and found out that several other women experienced similar issues. She started up a website campaigning against this and asking women to share their own personal stories. Her twitter campaign also exposed her website much further and voiced the issue of everyday sexism onto a bigger and much larger scale. The role of social media made the campaign more instant and personal allowing groups to come together to share stories. The campaign also included men revealing how feminism is not only for females.
HeForShe - This campaign is led by Emma Watson and focuses on male support for gender equality, focusing on the fact that feminism is not promoted by matriarchy but solidarity. Watson utilised Twitter for a Q&A campaign exposing the issue and promoted this getting a huge response. The campaign has apparently undermined the strong woman and feminism has become more reliant on men.
FCKH8 - digital campaign which focuses of modern representation of girls and the problems that they face in term of equal gender rights. This campaign involved a video which features girls 'f-bombing' - this was between a girl swearing and sexism in society. The video got over a million views in its first 3 months of being posted. It is a for-profit company that sells merchandise such as t-shirts, which made the feminist movement look more like it's being exploited as an advertising tool.
The Girl Can - this is 'the first fitness campaign' that doesn't shame women or exclude them from any media text such as photos, videos and quotes as they are part of it all. There is no sexual exploitation within these campaigns, meaning that there is no body shaming. However, there has still been criticism online made by feminists.
4) What is your opinion with regards to feminism and new/digital media? Do you agree with the concept of a 'fourth wave' of feminism post-2010 or are recent developments like the Everyday Sexism project merely an extension of the third wave of feminism from the 1990s?
I believe we have entered the fourth wave of feminism. Social networking sites, such as Twitter and YouTube allow feminist communities to be created online, through hashtags. Thus, I believe that digital media is the new path that feminism is now using to expose themselves and heighten ideologies.
How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’? Beyonce's actions in this video are scripted in order to create a performance imitating a typical housewife in her day to day domestic chores.
Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women? Why?
Beyonce's sexual provocation, when associated with her status, depicts how women can use their sexual power to their advantage, therefore reveals her as an empowering role model for women. However it could also be argued that due to the fact that her song is about winning over a guy, this shows that the male character always needs to be impressed by the female, therefore does not show her as empowering but more as submissive. What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)? I think Beyonce reinforces the male gaze in this video, solely due to the fact that she is imitating the traditional woman's role in a more provocative and overly sexualised way. This therefore makes the audience believe that she is trying to reinforce gender roles through a satirical and sexual countenance, making this text an object of the male gaze.
'Body cams are being trialled in UK schools to keep an eye on students'
http://www.wired.co.uk/article/body-cams-are-coming-to-uk-schools
Two schools in the UK are trialling the use of body cams worn by teachers to monitor student behaviour and protect them from abuse
The wearable cameras are being trialled as both a means to deter bad behaviour and also as an opportunity to record positive learning within the classroom. The footage will then be stored on a cloud server, similar to the type used by UK police forces
A study conducted by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers found that 43 per cent of educational staff had to deal with physical violence from pupils in 2015
Ellis assures that “filming [in schools] only occurs when it is legitimate, proportionate and necessary” and that the body cams are not to be used as a “surveillance camera”.
Harvard Law Review in 2015 stated that the use of body cams by American police shows a move towards an “increasingly militarised” state, which may pose a “threat to civilian privacy”. Using body cams in the classroom is arguably another step towards a fully-fledged surveillance state.
The issue with teachers wearing cameras is the clear ethical debate of privacy. The idea of becoming a militarised state is increasingly worrying as it becomes a society where your every move is being watched. Although these cameras are said to only be implemented when necessary, the issue of hacking has increased rapidly which therefore poses a threat for potential hackers to hack into these servers and get private information. There are several issues with privacy and ethical concerns in general.
'Why has Cameroon blocked the internet?'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-38895541
The two regions affected, South-West and North-West, have seen anti-government protests in recent months
the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued a statement in which it warned social media users of criminal penalties if they were to "issue or spread information, including by way of electronic communications or information technology systems, without any evidence"
statement also confirmed that the authorities had sent text messages direct to mobile phone subscribers, notifying them of penalties, including long jail terms, for "spreading false news" via social media
It follows a period of rising tensions in which long-held grievances of English speakers against the government have erupted into protests and strikes
What is interesting about this article is the fact that Cameroon have only blocked the internet in English-speaking parts of the country; this therefore brings about the idea of globalisation and the issues with it. The rise in fake news is a clear issue in society and has been catalysed predominantly from huge issues, from Brexit to the US Elections. The fact that social media has been banned in this country reveals the moral panic that has spurred from fake news and that has caused governments to become afraid to the point where they have to go to extreme measures.
Playing With The Past: Post-feminism and the Media What are the two texts the article focuses on?
Pan Am
Beyonce - Why Don't You Love Me
What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?
Pan Am - the stewardess on the magazine cover is a constructed version of femininity and is an image based on fantasy rather than reality. It is an image that would appear to males through the glossy representation of the female
an air stewardess also gets weighed and measured and tries on girdles, therefore revealing quite a sexual image of the woman
we see four women's legs walking in rhythm together, allowing the audience to gaze at the women's bodies - the use of slow motion also allows further visual pleasure - men turn to gaze at these women - reinforcing Mulvey's idea of the 'male gaze'
Beyonce - 12 dress changes in the video, highly sexualised image, provocative
mise-en-scene includes her parodying household chores whilst dressed in sexual outfits, welcoming the idea of the male gaze
she rubs her chest and gazes into the camera seductively, welcoming the male gaze, however a post-feminist view on this is the fact that she is allowing the male gaze, therefore is empowered through this
Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form?
Both texts suggest that we are in a time beyond feminism through the idea of empowerment of women now, however arguably they both reveal an objectified image of women. I think these videos imply sexism in a different form, surely if Beyonce, for example, is empowered by the male gaze then why would she feel the need to allow it. The issue here is that feminists believe that women are empowered by the power that they have, however this does not stop the male gaze perception of objectifying women and dehumanising them to the mere level of promiscuity and a sex object rather than an intellectual individual.
Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.
Feminism – A movement aimed at defining, establishing, and defending women’s rights and equality to men
Post-feminism – An ideology in culture and society that society is somehow past needing feminism and that the attitudes and arguments of feminism are no longer needed
Third wave feminism – Was a movement that redefined and encouraged women to be dominant and sexually assertive.
Lucy-Ann Holmes started the 'No More Page 3' campaign in August 2012; it reached 215,000 signatures by January 2015 - she is a feminist who did not want glamour models to pose for the newspaper.
What reasons did the campaign give for why Page 3 had to go?
"Boobs are not news"
People associated the models and Page 3's with rape culture
Children shouldn't be able to view sexual content on newspaper front pages
The Sun was sexualising images of women
portrayed women as decorative sexual objects
Page 3 is a symbol of a society unable to come to terms with its own sexism.
Susan Boniface argues: it’s time to end the campaign to stop Page 3 – it’s as outdated, pointless and past-it as Page 3 itself. Those early Page 3 girls considered they were sexually empowered and celebrating the female form. The problem with the No More Page 3 campaign is it began at a point where society was evolving Barbara Ellen argues: It’s bizarre to defend it on the basis that there are “worse things” – there’s no sliding scale for institutionalised sexism. Page 3 is the Old Order – reeking of male dominance, of women as sexualised and neutralised objects. The very passivity of Page 3 is offensive
The main campaign website has now been replaced by a site called Sexist News, designed to highlight sexism in the media. Give an example of a recent story the website has highlighted. Do you agree with the view of the website?
Sexist News Headline-Woman Reveals Absolutely Fuck All Headline-Sexy weather girl reveals ALL in skintight white trousers on live TV
Although I agree with the comments that the weather lady is clearly not revealing her whole body here but what I find most interesting about this article that was written is the fact that a woman actually wrote about the 'sexy weather girl' rather than a man. She describes her as a 'gorgeous TV presenter' and does not objectify her or slate her for her actions, instead covers a rather pointless news story. I think that feminist sites like Sexist News, take into consideration unimportant news stories; this story about an unknown weather lady is clearly unimportant and therefore should not even be regarded as news, therefore should not even conjure up any sort of debate.
How can the No More Page 3 campaign and Sexist News website be linked to the idea of post-feminism?
Post-feminism is the idea that society is past needing feminism and that the attitudes and arguments of feminism are no longer needed. This could be linked to the No More Page 3 campaign as it claims that we have now passed the time of using women as sexualised objectification for men What are your OWN views on these campaigns? Do you agree with their aims? Is there still a need for these campaigns in the media?
To some extent I do agree with these campaigns, I think that it is a positive thing to have a website devoted to sexism as it is an issue to this day. However, I do not think the need to slate newspapers or certain journalists for writing unimportant news stories is worthy of it's time. I simply believe that unimportant journalism is discredited as 'good news' from a number of people and especially those who believe that news is an important necessity. I think stories that objectify women explicitly should be covered rather than small ones as this is something that is seriously unimportant. Finally, do you agree that we are in a post-feminist state or is there still a need for feminism?
I do not think we are in a post-feminist state and I don't ever think we will be but in my own opinion I also do not think we need to exaggerate the need of feminism. I believe that men and women are equal and that is a given but I think that women are better at certain things than men are and therefore it does not make it fair to compare both genders and unify them as one. If you balance the two genders out, together they balance out to provide a stable harmony, therefore both men and women should both be treated equally in the workplace and in society but should also use their strengths to their advantages rather than putting them down as a negative thing.
List three theorists discussed in the article and what they believe regarding black identity.
Aisha Harris - social media plays a negative role in the construction of black identities. Black people are subject to 'memeification' and are commonly seen as performers and entertainers. Example being the 'aint nobody got time for that' meme. which became a catchphrase in public consciousness.
Giddens - social media can aid positive images of black identities. Example, 'The Blackout' campaign on Tumblr, involved re-imagining and celebration of black identities, suggesting black people have used social media as a tool to inspire and to construct an image of black identities that is conventionally misrepresented. Alan Martin -Echo Chamber effect - black out campaign reinforcing ideas held in black community but not whole society so two perspectives clash. Henry Jenkins - social media enables 'participatory cultures' can be established - allowed to voice marginalised opinions and political activism. Example, Twitter #BlackLivesMatter campaign.Fuchs argues that in order to have a true ‘participatory culture’, there needs to be equality of ownership; and as social media (and the internet as a whole) are largely directed, owned and influenced by large corporations with vested, ideological interests, it can not, therefore, be claimed that they facilitate the creation of ‘true’ participatory cultures.
In your opinion, is social media a positive or negative force when it comes to issues of black identity?
I think social media is able to provide a positive platform for black identity and more generally a larger voice in society, such as marginalised groups with opinions. The issue however is the fact that the rapidity of the internet and global expansion therefore means that one wrong move from a marginalised viewpoint causes a huge issue online, which makes it very difficult for representations and preconceptions of black identity to be something that can be misrepresented in a positive light. If an individual believes one thing and only that one thing, they will not change their views merely due to one comment. Therefore activist campaigns like Black Lives Matter provided a positive outlook on the misrepresentations of black people and therefore revealed a side that is positive rather than negative.
How could you apply the post-colonial theories we have learned in class to the issue of social media and black identity?
The idea of humour and the 'entertainer' that Aisha Harris mentions relates to Alvarado's 4 representations of the black community. However the idea of the 'decivilised' black man is present throughout social media and this idea links to Fanon.
A Hustle for Life: Refugees in the Media
What examples of different representations of refugees in the media are offered in the article?
Refugees are often referred to as migrants. Dehumanise them calling them animals; Example Katie Hopkins calling them 'feral' and 'cockroaches.'
In your opinion, is the documentary genre more or less biased than the news media? What examples can you provide from the article to support your view?
I think the documentary genre is more biased due to the article mentioning the TV series Exodus. The idea that we are unable to see the bigger picture in terms of documentaries reveals a less complex idea that doesn't focus on important aspects, therefore it makes it negative for audiences as they do not have the full information.
How could you apply the post-colonial theories we have learned in class to the representation of refugees in the media?
Edward Said's Orientalism can be applied here through the idea that through documentations of refugees in the media we see a negative representation of them as being migrants. It reveals the clear dichotomy between the East and the West therefore reinforces the idea of 'them and us.'
'Social media 'echo chamber' causing political tunnel vision, study finds'
http://news.sky.com/story/social-media-echo-chamber-causing-political-tunnel-vision-study-finds-10755219
Research appears to confirm the existence of an "echo chamber" effect in UK politics, in which social media users are more likely to engage with people and media sources that share their political beliefs
The study found that supporters of the SNP and UKIP were much less likely to engage with people holding different beliefs, or to tweet material from outlets with opposing editorial stances
"The existence of echo chambers and the idea that we are increasingly seeing things that we agree with, things that we like, things that we might buy, challenges some of the fundamental principles democracy thrives on.
That makes us develop a very limited tunnel vision of reality, of products, of ideology, of political stances
This supports the idea that we do not challenge what we see and therefore supports fake news stories and explains why these are possible and difficult to pin-point as 'fake.' The idea that we conform to certain ideologies and therefore do not venture out to understand alternative viewpoints shows that we are a generation that are set in its ways and a society that does not really conform to change.
'Reddit bans far-right groups altright and alternativeright'
Reddit has banned two of the largest far-right “subreddits” groups it hosts, altright and alternativeright
two groups’ participation in what is known as “doxing”: sharing private personal information without permission as a form of online harassment
subreddits were specifically banned for breaking Reddit’s content policy
Reddit moderators, like the creators of idividual subreddits, are all volunteers with no official relationship to the site’s staff
The idea of power and dominance is clear to see here in this article as we see that the power always lies with the institution. Mediators allow content to be mediated online and easily removed or blocked which shows that the internet and social networking sites do not allow a democratic space to be present as the content can easily be removed.
Summarise the three theorists we have looked at: Alvarado, Fanon and Said.
Alvarado - 4 representations of the black community
Fanon - "putting on the white mask"
Said - Orientalism: the clash between East and West
Watch the opening of Yasmin (2004) again. Does it offer a positive or negative view of British Muslims? To what extent does it reinforce or challenge Edward Said's theory of Orientalism - that the west is superior to the exotic or uncivilised east?
It reveals positive representations of British Muslims through the traditional and devout family orientated values. The male character, the father, washes the 'Paki go home' graffiti off the wall without retaliating against the response of the West. Similarly, when Yasmin gets stopped by police officers she does not retaliate or cause an unnecessary issue, instead just acts calm and civilised which shows that they are used to the treatment and are no longer affected by it. The negative representation however is how Yasmin herself tries to fit in with western culture and therefore changes the way she dresses in order to be 'one of them' subverting Said's idea of 'them and us,' revealing unity within the situation. Therefore this subverts Said's theory of Orientalism as she almost appropriates to become civilised. The character of the man in poverty appears to be rather decivilised through his behaviour, therefore perfectly reinforces Said's theory. Alvarado:
Kevin Hart Stand Up; Humorous, entertainers
Gone Too Far; Exotic, traditions
Top Boy; Dangerous, crime, gangster culture and violence
Fanon:
Water Aid; Infantilize, poverty revealed, pity for Africans
8 Mile; White male 'puts on a black mask' to fit into the black culture - culture appropriation subverts the idea of Fanon
Boyz N the Hood; Decivilized, gangster life and culture
Said:
East is East; Representations of the East as humorous and stereotypical
Bend it like Beckham; Western culture embodied by the East
Die Hard; the Russian 'terrorist,' undeniably terrorises Western society
