307MC Final Project Proposal Presentation
Nicole Whitlam Final Project Presentation
I am intending to produce a crime magazine aimed at both males and females between the ages of 16 to 25. As a journalist I wanted to create an artefact that will reflect the past three years of compiling different articles and features and show my skills and how they will work in a product. I chose crime as it is my specialist area and I enjoy both reading and writing about crime, I tried to utilise it throughout my university work and feel that this is a perfect opportunity to showcase how I can work with crime and what I want to achieve in my future career.
I have chosen to aim the magazine at this specific audience of males and females between the ages of 16 to 25 because this is the demographic that you wouldn’t automatically assume to have an interest in crime thus giving me a challenge but I believe if they do start an interest in crime, they will be able to help fight crime and have a better understanding of not committing crime, because they are the current generation, and are usually the audience of magazines on the shelves nowadays. I think crime is a part of everyday life unfortunately and it happens all over the country, so making them aware of it matters to not only the magazine but to the country.
I will use red, white and black when designing my magazine as these are not only striking and cleverly juxtaposing colours but it goes well along with crime as they are sinister colours, if I used bright and happy colours that are usually associated with the demographic, they won’t take the magazine seriously. I will be using images cleverly juxtaposed with articles and a lot of academic writing, to make the magazine worthy of being on the market. The content will reflect the design outcome as I want to feature not only latest crime news, but investigative features, criminal profiles and a CrimeWatch style help page, in comparison to the usual ‘agony aunt’ pages we see in magazines, these will be closely linked with police when I use appeals and press releases from them.
To make my final project into a practical product I will not only include my featured articles I will also produce a full and complete magazine, along with the final design ideas and concept. To make my project go as a far as I can I will also produce a blog type website to go along with my magazine, which will be a web version of the magazine but also a forum where the audience can discuss issues that have been mentioned within the magazine and where they can share information with other people and the police about crimes that have happened, which will be acting as a CrimeWatch subsidiary. I think producing a secondary website will be a good idea because even though it is print that I want a career in, I understand that as technology is developing by the day, I need to contend with the current market. A website in comparison to a magazine is more digestible, easier to read, you can choose what features you want to look at from different menus instead of looking through a whole magazine, and it’s convenient because you can access it everywhere now on handheld computers and your phone and the majority of the time, websites are free.
Currently on the market are Master Detective, True Crime, True Detective and Murder Most Foul. These are all print magazines; however, through research I have found that these are only available in America. Whilst trying to look for the current readership figures of these magazines, they are not even in the top 100 magazines in America; this made me question a few things; is this because they are not a popular magazine genre choice? Is the design of these magazines outdated? Do people want to read about crime? What I have to think about is that these magazines are only in America, and there currently isn’t a published magazine about crime here in the UK. Therefore there is a gap in the market for my idea. When looking at newspapers daily and thinking about news values, what makes headline news? Crime. As taboo as it may sound, people are naturally interested in wanting to know what things people do and have been victim to, looking at Freud’s theory, and why we also watch horror films, is because it satisfies our inner desire, because we know ourselves we can’t just go out and commit a heinous crime, but if other people do, we find it interesting. I want to take these ideas and put my product forward, to compete with other general magazines, but to also show the Americans, crime can create interest.
There is also a website that reflects what I want to achieve; http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/home.html It includes past and present stories, draws upon audience’s response and also tells stories via videos and investigative features. I think it is a very useful website if you want not only a professional police version of events but an academic overview of why and how events happen. It acts as a magazine website which is a good idea as many people use websites more now instead of magazines and newspapers because they are more digestible and compact.
http://crimemagazine.com/ describes itself as an encyclopaedia of crime. It has a huge archive of crime but this website acts more of a historic website where you can find information from the past instead of present issues. It also charges a subscription which makes it more exclusive to the audience.
CrimeWatch on BBC1 is also a key player in influencing my decision to produce a magazine and website that work on a CrimeWatch basis, this month’s episode attracted, according to barb.co.uk, the broadcasters audience research board, 4.46 million viewers, so it shows that people are interested in current crimes and also in helping to fight crime in Britain.
Again, I will be different in this choice because I will be producing something that isn’t currently on the market. It will commercially and ethically challenge what magazines we are currently used to seeing on shelves because have we ever thought about why there isn’t a crime magazine here in Britain? Is it because police and government try and hide the truth from us? If I abide by journalism law and work within these confinements I believe I can produce a product that will stir new interest in print journalism and also in helping fight crime.
I intend to carry out my project slowly and in-depth, I know what I want to do so I now need to organise how I’m going to achieve this. Therefore I have set up a timeline; before Christmas I have completed the majority of research, including design features, extra audience research, article ideas and my main investigative feature, what will work and what wont. Then in January I will start designing the magazine, compiling what I want where and writing my feature articles, this will take some time as I will have other university work and I also have work outside university. Around Easter time I will be able to work on my website and uploading articles on to it, and finishing off the magazine. Nearer the May deadline I will need to keep a close look on current articles and also watching the present CrimeWatch to compile my latest news feature and my CrimeWatch help feature, I want my magazine to be as up to date as it can be so therefore these features need to be as late as possible, the magazine will be ready for me to slot in the articles at this time, and this will also mean I will be working like a real magazine would in a professional workspace. The resources I will need to do this, which I have already started compiling is past news articles, past crime profiles which I have collected from The People newspaper crime supplements and also books including 101 Crimes. I also need to use the websites mentioned and CrimeWatch to influence my work and to keep an eye on what is current and what people are interested in. As technology goes I will be using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign to produce my magazine, which I have been practising with and getting use to so I feel confident enough when it comes to putting my work together. When I need to use theory I will be taking influence from John Pilger’s book, Investigative Journalism, The best American Crime Reporting 2010 by Otto Penzler, which even though it is American it will influence me from an International viewpoint and might also give me ideas for different stories that will reach out to a wider audience. From an academic view, Chris Frost’s Designing for newspapers and magazines will give me guidance on magazine design conventions, Writing for Magazines: A beginners guide by Cheryl Wray, again will give me the knowledge to help me write articles and features suitable for a magazine. As I want to write crime, I will need to look at the legal side of writing news stories according to the law, therefore I need to look at McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists and Crime, Justice and the Media by Ian Marsh and Gaynor Melville, these will guide me in reporting what is suitable and what I should report to inform the audience about crime. I will also need to use police press releases and appeals to help compile my ‘wanted’ page. For my investigative features I will also use Ross Kemp’s extreme world television programme, as I found it interesting and he made me aware of issues in other parts of the world including Mexico’s war on drugs and rape gangs in Africa.
I am feeling apprehensive about the upcoming months as I understand I have a lot of work to do but I am excited and feel that if I stick to my timeline and keep organised I will be able to produce a product to a high standard and to showcase my ability to a high level.
Add a comment January 16, 2012
Initial Final Project Proposal
Initial Final Project Proposal
Name:
Nicole Whitlam
Title of 307MC Final Project:
Monthly Crime Magazine – Alibi, Blues & Twos
Description of subject to be investigated:
I will include in my magazine top news from that month, it will be a national magazine and the type of topics I will use are murder, top robbery and national issues such as drugs and fraud. I will also include bizarre crimes that people don’t hear about in ordinary everyday news, I will be giving brief descriptions of them and criminal profiles. My major part of the magazine will be the monthly investigative feature, this will be a double page spread on a subject people might not be familiar with, it will be on international crimes and on wider issues such as Mexico gangs and the African drug crimes. I will also include a crime watch section which will be police appeals and crime profiles.
Theoretical and methodological positions to be adopted:
I will be talking to working professionals such as the police and their press room. However I will also need to adopt the theories of professional journalists such as Chris Frost and Steve Chibnall, who have written books about designing for newspapers and magazines. I will also look at how John Pilger goes about writing investigative features.
Sources to be utilised:
I will mainly try to use first hand data from the police, these will include press releases and interviews with police and victims. I will also get inspiration from past articles, historic crime books and television shows such as Ross Kemp’s shows and Crime Watch.
Methods to be used in acquisition of sources:
I will be using the sources to collate research and information to create different articles for my magazine. I will also look at how they present information and see how what I can do with it, and how I can present it in a news form, as well as making it interesting.
Methods and forms of interpretation and analysis to be used:
I will use methods, especially in my design features, such as semiotics, to understand how the audience will choose to read my magazine instead of others on the market, and how it will reach out to my demographic. I will also need to think about what information I can use without it being libel or slander, and what information I think needs to be put forward instead of just writing out press releases and copying something that has already been written.
Plan/schedule of work:
Firstly I will need to research, which will be the majority of my work, this will include what feature I will use, a collection of crimes and how I will use them, audience research which is what is already on the market, what they look for in a magazine, I will also need to research what design features to use, once I have these I will be able to start on my own magazine. Nearer the hand in date I will need to add in my top news and crime watch features so it is as up to date as I can get it.
Bibliography:
The Newspaper Designer’s Handbook
Designing for Newspaper and Magazines (Media Skills)
By Chris Frost
by Steve Chibnall
Tell Me No Lies: Investigative Journalism and its Triumphs
by John Pilger
by Alan J. Whiticker
The People Sunday newspaper crime features
Crime Watch
Ross Kemp on gangs
Ross Kemp: Extreme World
Add a comment September 28, 2011
305MC Summer Task
This summer we were asked to look at items that represent Memory, Power and Spectacle.
Firstly, I looked at memory; I chose a doll from my childhood. It is a very lifelike doll, that when I was younger I named Ethan. It looks just like a baby and I used to dress it in baby clothes, and at this moment in time, it sits on my shelf, dressed in green dungarees. Seems a bit child like for someone that is nearly 21 but it has many memories. I always remember back to the day I received it, it was on the day my younger sister was born. I was given it so I wasn’t ‘left out’ and I had something of my own to look after. The night my sister was born, my dad had hid the doll under my bed covers and when I found the doll I was very excited, and the next day I even took it to the hospital with me. We were then asked to account what this memory means to someone else. I always remember my mother telling me stories of how I used to play Ethan. She again added that she wanted me to be a part of the birth my little sister, and it was a baby for me. When my mum used to feed and bath my sister, I would do the same with my doll, I even used to push it around in a doll pram. The day I took it to the hospital I put it on the bed, and the nurse thought my mum had left my sister on the bed, because the doll is so lifelike. Also, I looked after the doll so well, that when I started school, I had left instructions for my mum on how to look after ‘Baby Ethan’.
We were then asked to comment on Power. This involved a trip to Coventry Transport Museum. The museum is split into different sections, these include War/History, sports, manufacturers and other transport such as buses and bikes. These help tell the story, and help guide people through the museum. The story that stands out the most in the museum is the section about war, it takes you through the Blitz, and how people coped through the war, it also has recorded accounts of people’s memories. Therefore people can relate to it because of their family’s who were in the war, they tell you similar stories. I can also relate to it because my grandad used to tell me stories of how he used to help make the cars that are in the musuem, including the Humber car. These stories are what built my memories of the musuem, however there is now a difference between the past and how I view the musuem now, as I now have a better understanding of cars, and the manufacturers. I also understand how the war section relates to Coventry. However I do believe that the musuem doesn’t represent me, as it’s aimed at a young and an old audience but it doesn’t have anything for young adults. I now need to comment on the authority of the musuem. The musuem is in the position to show tourists people’s stories and products, which I wouldnt be able to offer people. However it’s position limits breaking into other catergories, it just has to stay as a transport musuem. Also compared to the musuem I have the authority and freedom to have my own opinion on things, whereas the musuem just has to be informative and tell the audience the facts.
Finally, I will talk about spectacle. I decided to look at the news story about the National conflict in Libya. Firstly it represents the past by explaining who Colonel Gadafi is and what he is like, the news reporters build up a story and a context by also explaining how the British and American are linked. It’s reports uses devices such as flashbacks to previous new stories, and also uses personal accounts and enquiries. It uses the past to tell of how the conflict started, how it has developed and how our country is involved. The news reports also represent power. It does this by involving Government, the power that they have, the power of the British Army and also the power between the rebels and the Gadaffi followers. The reports show fighting, who is hurt anf the damage caused, this may influence who is represented more. The only way I feel connected is by how it is affecting my own country, and how the government has a secret connection which makes it our business.
Finally Guy Debord is suggesting an emptiness at the heart of the spectacle, I believe he means that the spectacle is not a collection of images but a social relation among people, put together by images.
Add a comment September 28, 2011
202MC RAO-Reflection
RAO Project Reflection
I thought that the RAO was very successful, I think it was down to having a small group of people to work with, and that we could trust each other to get the work completed on time, and to a high standard. I think that we worked well because we had a range of skills. I personally felt the task challenging as I undertook the task of seeking out stories in the Health and Life sciences department, a department of which I knew nothing about. I had to get straight on to emailing and ringing people from the department because of the short deadline, but this meant it gave us experience of how real daily newspapers work. The people I spoke to were very helpful, and I even managed to get two stories out of one interview. So in total I had three written articles in the RAO, as well as sub-editing the other stories before they were sent to editor so they could dropped into the design. I found that when sub-editing, and writing my own work, I had to re-purpose the material for print, as many of the stories were written for broadcast, which was a vital lesson in future writing.
This has impacted on my view of journalism practice by understanding how much you have to work as a team and trust people to get the work done. It also gave me the experience of working to a tight deadline, and how you need to have the right contacts to get a good story. It has confirmed my feelings that I suit writing and feel more confident writing for print, rather than broadcast, because I am not confident in the technical skills.
Working in a group for the RAO has helped me identify some gaps in my skills, again I need to learn to get into the habit of writing more for print than broadcast and cutting unnecessary content to give the story more impact and make it more clear. I also need to be more critical of other peoples work and not to be too nice when sub-editing other peoples work. However I think once I got into being critical I excelled in working as a team and sub-editing work to re-purpose the material for the intended audience.
This experience will feed into my final year because I now know how to work confidently in team and working to a tight deadline, and now have the determination to go out and find a new story. As I want to work with crime reporting I think that these skills and practice will help build up my confidence in going out and finding a story. However the areas I need to concentrate on is learning to design for papers and magazines as I haven’t done this to my full extent yet and need to practice, and will also need to learn photography skills in my final year so I am an all-rounder and will be more employable with the amount of skills I have.
By the end of my final year, I want to be in the right place to go out and find a job. I will be looking at the job market throughout the year and this will let me know what skills I need to build upon, and I have already started making an action plan from my professional experience and from working on the RAO. My evidence to be in that position will need to consist of a range of skills, including the shorthand I already learn, and a well purposed portfolio that will show off my work to its best potential. This will only happen by writing as many stories I can, and becoming critical of my own work. I will need to explore what the employees look for in crime reporters and make sure I organise I strategic exit plan to make sure I can achieve this.
Add a comment June 10, 2011
202MC RAO- My Contribution
Examples of my work-
New lecturer to start new research project.
Jess Rollason, a new member of staff within the Health and Life science’s department is working on research which is based on compounds to fight against Malaria and Cancer, found in the bark of a rare Chinese tree.
Jess, members of the research team and microbiologists at the University are part of a project in which they have applied for Vacation scholarships for students which means they can go and work in the laboratory for twelve weeks on placement during the summer holidays alongside the research term, they will be paid and they will also gain useful work experience within the field.
Jess said of the department: ‘Coventry University has made me feel so welcome and it is a brilliant department, I’m really impressed by how professional the students are’.
Jess came to Coventry from Aston University and was impressed at how people at Coventry work together as a team. She hopes to bring a collaboration between the two university’s on research she has already started, about bacteria which is linked with back pain. She believes that with the quality of expertise in microbiology at Coventry University, it will be a great start towards some ground-breaking research and to put Coventry University on the map.
It will also be a great chance for the students to see how their chosen path of learning works in real-life situations and how they can make a difference, and learn from the experts right here at the University.
Coventry set for gym expansion
Due to success of the Strength and Conditioning Masters degree course at Coventry, the University is looking at a gym expansion, especially designed to help the students and the athletes, who are doing their scholarships expand in their professionalism.
The students who are studying the course including Michelle said of the course: ‘It has helped us gain more experience and that working more with elite athletes is a step closer to our potential careers’. The course and the gym also allows the students to undertake their work experience and have their placement actually at the university, where help is always on hand from experienced staff.
Two athletes who are currently doing their sport Scholarships at Coventry University, Ricky who plays ice hockey said:’ The masters course works alongside my scholarship to learn the right techniques of my sport and a professional training programme’, and Michael burke who is a professional in karate added: ‘It gives me a structured training programme, a regular place to train, and I can see the benefits in my sport already.’
The original gym is situated in the health suite, which can be accessed by all students. The plans for the gym expansion will help both the professional athletes train more intensely and the students agree that this an exciting prospect which will benefit them and staff in both teaching and learning.
Sport Science In India
The sport science staff have recently been to India.
Steve Fruer, James Keenan, and Michelle Stanley went to India to set up a programme for current students here at Coventry University.
As part of Coach Education the staff went out to see how they and students can help a football team train and play more professionally, and what they can teach them about sport science.
A charitable football team, which takes kids off the street, is now the most important young football team with the highest paid footballer in India establishing himself there. They also have an academy for 16-18 year olds now and the team even won the street kid world cup in South Africa last year.
The visit involved the staff taking data of nine to eighteen year olds parallel to that taken at Coventry Football academy to establish a sports science programme to help the team, including agility, speed, grip, sprint and vertical jump.
However, whilst out there, they realized they could so much more, so for ten days they ran coaching programmes and practical sessions
This has now lead to a five year programme with students, they will need to apply for it, and they will be chosen on their strongest skills, to go out on the placement. They will be expected to offer support and develop training and establish the recognition of what the team are currently doing and how they can help.
It also enhances the Strength and Conditioning course as it gives them a chance to put their skills into action.
The staff said of the trip to India: ‘It was great to be out their especially to see how sport and football take importance in different cultures. It is a good chance for us and the lucky students that get to go to teach skills to the children and how they can change their learning and opportunities’.
Add a comment June 10, 2011
Supporting Material
Supporting material
Daily Diary
Day 1- Introduced to the news team and how Coventry Telegraph works
Day 2- Went to an Inquest for a woman who died in a house fire
Day 3- Learnt how filler stories come about, wrote some up from letters sent in
Day 4- Investigated if people are going away abroad instead of watching Royal Wedding, Interviewed a local citizen who wanted people to hear his concerns about Coventry.
Day 5- Visited a couple who are celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary
Day 6- Sent out to visit a school who were celebrating National Book day by dressing up and another who were dressing up for charity and in aid of Lent.
Day 7- Had to research what social clubs and pubs were still open, and what events they had on for the ‘Whats On’ feature by ringing them. I also had to write up an old article about how the streets were named, and make editorial choices of what to cut and keep in.
Day 8 -(7th March)- Went to a sentencing of two boys who set their dog upon a kitten
Day 9- Visited friends and shopkeepers of a boy who died in a motorbike crash for a tribute piece
Day 10- Visited Kenilworth Library and found out what was happening with the local police.
Day 11- Visited Refugee centre and conducted my own interview and report
Day 12 -(11th March) Final day at Coventry Telegraph, reported on Japanese Earthquake
Day 13 -Japan Earthquake story featured in Coventry Telegraph
Day 14- Continued to read how my stories had been placed within the paper over the weekend
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Day 15- I wanted to do some of my own crime writing so looked into free lance companies and how they get stories, and publish them.
Day 16- Networked with owners of Century PR of Coventry, who are freelance journalists
Day 17- Wrote some more fillers for Coventry Telegraph
Day 18- Started on researching and writing my own stories, using my contacts, court visits and the internet for local news
Day 19- Researching the best way to get my work noticed, using Blog.
Day 20- Bringing all my work together and considering how I can further my professional experience, looking at bigger companies.
I now have an established network of professional journalists from the Coventry Telegraph, these included:
Steve Chilton- Line Manager, Editor
Emma Stone- Crime Reporter
Cara Simpson
Duncan Gibbons
Sam Dimmer
Martin Bagot
Tina Junday
John Clarke & Celeste Clarke- Century PR
These will aid me in any future work experience and I have contact with them for any future stories, whether its for extra information, further contacts or to go along with them on future stories.
During my two weeks at Coventry Telegraph, my tasks included:
I attended an Inquest for a woman who died in a house fire at Coventry’s Magistrate courts, I then wrote my version and compared it to Duncan Gibbons, I showed the editor/ Steve Chilton who analysed my style of writing and if it fits in Coventry Telegraph’s style and conventions. I learnt that I have a more essay style of writing and for a telegraph report, my sentences and paragraphs need to be shorter and more factual, to tell the key points of a story suitable for a telegraph report.
Visited the memorial of a boy who died in a motorbike crash, talked to friends and shop keepers to write up a tribute for him. The family were not happy with the previous stories written and I then encountered for the first time the negative and scary aspects of journalism, where the journalist is verbally threatened. Though it was negative, it gave me a chance to see it and how if I was writing a story on a certain subject, that you have to take people’s feelings into consideration.
To further my experience of crime reporting, I visited Coventry’s Magistrates court for the second time to report on the sentencing of two youths who set their Pitbull dog onto a kitten. The process was very long and it showed me that you can be at a court for days on end just to find out the outcome of something so small, but because it was such an upsetting story that will get the local audience talking, it was right for the Coventry Telegraph to report on it, as it was also a follow up to a previous story.
When some people write letters to the telegraph, it is sometimes a request for a story, people giving information about a certain event or organisation. These are the stories that are used for fillers down the side of the pages that don’t have a by-line, so I wrote some of these to get examples of my work in the paper. I keep in contact with Steve Chilton if he needs some writing up.
I also partook in general local journalism, I went on stories with Sam Dimmer and Tina Junday including the Kenilworth Library joining forces with the Local Police and a couple celebrating their 50th Golden wedding anniversary and talked to local people, and had an insight into how such stories appear in the Coventry Telegraph.
This then developed into going out on my own to report on a story about FairTrade week at the local refugee centre, I worked alongside a photographer to get the story which then appeared in the newspaper the following day.
As my two weeks at Coventry Telegraph came to end, on the final day it was during the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, I was given the task of talking to local experts and members of the public it may of affected, and was asked to write the story on it from a local perspective. This helped me gain confidence in talking to people over the phone, conducting a phone interview and having a by-line in the local news paper.
Add a comment May 5, 2011
