The Truth about Size 0


After watching last nights TV show The Truth About Size 0 with Louise Redknapp I thought I would add my opinion to the on going debate. The programme showed how hard it is to become the American size 0 (UK size 4). It showed the workout routine needed, and also the very strict diet along with all the side effects of them both.

Size 0 seens to be the ideal size for celebrities and supermodels, especially for American's. The size zero phenomenom has resulted in the recent deaths of two models who died from anorexia. These women seem to believe that this ultra skinny look is what beauty is. In reality these girls are looking more like He-man's arch enemey Skeletor.

Not only is the size 0 fad a danger to the celebritites following it but also to their fans. Teenage girls are looking at these super skinny celebs in magazines and believing that they should look like the celebs do. This weight obsession is encouraging the rising numbers of anorexic teenagers.

The side effects of crash diets used to obtain the 'ideal' size 0 figure includes flakey, dry skin, bad breath, infertility and mood swings. These were all evident in the ITV 1 documentary. Come the end of Louise Redknapp's experiment she was feeling so low that achieving the size 0 figure seemed unimportant.

There are many celebrities who aren't freakishly skinny, many embrace there womanly curves and look so much better for it. Beyonce, J-Lo, Charlotte Church and Kelly Brook are just some of these curvy celebs sending out the right message to their teenage fans.

To prevent this size 0 phenomenon from taking over I believe the media needs to be less critical of more curvy celebrities. Stars will be photographed and if they have a 'spare tyre' or a bit of cellulite it will be circuled and publsihed in the tabloid press. This is making some famous women feeling that they should be skin and bones. Celebrities also have to be aware of the effect that they are having on their teenage fans around the world.

Critical Reading: The Cyberspace Handbook- Internet Forms and Ezines, by Jane Armstrong

This chapter out of the The Cyberspace Handbook is really accessible. It clearly tells the reader the different ways that the internet is used and the jobs different aspects of it try to do. This chapter has a focus on Ezines which are online Magazines.
Armstrong explains the functions of the homepage in very simple terms making it very easy for the reader to understand. She goes on to talk about different forms of the internet. The internet has grown hugely in the past couple of years since this piece was written causing it to become slightly out dated and there are now many more forms of the internet that are not even mentioned. People use the internet for all kinds of things now from dating sites, to gaming sites, and video streaming sites such as youtube.
Just like magazines Julia Armstrong explains how there are so called 'grrrl zines' (Ezines aimed at females.) As well as sites aimed at women there are also sites aimed at men, sites like FHM and Nuts. Online versions of male magazines.
I found this chapter really quite good and information is presented clearly and is very comprehensible. The information is slightly out dated, it would be very hard to write anything about the internet which will stay current for very long as it is something which is constantly evolving.

Critical Reading: Distinction and the Aristocracy of Culture By Pierre Bourdieu

Bourdieu believes that culture is gained through education and upbringing. He says that surveys have shown that taste in all culture eg theatre, music, museum visits etc all vary depending on education. He also believes cultural levelis measured by qualifications or the length of time an individual has spent in school. He also feels social origing plays a part in how cultured someone is. He believed it can depend on the cultural level of the surroundings one finds themselves in outside of education.
Bourdieu believes that there is almost a league table measuring cultural level just like there is a hierarchy for schools and the arts. He believes that this can define class. The highly cultured being upper class and the less cultured being lower class people.

Culture also has it 'titles of nobility' according to Bourdieu theses titles are awarded by the educational system. He does recognise that there are varying views on cutural nobility and recognises that people believe it is aquired in different ways. Personally I do not believe an education award gives anyone more culture than someone else, all it proves is that they are accedemically minded which does not necessarily cultured.
Bourdieu believes in a 'cultural capital' which can be aquired through education and through the environment they grow up in, I suppose almost in heritted from a parent. I do not agree with Bourdieu's arguement I think he has quite a pompus approach to defining culture. Just because someone went to a private school it does not mean they are more cultured than the next man. Similarly if someones parents has an interest in theatre and all the other activities which are viewed as being highly cultured. It does not gaurantee their child will have the same interests. No doubt upbringing has a huge influence on the adult people grow into but to simplify culture to say it is gained in two main ways in simply untrue.

Critical Reading: Stewart Hall, Notes on Deconstructing the Popular

As the title suggests in Hall's essay he dicusses what 'popular' is. He presents two different ways that he understands the word. He also talks about the class struggle between what is popular and unpopular. One class may see things in one light while another class may totally disagree
One attempt that Hall makes to deifine cultrure in away that he believes has true relevance in the attempt to define popular culture is that he believes the things that people do is popular. He believes that people constantly construct the domain of culture and place it under the term popular or unpopular. From time to time what is under each heading will change position with the changes in latest fads or interests.
Hall also says how this years radical slogan will be neutralised into next years fashion. This is showing how things become normalised and things may appear shocknig at first glance but eventually things become more acceptable. Similar to the way that subcultures become commodified, and blend with main stream culture.
I will be perfectly honest I found this critical reading extremely hard to understand, the above is what I can get from, plus a little more. The arguement is set out clearly at the beginning of the text, but after getting a little way though I became totally lost and did not really know what Hall was trying to argue. I do agree with what he says about what popular is constantly changing, most things do not stay around for too long before they beocme old boring and unpopular.

Critical Reading: Tabloid Journalism and the Public Sphere: a historical perspective on tabloid journalism, Henrik Ornebring, Anna Maria Jonsson

This reading asesses the tabloid format and characteristics. It looks at how it is criticised and also how it is presented in everyday life. It begins by discussing the problems of the tabloid press. It says that it panders the lowest common denominator if public taste. I believe by this means is talking about how newspapers cater to the interests of the average people. It reports on the celebrities the public are interested in and prints news stories on subjects which are some what satisfying to their audience. Ornebirk and Jonsson say that tabloids thrive of sensation and scandal, claiming that tabloid journalism lowers public discourse.
I do not believe that either of these things are a problem, I view tabloid newspapers to be enertainment for people. It is almost impossible to produce a newspaper to cater to the tastes of every man, but they can satisfy the majority. Elites who do not like the tabloid style can read broadsheets that is why there are so many different newspapers, they all cater for different people.
The text also says that man people regard television as the 'prime medium for tabloid journalism'. I think that this could be true, there is a huge similarity between the news reported in tabloid newspapers and that reported on tv news programmes. Celebrity news however is usually absent from news shows, unless there is a big celebrity story and even then they are given minimal coverage. If television journalism can be classed as tabloid then it is by far the 'prime medium' as viewers will be higher than newspaper circulation.
Tabloids are also used as an alternative public sphere, the main mainstream mediated pubic sphere, if one exists at all is governed by politicians, governing bodies and business men. Tabloids appear to talk on behalf of the people and try to air the public's opinions.
Some view the tabloid press as disrespectful according to this reading, but it does recognise if it is then that is only to get attention. The newspapers freshest in everyones mind are those that shock the reader. Ones that constantly push the boundary on what is acceptable. If they do so by appearing to be disrespectful then so be it. I believe tabloid journalism is not a bad thing at all and that it is almost a genre within journalism as a whole. It caters for the tastes of the average man writing about things of interest to them, I see nothing wrong with that.

Critical Reading: Dickbdige, Subculture

Subcultures have been present throughout time, from 'hippies', to punks, mods and of course the modern day 'chav'. This reading analyses the behaviour of these sub cultures, it takes a close look at whether sub cultures truly are the 'rule breakers' they consider themselves to be or whether they still conform to fashions and trends.
This reading presents the theory that sub cultures are 'noise' instead of 'sound'. It believes that subcultures believe that they interfere in the odinary things that happen, putting their own stamp on almost everything they do. Subcultures 'noise' is an interesting way to look at them, it is clear that subcultures try to make your that they never conform to be how society expects everyone to be. They do not do it quitetly either, fashions of subultures tnd to big big a bold, making it almost impossible to deny that they do not conform to be what society expects them to be.

It also believes that subcultures may also play up to the image that the media presents of them and continue to live up to what is expected of them. I believe this is quite an interesting arguement, sub cultures undoubtedly try to live up to the hype. If they are made out to be one thing, the members of the subculture will try to become that. The media refer to people in such sub cultures as 'animals' and 'freaks'. If the press labels these people such things it is likely they will beocme it. The arguement for subcultures being 'noise' is also interesting, it is clear that subcultures try to make your that they never conform to be how society expects everyone to be.
Hebdige talks about the presses reaction to an emergence of sub culture. He says that their reaction fluctuates between 'dread and facination, outrage and amusement. The reading explains that while newspapers go for shocking stories on the front page, for example in terms of subculture would go for a story reflecting a sub culture negatively. However inside the newspaper there would be supplements on new fads that are emeging. This is quite an accurate arguement, the main sub culture today is the 'chav phenomenom' tabliod newspapers report on their law breaking and disrespect but also have humerous articles on the way they dress etc. This backs up Hebdiges arguement of the media being both horrified and amused by subcultures at the same time.
It is suggested that subcultures do eventually start to enter the mainstream, 'Conversion of subcultural signs (dress, music etc) into mass-produced objects (ie commodity form'. Eventually shops will start stocking colths catering for the latest fad and record companies will start releasing music aimed at the subculture. This in some cases could mean the death of the subculture as many of them thrive on being individuals. Punks would use house hold objects such as safety pins and binliners and incorporate them into their clothing, they would rip their clothes etc. Now almost every clothes shoip in the sountry will sell ripped jeans, people wear them now and nobody pays attention. Certain parts of the subculture eventually moves changes into culture.
Overall Hebdige presents quite an accurate image of subcultures and how they work. Their main aim is not to conform to what people see as normal, don't dress 'normally' and don't act 'normal'. Be rebellious and make youself stand out with your appearance. The fact that certain parts of a subculture is incorporated into everyday life is also interesting. When people except the subculture, when people are no longer shocked by them, it starts to die off, not totally today you still see the occasional hipy or punk but there's nowhere near the amount there used to be.
The modern day subculture, chav culture, is very similar to the ones before it. They are instanlty recongnisable by appearance and they usually behave in a disrespectful manor, rebelling against law and order. Some blame the 'chav culture' on Americanisation, youths trying to copy the actions of US hip hop stars. Some blame it on lack of discipline, but if it was not chavs I am sure there would be some other subculture shocking the country.

Critical Reading: Culture and Anarchy by Matthew Arnold

Arnold starts his arguement by revealing instantly what he intends to prove in the rest of his essay. He intends to shed fresh light on the way we follow culture, the way we long to understand the best that has ever been 'thought and said in the world'. By this he means that we want to know about the best books, the best films, plays etc because that is what society believes to be culture. However this reading sets out that no matter how much culture we have according to what society believes, we are all cultured.
The reading discusses how we follow notions and habits belieiveing there is a virtue in following them staunchly but mechanicly. This shows us to share the same view as others just because that is whatothers think. We will belive something is a cultured activity because someone tells us it is. We do not agrue but simply follow it without question, robotically fallin into line. I dont believe this is really the case, people believe going to the theatre and reading Shakespeare to be high culture only because this is what we are told is cultured from an early age.

Arnold views culture as almost a quantity: 'If a man without books or reading, or reading nothnig but his letters and the newspapers, gets fresh and freeplay of the best thoughts upon his stock notions and habits, he has got culture.' This is showing his belief that everyone has culture, the amount we have varies on what we do each day. I believe that this is where the whole high brow, lowbrow arguement comes into it. Some view one thing as a high brow thing to do, this will go towards an individual being cultured, while low brow entertainments do not broaden your mind. In my opinion this is due to the class divide in the UK. The upper middle classes view their interests to be cultured while interests of the lower classes to be uncultured.


I found this reading quite hard to get my head around, the writers arguements are valid butthe way he puts them across is really unclear. The sentences lose you easilyand he argues against his argument so sometimes you are not really sure where he stands on the issue. His idea that culture is a quantity is a very interesting one, which I believe could be true. We all are cultured to an extent some some than others, some people will only get there culture through television, while others get it through many other forms so obviously they will be more cultured than others.

Critical Reading: Ideologies of Everyday Life, Brett Farmer

Farmer believes that ideologies are deternmined on culture. That someone from the west will have diferent ideals to someone from the middle east for example. To back up his arguement he presents the plaque on the side of the fisrt space shuttle to the moon. The plaque is for the benefit of any extra terrestrials that they may have encountered, so that they know what the inhabitants of Earth look like. However this plaque is filled with western ideoligies, the perfectly formed, inshaped people. The mans dominance over the woman is also very interesting, these are ideals. In actual fact many people are not in perfect shape and men are not always dominant over women. They are presented like this because this is how we believed it should be, not so much today becuase women are more independant and dominatn but certainly at the begining of space exploration.

The reading discusses how we are cultured. Farmer talks about Althusser's theory whereby he refers t us a 'the individual' when we are pre-social human and 'the subject' when we are fully socially educated. Farmer believes that we get our social acceptance by following codes and conducts in our societies. By dressing, talking, acting, and looking a certain way, someone from an arabic country is instantly recongisable because the will where different clothing to the Western world.
Although a difference in the way that Western and Eastern people look there is also a difference in the way people look between different western countries. Aside from national dress there is also a diffference in general appearance very often do be people claim someone is foreign mearly by looking at them. Whether it be a hair cut the way they are acting or even just their genral appearnace it is sometimes possible to tell if someone is from the certain country or not.
Farmer presents the arguement that we are all influenced by gendered ideologies, he uses the symbol most of us see everyday as an example, the male/female sign for a public toilet. He says that we are making are forced to make a desision on which gendre we are by walking through a certain door. We are segregating between us both, however most people simply view this as 'the way things are'. I think this is a very interesting arguement, I hav never given it a second thought as to why I walk into the mens toilet, its just what is done.
Farmer also sights fitness magazines as a form of social divide a mens fitness magazine with a bodybuilder on the front is not at all unusual. Similar images are used regulalry and we do not really notice it. A female body builder on the front of a magazine will get lots of attention because it does not conform to how we think a woman should look like. She may be almost threatening to some men as she does not look like she would be dominated by the average man. A female body builder goes against modern ideologies.

Critical Reading: The Politics of the Smile by Patricia Holland

Patricia Holland presents the history of females in the newspaper industry. She looks at the working for newspapers, their appearance in newspapers, how women's inclusion in newspapers were used for pleasure giving a more entertaining feel to the newspaper. She also writes about female consumption of newspapers and how the industry cateredf for their needs.
The increase of female journalists in Patricia Holland's view is partly due to new technologies of the late nineteenth century allowing newspapers to reach a wider audience. An audience tht did not want to open a newspaper to find metaphors and prose form nineteenth century literature. They wanted to be entertained without thinking to much about what they were reading. As Holland puts it they wanted to be 'Pampered and Tickled'. This new journalism caused newspapers to move away from writing in self importance to writing in a clearer way using language the average person understands.
This could be partly the reason for the introduction of women working for newspapers, Hollands lists one commentator as saying women think in pictures while men think in 'abstract concepts'. If this was the general consensus it was natural to get women involved in newspaper production as it was believed they would produce articles in a clearer more accessible style.
This reading is largely about the introduction of the Page 3 Girl by the Sun. This is part of the sexualisation of the Sun. The way the Sun will report on sex, and have celebrity news with pictures of them looking glamorous. The sexualisation of the Sun is for the readers pleasure giving the newspaper a lighter feel to it. The first editor to introduce the Page 3 Girl, Larry Lamb is on record saying that the girls do not have to be more models and that they are not pornographic images. Rather a picture of the average woman smiling at the reader, while exposing her breasts. Page three was introduced as an act of defiance agaisnt conformity. In a time when sex isses was rarely reported in the news a 'rape was among the four letter words banned from most newspapers' The Sun broke the mold which led to changes in all aspects of the media.
Newspapers realised that the main consumers were female. They would be the ones in the household going out and spending the money. This was when newspapers started advertising products aimed at women, this also led to the introduction of women's supplements and The Mirror a womens newspaper when originally launched.
This reading was very interesting, it gives a background into the history of the journalsim profession and the way women were treated in it. Holland does not really argues her opinions well, she uses quotes and facts to backup what she is saying so it is really quite hard to disagree with her. The views presented on Page 3girl however are hard to swallow. Their aim is not to show the average woman, because the girls on Page 3 look far from average. Former Page 3 girls Jordan had loads of cosmetic surgery to make her look like a glamour model, that is not the look of the average woman. Possibly girls were origianlly used to connect with the reader but now it is just for the it is purely for the pleasure of men. Finding the best looking women possible for men to ogle.

Critical Reading: Photo Journalism and the Tabloid Press, Karin E Becker

Karin Becker talks about the relationship between photography and journalism, the so,etimes uneasy relationship. She believes that the link between the two can be traced to the adoption of photgraphy by three different types of publications. First 'the elite periodical press with its established tradition of illustration'. Secondly the 'tabloid press with a more popular appeal', and finally in 'weekly supplements to the respected organs to the daily press'
People believe that photographs are left untouched and they are unmediated. This in Becker's view is one reason for photographs being treated as news. Photography denies the reader the full story, people will look at a photograph and make a judgement for themselves, derived from what the picture is showing. Journalism addresses the intellectuals and informs the reader, the appeal of photography is seen as a threat to the journalistic institutions Enlightenment heritage. I beleive this arguement is reasonably accurate. However I do not see photography as a threat to journalisms intellectual process. I believe photography is helping people to read newspapers People may only look at the photo's for some stories and may ot get the full picture about what is goin on, but at least they will have a certain level of understanding. In the modern press it is the photogrpahs job to work with the headline to draw the reader in.
Karen E Becker accepts the photographs role of being eye catching to the reader. She has written about how on many magazines and newspapers the frontpage is almost like a poster for the publication. The majority of the front page is taken up by the photo with a small bit of text and a headline. This is more evident in tabloid newspapers and may be a sign of dumbing down, instead of captivating the reader ith words do it with pictures, similar to the way you would get the attention of a child.
Beckers essay dicusses the way photographs are taken, how they are made to appear. They act as evidence to the story she uses the example of a woman holding a childs toy in a story about a mum who's son has been kid knapped. People usually will not question pictures, the old expression 'the camera never lies' springs to mind. The people in photographs usually have a lot emotion on their face, if its a sad story they will look upset, if its a happy one they will be smiling a way. This is to try and get readers to see the emotion envolved in the story, and at to the photographs realism.
Pictures are also taken in a way to suggest they are taken from a family album, people posin gin their own surroudings. Although it is clear that they have taken a lot of tim getting the framing and lighting perfect for the photo. This is so the reader can connect with the people in the photograph, they look like average people.
Converesley pictures of celebrities are never usually of them posing in their own surroundings. In the tabloid press they are usually of them shopping or spending time with friends and family. This is in an attempt to persuade the reader they are seeing the real celebrity.
I believe that Karen Becker presents a fair view of journalism and photography's relationship. The work together to make the newspaper look more asthetically pleasing but at the same time photography can take away the seriousness from the story. Overall I believe photography in publications is good, it helps the reader to connect with the newspaper.

PUBS TURN BLIND EYE SAY YOUNG SMOKERS 23rd January 2006, Herald Express,
www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk

Torquay's local newspaper, the Herald Express reports how local teenagers feel buying cigarets in the area is extremely easy. Th story is written in relation to the suggestion that the legal age to buy tobacco should be raised. The story explains how local children do not believe this will have much effect on the age of smokers as currently children as young as 9 are able to get hold of ciggerettes.

The teenagers have told the newspaper about how local children know which pubs let them use cigarette vending machines, and which shops will serve them. It also names a couple of shops which will not sell tobacco to under 16's, but informs the reader of how the teenagers get older people to buy cigarettes for them.
The story is written in the interest of local people. Parents reading the article may become more aware of how easy it could be for their child to start smoking. The story was not very closely edited though as there is a mistake in it. It says that Britain may lower the minimum age you have to be to buy tobacco to be inline with America. In reality the newspaper meant to say the age may be raised inline with America's age restriction of 18.
Overall I feel that the story is not really nessecary it does not name and shame establishments selling tobacco to underage children. Most people are aware that children still find ways to get cigarettes regardless of how old the legal age is. I feel raising the age will have minimal effect on the amount of people smoking. The biggest deterent i feel is banning smoking in public places.

Critical Reading: Why Journalism Matters By Brian McNair

McNair's essay gives a good overview of journalism. He discusses the ways in which journalism is consumed by the public with a fouc on technology. He talks about how the fist television broadcast of news in the UK was on the BBC, a company constituted as a public service funded by public taxation. The BBC took its role as public service provider and interpereted it as meaning providing the public with information. They devoted much of their air time to news and current affairs, not only on television but also on radio.
The BBC also produces regional and breakfast news shows. The regional shows act like regional newspapers, presenting kocal news to local people. Breakfast television was peoples way to see news first thing in the morning. Mcnairs essay discusses owner ship quite a lot, telling the reader who started what trends for example BBC were the first company to produce a breakfast news programme followed by TV-AM.
The reading almost compares the internet to teletext, while teletext limited computer users have access to almost an infinate amount of information. From bulletin boards to news site and also gossip pages. McNair mentions how the emergence of the internet has caused people to fea rthe death of print.
Consumption is a very large part of what Brian McNair is writing about he lists both circulation figures for newspapers and also the audience for British newspapers. This is helpful to the reader as it enables them to see facts and figures which ellaborates on what the writer is trying to say.
McNair discusses the feminisation of journalism, he reports how more and more women are gettinginto the profession whih was once male dominated. In some cases women earn 25% more than men. Something which would have been un thought of in day gone by.
Journalism's social role is also a major topic in this essay. McNair tells of how 80% of adults read at least one national newspaper and he views journalism as one of the 'key social and cultural forces in our society'. Since this was written I am sure the figures would have changes as more and more people read online editions of their chosen newspaper.
I think McNairs work is very interesting, it gives a good insight into the wa that media is consumed in the UK. It also talks of their social influence and the trend setters of the media industry. It is quite a good introcution to journalism.

Daily Mirror, Drug Test on Killer Ellie Dog, By Paul Byrne, Tuesday 9th January 2007

Recently Ellie Lawrenson, a five year old girl was mauled by a Pitbull and died as a result of this. This story reports that the dog will undergo a toxicology test to determine whether the dog had been given illegal drugs to make him react like he did. There is also an investigation into how the dog was 'Kept, treated, managed, handled' and police will also look into the dogs diet. The police are suspicious about the way the dog was treated as the dogs owner also Ellies Uncle Kiel Simpson, was a convicted drug dealer. Police fear Kiel may have given his dog some sort of steriod.
The language used by Paul Byrne is quite dramatic calling it an 'Animal' rather than a dog and using words like 'Savaged'. Although the story is reasonably sympathetic towards the dog as they do not know how it was treated, it does still make the animal out to be a beast. It gives the reader the impression that the dog was overly agressive but explains that it may not be totally the dogs fault.
The story is quite short and is basically an update on a previously reported story. The story heavily implies that the Uncle was to blame for the dogs behaiviour.
Suspicions over the dog's treatment were fueled by the fact that the dog was two stone over the average weight for this type of dog. However It doesn't say anything about the dogs size. Just because the dog was overweight it doesn't mean that it was due to steroids. Many dogs weigh more than they are supposed to, the usual reason for that is lack of excersice.
However I think it is quite unusual for a tabloid newspaper to try and explain the reason behind a killer dogs behaiviour. For example I could not see The Sun telling readers why the dog reacted the way it did. Pitbulls are known for being agressive and tenacious, but that is not to say they all are. I think it is quite refreshing to see a newspaper trying to explore possible reasons behind the dogs actions rather than just brandishing it blood thirsty.
The death of Ellie is tragic but I feel it would be unfair to totally blame the dog. The Uncle has to take some responsibility for the animal, if he knew it was aggressive then why leave it with your five year old niece? And if he was feeding it drugs then that is totally unacceptable. It is unlikely for a well looked after dog to become overly aggressive but untill the results are in who knows where the blame lies.

January 23rd 2007, The Times, Rogue foreign doctors 'exploiting loophole to find jobs in Britain', David Rose

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2560754,00.html

The Times recieved a letter reavealing how Medical staff who have been struck off in other European countries have been allowed to continue in their proffession in the UK. Alliance of UK Health Regulators on Europe sent the letter to the newspaper and gave several examples of Doctors, nurses, dentists etc who are working in the UK because they are not allowed to in their own country. The medical workers are allowed to practice in the UK because of a loophole in EU legislation.
The story acts as a warning to people. This story is big news because it is and exclusive, I did not see it reported in another newspaper. The NHS is constantly being critisised by the press, there are frequenlty disease outbreaks on wards and cases of malpractice by medical staff. A story like this subtley gives the reader and indication to why such incidents may occur.
The newspaper explains how the alliance will present their findings to the European Commission today. The newspaper tells the reader that currently British medical regulators apply strict performance tests, measuring practical skills and proficiency in English among other things top any Europeans wishing to work in the British Medical profession.
The story presents the story fairer than a tabliod would. A tabliod newspaper would try to find someone to blame for this. The Times presented the facts clearly and fairly, and even gave evidence to back up what they were saying, listing medical staff working in the UK who have been banned from working abroad.
I think this story is well presented and gives the reader a good incite into the situation. There is also scope for a number of follow up stories, seeing what happens after the Alliance present their findings tot eh European Commision. The story is quite scary you trust doctors and do not expect them to have a past life in which they were convicted of malpractise. The NHS has many problems and it is not really surprising when they have characters like these working for them.

The People, Jade Goody Racism Row

The People have an article on Jade Goody continuing the racism row, which started during Jade's appearance in Channel 4's Celebrity Big Brother. The article reveals how Jade goody pays Indian workers 14 pence per hour. This is supposed to back up claims that Jade Goody was racist towards fellow housemate Shilpa Shetty?
The story is pretty rediculous, the newspaper is trying to make out that the fact that Jade doesn't pay Indian people much money to produce her perfume means she's racist. The article doesn't mention exchange rates, or compare these wages to that of other employers in India. Nor does it say what other celebrities pay people to make their perfumes or aftershaves.
The newspaper also hasn't checked its facts, Jade Goody's fee for appearing on the reality show was all given to charity. The newspaper says that Jade Goody recieved £250,000 for her competing in the show, but it has been well documented that she has recieved no payment.
The newspaper also uses the fact that in the past Jade has visited India and said it was a 'beautiful country' against her suggesting she is a hippocrite. In my opinion this shows how she is not racist, and the fact that she visited the workers in the factory where her perfume was made shows respect for the workers.
There is a quote from an Indian person saying that Jade has abused the whole country. All she did was have a few arguements with an Indian Bollywood star, some of the comments she made may have sounded bad and possibly racist but I do not believe that they are. I believe that people are being over protective of Shilpa, if she was American and Jade made comments about her or about America there wouldn't have been this uproar.
The language in the story is implying that Jade Goody is living a life of luxury in a safe-house paid for by Big Brother. Its unlikely that this is the case, she has appeared on television crying a number of times. She really doesn't appear to be having a good time. Its hard to think that she could be with the press criticising her every move.
I am not defending Jade's actions in the Big Brother House but I feel it was soley down to Jade's poor education and a clash of cultures. Using the wage of the people who make her perfume against her is ludicrous. She probably did not have much say on where her perfume was made, and the wages are probably determinned by the factory itself not the client.
This story is not isolated and has been reported on in every tabloid newspaper, regularly making the front page. This whole arguement has been blown out of proportion, it has snowballed into a smeer campaign against the reality TV star.

Fakmouth Packet, Penryn Knife Attack, January 24th 2007

The Falmouth Packet, Police hunt man after stabbing, By Gavin Harlow, 24th January 2007
The Falmouth Packet reports on a knife attack on a resident of Penryn.The article gives a brief outline of the incident explaining when and where it happened. The story is really freh as the stabbing only happened one day prior to the story being published. The story sounds like a breakdown of a Police statement, it only gives the fact about what happened, and does not speculate about the reasons that the Penryn man got stabbed.

The article is an appeal for information also. It gives the reader information on the incident, it gives a description of the man who is wanted and also has a photo. The story will be on going, as police investigations progress the newspaper will report on it. There is not too much a newspaper like the Falmouth Packet can write on such an incident, they have to only report the facts. The newspaper was unable t contact a family member of the victim so just got a quote from a neighbour. The neighbour did not actually know the victim and therefore could only comment on her surprise that something like this happened so close to her home.
The story is big news for a local paper. Penryn is a quiet town and not a great deal happens so the local people will want to be kept updated and that is the main task of the newspaper. Report news of interst to local people. The story is quite interesting and is reasonably well written, but it is clear the journalist did not have much information on the stabbing.

The Sun, Horror at 'mass murderer' farm By Emily Smith, US Editor, 23rd January 2007

Emily Smith, reported in The Sun of how Canadian pig farmer Robert Pickton cut the heads of several girls in half and stored them in his freezer. The same freezer he storesthe meat he supplies to the people of Vancouver. Police also found human hands and feet in a separate freezer.
The story is basically explaining how Robert Pickton commited his crimes and how he fed the bodies of his victims to his pigs. This is a huge story and will surely be reported all over the world especially in Canada and America, probably France too.
The story also tries to 'gross out' the reader with the details of the butchery. It also describes Pickton's actions in detail in an attempt to show sick they really are. The story also explains how police only caught Robert when he became 'sloppy'.
The article also explains how the farmer told an undercover policeman he had killed 49 women and planned on killing 1 more to make it an even 50. This shows the reader that it was a good job that Pickton was arrested when he was as it overted the death of one more woman.
The story is well written and gives the audience all of the gory details they desire. The story is very interesting and is almost scary in some ways. The story can be followed up when the man is sentenced, and I am sure most readers would be very interested to know how long Pickton is imprisoned for. These stories are of interest to people because they are very unusual.
Robert Pickton is obviously a very disturbed individual with major physcological issues. Personally I do not believe that this man should ever be allowed back into society. I did find this story very interesting though as it makes you wonder how strange a person must be to be able to treat another human being like this.

The Sun, Spiralled into Crystal Meth Hell By Corinne Abrams, January 18th 2007

On January 18th 2007 The Sun reported how Clea Myers became addicted to crystal meth just 3 years after leaving University .
The story is written well, its main aim is to warn people about the dangers of drug abuse and what effect it can have on your life. It also tells the reader about the effect drugs can have on your health as well. Cleas insides aged 20 years in just 2 and a half years of using drugs.
The story is told from Clea’s point of view, the story is mainly made up of quotes. It seems like Clea is the one writing the story which helps the reader feel closer to her.
The article tells the reader how drugs might seem great at first. They make you feel good, and help you through hard times but they have life changing consciences. In the end they will have a negative effect on your life.
Overall I think the story shows that people from any background can become addicted to drugs. She went to University and had a bright future ahead of her but almost through her life away because of drugs. I think Clea Myers appears to be a brave woman. She beat her addiction and is now enjoying her life, and she has to be credited for that.

The Sun, Pervert Glitter 'free by May', By Pete Bell, January 10th 2007

Seventies glam-rock star and convicted paedophile Gary Glitter has been nominated for early release from his latest stint in a Vietnamese prison, The Sun reports. Glitter was jailed for molesting two gils aged ten and eleven. This isn't the first time Glitter, real name Paul Gadd, has been convicted for offences against children. He was jailed for four months in 1999, for possesing photos of children being abused. He was also put on the sex offenders’ register for seven years. He then fled the UK.
The Sun is extremely protective of children and is one of the main campaigners for 'Sarah's Law' which would give every parent legal right to know the identity of serious child sex offenders living in their community. It also, along with its Sunday newspaper The News Of The World, frequently exposes paedophiles.
The story is treated the only way any journalist can treat it. That is saying that Glitter should not be released yet. The story explains how the Vietnamese grant early release for well behaved inmates around the time of their 'Lunar New Year celebrations'. The story tells of Glitters previous offences to try and convince the reader that it is likely he will offend again.
The story also reveals that if he returns to the UK, he may put back on the Sex Offenders Register. This is to reinforce the message that he may re-offend, it is showing how the Home Office believes he is still a danger to children.
I think this story is well written and gives the reader quite a lot of information about Glitters previous offences.Although The Sun is clear;y against the early release they are not very harsh on Glitter. It is not unusual for The Sun to use a number of derogatary names to describe people the newspaper doesn't like. Personally I think Gary Glitter should serve all of his sentence. He has shown he will keep offending when he was caught over here he fled to Vietnam where the child protection laws are more slack. There is also a large child prositution problem there. When released I think it is almost inevitable that he will reoffend so the longer he's locked up the better.

Daily Mirror, I Hate You, By Jeremy Armstrong, Tuesday 9th January

A man was jailed indefinitely on Monday for a hit and run in which Danica Green, a ten year old girl lost a leg. The accident also killed Paula Stead. The driver Alan Steele, was disqualified from driving, although while disqualified still managed to get thirteen convictions for driving offences. The incident happened when Steele was in a high speed police chase while high on heroin. Steele lost control of his car and ploughed his 4x4 into Danica and her family. Steele was originally being chased by Police for driving erratically.

The bulk of the story is made up of quotes from the judge at the trial and Danica's family. The headline 'I Hate You' is also a quote it is what Danica shouted at steele when he was convicted. One of the interesting things about this story is that it is mainly focused on Danica rather than the woman killed in the accident. The main picture is of Danica, in fact Paula is only mentioned three times in the whole article she isn't even talked of until the sixth paragraph. This is because a young child will get more reaction from the readers than a grown woman would.

The story also reports how Steele can apply for parole after serving half of his minimum ten year sentence. This is going back to the on going debate about the justice system. It seems that every few weeks there is something in the newspapers about someone not getting long enough jail sentences. Paula's husband is quoted as saying 'He should have got life'.

The judge was very strict with Steele but not strict enough according to the victims and their families, which is totally understandable. If a driver kills someone accidentally then a lenient punishment maybe relevant. The fact that Alan Steele was driving while suspended, while under the influence of Heroin and being chased by Police shows society is better off with this man inside.

Following the accident Steele tried to change his appearance and told police his car had been stolen. Since the incident he has shown no remorse. Personally I agree with Paula's husband this man deserves life imprisonment. He caused a young girl to lose a leg and killed a woman. He has not shown he his sorry for what he has done. In my opinion the longer he's behind bars the better.

A man was jailed indefinitely on Monday for a hit and run in which Danica Green, a ten year old girl lost a leg. The accident also killed Paula Stead. The driver Alan Steele, was disqualified from driving, although while disqualified still managed to get thirteen convictions for driving offences. The incident happened when Steele was in a high speed police chase while high on heroin. Steele lost control of his car and ploughed his 4x4 into Danica and her family. Steele was originally being chased by Police for driving erratically.

The bulk of the story is made up of quotes from the judge at the trial and Danica's family. The headline 'I Hate You' is also a quote it is what Danica shouted at steele when he was convicted. One of the interesting things about this story is that it is mainly focused on Danica rather than the woman killed in the accident. The main picture is of Danica, in fact Paula is only mentioned three times in the whole article she isn't even talked of until the sixth paragraph. This is because a young child will get more reaction from the readers than a grown woman would.

The story also reports how Steele can apply for parole after serving half of his minimum ten year sentence. This is going back to the on going debate about the justice system. It seems that every few weeks there is something in the newspapers about someone not getting long enough jail sentences. Paula's husband is quoted as saying 'He should have got life'.

The judge was very strict with Steele but not strict enough according to the victims and their families, which is totally understandable. If a driver kills someone accidentally then a lenient punishment maybe relevant. The fact that Alan Steele was driving while suspended, while under the influence of Heroin and being chased by Police shows society is better off with this man inside.

Following the accident Steele tried to change his appearance and told police his car had been stolen. Since the incident he has shown no remorse. Personally I agree with Paula's husband this man deserves life imprisonment. He caused a young girl to lose a leg and killed a woman. He has not shown he his sorry for what he has done. In my opinion the longer he's behind bars the better.

Nicked After Pulling Lazy Son From Bed by John Coles

It was reported in The Sun onWednesday 1st November that a 16 year old lad had his own father arrested because he grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of bed. The teen had ignored his mum’s calls to get out of bed so his dad decided to make him.

Believe it or not the boy then went to police and they charged his father with common assault. The boy later tried to get police to drop the case but the Crown Prosecution Service will not do it.

The story to means seems rather unreal, not many children would go through the hassle of going to the Police and filing a report just because they were simply made to get up. The father was only trying to look after the lad’s best interest, whether or not he could see this, it seems like a huge over reaction.

Perhaps more shocking is the fact that the police took it seriously. There have been well publicised cases in the past where parents have been punished legally because their children have not been attending school. How do the authorities truly expect parents to get rebellious children to school when a small amount of physical contact can result in an assault charge?

The sun is very sympathetic towards the father; this is evident in the headline where they brand the son 'lazy'. They also show bias towards the boy’s dad by explaining how he has 'never been in trouble'. Although the main part of the story is about the boys huge over reaction, the sub text is criticising the British legal system for pushing ahead with the ludicrous charges even when the "victim" has asked them not to.

Perhaps The Sun's presentation of the father and indeed of the incident is too prejudice thus making the reader side with the dad. However if this story paints a complete picture of what happened I fail to see how anyone could argue that the teenager was right.

Sleep Deprived


I haven’t blogged for a little while largely because I haven't been up to much recently. I was able to go home again at the weekend because it was my brothers birthday weekend. I won’t bore you with what I got up to because it was pretty much the same as last time.

I am so tired, over the weekend I had hardly any sleep, Thursday night I was out until 5am then got up at 8.30am to go help my dad at work. Didn't go bed until gone 2am on Friday, and then was out until 5am Saturday night. It was my plan last night to go bed really early last night. It was all going so well I was sleeping by around 10pm, but then I was woken up by the party going on in the flat next door. I ended up staying up until around 2.30 am.

It was good to go home, but the only problem is when you get back here you start to miss the things you used to do at home, and when you talk to people back home and they are off out to do whatever, you kind of want to go regardless of what you are doing here. It was my plan to visit home quite often to prevent me getting home sick but perhaps it has the opposite effect. I think it will be weird when I'm home for a month at Christmas.

I have arranged for my best mate to come down for a weekend in November and for my girlfriend to come down a couple of weeks after. That should be quite good. Then a couple of weeks later and I will be back in Torquay, I've arranged a job for myself for Xmas I think I will be able to go back to work at Somerfield. I worked there for two years and it was one of the things that made me come to uni. It really sucked there, my manager is a smarmy orange b******, but I need the money.

Going Home

I was able to go back home at the weekend, one of the good things about coming from Devon is that I am able to get home in a couple of hours. I left Falmouth Thursday afternoon and was back in Torquay by 3 o'clock.

It was good to get back and after a few hours there it was like I had never left. Thursday nite I went to Valbonnes (nightclub) it was OK, cheap drinks, not as cheap as the student bar though. I spent far too much, I decided to be generous and buy people drinks. Big Mistake.

I spent all of Friday with my girlfriend which was good, Her dog has just had puppies so it was nice to see them too. It was all going really well until she put the sound of music on. I had never seen it before and never want to see it again. I left half way through.


I went to Drakes Circus (Plymouth's new shopping mall) on Saturday it looks really nice and modern however it was really busy and you couldn't walk with out having to dodge people. Saturday night I went down town, again spending and drinking far too much. It was better than Thursday, as you would expect.

It was great to see everyone again, I was able to drive again (buses are really annoying me now), I saw my dog, friends and family. A weekend of my mum's cooking was fantastic, back to microwave meals now though.

Today I visited Tremough Campus, Penryn. Penryn is one of Cornwall’s oldest towns founded in 1216, it is situated at the head of Penryn River and was quite a significant port in the 15th Century. Penryn's main industry however was producing granite as it was very common in the town.

Tremough itself was once run by Nuns and a part of their convent is still clearly visible today. The gardens surrounding Tremough stately home are also very impressive and are home to some plants which are very rarely found in England.

The house itself would have been very imposing in its day and still is today. There are some beautiful covings on the ceilings. There also Granite Pillars in the house which are quite spectacular and gives the house quite a regal feel.

Tremough is now owned by Falmouth University and obviously there has been extensive building work changing the look of Tremough. The first building which you see as you arrive at the Campus is made of blocks of Granite a throw back to the Towns old industry. This building, like Tremough House, is facing the town and has quite a dominant stance over the town.

There are many contrasts between the old Tremough House and the new building one is the pillars. As previously mentioned the pillars in the house are a nice feature of the house. The new building has pillars making the building look almost epic, similar to that of the Greek coliseums.

The new university buildings are also quite contradictive, with parts having a wooden finish part being Granite, and the shaping of the buildings are also contradictive with some being spherical others being square. A roof garden was also planned on the university and the stairways and pathways are in place, however the room garden is unable to open due to health and safety figures.

At first glance Tremough Campus looks extremely post modern with some quite unusual architecture. However after taking a closer look it is evident that the designers of the buildings took into account the towns heritage and left certain part of the site's history reasonably untouched.