NDM News: A case study in News and Social Media

Blog task: Factsheet #134 - Press, Prominence and Persuasion – A Case Study in News and Social Media

1) What does Guardian journalist and academic Emily Bell say has happened to the print news industry on page 1 of the factsheet?
- Emily Bell states that the Daily Mirror attained this status by a combination of three things: 'a strong sense of what role journalism could play in the lives of its audience, great reporting and courageous independent editing, and a thorough knowledge of how to put contemporary technology to the service of journalism.'

2) How do news stories become prominent on social media?
-news stories become more prominent on social media through an algorithm that contains editorial decisions and not by gatekeepers. Its a mathematical selection process that is changing the way people access news.

3) What is EdgeRank and how does it work?
- EdgeRank is an algorithm used by Facebook that decides which stories appear in each user's newsfeed. It works by hiding stories that people are not interested in. So if a story doesn't score well, no one will see it.

4) Why was the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri (after the shooting of Michael Brown) an interesting example of how Facebook's news algorithm works?
- It was an interesting example because it shows how differently the social media websites work. Facebooks algorithm put the ice bucket challenge on top and the Michael Brown story was no where to be seen compared to Twitter where she could see that it was filled with reports. This is an example of how these algorithm change how we receive news.

5) How did the news of Osama Bin Laden's death break?
- Through a tweet posted by Keith Urbahn "So I'm told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. Hot damn"

6) How does news spread on Twitter?
- Urbahn had 1000 followers which wasn't enough to receive immediate global interest however the tweet triggered a rush of reactions, tweets and conversation. It was because of his job title that allowed people to believe and be persuaded by the tweet that allowed it to spread.

7) What is YOUR opinion on editorial control at tech giants like Facebook and Twitter? Are they neutral or should they play an active role (such as blocking and deleting ISIS beheading videos)?
- I feel like being neutral will cause difficulty in the way news is spread through social media sites. With Facebook the type of content that was being spread and seen the most based on the algorithm was the ice bucket challenge because of the fact that it was an interesting way to raise awareness to an issue whilst on the other hand the Michael Brown incident was pushed aside. In this case I think that its a case of one news is more trendy and the other would be considered more serious. People in this generation naturally stay up to date with trends therefore it is difficult for news that would be considered more important to reach the same level of interest. However, if tech giants were to have some control they would be able to decide what news gets shown and how equally the news are shown.

8) Spend some time exploring First Look Media. Is this a realistic future for quality journalism?
- I feel like the idea in which the website was made is interesting however I feel like there is no clear structure with this layout. It looks difficult to understand what exactly is going on. I do not think this would make for quality journalism based on the fact that we have companies like the BBC that report unbiased news and here it almost seems subjective or one sided. Therefore its a question of is this type of journalism used for social good or is it simply just another platform where journalists can report their opinions just like we do using social media sites. This doesn't mean that the site doesn't post news that is their to inform. however, the latest top story is 'Oprah Winfrey for President: Have we all gone bonker?'

9) Read the About page for First Look Media. What are they trying to achieve and do you think they will be successful?
- They are trying to achieve a journalism style that promotes freedom of speech - to question those in power including the government as they please. They also look at entertainment and arts that enrich our culture which they believe is vital for a healthy democracy and a vibrant culture. I think

10) Finally, take a good look at The Intercept. Explain how The Intercept started and list three interesting stories on there from the last 12 months.
- It started after Edward Snowden's Revelations of mass surveillance in 2013. Thus a group of journalist decided to make The Intercept dedicated to fearless, adversarial journalism. They cover things like national security, politics and civil liberties etc.

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