New.Journalism.Review

Can I make a FOI request to find out how much time Dominic Raab wastes sending out FOI requests?

2011-08-24T19:39:49Z

Tory right-wing MP, Dominic Raab, has had a busy summer emailing out Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. Raab’s most recent target has been the police, or to be precise, the Police Federation. Raab believes the body, which was founded in 1919 by the government, spends too much money representing its members rather than fighting crime. [...]

Data mapping – more than pretty pictures

2011-02-02T19:16:17Z

In November [2010] the Telegraph website ran the following: Universities spending millions on websites which students rate as inadequate. The intro says it all: ‘Universities are spending millions on redesigns and maintenance of websites which students say are inadequate and lack basic services, the Telegraph can disclose.’ The report relies heavily on a comparison of [...]

Dominic Raab, MP – the ‘Quiet Man’ of Political Blogging

2011-08-24T19:31:52Z

The Hansard Society is an important organisation which promotes political participation. It states: ‘Civic society is most effective when its citizens are connected with the institutions and individuals who represent them in the democratic process… There has never been more urgency for Parliament to engage with the public.’ It is clear that blogs, Twitter and [...]

Why UK university websites need to include social media

2010-10-12T00:18:24Z

Social media is becoming an increasingly important marketing tool for universities. Most young people are heavy users of Web 2.0 sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. It would seem logical that these sites could prove fertile for the recruitment of new students. The purchasing of banner advertising spots on sites such as YouTube is [...]

Top 50 WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal and Squarespace tips – Web Designer magazine

2010-06-17T22:57:29Z

I’ve co-authored the Top 50 Blog Techniques feature which appears in Issue 171 of Web Designer magazine (available now in all good newsagents in the UK and in other countries). It contains 50 (count ‘em!) tried and tested tips to help you use: WordPress, Joomla!, Drupal and Squarespace. Joomla! isn’t the most intuitive CMS, so [...]

The exploitation of free user generated content – a critical analysis

2010-03-14T23:08:20Z

Freire (1993) examined how elites oppress disadvantaged groups through educational texts. This post will question how commercial interests exploit the creative talents of thousands of unpaid contributors on news sites and social media. It is clear (Hermida et al, 2008) that news websites based on participation generate more usage than those that do not include [...]

The economics of journalism work experience

2010-03-07T21:55:12Z

Students looking to secure work experience in journalism should read Freelance Unbound – How to avoid paying for internships. Referencing Emily Fraser Voigt, it makes some great observations about how young graduates must ‘leverage their position’ to succeed in journalism: ‘Young people trying to get their first job don’t have much leverage when they aren’t [...]

Website analysis: adopting research methods.

2010-03-07T00:55:59Z

The analysis of websites from a cultural and media studies perspective raises numerous methodological hurdles. When conducting audience research using a particular genre of newspaper or magazine there is a centrality to the text(s) being considered. In contrast, researchers of the Internet can often feel overwhelmed by the vastness and global nature of web communication, [...]

Review: Producing for Web 2.0 – A Student Guide

2010-01-04T18:15:29Z

Review: Whittaker, J, (2009), Producing for Web 2.0: A Student Guide, Routledge Whittaker, J (2009) Producing for Web 2.0 (Media Skills) I’m on the hunt for a core textbook that I can recommend to students who take my Web Production units. The ideal book would provide an overview of the key skills in the creation, [...]

Build a news site in Joomla! in two hours – Web Designer magazine tutorial

2010-01-04T18:16:51Z

This month’s Web Designer magazine includes a tutorial on How to Build a News Site in Joomla! written by me (Steve Hill). By following the 24 steps, readers should end up with a decent looking news site. Well, that’s the general idea. The tutorial will be particularly useful for charities or schools who are seeking [...]