DIGITAL- The top video in the Viral Video Chart right now is this clip of U.S. TV station KFYR’s latest addition to the news team, and for good reason. Within seconds of starting his first live broadcast he managed to swear not once, but twice, distracting his co-anchor and upsetting the bosses no end. So far as we’re aware he’s no longer in the same job.
DIGITAL- The Independent has expanded its offering with a new augmented reality version of the daily newspaper. Available via the Blippar app, the digital title will showcase interactive technology that enables readers to (not quite literally) dig deeper into the stories, and find what they want faster.
PR- The PRCA and Meltwater won a landmark case in the UK Supreme Court against the Newspaper Licensing Agency, in which it was ruled temporarily republishing articles on computer screens by accessing news websites should not require an additional license, reducing potential costs significantly.
PRINT- More! magazine is set to close. Relaunched with new focus ‘on the social media obsessed girl’ only last year, this cessation marks another loss in the increasingly struggling teen-female consumer sector, and a significant one at that, with the title in question formerly a market leader.
PRINT- Spare Rib, a radical feminist magazine that enjoyed a 21 year run before closing in 1993, will re-emerge. Guardian journalist and former editor of the now-defunct Modern Review, Charlotte Raven, is behind the move, and is currently looking to raise £20,000 from investors at a minimum of £100 each.
SOCIAL- Adobe has announced a new ‘predictive analytics’ tool, complete with Facebook integration. The application will monitor followers and fans on social media, observe their behaviour and calculate what times content should be posted at, and what content should be used to anyone signed up to the service.
SOCIAL- Boris Johnson used Google’s feted Hangout to promote London Tech City, a key initiative in Britain’s push for a greater share in the digital economy. The first high-ranking politician to use the service, it comes at a time when experts are unanimous in their verdict that the search giant’s social network is here to stay.
SOCIAL- With 72% of UK adults now visiting their online profiles daily, the fight for dominance continues. Facebook has just introduced Home, a mobile interface and one-stop shop for information, with the first built-in example being HTC’s One phone, which is dominated by the network from the home screen onwards.
SOCIAL- The tragic events in Boston led to some interesting examples of how social media can be put to good use. Google’s swift deployment of its missing persons tool- originally developed for the Haitian earthquake in 2010- being one major example, along with Twitter-led frontline reporting…
…unfortunately though, it was a double-edged sword. Reddit may have eventually assisted investigators by finding better quality images of suspects, but not before it sparked veritable witch hunts following unfounded speculation on who the perpetrators may be. Meanwhile, Epicurious used the event as a marketing crutch, sharing ‘relevant’ recipes and being lambasted for insensitivity as a result.
SOCIAL- Twitter has entered into a new ad deal with U.S. commercial giant Starcom Media Vest. The move will see the advertising agency’s clients get preferential opportunities at competitive rates, and is predicted to exponentially increase revenue for the social network. Read more on the news here.
Should The Telegraph ban Thatcher critics?
Tuesday, April 9th, 2013Usually we would never dream of entering into the murky world of politics. The media is unpredictable enough, without getting bogged down in the administrative corridors of Britain. But then along comes a story that impacts on everything from democratic voting to social media policy.
Like every other PR agency in Manchester, or indeed most of the world, yesterday we learnt of Margaret Thatcher’s death. The UK’s only ever female Prime Minister, and the longest serving of the 20th Century certainly knew how to leave a legacy behind, albeit one that divides the nation. Having once famously said “The lady’s not for turning”, few politicians have been so cut and dry when it comes to stating their opinions (see also “No, no, no”), but understanding the relationship between her and the people she helped govern isn’t so simple.
To some she’s a hero responsible for modernising Britain, and dragging what could have been a decaying economic corpse into the new business age. From another perspective, she played an integral role in policy making directly linked to the collapse and virtual de-commissioning of numerous industries. The creator of lost generations, who cared more for competitive free markets than individualism and social mobility. Whichever perspective you agree with, we’re still living with the impact of her 11-year spell in Number 10.
Unsurprisingly then her death was greeted with mixed feelings. Anyone who heard Radio 4′s World At One yesterday will be only too aware of the outpouring of emotion, messages of condolence, and respectful odes (even from some Labour representatives) that formed the show’s special edition. Meanwhile, if you paid attention to The Telegraph’s online comments and Twitter feed the anger and macabre jubilation many people felt was only too pronounced, and then there were near-riots in Bristol and London.
All of which brings us to the real question, so far as our media minds go. After abusive messages began to clog up the newspaper’s online communities- with members of the public targeting this specific publication because of its ties to the Tories (former Conservative cabinet minister Bill Deedes was Editor for seven years whilst Lady Thatcher was in power)- a decision was made to shut the system down, as it were, and block further unsolicited obscenities and negative proclamations from being made on all stories surrounding the former-PM’s passing. In an age wherein freedom of speech and social media publishing are hot topics, this brings about several important quandaries.
Firstly- was it right to close down comments in the first place? Needless to say, supporters of rival titles with alternative stances (mentioning no names) have already used this as a weapon with which to attack the Daily T on grounds of biased censorship. In the most extreme way of looking at things this rings true- just because some people abuse the soapbox doesn’t mean it should be removed altogether. But then, technically speaking, malice can land publishers in very hot water indeed, so profane diatribes with little-to-no real argument don’t have a place in a national title- whether that’s written by a journalist or ‘reader’. As such, whether the lines of communication were cut to save face- or due to genuine concerns surrounding what was being said, standards, ethics and etiquette- surely the latter provides a reasonable rationale for what happened? A moral maze, kind of, any thoughts on the matter would be more than welcomed…
Image credit: @suttonnick
Tags: freedom of speech, newspapers, social media etiquette, social media publishing laws, The Telegraph Margaret Thatcher death comments
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