Journalism in Crisis concludes on a high

Mark Thompson ended the two day conference on journalism in crisis promising to share the BBC’s audiovisual assets with other media outlets.

Jeremy Paxman was given the first Sir Charles Wheeler award commemorating the late journalism great, and Boris Johnson made a surprise appearance at the conference.

Over 50 academics and industry workers were shadowed by an equally large crew of students who interviewed, videod, edited, uploaded, tweeted and blogged throughout the two days, as important points on the state of journalism were made.

Particularly interesting was the debate on media and privacy, with former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie and investigative journalist Nick Davies verbally sparring on stage.

Read our latest blog posts to learn more about all the conferences and speeches.

Thank you for tuning in,

The Westminster Uni team.

Deadlock over Tibet

Billed as ‘Fifty years of democratic reform in Tibet’ the meeting held on Tuesday at Westminster University’s Regent Street campus was destined for controversy.

Fifty years to the month since a major and bloody Tibetan rebellion against Chinese rule led to thousands fleeing the country and the Dalai Lama’s exile, three scholars from the People’s Republic took the stage in Fyvie Hall and invited questions from anyone who cared to attend.

Many of those who turned up are Tibetans and as Dr Zhang Yun, Dr Zha Luo and Ms Deji Droma introduced themselves there was a ripple of anticipation in the air. The young Tibetan man sitting next to me had brought along a copy of a report made to the International Commission of Jurists about the suppression of the 1959 rebellion. He had marked several passages which referred to the killing of children and babies.

‘Caged’

The first questioner, a Tibetan, described his homeland as “caged”. He rejected Chinese claims of ‘democracy’ and ‘reform’. How could Tibetans be happy when monasteries were destroyed and exiles were forbidden to return?

Dr Yun mustered the Chinese defence. Tibet had moved from feudalism to socialism. Before China took over most Tibetans were serfs, now they are equal members of society.

An elderly monk stood up, fragile but imposing in his deep red robe. He had been sentenced to 33 years in prison for taking part in a peaceful demonstration in 1959 and asked: “Why are people still rising up and asking for freedom?”

Mixture

The audience murmured in sympathy. Ms Droma fiddled with the strap of her handbag.

Dr Luo spoke out: “Tibetans want many different things. Some want to make money, some want to become officials, some want to be monks.” That is Tibetans, like most people, are a mixture of materialists, spiritualists and opportunists. According to Dr Luo none of these callings is a problem so long as they are pursued “within the law”.

And so the meeting went on. Rather like a mis-buttoned coat questions and responses never matched up. The panel spoke through an interpreter but the language barrier was not the real difficulty. Each side is simply living in a different reality. The audience spoke of invasion and destruction, the panel of liberation and development.

Demanding

At one point Dr Dibyesh Anand, chair of the meeting, turned in exasperation to a particularly vocal audience member who was demanding a panel member “answer the question”.

“He won’t. We can bring people here but we can’t make them answer questions.”

It was a rare moment of shared truth.

The most frustrating aspect of the whole event was that all the panel members are very knowledgeable about Tibet and almost certainly have a genuine affection for the place.

Dr Yun is a specialist on ancient Tibetan history. Ms Droma and Dr Luo are both ethnic Tibetans. Ms Droma is an expert on Tibetan religions. Dr Luo is interested in development and was obviously keen to discuss environmental issues – China plans to spend £1.5 billion on environmental projects in Tibet. In another setting they could have had a fascinating discussion with many audience members.

So was the meeting a waste of time? Well, no. Audience and panel had at least to acknowledge each other’s presence. After the meeting ended Tibetans clustered around Ms Droma and Dr Luo, chatting. More seemed to be achieved over a glass of wine than in a formal meeting, one rule which probably holds true in London, Lhasa or Beijing.

By Brigitte Istim

From BBC background:

The Tibet issue: China’s view

The Tibet issue: Tibetan view

Fears over migrant jobs

Over three quarters of British adults believe that jobless migrants should face deportation according to a recent Financial Times-Harris poll.

Many of those questioned did not approve of other European citizens having the right to work in the UK.

The London School of Economics’ most recent figures suggest that there are around 725,000 illegal migrants in the UK - a 300,000 rise on figures from 2001.

It seems that with recession in the air and competition for jobs on the rise public opinion is souring on the idea of economic immigration, legal or otherwise.

Conservative plans for a thousands-strong ‘Border Police Force’ have been popular proposals - surviving even Howard-era origins.

Meanwhile, Mayor of London Boris Johnson has called for a “morally right” amnesty but the suggestion has been met with mixed reactions.

‘No surprise’

Immigration and borders chief Phil Woolas called that idea “a well intended road to hell”. He isn’t alone. Groups like Migrant Watch UK have also challenged an amnesty.

When asked about the FT poll, the group’s chairman Sir Andrew Green told WNOL: “This is certainly no surprise. As unemployment climbs towards three million there will be a growing concern about migrant workers.

“I think the British are fair-minded, but immigration is out of control.”

Those at the heart of this numbers debate have – out of necessity - been some of the least vocal.

For those like Alice* the threat of workplace immigration raids, like double-decker buses, are just another part of London life.

She arrived in the UK from Atlanta to visit friends two years ago on a six-month holiday visa and has been here since.

While working in hospitality she has contributed around quarter of her earnings in “emergency tax” because of her lack of a national insurance number.

“Well I shouldn’t be here, that’s true, but the country is still benefiting from me and it feels unfair,” she said.

Due to her circumstances she doesn’t believe she will ever receive a rebate.

“I’ve saved some – but it still hurts – good thing I’m planning to go home soon anyway. I’m tired of doing this day to day,” she added.

Assumed identity

Others like Michel* intend to become full citizens. Having lived for a time in Paris under an assumed identity Algeria-born Michel made his way to the UK in 1999 using a forged passport.

He had to leave his catering job last year when his employers questioned his right to work in the UK.

Despite having a bank account, mobile phone contract and all the other fixtures of a normal life, Michel has never felt secure.

Though he is now applying for a marriage visa he believes an amnesty would have made his life a lot easier.

“Always moving, it takes a lot of work to come like this: the long way. I’ve been here for almost 10 years now. I’ve always worked. If I wasn’t needed there wouldn’t have been work… I would have had to go,” he said.

Business owners found employing an illegal immigrant are liable for a fine of up to £10,000.

In many cases the benefits of paying low wages and avoiding taxation costs means that the risks are worth the gains for unscrupulous employers.

As a harsh economic climate feeds a backlash against migrant workers it also makes the multi-billion pound tax injection an amnesty represents more appealing to the government.

The move may yet become one more unpopular – yet necessary – piggy bank to smash open.

*Name have been changed to protect the individuals’ identites.

BBC tested by Twitter

The editor of the BBC news website, Steve Herrmann, says that user-generated content is useful but creates added work for the online team.

Outside news sources using platforms such as Twitter can actually hinder the vigilant work of BBC journalists. Herrmann says that it has created an attitude of “we don’t need journalists anymore” from the public, “but it creates more of a challenge for us”.

He added: “In order for us to be able to make use of it, we have to check stuff out and that doesn’t come for free.

“We need verification and also to distinguish what’s good and what’s not.”

Recerntly an error was made when the BBC ran a misleading Twitter rumour during the reporting of the Mumbai attacks.

When talking about unsourced Twitters Herrmann said: “We ignore that at our peril. We were caught out in Mumbai.”

In his BBC editor’s blog, Herrmann rhetorically asks: “Is it confusing to have reports from our own correspondents, along with official statements, pictures, video, accounts from other media, bloggers, emails and Twitter, all together on the same page?”

Despite this potential confusion Herrmann still believes that

Twittering is an effective way of spreading news for three main reasons.

It is a “fantastic social network tool, letting people know you are around.

“It is a news-gathering tool – we have to keep an eye on what’s happening. It is now part and parcel of our journalism.

“Thirdly, it is a publishing platform and “the Twitter universe is big”, according to Herrmann, although not as large as the BBC website which receives millions of hits per day.

At just 140 characters per ‘tweet’, a Twitter report must get straight to the point.

Herrmann said that ‘Twitter style’ is having an increasing impact on the BBC news website: “Getting more reporting that is Twitter-like is something which we are working towards.”

Story by Charlotte Hanger

F1 season back on track

The new F1 season is lurking around the corner and with less than two weeks to the opening race in Australia on the 29th of March, all teams should be feeling the pre-season stress.

The FIA (motor racing’s governing body) has made a few changes to the rules and regulations which may well influence the outcome of the championship.

From 2009 the driver who wins the most races will be crowned F1 champion at the end of the season, as opposed to the driver who has the most points. If two drivers have the same number of victories the one with the most points will be awarded with the crown.

It was also announced that the new season will see the return of the infamous slick tyres and that the pit lane will remain open for drivers to re-fuel their cars during safety car periods.

The viewing public seems to welcome the moves made by the FIA.

Miriam Jones, 26, from London, said: “I think that the new rules will bring a fresh breeze to F1 and that things will be shaking up as the drivers now have to race for victory.”

Michael Giant, 23, from Essex, added: “I always felt that the driver who wins the most Grand Prixs should be made the overall winner. I hope that the changes will see a decrease in strategy and an increase in race driving, because the drivers are forced to give it their all, competing from race to race.”

BBC to the rescue

This season will also mark the return of F1 to the BBC after a 12 year absence. The corporation has promised to deliver wide-ranging live and interactive season coverage that guarantees no misses.

Roger Mosey, Head of BBC Sport, said: “We are very excited to have Formula One back at the BBC. And with David Coulthard, Eddie Jordan and Martin Brundle in the mix we will do our best to cater to the fans’ needs.”

Asked who he predicts to be the top three this season, Mosey said: “To be honest I don’t know enough about Formula One to make such a prediction and as BBC Head of Sport I like to remain impartial.”

By Ijeoma Igbokwe

New exhibition: The Neighbour

Today marks the beginning of artist Ashok Sukumaran’s new exhibition The Neighbour which is now open until Thursday 9 April.

The exhibition takes place in ‘P3’, a 14000 square foot space developed from a vast concrete construction hall and is located underneath the Marylebone campus at the University of Westminster.

The Guardian recently called this underground hideaway “one of the capital’s hidden and most exciting new spaces”.

Ashok was born in 1974 and is Bombay-based. His work recently featured in the Indian Highway exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London. In 2005 Ashok was awarded the first prize of the 2005 UNESCO Digital Arts Award, and also received a Golden Nica at the Prix Ars Electronica in 2007.

In The Neighbour two mobile habitats share a space - one is a large mobile 1970’s trailer, and the other is a smaller yellow camper van.

The white trailer moves up and down imperceptibly slowly. One of the artist’s assistants said: “It’s so slow you don’t realise it’s moving until you stand next to the door and it passes you by.”

The two mobile homes reflect the complex relationship between obsessive neighbours, each vehicle slyly stalking the other. Ashok said: “We don’t know what to do with people who are neither friends nor enemies.”

The camper van has sets of headphones attached inside where you can hear everything that is happening in the trailer. Ashok jokes that “in here you could say this person has serious fetish for that house”.

It is within these older mobile homes and camper vans that neighbours would mix. Ashok said that it was in these intense traffic - jams that people would have to unite, creating an “interesting moment”.

Now though, we have retreated and society has become “obsessed by safe distance… From the gypsies, from the smokers, from each others.”

The Neighbour seeks to undo this ‘safe distance’. According to Ashok: “The space being open is necessary, for others to be able to enter it, for universality.”

By Charlotte Hanger

Plenty more fish in the sea?

Glenny warns of internet journalism

Award-winning journalist Misha Glenny discussed the current difficulties of obtaining a job in journalism with students at Westminster’s Marylebone campus on Thursday.

Glenny has worked as the central Europe correspondant for the Guardian. He worked at the BBC and won the 1993 Sony Gold Award during his time there.

Glenny also detailed his latest novel ‘McMafia’, an expose of organised crime which currently features in the non-fiction best-sellers’ list, while expressing how investigative journalism has become less common in the media.

“We see it being eroded in television,” he said. “With the collapse of investigative reporting in newspapers, we’re trying to find another way.”

Journalism and the internet

During the evening Glenny spoke of the effect the internet has had on journalism as a career path.

Mentioning it’s positive effect, he remarked how there are now “lots of outlets that weren’t there in the past”.

However, he also said of the internet, that it “doesn’t pay”, referring to the high amount of news content online.

Glenny also outlined the potential dangers of journalists relying on online content, stating that “for journalism, it contains many significant dangers”.

It should be used as a “guide, not as a source” and that the first rule of journalism is that “you have to do the research yourself” - a point he raised several times.

A ‘non-confrontational’ journalist

The other central topic of Glenny’s talk was his approach to interviewing, frequently describing himself as non-confrontational.

“I’m not interested in confrontational journalism,” he said.

Glenny also commented on his approaching several criminals to gather material for McMafia.

“If you’re interviewing people in organised crime, the first thing you show is respect; you have to gain their trust.”

He then explained how he wouldn’t “get everything out of people” by being confrontational.

“I get more out of people by sitting them down and talking to them at length… essentially, everyone wants to tell their story.”

Future?

Glenny concluded his talk with an observation of the current financial climate, remarking that “we are now in a very bad, dangerous world”.

However, he still showed some optimism for student journalists in his advice, by again emphasising the importance of not relying on other people.

“If you want to do you real journalism, you have to go where the story is – you have to go there yourself.”

Glenny is one of several high-profile journalists who has spoken at the University of Westminster in recent months including The Sunday Times writer Ariel Leve, BBC director of sport Roger Mosey, and the co-founder of Wanderlust magazine Lyn Hughes.

Story by Sam Gournay

See also:

Ariel Leve profile

Interview with Lyn Hughes - co-founder of Wanderlust magazine

War veterans demand compensation

Minister of State for International Defence and Security, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, has resisted calls from peers for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to take direct responsibility for cases of Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) in a move that may delay thousand of compensation payments.

According to The Independent an estimated 6,000 troops showed symptoms of GWS last year.

She defended the government’s position as dependent on a final Institute of Medicine review of US research due later this year.

Lord Lloyd of Berwick – a long time supporter of the British Legion’s Gulf War Group – questioned the move.

“[The] report which has been furnished [is] itself a review of more than 1,800 scientific papers,” he said. “What need therefore is there for any further review?”

The research has suggested links between anti-nerve gas pills containing pyridostigmine bromide (PB) and ongoing illness suffered by some veterans of the 1991 conflict.

Symptoms

Known symptoms include fatigue, memory loss, headaches, depression and muscle cramps. In 2002 a US investigation linked instances of motor neurone disease to GWS.

Organophosphate sprays - a family of pesticides used during operations known to contain neurotoxins - have also come under scrutiny.

Speaking on compensation, Baroness Taylor of Bolton suggested that any compensation payments would be on a sliding scale depending on the severity of a victim’s symptoms.

“The principle should be that payment is made on the basis of need and the level of disability,” she said.

“We want to give priority to improving the health of Gulf War victims and to put our research effort into identifying beneficial treatments for the future.”

“A much more serious problem”

Previously the British Legion has pushed for a one-off payment of £10,000 for each veteran affected by the condition in compensation for a lack of duty of care.

A spokesperson for the British Legion outlined why a sliding scale would not be effective in the long run.

“Gulf War illness is so complicated and we don’t know how people are going to suffer in the future”.

“If you have a sliding scale what you could have is someone being awarded a very small amount who in future has a much more serious problem.”

The MoD has stated: “Gulf veterans who have a disability related to their service receive a War Pension. There is no delay with the delivery of war pension to veterans of the first Gulf conflict.”

By Martin Kearney

Barbie’s birthday suit shocks parents

Barbie’s 50th birthday visit to a London toy-shop left parents shocked at her “inappropriate” outfit.

The fashion icon made an appearance - in person - today at Hamley’s toy storeto sign autographs and take pictures with young fans.

But parents said Barbie’s sparkly swimsuit was too revealing, and it sent out the wrong message to little girls.

“She looked like she belonged in the playboy mansion,” said mother of three Caroline Thompson who was with five year-old daughter Lily-Anne.

Special anniversary doll

Hamley’s estimated that 2,000 people would attend the party.  Fans queued outside waiting for Barbie to arrive.

“I couldn’t see the end of the queue,” said Mumim Rashid, who works at the store. “There were hundreds of people.”

There were two life-sized Barbies at the party. One emerged from the limo wearing a glittery pink dress and greeted fans . But it was Barbie inside Hamley’s dressed as the special 50^th anniversary doll who parents labelled inappropriate.

This is the latest in a line of criticisms of Barbie, who was recently accused in the press of presenting an unrealistic body image.

‘Let down’

But the children were not so concerned about Barbie’s image. They were more frustrated by the giant queues snaking around the store for face painting, jewellery making and to meet Barbie.

Mrs Thompson, whose daughter Lily-Anne looked disappointed, said the party was “a bit of a let down”.

By Helen Varley

To see more photographs of this event, see our Flickr slideshow

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