Design Skills - News story

OUGD403 Design Skills - News story

Today we got set a research based brief. We are required too create a body of visual research in response of a news report on Tuesday 22nd October. 

Once I have selected an article to research I will look into primary and secondary research sources. These methods will come from interviews and questionnaires this is classed as a Primary source. Internet research and information gathered from books and news forums classes as Secondary Research.

To form a base of were to find different versions of articles I have mind mapped within my group examples of news sources. These can be found below. 

There are different types of Newspapers, these been the following: Tabloid, Broadsheet (Compact/Berliner), Middle Market Tabloid, Regional Newspaper, Specific Papers, Local papers and Free Sheets. 

I have chosen to review a article on the upcoming weather worries over the coming weeks across the country. I will look into articles and research on climate change, pollution and similar aspects to inspire my body of research. Things like cost of repairs after bad storms and comparing our weather to places like america would be a good idea maybe. I feel this is a strong article to research into as there is lots of underlying sources I can look into like; videos, articles and discussions. The changing weather is all to blame on us so as mentioned it will be good to look into what were actually doing about attempting to reverse our actions with things like electric cars and more sustainable energy. Not creating a multi million pound nuclear power plant project 

 

Daily express have mentioned in there article about how the storm is set to last 7 days and the whole month is set to be bothered by  a whole array of weather distributions. Comparing the article style to sources like the met office the terms used in this article are much more suited to the general public with much of the language describing the storms characteristics using common layman's terms. This article from the outset to me is set to intermediate and worry the viewer. While the Met Office the official board for weather information has took a more informative factual approach to reporting and delivering information on the upcoming 'storm'.

As mentioned to gain a good body of research into this matter I am going to look into how this event is portrayed in medias online on a live feed basis from the BBC and the Met offices, and in an analogue format like the source newspaper. It would be interesting to look into social media and how networks such as twitter have influences on informing the general public of the upcoming event. 

To begin with I will review Twitters approach to adding its Chinese whispers input on things. When I say Chinese whispers its a personal opinion really. People tend to believe everything they here on a social media site, its happened in the past were people have fallen for hook line and sinker pranks of celebrity deaths. A quick google search comes up with a humorous response from Morgan Freeman on his personal Facebook group after allegedly passion away in his home in Burbank back in 2012. Bare in mine he has been dying numerous times since 2010. 

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/celebrities/ss/Celebrity-Responses-To-Fake-Death-Notices_5.htm

Back to my point of twitter been a source of Chinese Whispers or humors remarks a quick search of the infamous '#' quote: #stormuk comes up with various tweets some series some humorous. One tweet mentions how he has heard that the winds were going too be 60mph next he heard they were going too be 120mph, another mentioned how people were not to worry if they saw him flying past there window like a leaf in the wind. Its interesting to see the variety of responses people come out with and how other people reading them will be influences, pass on there 'reliable' source of information and cause un necessary panic for the general public. Twitter and other social network sites are probably the fastest way in which a message can be distributed globally and the story all but completely changed and manipulated within a matter of minutes. We relay on these aspects too much rather than believing true say facts from actual reliable sources.

This brings me nicely onto the BBCs distribution of the event and how its similarities lie with the daily express. There headline on the BBC news app has been 'UK Braced for worst storm in years' and its been like this for the past few days. With the Daily Express having a headline reading '90mph GALES TO BATTER BRITAIN' all in a bold heavyweight slab serif typeface causing a feeling of instant distress and worry through this quick snap quote. The folio of the information doesn't get any better, terminology and words used like 'server' 'excess' 'threat' 'violent' 'chaos' and 'volatile' all these use of languages to me cause panic and distress. BBC again use such language but there information is a little more informative for the general public. Warning of how different travel methods are too be effected and giving out health and safety warnings from coastguards to stay away from clipped areas and open coastland. This article refers back through historical referencing to comparing the upcoming event to past storms in 2000 and 2007 and comparing it to the great storm of 1987 were winds of 115mph were recorded. Again causing panic and worry. 

To lighten things up I will end this review with a brief look into the Met Office outlook on these events. This is were true fact will come from as this is the source news reporters use to manipulate there own versions of events. They mention realistic figures of rain were BBC and the Express warn of 80mph winds and headlining 90mph winds the Met office gives realistic predictions of this through recent information from there satellites saying average wind speeds are likely too be half that amount and only in open areas will wind speeds be reaching such levels as the tabloids announced. In terms of rain they have issued a yellow alert, compared too The Express's prediction of 200% increase in rain fall and 1.5 inches of rain in 6 hours. Although an amber alert is issued in southern areas The express and BBC don't really focus on local areas in there predictions. They make the reader think that the effects are nationwide. 

What I have gathered from reading through these sources are an interesting few points in which too address and look into. One been the great storm of 1987, a look into this would be interesting. Im going to look into climate change and as mentioned how we are going about trying to reverse such actions. To round things up though in terms of my personal feelings on the matter I feel tabloids have caused more worry and panic rather than organized calm warnings which is what the Met Offices intended plans were. I personally feel angered by there focusing in on disturbing language and use of imagery to cause panic. Images of cars been crushed and 20ft high waves are not there to help inform and warn people. They are there to worry and panic people.