Governments

Governments  

These range from local councils to national parliaments and foreign governments. Sometimes politicians and public servants are actually corrupt and should be exposed and removed from office. But often they hide a decision because they know the public may not like it. They might keep a deal they have made with a foreign timber company secret because it will harm the environment or destroy people's homes. Often politicians and public servants spend so long in office that they forget that the public has the right to know what is happening. If the public elects people to office and gives them taxes and other forms of wealth to administer, the public has the right to know what they are doing. The electors should also know so that they can decide how to vote at the next election.  

Questions for Brian Flynn (Investigations Editor for the sun)

Why did you choose to work in investigative journalism? 

 With your experience as a journalist what skills would you say are necessary to write the best story? 

what would you say is the best technique to use in an interview?

500 words on Phone Hacking Scandal

Phone hacking has been a major thing in the news of recent years. Many people have head the stories of celebrities voice mail being hacked and there phone security being jeopardised. Phone hacking has become such a thing that News Of The World has even been shut down and taken out of the publishing industry. Thousands of people lost their jobs due to a selected group of investigative journalists/editors planning and executing to hack the phones of well know celebrities like Prince Harry’s assistant or football player Wayne Rooney. The Scotland Yard informed victims that their voicemails had indeed been accessed without permission. Others only found when the guardian featured a story about celebrities or people in high political positions has indeed been hacked as well. Many others noticed something was wrong or were worried that they may have been hacked so they approached The Scotland Yard themselves. It wasn’t just phone hacking many were accused of police bribing or exercising improper influence in the processes of publishing stories.  Investigations conducted from 2005 to 2007 concluded that the News Of The World phone hacking activities were limited to celebrities, politicians and members of the British royal Family. In July 2011, it was revealed that the phones of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, relatives of deceased British soldiers, and victims of the 7/7 London Bombings were also accessed, resulting in a public outcry against News Corporation and owner Rupert Murdock. Advertiser boycotts contributed to the closer of the News Of The World on July 10th, ending 168 years of publication. Continued public pressure later forced News Corporation to cancel its proposed takeover of the British telecommunications company BskyB. British Prime Minister David Cameron announced on 6th July 2011 that a public inquiry would look into the affair after police investigations had ended. On 13th July 2011, Cameron named Lord Justice Leveson as a chairman on the inquiry, with a remit to look into phone hacking and police bribery by the News of the world, while a separate inquiry would consider the culture and ethics of the wider British media.   

  

Act of Parliament

What is an act of parliament? An Act of Parliament is when a new law is created or changes are made to an existing law. An Act is a Bill approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and formally agreed to by the reigning monarch. Once implemented, an Act is law and applies to the UK as a whole or to specific areas of the country.  

What changed in 1849? The UK Houses of Parliament changed from hand writing original Acts of Parliament to printing them in 1849. They are printed on vellum, and still are now to the present day.  

When was the texts of Acts of Parliament originally passed by Parliament? Texts of Acts of Parliament as originally passed by Parliament since 1800 are available on the Legislation.gov.uk website. The Parliamentary Archives has copies of original Acts from 1497. 

What is Injunction?

Injunctions are court orders which might tell a person that they are not allowed to do a certain act.  

The common areas in which injunctions are applied for is when a relationship has broken down and one party is harassing, threatening or assaulting the other. These injunctions are known as "Domestic Violence Injunctions". 

Such orders can prevent someone such as noisy neighbors or stalkers etc. harassing or assaulting you or coming within a certain distance of your home or order someone to leave your home and to keep them away from an individual.  

An injunction might also prevent somebody publishing something about you which you do not like. Or an injunction may prevent someone from leaving the country or getting rid of their assets, in family cases an injunction can stop your opponent removing a child from your care or out of the country. 

Code Of Conduct

Code of conduct 

  

1. At all times upholds and defends the principle of media freedom, the right of freedom of expression and the right of the public to be informed. 
2. Strives to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate and fair. 
3. Does her/his utmost to correct harmful inaccuracies. 
4. Differentiates between fact and opinion. 
5. Obtains material by honest, straightforward and open means, with the exception of investigations that are both overwhelmingly in the public interest and which involve evidence that cannot be obtained by straightforward means. 
6. Does nothing to intrude into anybody’s private life, grief or distress unless justified by overriding consideration of the public interest. 
7. Protects the identity of sources who supply information in confidence and material gathered in the course of her/his work. 
8. Resists threats or any other inducements to influence, distort or suppress information and takes no unfair personal advantage of information gained in the course of her/his duties before the information is public knowledge. 
9. Produces no material likely to lead to hatred or discrimination on the grounds of a person’s age, gender, race, colour, creed, legal status, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. 
10. Does not by way of statement, voice or appearance endorse by advertisement any commercial product or service save for the promotion of her/his own work or of the medium by which she/he is employed. 
11. A journalist shall normally seek the consent of an appropriate adult when interviewing or photographing a child for a story about her/his welfare. 
12. Avoids plagiarism 

Notes from Editorial Meeting

Hannah - Columnist/opinion editor  Did not attend the editorial meeting, however when she came in later in the class she decided that she would be writing about the Apple WWDC. Dylan, who chose on the job role as technology journalist was also writing about this topic. Instead, as Hannah is a columnist/opinion editor she can write from a more personal and opinionated view. I recommended she possibly write the same thing but as Dylan's is more factual, Hannah's could have a personal and personal opinions spin on it.   

Dylan - Technology journalist  Dylan decided to write an article about the Apple WWDC in San Francisco. Dylan's article will be more based around facts mentioned in the conference video, along with information etc.   

Brad Hope- Music journalist  Brad is basing his article around a festival and the acts   

Kirsty Watts & Sophie Marsh - Travel and tourism journalist   Kirsty and Sophie are each doing travel and tourism regionally and internationally. 

Bradley Knight - Investigations journalist  I will be researching latest stories after the editorial meeting. Steve/Cathy recommended writing about the Madeline McCann case as it was current and the latest news was the dig happening in Portugal. Steve also had a contact at The Sun who I would be able to contact and talk to, to gain extra facts and information about the dig as they happen, so his story could be more current and more specifically factual.   

Amy Hopkins - Political journalist  Not present for the editorial meeting but will email her article in the afternoon to be added.   

Hollie Clarke - Art editor  Hollie will be editing the images for all of the articles, first needing to discuss with each individual journalist to choose images to edit for them, they will then need to be sent to the layout editors.

Ethan Cobbing - Marketing  ?   

Sabina Bangs - Entertainment journalist  Sabina will be writing about the latest Justin Bieber scandal and how a video was released of him on his world tour using the 'N word' With much public and fan backlash.    

Adam Trinder - Graphic designer  Will be working along side with Sam and Shannon, working on the layouts and editing of the articles and how they visually look.   

 Abi High & Yazmin Barber - Managing editor & commissioning editor  In charge of how everyone is working and ensuring it all runs to plan. Organising to make sure everyone knows what their doing.