May 13 2012

Breaking News In China

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Posted in: International, Journalism

How the Economist saw China

China is making headlines around the world in many ways. The global media is fascinated by recent tales of alleged corruption and human rights abuse as well some signs that the all-mighty China economy might be stuttering. At the same China – through the state broadcaster CCTV – is about to invest billions in new global media services.

Now I am not a China media expert, I don’t even speak the language(s),  but I’ve just learnt a lot on a fascinating trip to Beijing to talk to a range of journalists. While I was there two huge stories were still reverberating around global media. Continue reading →

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Posted by: Posted on May 13, 2012 by Charlie Beckett   Tagged with: , , , , ,

May 7 2012

Non-User President: Will @PutinRussia replace @MedvedevRussia? (guest blog)

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Posted in: International, Media, Politics

So how do I control this?

On May 7 Russia got an old-new President and a new Prime Minister. Among the many differences between the members of the so-called “Russian tandem”, there is one that is less visible, but important. It is the approach of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev to the Internet. Russia says “Goodbye” to its “Geek-President” and in exchange gets a “President-Non-user”. Polis Silverstone Scholar Gregory Asmolov examines the consequences for Russian political communications.

Both Putin and Medvedev have been seen in public in close proximity to computers. But the photos expose a significant difference: while Medvedev is always engaged with the computer and his fingers are touching the keyboard, Putin never touches the electronic device – he is gazing at the screen from a distance.

What is the consequence of this difference for Russian Internet Freedom, Russian governance and Russian politics? Does it mean that the good times, when gadget mania arose even in the Kremlin and radical offers for Internet control were blocked, will end?  How will Putin manage the space that is vacated from the online activities of President Medvedev? Continue reading →

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Posted by: Posted on May 7, 2012 by Charlie Beckett   Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

May 1 2012

Murdoch and the Media Committee: a political battle

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Posted in: Journalism, Media
The Media Select Committee report on its phone-hacking investigation is tougher than I expected and very pointed. It is difficult to see why anyone would think well of the Murdochs as media proprietors after reading it.  Tom Watson’s typically determined bid to push his colleagues into agreeing the ‘not fit’ line may be more than a piece of rhetoric.

It was clear more than 18 months ago that this whole issue was deeply political. That could be a good thing. It’s about time we had a proper political debate about media policy in this country and we certainly need new laws on regulation. It’s good to finally see MPs who previously cuddled up to the Murdochs now following in Watson’s wake with open criticism of Newscorp management failings. Continue reading →

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Posted by: Posted on May 1, 2012 by Charlie Beckett   Tagged with: , , , ,

Apr 29 2012

New Media’s Mid-Life Crisis (thoughts from four sessions at the Perugia International Journalism Festival #IFJ12

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Posted in: International, Journalism

This way for a journalism debate

New media is entering middle age. We’ve all dropped the ‘new’ bit and instead talk about ‘social’ and ‘semantic’ as Web 3.0 becomes reality. Yet while digital communications are triumphing and networked journalism blossoms in this media mid-life, we are also worried about who pays for it and what it’s all for. It’s a ‘crisis,’ in the true sense of a critical phase where we face vital choices.

Judging by my four sessions at the Perugia International Journalism Festival the debate is now about ends not just means. Young journalists no longer declare war on the old order. Instead they ask how they can make the new dispensation work. The problem is less about resistance to change than a lack of resources to make it happen. And when the new journalism does kick off, the debate concerns it’s purpose and effect, rather than what it is. Continue reading →

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Posted by: Posted on April 29, 2012 by Charlie Beckett   Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Apr 24 2012

Journalism as archeology

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Posted in: Journalism

Journalists?

I am in what we in journalism refer to as The Eternal City. What better place to think about the parallels between journalism and archeology.

This is what social media does. I am here to give a talk about Leveson and WikiLeaks (and then on to the Perugia International Journalism Festival). As I flew from Heathrow James Murdoch was giving evidence. By the time I landed the Media and Culture Secretary of State was under pressure to resign. Even in the land of Berlusconi they found the tale of a police horse, a Prime Minister and phone-hacking colourful. Continue reading →

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Posted by: Posted on April 24, 2012 by Charlie Beckett   Tagged with: , , , ,

Apr 20 2012

How did Kony2012 Go Viral and Should We Copy It?

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Posted in: Development, International, Journalism, Media, Politics, Publications, Research

The Kony Network by Socialflow

In this short draft extract from a much longer paper I argue that what made #Kony2012 go viral was not the slick content or the Invisible Children brand – it was its focus on networking as an end in itself. Continue reading →

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Posted by: Posted on April 20, 2012 by Charlie Beckett   Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Apr 18 2012

Kony2012 and the digital challenge to the public sphere (new research paper)

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Posted in: Development, Journalism

Click, give, act?

This is a short early draft extract from a much longer paper I am writing for the International Broadcasting Trust on the future of the ‘public sphere’ in the digital age. In other words, how does our ability to communicate about international issues around development, human rights and justice change in the Internet era? In this short extract I look at the viral Kony2012 video camapign as a challenge to mainstream media – in a similar way that I analysed WikiLeaks as a harbinger of media change in my new book about news in the networked era. Continue reading →

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Posted by: Posted on April 18, 2012 by Charlie Beckett   Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Mar 30 2012

Crash! Slump! Bust! Reporting the economic crisis (guest blog) #Polis12

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Posted in: Journalism

Linda Yueh, Bloomberg

“How many of you have heard of a CDS?”

A smattering of hands shot up into the air when Bloomberg News’ Economics Editor Linda Yueh asked who knew what a credit default swap was at the POLIS International Journalism Conference [video of the sessions now online].

(This report by Polis Intern Wanda O’Brien)

Accurately defining technical jargon in layman’s terms is one of the principle challenges facing financial journalists in explaining the economic crisis of recent years, said Yueh. Continue reading →

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Posted by: Posted on March 30, 2012 by Charlie Beckett   Tagged with: , , , , ,

Mar 30 2012

The Only Way Is Ethics: newspapers after Leveson (Polis Conference Guest Blog) #Polis12

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Posted in: Journalism

Joan Smith and Ian Katz

The Leveson Inquiry is carrying out the most extensive investigation into the practice and ethics of the British press in history. With a nation shocked by endless tales of private investigators and phone hacking, never before has there been such a consensus amongst the core institutions about a need for increased regulation of the media. Yet, where will this leave the tabloids and investigative journalism in general? Polis Intern Stephanie Gale reports on The Only Way Is Ethics session at the Polis Journalism Conference (video available)

Chaired by the FT’s Ben Fenton and consisting of Ian Katz (Guardian), Joan Smith (Independent) and Graham Johnson (ex Sunday Mirror) there was a mixed outlook upon the future of the tabloids but a wide scale agreement on the need to prevent the media from straying from the path of public interest. Continue reading →

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Posted by: Posted on March 30, 2012 by Charlie Beckett   Tagged with: , , , , , , , , ,

Mar 30 2012

What we’ve learnt from a weird week in politics

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Posted in: Politics

This is politics

When Harold Wilson said that thing about long weeks in politics*, I don’t think he had grannies, pasties, jerrycans and Bradford Muslims in mind. This has been a particularly febrile seven days in political communications – what do you think we have learnt?

1. Symbolism Matters:

You can give me all data visualisations you like about the number of cabinet ministers who a) went to Eton b) went to Oxbridge c) are millionaires but when the Chancellor tries to tax a pasty and then admits he’s never tasted one or knows how much they cost, then his chips (as it were) are up (or is it down?) Continue reading →

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Posted by: Posted on March 30, 2012 by Charlie Beckett   Tagged with: , , , , ,