Global Media News

Comedian Makes Run for British Parliament

Politics is often considered one of the taboo subjects one should not discuss, lest they wish to start an argument. People have particular convictions about political opinions, and will defend them to the death. So what are politicians to do when political satire comedian Al Murray made his bid for parliament? Popular for his on stage persona, "The Pub Landlord", Murray has decided to run as his character.

Not many are taking his bid seriously, including UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party) leader Nigel Farage. Farage has sarcastically said that Murray is welcome in the race, and that there will be "serious competition". Farage has also shown no sign of being intimidated by tweeting "the more the merrier!" at Murray. Although Murray stands a slim chance of winning votes for any sort of office under his designated FUKP (Free United Kingdom Party), he does appear to have quite the historical and political knowledge one would look for in a candidate for office.

    Murray's policies do not seem to warrant serious consideration, like taking the U.K. to outer space by 2025 or lowering the price of a pint of beer. Despite his most likely not attaining a seat in
parliament, perhaps his running for office will do well to shake the apathy of younger voters who might take more of a notice in politics by seeing an entertainment figure in the political spotlight.

Google Nigeria advises media on modern data tools

Major Conglomerate Google headquarters in Nigeria encouraged media experts on the use of modern data tools for effective reportage. 

Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Anglophone, West Africa, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade,  made the appeal at the Google Data Tools for Elections Reporting Workshop held in Lagos.

    Ogunlade , noted that there were various useful tools such as Google Advance Search, Google Trends, Social Media Streams, Google Alert and Tabula which could be used in sourcing data.

 

     Mr. Ogunlade has said that the data tools would get pictures of what is happening at particular time and places and get it to the public's attention. Nigeria is a incredible country and just like many other countries it has a high censorship but that shouldn't stop the public of Nigeria from receiving news that could help the country.

    To give a little background of Mr. Ogunlade, he is a communications & public affairs manager at Google and got his degree in Public Relations and Communications from Lagos State University in Lagos, Nigeria.

    

 

The Right to Bear Arms

The N.R.A, or simply the National Rifle Association, has come under alot of scrutiny lately with the recent murder of Trayvon Martin. The NRA is a group that supports the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, and advocates the use of firearm ownership and self-defense. The Trayvon Martin case is a very important one for the NRA, especially around the ownership of guns.  It is estimated that around 919,831 people carry permits to own a gun in Florida alone so it's no surprise that the NRA are heavily involved with the issue and attempting to fix their image. They have taken a large public relations hit after the incident where George Zimmerman was able to carry a gun and fire it freely against an unarmed civilian. This has sparked a wave of out-lash against the ownership of guns across the United States and the NRA lay in the center.

The NRA has critisized the media for it's sensational and overblown coverage of the case and that they are attempting to blame gun ownership for the blame of this murder in an attempt to draw ratings. Executive Vice President of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, commented on the situation, "You manufacture controversy for ratings,” he added. “You don’t care about the truth, and the truth is the national news media in this country is a national disgrace, and you all know it.” LaPierre argued that news agencies had ignored the other murders and crimes that are occurring on a daily basis and using the Trayvon Martin incident. LaPierre goes on further,

By the time I finish this speech, 2 Americans will be slain, 6 women will be raped, 27 of us will be robbed, and 50 more will be beaten,” he said at a N.R.A. members meeting on Saturday morning. “That’s the harsh reality we face, all of us, every single day. But the media, they don’t care. Everyday victims aren’t celebrities. They don’t draw ratings, don’t draw sponsors. But sensational reporting from Florida does.

This is an important and interesting case. On one hand there are murders and crimes happening daily in the United States and most of them are being  ignored. Why is this case suddenly so special? Is the media pushing for this case due to the fact in can draw  a large number of viewers and can discuss several controversial issues such as gun ownership or race? Media will cover stories that will attract viewership and will continue to do so as long as they see a benefit from covering them. On the other hand the NRA will have a difficult time in defending their position in this case. An innocent civilian was murdered by a man who probably should have never owned a gun so it's extremely difficult for them to gain any leverage or sympathy.

Does a smile make the difference on Morning shows?

For the number one spot in morning shows the “Today’s” show holds the spot but for how long? “Good Morning America” is a close second, sometimes coming in first according to TVNEWSER.  The fact is that these Morning Shows are at a “war” with each other. So what does this mean? That for the future what you watch will have a major impact on what these Morning Shows will do to keep you watching.

The age of TV media is all about the viewer and what the viewer likes in real time. This is seen in this race to be number one because whoever is number one gets to have the “fancy” ads that go along with it. These ads are also for the views the more people who watch the show are more the ads are viewed by the people the more likely the ads are to be seen and then bought. So is it really about the smiles or Morning shows or is it something more? Well a smile is always nice but it’s really about the money you have to book the people and get the first class segments.

The New York Times says that

“The stakes are high because “Today,” as the No. 1 show, has dominated advertising sales on morning television — an advantage that has consistently confirmed the show’s status as the greatest profit center in network television, earning $250 million to $300 million a year for NBC.”

This clearly is not just about the smiles. What these Morning Show stand to gain or lose are truly in the hands of the people. As viewers we hold a lot of power that is often overlooked but as this clearly shows the views. Its the age of the people's choice so which on will you choose "Good Morning America" or "Today"???