This presentation explores the obligations of journalists in print media. It covers key areas like being socially and culturally aware to avoid offending people, accurately representing groups, and treating sensitive topics like race, gender, and sexuality with care. Examples are provided about accurately reporting on cricket matches and handling controversial topics in a balanced way without stereotypes or intruding on privacy. Journalists must consider topics' denotations, connotations, credibility, and readability.

1. Unit 50
LO4
Assignment 1
Presentation

2. Introduction
 This presentation is going to explore
journalistic obligations within print media.
 I will cover key areas of print media, and
certain responsibilities that a journalist
must adhere to when creating any work.
 There are a number of topics within this
piece that are sensitive, thus care must be
taken by journalists when dealing with
such activities.

3. Social and Cultural Awareness
 It is important for journalists to be socially and
culturally aware of those involved with stories.
 Such awareness can help prevent situations
where ones customs and traditions are broken
or dismayed somewhat.
 Journalists are also responsible for being
understanding and aware when it comes to
peoples privacy, preferences and rights.
 People have to be aware not to affront
people of other cultures by being
discourteous to their culture.

4. Examples
 When The News of The World wrote a
scathing several page articles revealing all
the dark goings on of the team and of
crickets betting syndicates.
 Despite the hard-core nature of those articles
the writers made sure that they did not cause
anybody to take umbrage, especially those
who shared affiliation or ethnicity with players.
 The article was dealt with in a professional
manner, which is unusual for this paper.

5. Representation
 It is necessary to represent groups of people
accurately and it is also necessary not to
misrepresent anybody in any fashion.
 Whether it is cultural, social or even
demographical representation, there are
steps taken to ensured groups of people
aren't mistakenly misrepresented.
 To ensure this writers must avoid any
rumours, stereotypes and misnomers.

6. Examples
 There is an online article on Slideshare
which points out the various
misrepresentations and stereotypes we
find within the media.
 http://www.slideshare.net/reigatemedia/
media-representations

7. Race
 Over the more recent decades there has been a
shift in public speaking and thinking, even in the
media when it comes to race.
 The birth of regulation and the rise of politically
correct vocabularies have almost killed
misrepresentation of race.
 At what cost one may ask, respected figures within
media and authority now tread carefully when it
comes to race remarks.
 Comedians and TV/Filmmakers have all had to
alter stories and censor scripts to avoid this
conjunction.

8. Examples
 Big Brother is a show that has succumbed to
much criticism, thanks to its many questionable
housemates.
 2012’s big brother again took a PR beating
when one housemate was accused of being racist
as he unfairly treated and verbally abused another
housemate with no give able reason.
 Thousands of fans took to computers as emails flooded
in with racist accusations.
 Ofcom are the regulators of television, and they
stepped in.
 A number of times Ofcom have intervened and forced
channel 4 and even channel 5 to release public apologies
for displaying such ill-disciplined behaviour.
 This year Ofcom received a vast total of 1,225 complaints
were received, and the guardian were hot on the heels of
the show.

9. Gender
 This is our basic category for sorting between
human beings and even today there exists
that age old stereotype about men and
women.
 Men are seen to be Tough, Hard and Sweaty.
 Women are seen to be Fragile, Soft and
Fragrant.
 Though today there exists many examples of
people who go against this
stereotype, people still have this belief.

10. Examples
 A recent article was written on the Guardian on
the rise of single sex nightclubs and bars.
 Popularised sayings like Ladies night are far more
literal when bars now exclude men from entering.
 For many years women have fought for rights
through suffrage, and now a small group wish to
throw it away by segregating against men.
 Nightclub owners blame stereotypical male
behaviour, and that women wish to enjoy
themselves without male forthcoming.
 The writer has a few issues to deal with.
 Firstly she cannot imply any kind of sexist tone
throughout this piece, or use any sexist words
 She must be careful not to insult the male gender
 She must be objective about this movement.
 This is a print screen of the article.

11. Sexuality
 A pattern of emotional, romantic and sexual
attractions to men and women.
 Within the media, sexuality is seen as a hot
topic for many reasons.
 The saying ‘sex sells’ is now a trademark
phrase within the darker sects of media as
advertisers, film makers and television
producers have all sold out to this craze and
now objectify men and women for the
gratification of audiences.

12. Examples
 Another Slideshare articles shows the stereotypes of various groups of people:
 Gay men die of Aids, Bisexuals are confused, Heterosexuals are normal
 Stereotyping is used to make television interesting, it does this by playing on
stereotypes and captivating audiences through this.
 In Family Guy, the main Character Peter undergoes medical experimentation
for money, he is implanted with something called the ‘Gay Gene’ and is
subsequently homosexual for a number of weeks. The show follows the family
and friends reaction and adjustment to this.
 Various attitudes are explored, for instance, Peter’s son is totally against
homosexuals, quoting the bible on several occasions to dismay his father. The
family dog, whom has the ability to speak takes a very liberal stance and says
nothing about it. This explores the harsh reality of many families who are
affected by a homosexual parent.
 If a journalist was to write about such a topic there are a few issues.
 Firstly privacy of the family must be respected, especially that of the children.
 Journalists must also remember that they cannot under any circumstance
intrude of the family to gain information.
 Finally because there are children involved, journalists must be careful not to
photograph them without consent or at their place of education.

13. Denotations
 The literal meaning of a word, i.e. what is
placed and what it means.
 Though the message may carry another
meaning, the denotation simply looks at
the first meaning or preferred reading of
that text.
 Denotations are instrumental when it
comes to advertising as it is the quickest
way to get the message across.

14. Examples
 On the Guardian there is an article about
Kevin Pietersen signing a full ECB contract.
 Kevin was disgraced and dropped from
the team when it was found out he sent
provocative texts to the other team.
 The article and denotation is all about this
re-intergration process he went through.

15. Connotations
 The hidden or dual meaning of a word or
phrase.
 It looks specifically at what is behind the
line, not the line itself.
 There can often be a double entendre
which can be deciphered.

16. Examples
 The entire article talks about the fault of
Kevin.
 Pietersen is one of the greatest batsmen
for the English team and has the record
and fan support to prove it.
 I feel the negativity in this article may
portray the hidden message that Kevin
has lost all that recognition and support
just because of one incident.

17. Credibility
 How believable or reliable a source
is, such as EWT, statistics and press
releases.
 More than one source is explored in
search of credibility.
 Having credibility is important for any
journalist as they want their work trusted
and respected.
 Objectivity and accuracy is key for
journalist looking to become credible.

18. Examples
 Another Guardian Cricket article talks about
Ian Bell’s heroics and how it was in vain.
 We can say this is credible as we have the
scorecard of the game, the game was
televised and the article is based purely on
that game.
 He scored 108, which is considered
monumental by cricket standards and his
team lost.

20. Readability
 How easily read the text is, in terms of content flow and the style in
which it has been written.
 Sentence length is a point of contention in early literacy, and
longer, more wiry sentences are less readable.
 Clear cut paragraphs can often make for more consumable
text, which is easier to read.
 Clarity is created with better spacing and lines.
 A strong and clear vocabulary is essential when writing so that one
can easily convey messages.
 Spelling is extremely important, as misspelling can often keep
readers second guessing the word itself and causing slow moving
and confusion.
 Good grammar is commonplace in modern writing, with the
increased literate scrutiny people lay down nowadays its important
for editors to ensure good grammar from their people.

21. Examples
Style flows very well.
Sentences are easily read and
are of a reasonable length.
Paragraphs are spaced
and distributed evenly
Clarity means my words
are easily read.
Strong and Clear Vocabulary Spelling has been thoroughly checked Grammar has been thoroughly checked

22. Alternate Readings
 Stuart Hall created a theory;
 There are 3 types of alternate readings.
 Preferred Reading, the reading of which is
intended by the creator, what he wants you to
think.
 Negotiated reading is where the viewer follows the
initial meaning but may be swayed by
independent views, or may be seen to take a
neutral stance.
 Oppositional reading is where the reader chooses
to oppose or simply does not recognise the
meaning. If he opposes he may pose his own
theory of this show.

23. Examples
Here, I have the alternate readings of a BBC news article. It is based
on Anton Du Beke’s racist comment towards Laila Rouasse.

24. The End!