Wii Are Not Happy!

I recently stumbled across an article about complaints recieved about the new Nintendo Wii console.

This past Christmas, the most sought after gift was the Nintendo Wii. This amazing piece of technology has revolutionised the way we play and interact with video games. Using the device pictured on the left, the player can actually control the game using real life movements. For example, swing this controller to the right, and the object you are swinging on screen will swing to the right.

The console sold out within days, and Christmas shoppers were unable to get their hands on one in the shops for love nor money.

However, many complaints have been recieved due to the wrist strap. They have been proned to breaking and the Wii remote come flying out of the player's hands, smashing TV's and windows.

Nintendo have promised to replace all broken straps for free, but what good is that when your brand new, 40 inch, high definition, plasma screen TV is smashed to pieces??!!!

This must have been a huge disapointment for anyone lucky enough to get one of these babies, and even worse for anyone lucky enough to get a brand new 40 inch, high definition plasma screen TV!

Tottenham Wave Bye Bye to Round of 32

Need to finish off these articles, and I will resort to a sporting article once more.

This one concerns Tottenham Hotspur recieving a bye into the last 16 of the UEFA cup. They were scheduled to play against Dutch side Feyenoord, but due to their expulsion from the tournament, UEFA have decided Spurs can go through to the next round without kicking a ball.

Feyenoord were chucked out as a result of crowd troubles at their match against AS Nancy in France on November 30.

Some fans would consider this great, we can go straight through without even having to play the match (well actually 2 matches, as it is a two-legged round) and gives our players a chance to rest rather than play 2 tough games against a strong team like Feyenoord.

While this is true, I am little disapointed. I always look forward to the European nights and this was set up to be a great game. Two giants of European football coming head to head. Many of the fans who had bought tickets for the game, are being robbed of their entertainment. I know some people who were really excited about going to Holland for the away leg, and this will now not happen.

Also, if we win the tournament, it would be disapointing to have people claiming we didn't have to play all the neccesary rounds.

This is however, all in the interest of safety, and after incidents abroad of Arsenal and Leeds fans being killed, we do not want to see this kind of thing happen again.

Jade Baddy

It's an obvious one, but I suppose I have to give my opinions on Jade Goody.

The second I heard she was going into the Celebrity Big Brother I instantly thought 'MISTAKE!'

Jade Goody, in my opinion, is one of luckiest people alive (well not anymore!) She has been handed an amazingly successful career following her entry in the Big Brother house in 2002.

Going back into the Big Brother house will be regarded as one of the worst decisions ever. It just reminded us all of why we hated her in the first place. When she first entered the house back in 2002, she was publicly hated. She had an irritating voice, she was ugly, she made stupid comments like 'East Angular, is that abroad?' and thinking Saddam Hussein was a boxer. Eventually, people began to like her in a comedic kind of way, because she was so annoying, people saw her as a good addition to the TV program.

As a result of this, she has had a hugely successful career starring in TV shows, releasing her own book, her own perfume, own exercise DVD etc. God knows how she has managed to gain this ammount of commercial success, but for whatever reason, she got it.

Back in the house, she has been shown up for who she really is. A rough, racist bully. She went back into the house thinking she was some mega star, and has come out with her career in tatters.

I have only watch little bits of the show, but what I have seen is embaressing. Jade has shamed our country in front of the world, by making uneducated, racist remarks towards Indian actress Shilpa Shetty. It is cringe-worthy viewing!

The only good that can come of this I suppose is that it just shows how rediculous and pathetic racism is. Everyone was shocked and appaled at watching Jade act the way she did on live TV, but it should wake people up to the fact that this happens in everyday life. Hopefully this can serve as a wake up call to some people.

Ethics and Journalism - Karen Sanders

A journalist is under constant pressure to remaing trust worthy. Sources are essential for any journalist, but of course, sources themselves have their own agendas, and will look to protect themselves and/or their clients for example. Sources walk a thin line as doctors and lawyers must keep the secrets they are told, where as a journalist should not.

There are 3 types of stories that a journalist will report on.

Diary stories - These are predictable things such as elections.

Non Diary stories - These are unpredictable events like terror attacks, natural disasters or murders that all media types will cover.

Off-Diary stories - come from unlikely places like specialist magazines and journals aswell as overheard conversations from enterprising reporters.

All of the these story types have something in common; they all need sources.

Journalists use their own terms to describe confidentiality. Something that is 'off the record' is not for public release, or is information for background perposes. '

Whistle bowling' is where where information is privately discolsed to uncover some kind of abuse within an organisation. The person offering the information must remain annonymous, and the journalist must be trusted to comply with the persons wishes or they will not get their information.

This is also true when information has been 'leaked'. This is when information has been passed on un authorised. Leaks can be an untrustworthy source of information as they can easily be manipulated.

A journalist can also pay sometime to give them information. This is known as 'cheque book journalism'.

The key to being a successful journalist is to remain truthful. I personally feel that if you need to use some of the above methods to get information, than still do so by complying with peoples wishes, and do not bend thruths.

Yank You Very Much! - Beckham signs huge deal for L.A Galaxy

David Beckham, the biggest name in world football has decided to leave the European football and join MLS side L.A Galaxy. This is quite a debatable choice, and for me, personally, I feel slightly let down by his decision.



David Beckham has been one of my favourite footballers in my lifetime, due to his amazing passion for the game, his work rate, and his unquestionable ability to pass and shoot.

Following last years World Cup, I was appaled at Steve McLaren's decision to axe Beckham from the England squad. I feel it was done as a way of making an example of him, showing people that this was 'McLaren's era', and that he has the bottle to cut big names from the squad. I felt the decision was not based on his footballing ability, because he is still clearly good enough to be in the squad (you could argue there are people more deserving of a starting place, but when you have a disgrace like Frank Lampard in the team, I question that)

As a result of this, Beckham has found it hard to get into the Real Madrid squad, finding himself in and out of the team, and finding it hard to hold down a regular starting place. It was obvious Beckham needed to leave Madrid. This caused huge media speculation as to where Beckham was going to go.

Many Premiership managers came out and said they would gladly welcome Beckham to their club.

I wanted to see Beckham return to the Premiership, carry on playing top level football and win back his place in the England team, and make a glorious return. He is still capable of playing at the top!! He had the choice of a plethora of clubs, to name a few, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers and the list goes on.

Instead he has opted for L.A Galaxy.

I just feel he has given up football completely by making this choice. Despite the huge wages he will be earning, It seems that a move to the Hollywood area is a way of getting his family into that Hollywood lifestyle and making the Beckham's the biggest thing in USA. You can't help but think that maybe the decision was also partially made by his wife.

This will, however, do great things for the sport in America (as he already has his own soccer academy in L.A) Making football big in the USA can only be a good thing.

I would have liked to have seen him played to the best of his ability, which is still, in my opinion, at the top level of world football. By going to play in a lesser league such as the MLS, he will never again wear the England shirt, which is a great shame for someone who has given so much to our countries national team.

However, I would love to see him become a huge success in America. I hope he can give the American fans the same amount of joy he has given us with moments like this! (click below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKDvtnEhLP0 (slowly wiping a tear from my eye!)

Culture & Anarchy - Matthew Arnold

In this reading, Arnold talks about how it is hard to discuss 'culture', as its meaning has shifted, and has been misinterpreted, through time. He argues if culture is the extent of someones knowledge, it depends on what you know and how you percieve it. Throughout history, knowledge has been gained by reading, and so, if knowledge is to be gained by reading, Arnold argues that it is all about what you read, and how you percieved what you have read.

He argues that true culture should come from works of art. Often, things are adapted and re made, and the person doing so will pick and choose what they wish to include. They may do this for whatever reason, to perhaps make it more appealing to the masses. Culture should be classless and pure, according to Arnold. If you dont understand it, its your problem.

He then talks about peoples lack of culture and a belief in the power of machinery. I didnt really understand this bit to be honest but i gather that people who believe solely in the power of machinery will choose to do whatever they want, thus leading to anarchy.

Distinction & The Aristocracy of Culture - Pierre Bourdieu

Traditionally, to be 'well cultured' can be determined by how many books someone has read, how many languages you can speak, what music you listen, the clothes you wear etc. It can come down to the education someone has had, and the understanding that if the 'cultured' life is not exposed to you, you cannot learn much about it. This creates a heirachy of how cultured someone can become. If you are top A grade student at school and go onto an Oxbridge college you are generally though of as more cultured than someone who achieved no grades at school and is now unemployed.

Bourdieu's theory on how 'cultured' we are comes from a distinction of our identities and what makes us unique. He believed in 5 aspects of our individuality. The habitus, structure, doxa, social space, cultural capital.

habitus - where the individual stands in society. where they position themself in certain groups. this can be in your family group, friendship group, social group (football team for example) etc. this can determine what clothing style you like, the music your into, the people you like / dislike etc.

social structure - how we adapt to the changes in society, or how society changes us.

doxa - the social constructs fromed through the habitus. this includes all the things we take for granted in life, such as our families. the things we expect will always be there.

social space - where certain groups in society belong. people who share the same interests belong in groups where these can be put into practise, like a football team, reading group etc. it can determine who we like / dislike, where we want to live / dont want to live, or what things you are going to do.

cultural capital - also helps us to negotiate our social space. there are three types of cultural capital; embodied capital (what we know and do and habitus and stricture allow us to negotiate the embodied capital) objectified capital (the money you recieve from how you may use your embodied capital) institutionalised capital (the goods you recieve from what you exchange your money for)

Soft News and the Sexualisation of the Popular Press

When Rupert Murdoch took over The Sun in 1969, they have used women to give the newspaper a sexy edge. Page 3 was introduced, featuring a young attractive girl, topless. It set a trend for tabloid (soft) newspapers to address the individual, to appeal to their emotions, focusing on peoples interests (such as sex and comedy) rather than intellect.

The introduction of page 3 was a huge public statement. It invited women to be openly sexual. It's idea was to present the girl as free to do this. The girls would always have smiles on their faces, showing that this was their choice and they were enjoying it, and gave it a fun, friendly, slightly tongue-in-cheek approach. They didnt look like top super models, they looked like every day girls having a bit of fun.

This basically personified everything the paper stood for. That it was a fun newspaper which looked at life in more of a fun way. It was a statement for the more 'cheerful' news, and began The Sun's drift towards entertainment and away from the news.

The Aesthetics and Politics of Melodrama - Jostein Gripsrud

The distribution and growth of newspapers came with the rise of the working class. With a bit of money to spend on some cheap reading, the tabloid press was the newspaper of choice for these people, especially the lower classes.

These publications were criticised by people of higher classes and politicians alike, claiming that just because they were popular does not make them quality.

There a key features of a tabloid newspaper that give them their success, such as their textual content, their love of scandal, sensationalism and personalisation. Shocking stories will take priority in a tabloid, they will always search for what is entertaining.

According to this reading, Melodrama is basically a way of summing up all that a tabloid is. It is described as a way of making sense of 'every phenomenon which was lost when god returned back to heaven'. Melodramatic text is a way of representing people with certain morals and values and trying to uncover hidden meanings.

This is a very common occurance in tabloid newspapers. They will report on a story, but really/also be reporting on something else underneath it. This will often be an attack on something/someone, using the story as a way of exploiting them.

The tabloids will use a formula to provoke emotion from its reader, whether that be through text, or photography. They will try to make their reader feel hate, love, despair, grief, sorrow, disgust etc, in the same way we would do to create a good play or film for example.

The melodramatic approach is a debatable one, how a tabloid will use a scandal, or rumour and send it out as the truth, can sometimes lead us to question the reliability of tabloids. It can often be looked at as over the top, but in some cases, a scandalous story could be well within public interest.

The reasons for choosing these types of newspapers is quite simple, some people prefer an entertaining story than an in depth political debate. In the modern day, this shouldnt be seen as an indication of someones intellect, as it did back in the late 19th century.

Tabloid Journalism and the Public Sphere - Henrik Ornebring

There are many well known problems with tabloid journalism. It would appear to reach out towards the lowest common denominator of public taste. it simplifies, it personalises and thrives on sensationalism and scandal as a selling tool. It acts as 'the voice of the people', and this can lead to innacurate or biased reporting, as it tries to please a mass audience. It favours political scandal rather than actual political issues.

The arguement here is that tabloid journalism is a threat to our democratic society. Through people reading these newspapers, they take less of an interest in politics and take more of an interest in people's personal lives, and causes people to believe that this is more important.

The public sphere allows members of society to voice their opinions as an informed public, which, in a successful democratic society, is very important. As time progressed, the powers that be were able to take some control over what went out to the public and restrict what the people could find out.

Now if a democratic society is misinformed ( or not even informed at all!) then the whole point of democracy falls flat on it's face.

This is what leads to the alleged 'sinking to the lowest common denominator' or 'dumbing down' of the news. With not much public interest in serious matter such a politics etc. they seek something that is accessible to them, such as celebrity news. Tabloids would say that the public have a right to know what's happening in the world of celebrities, and that celebrities and even politicians are 'owned' by the public. The counter-arguement to this would be that is it of actual interest to the public? or are tabloid papers making them think they should care about scandal?

The Politics of the Smile - Patricia Holland

When Rupert Murdoch purchased and relaunched The Sun in in 1969, editor Larry Lamb set out to give the paper a newer, more fun twist, by introducing scandal, sex and 'saucy' humour. It changed the whole perception of the popular paper. He introduced the daily image of a semi naked woman, which we all know as page 3. This became the best known feature of the paper, and was described in a September 1982 paper as 'Those luscious lovelies you drool over at breakfast time'.

The topless girl on page 3 will almost always be smiling, and therefore, giving the impression that the women are enjoying the experience, proud to show off their breasts and are free to do so.

Popular newspapers set out to entertain as much as they do to be informative. The sexualisation of The Sun was used to intice readers with it's content. The smile on the face of the model is an invitation to everyday men and women to buy the paper, and the fact that the model isn't anyone particularly famous, shows that these are just everyday girls having some fun, and adds to the lighthearted nature of the paper.

In the 80's, this was seen as quite a rebellious move by The Sun, but has since lost that reputation, with the introduction of lads mags like Nuts, FHM and Zoo taking that limelight, with its freedom to go into more explicit detail.

This approach has clearly reaped benefits, and the introduction of magazines like the ones above was probably motivated by the same ideas. 'Tickle the public, make 'em grin, the more you tickle the more you'll win. Teach the public, you'll never get rich, You'll live like a beggar and die in a ditch'.

Saddam Hussein - Should we hang our heads in shame?

One of the major news stories recently is the hanging of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. There seems to be a very split opinion about whether his hanging was right or wrong. Some argue that it is an inhumane thing to do, and despite his crimes, makes as just as barbaric as him. Other would argue that he is man of pure evil and the world is rid of a scumbag.

I have watched the video of it on the internet (out of curiosity, not because I get some kind of pleasure out of watching someone die!) and it is quite an interesting thing to watch, as you see a man who has killed so many people, look so helpless and actually quite afraid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHzqUIlh_c8 (if you would like to see for yourself)

Throughout this video, I constantly had to keep reminding myself of the evil deeds this man has carried out in his shameful life, because there are times when you start to feel sorry for him. You start imagining yourself in that situation, and it is a very chilling thing to watch. As it is filmed on a dodgy mobile phone camera, it makes the whole thing seems more grainy and intimidating. As Saddam steps out of the shadow, the camera moves over to show the noose and it is a sinister sight. The executioners in balaclavas further add to the horror of the whole thing. The video captures the moment the trap doors open and Saddam drops to his death.

I found myself questioning whether that was the right thing to do. Not because I think it was inhumane, afterall, he killed so many people, why shouldn't he be killed?! seems a fair enough statement to me, but I think in his twisted mind, he thought he was dying a martyr, or some sort of hero. A more suitable punishment would have been to leave him to rot in a cold, dark, damp prison cell somewhere in Iraq.

News and Journalism in the UK - Brian McNair

The production of news is huge business in the UK. The original idea behind it was to give the public an educative view on the news (political and cultural), not just 'a vehicle for objective facts about remote events' but to tell us 'something about the structure of the world'.
The most popular forms of news are of course Newspapers, TV and radio. The industry is always growing, take television news for example. At the beginning of the 1980's there were just 2 companies supplying news and current affairs to UK viewers; The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) and Independent Television News (ITN), each providing around 2 hours of news per day. Contrast this with today, where there are 5 providers of TV news over 8 channels. With Sky News, CNN and BBC News 24, the news is now available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and with the introduction of Sky Sports News, there is a channel devoted to round the clock sporting news.
Journalism takes on a very big responsibility, now more than ever with this kind of technology at our use. It must make information publically available, first and foremost. It must be informative to it's audience, but taking into account the competition for viewers, it must also entertain. It is one of the key social and cultural forces in our society.