Critical Reflection

This semester on Winol has been a great success, building on the work of the previous semester and aiming for more ambitious stories and features. This has lead to improvements across all of Winol.

With the format of the website now well established, the focus was very much on content throughout the semester, and this saw an improvement on stories weekly. There was also extension across the site, particularly in features, with Absolute:ly and the New Winchester Review thriving, and the creation of The Volt and Travel and Adventure, diversifying the content that Winol covers and therefore increasing the potential readership.

The biggest News story of the semester was undoubtedly the Eastleigh by-election. As a team we were fortunate that such a large story landed on our doorstep, and we took full advantage, by producing extensive coverage in the build up and producing the election night special ‘The South Decides’. The coverage of the by-election showcased the strength of our reporting, speaking to each of the major candidates, as well as interviewing the biggest names in British politics, including Ed Miliband, Boris Johnson and Prime Minister David Cameron. This was a major success for the news team, and really raised the bar for Winol as a whole.

‘The South Decides’ itself was also a huge success. Providing extensive, through the night coverage live was a significant challenge, but the team excelled. The quality of the pre-recorded packages was very high and the presenters were strong, and with the support of the incredibly dedicated production team, we produced an outstanding election special.

Aside from the Eastleigh by-election, the overall quality was greatly improved this semester. We achieved a much better balance of light and shade across bulletins, with strong, serious stories at the top of each bulletin, and some fantastic ‘and finally’ pieces to close the bulletin. The court reporting from Luke and Christina was particularly impressive, with emotional stories handled very sensitively, a real highlight of the semester.

We maintained a good alexa ranking throughout the semester, regularly outperforming the Hampshire Chronicle and East London Lines, another strong showing after a lot of hard work last semester.

The major change to the bulletin this semester was the two redesigns of the opening titles. The titles now look far more professional, and the corresponding titles for Winol Sport creates some much needed consistency between the presentation of the two programmes.

In my role as Sports Editor this semester, I have tried to build on the existing strengths of Winol Sport and Sportsweek, while developing the areas that had lacked attention in the past.

I faced a difficult start to my tenure as we were told that we could no longer use footage of the Basingstoke Bison. This created two great difficulties for Sportsweek. The first was that the Bison had been one of our biggest draws for viewers, and the second was that the use of Ice Hockey footage had created some diversity in the coverage we offered, and without it we ran the risk of becoming exclusively a football show.

The issue of content was further hampered by the bad weather throughout the semester, meaning that often we had very little in the way of football highlights. The team reacted well to these setbacks however, and we decided to do a number of gonzo pieces investigating more obscure sports, an approach that we had on a few occasions in the previous semester. These pieces were of an increasingly high quality, as we learned how to most effectively use the go-pro to add an additional dimension to the packages. The first of these gonzo pieces was on wheelchair rugby, produced by Liam Garrahan, which featured a team GB athlete, Aaron Phipps. This package was incredibly impressive, and set a high bar for the future gonzo pieces that the sports team produced. Further packages, including fencing and skiing, were also well produced, and maintained a strong thread of gonzo work, as well as providing the desired diversity in our sports coverage. Jack Griffiths also provided a three part feature entitled ‘Challenge Griff’, in which he took on one of the University sports teams at their own events. This was a strong recurring feature, with good content. It also provided continuity which encouraged regular viewers, and the coverage of the University teams proved to be a good source of additional views, and we began to increase our coverage of the University teams as a result of the ‘Challenge Griff’ feature.

The issue of viewing figures for sportsweek was one we continually addressed throughout the semester. In previous semesters the views of Sportsweek had been relatively low, with the majority of views going to the individual packages of the Basingstoke Bison. Our target was to bring views specifically to the sportsweek bulletin, and increase the number of views towards the number it had been around two years ago, where it regularly exceeded 1000 views. I contacted the sports editor from that period, Will Cooper, for advice on how to increase views, and he proved very helpful, making a number of suggestions. We implemented these, and insured that the link was being posted weekly to forums and fan pages of the various football clubs we cover, as well using social media directed specifically at interested parties. We also reduced the number of football highlights that were featured in the bulletin sport, and showed them instead on sportsweek, meaning that the sport in the bulletin was diverse, and the football fans would come straight to sportsweek. This work did indeed increase views, with three editions exceeding 600 views, compared to the previous average of around 150 views. Despite the improvement, we struggled to maintain these viewing figures consistently, and there is still work to do to establish a regular audience that exceeds 500 on a weekly basis.

When the fixture list was not impacted by weather, our football coverage continued in much the same fashion as it had in previous semesters. We regained access to Eastleigh FC, which was an important step in expanding our potential audience, as it is one of the best attended clubs in our patch. The coverage we initially provided, however, was not of the quality we should have been achieving. I made the decision that we would only use highlights that featured a minimum of two cameras, so as to improve the overall quality of the coverage. On the whole this was adhered to, although on occasion reporters failed to secure an operator for a second camera, which obviously negatively impacted the quality. By the end of the semester however, the culture of the team had changed, and multi –camera coverage was the default position. We then looked to go above the minimum two camera setup and take even more cameras. The Hampshire Senior Cup semi final between AFC Totton and AFC Bournemouth was filmed using three cameras, one in the stand and one behind each goal. Again this improved the quality, and proved to be the best highlights package produced of the semester at the time.

At the end of the semester we then looked to improve again, and took five cameras to the Play Off semi-final between Eastleigh FC and Dover Athletic. We again had one camera in the stand and one behind each goal, but we also placed one camera facing across each 18 yard line, giving us a much more dynamic and professional looking highlights package, with multiple angles, which us allowed to show a variety of replays. We also worked hard on the production, with Liam Garrahan, Thomas Baxter and I looking to ensure the package was of the highest possible standard. Liam created a number of high quality graphics for the package, which gave it a professional edge, while Tom and I edited the footage and looked to make the most of the multiple angles. The end product was of a very high standard, and proved to be the biggest success of the semester for our sports team, setting a new standard for the next sports team.

As well as overseeing the work of the sports team and helping out wherever possible with filming, I also used this semester to try presenting for the first time. I tried to ensure that everyone on the sports team was able to have a go at presenting sportsweek and the sports links for the bulletin, which worked out well, and everyone presented at least once. I enjoyed presenting and found it a very natural role for me, which encouraged me to volunteer for on-camera work for ‘The South Decides’. I was one of two newsroom on-screen reporters on the night and I felt it was very successful, and has encouraged me to pursue more on screen opportunities when possible.

One of the biggest struggles I faced this semester was ensuring that the sports package for the Winol bulletin was in the correct aspect ratio. Despite regularly seeking advice from other members of the team, the production team and from the IT department, it took much of the semester to find a permanent solution to this problem, which we eventually discovered, however the failure to find the solution earlier meant that on multiple occasions sport had to be edited into the bulletin in post production, which was incredibly disappointing, especially considering that editing was, with few exceptions, complete long before the deadline for the package. This was without doubt my biggest failure of the semester, but I was pleased when we found a permanent solution, and this should no longer be a problem.

Overall, I feel that this was a successful semester. Winol as a whole developed well, with features broadening to cover more specific areas and the quality of the stories in the bulletin improving every week, with some incredibly high quality packages. We matched improved content with high production standards to produce some of the most consistently high quality bulletins in the history of Winol. As Sports Editor I feel that I oversaw a period of positive development, with increased quality of content. As the majority of the team were already familiar with filming sport, the standard of camera work was consistently good, as was the production. We worked to improve the content through the number of cameras used, and sought to improve the voiceover work through more careful scripting and greater use of light and shade in the tone of voice. This has resulted in higher quality highlights packages, a clear improvement on those earlier in the semester and the year. We have also been able to diversify our sports coverage to include increased University teams and minority sports, which in turn has expanded our potential audience. Viewing figures showed overall growth with a few standout weeks, and there is a clear blueprint for how to increase viewing figures. I feel that as the term passed we have managed to reach a high standard of coverage which sets a new bar for Winol Sport, which hopefully can then be built upon further in future years. 

Phenomenology and Existentialism

'Existence precedes essence' - This phrase was coined by Sartre, and is central to the existentialist outlook. Rather than believing we have some sort of preconceived human nature within each of us, existentialism believes that all that matters is our existence, and we are free to create meaning for ourselves, to create our own essence. As I've written before, existentialism is all about making your own choices, and the freedom you have to do so. 

The approach of cartesian dualism is rejected and reconfigured, believing that rather than 'I think, therefore I am', 'I am therefore I think' is better, which then reduces to 'I think', which further reduces to 'there are thoughts'. 

In his 'Critique of pure reason', Kant argued that consciousness 'just is', it is not in itself proof of existence. You cannot stand outside of consciousness. Kant examined both noumena and phenomena, however existentialism focuses solely on phenomena, hence 'phenomenology'. The noumena, or external world, is not disregarded, it is simply of no concern to philosophers, according to existentialists. 

Phenomenology originates from Husserl, who drew a line between psychology and epistemology. Husserl argued that consciousness could be divided into two types, physical phenomena such as colours and smells, and mental phenomena, thoughts and their content. This is an approach taken from the work of Brentano.

This mental phenomena is characterised by its 'intentionality', that they are directed towards objects outside of the mind. Husserl concerned himself only with the texture of thoughts, rather than their origins. It mattered not whether the thought was a dream or our 'reality', the thoughts still formed a part of our consciousness, and he determined that all that exists is the present tense of our consciousness. Husserl claimed that we must categorise these thoughts and experiences, whilst not concerning ourselves with their origin. 'Bracketing' was the way to gain information about our consciousness. Whether you deem the thought to be 'real' or not does not matter, all that matters is your experience of it, as we can not truly know what is 'real'. This is the basis of the 'phenomenological reduction'. If I see a dog with two heads, my intentionality towards it is the same, despite the fact I may not believe that two headed dogs exist. 

For Husserl, thought must have two things; content and a possessor. 

Heidegger concerned himself with the question of 'being'. He argued that thinking is just one way of engaging with the world, and that acting upon it is equally important. Dasein, or being in the world, was key to Heidegger's approach. Dasein is not about thinking, but about acting on those thoughts, about caring rather than considering, and is relative to the individual. Heidegger believed that through Dasein, one could reach complete absorption, which gives complete freedom and authenticity, as true dasein ignores the past and future, focussing only on that moment. 

The future is more important in defining oneself than the past, as we do not dictate our own facticity, we cannot choose where we were born for example, or how we were raised. This is our facticity, and we cannot change it, however we have the power to dictate our own future. This school of thought defines existentialism, that the future is more important than the past, and that the most important thing is our next choice. 

Sartre's central argument is that human existence is defined by the capability of choice, as summed up in his quote 'existence precedes essence'. We are condemned to be free, and must make our own choices, not fall into a preconceived role, for that is bad faith.

Logic and Mathematics

Natural numbers are simply words used to count things, and counting is nothing more than an activity in which objects are categorised dependent on plurality. All that is required for creating these categories is a language of number words and a logical syntax for their combination.
There are three fundamental approaches to numbers.
1) They are natural and can be empirically observed (Mill)
2) They are intuitions of a perfect and harmonic platonic world (Pythagoras and Descartes)
3) They are abstract logical objects, constructed purely from syntax (Frege, early Russell)

1- Numerical Naturalism
Basic plurality approach, as observed in stone age tribes. And monkeys.
They could observe:
0 - absence of a banana.
1- a single banana.
2+- more than one banana/many bananas/an abundance of  bananas.

This is simple plurality, and in many situations is all that is needed - 'one thing', 'more than one thing' and 'many things'. For example, if I see one car in a car park, I do not need to count it, I can immediately categorise it as one. If there is more than one (anywhere between 2 & 6), I know how many are there without counting. Beyond 6 or 7, I would need to count specifically to know exactly how many were there, but I would simply categorise it as many cars. I would also be able to say the car park was empty (zero, the null class). These classes are the 'natural numbers'. A number such as 22793 is simply basic symbols arranged to create a more complex one, according to known syntax. But if there were that many cars in a car park, I would not bother counting. I'm confident if I said there were many cars, you would get the picture. That's also a rather large car park.

2- Pythagoreanism/Platonism]

Prime numbers are pre-existing, supernatural forms and are necessary for consciousness. All other numbers are simply rational combinations of prime numbers. This contradicts Kant's claim that "existence is not a predicate", for Platonism, existence is a predicate of numbers and other forms. Prime numbers exist along with the perfect form, outside of the human dimension, and are eternally true.
3, the first plural prime, has significant religious connotations (unfortunately de la soul were not the first to observe three as the magic number, though arguably they did it more enjoyably than most). There is the holy trinity, Jesus rose again on the third day, the trimurti in hinduism etc. It is also hugely significant in secular society, with art containing the rule of thirds, the three chord triad in music and the three acts in most dramas. There are other primes with historical and religious significance, but none to the extent of three.
Pythagoras, and all the Greeks, only regarded plurals as natural numbers, and so counting commenced from two. 'One' and 'not one' were different logical categories.
Nothing and Zero - The concept of Zero arrived much later, and turned out to be something of a nuisance. Zero is nothing, but nothing is something, and therefore zero is something? It's a toughie.
This problem of the law of contradiction was solved by Leibniz, stating that an object can contain its own negation, so that cleared that up. Modern mathematicians have asserted that zero is in fact a natural number, which makes everything a little easier. But only a little, as 0+1=1, but 0x1=0, which caused the problem of how to define the instruction '+1'.

3- Numbers as logical objects
Fortunately, Frege turned up to clear up the zero problem. 1000 years later. Still, better late than never.
Frege linked logic and arithmetic in an overall philosophy of language. Frege's approach refuted both Mill and Platonism before him.
Axiom - All things that are identical to themselves are equal. It then follows that all pairs of things are equal to all other pairs, regardless what they are pairs of.
Pairs therefore get their own symbol (2), and from here it is established that all things that are not related to other things have their own symbol (1). Zero then is the class of all things which are not equal to themselves, and no such objects exist. Therefore zero is logically defined.

The New Industrial State and Economics

The Great Depression of the American 30's made one thing clear, a new approach to economics was needed. Into this gap stepped Keynes, whose work made him an economic god in 50s & 60s, a time of great prosperity. The basis of the theory was that a state of equilibrium needed to be achieved between goods and money. Where one was more common than the other, the economy struggled. Keynes acknowledged that the economy must rise and fall, and believed that in times of recession, it was both right and necessary for the government to step in.

Keynes believed that government spending was capable of stimulating economies in recession, by creating more jobs, getting more money into people's pockets, that they can then spend, and so the economy grows. He also believed that in times of austerity, the interest rate should drop, which of course again puts more money into pockets and therefore back into the economy. 

The government spending needs to be carefully considered however, so as not to negatively impact existing businesses. This is why military spending is such a constructive approach in the Keynes model. If a government can find an excuse to go to war (say the threat of WMD's in Iraq), then they can spend an enormous amount of taxpayers money funding that war, and create thousands of jobs along the way. Manufacturing weaponry, military intelligence projects, and the soldiers themselves, there are a lot of positions to fill when the country is at war. This instant job creation lowers unemployment, and the greater proportion of the population in paid work, then the greater the proportion of the population spending money frivolously on coca-cola and marlboro lights, boosting the economy. And as the army isn't an private sector business, such as a soft drink manufacturer, there is no risk of crushing another business, you simply create business. And jobs. So everyone's a winner. Unless of course you live in the middle-eastern country being invaded as an elaborate act of economy-boosting. There is also the additional benefit that many goods and services that are researched and development for an act of war can transfer into civilian society, such as the internet, aircraft, and 4x4s, a long term boost to the economy.  

In Galbraith's key work, 'The New Industrial State', he investigates the growing dichotomy between a free market and an oligarchic market. The old model of supply and demand is no longer relevant for the large corporations, who are capable of dictating the demand for their goods and services to match the supply, through advertising and marketing. Many of these companies also utilize vertical integration, meaning that they own every step of the production process, from the raw materials through to the product itself. This strength places such corporations outside classic economic constraints. These corporations are controlled by a technostructure (lawyers, scientists, and various experts) , which acts not to increase profit (an activity that involves risk), but rather to maintain and expand the corporation. With this diminished risk approach and the power of such corporations, free market possibility is greatly reduced, as smaller companies cannot compete, and thus 'perfect competition' is removed. This creates an oligarchic market, where the few dominate the market, and shape it to benefit themselves, and open competition is near impossible. The technostructure therefore can essentially dictate the wants and needs of an economy. The experts contained within this technostructure are the same experts turning up as advisers to political parties, newspapers etc, meaning that a very small minority have a great deal of power. This technocratic system is ultimately aimless and nihilistic, an economy dictated by the few, strengthened by military spending, and existing to some extent to create meaning for the public. Rather than handing out boxes of £20 notes to everyone, creating jobs to give us all something to do. 

The New Journalism

US journalism started out with the penny papers, partisan papers that were often owned by politicians and merchants, essentially used as vehicles for propaganda. While these papers did not carry 'news', they awakened the concept of written news for the working classes.

In the mid 19th Century, with the creation of wire services, objectivity became crucial to the associated press to make a profit, and changed the nature of the press. Later in the 19th Century, the yellow press was developed, with a tabloid attitude towards the press. The yellow press made news more shocking, sensationalising stories, content increasingly about sin, sex and violence. 

The yellow press set the format for tabloid journalism, human interest stories, with the appearance of 'frozen tv', heavy on colour and pictures, lighter on words, seeking to make the reader care, rather than think. 

The great social and political upheaval of the USA in the 1960s and 70s saw journalists recording events in a formulaic, predictable fashion. Enter the New Journalism, an attempt to allow the nature of the events being reported to bleed into the copy, replacing formula with feeling. 

The social and cultural landscape of the 60s and 70s was a stark contrast to that which came before. The Vietnam war saw the US embroiled in an expensive and ultimately failed military exercise, with conscription seeing many men shipped out to the war against their will. The black power movement was gaining momentum. Their were issues in the US worth fighting for, and into this landscape stepped a powerful youth movement. The baby boomer generation were in their teens, and were rebelling against their parents generation. the drug and sexual revolution of the time created a counter culture in the youth, and the idea of free love contrasted sharply with the foreign wars of their government. Students began to protest, and underground sub cultures created by the prohibition of LSD created a public profile of the youth as deviants.
As a result, the youth came to see themselves as outsiders, and began to attack the norm of society, through their behaviour, and through their music. Artists like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, the Velvet Underground and Gil Scott Heron created rebellious, and often drug induced, music, which sound tracked the youthful revolution (see Heron's 'the revolution will not be televised' and Dylan's 'subterranean homesick blues').

This counter-culture movement was informed greatly by existentialism, and the concept of freedom of choice. Malcolm X embodied Fanon's concept of violence as the extreme expression of choice. The approach of the counter culture came to be summed up by the phrase "there is a policeman inside your head, he must be destroyed", and this attitude began to seep into the journalism of the time.
Journalists began to question their existing approach, creating stories from press releases and other such practices were not objective, and as such could be seen as an act of bad faith. This questioning of the established norm affected the way journalists approached their writing. They came to be increasingly determined to truly represent what was happening, with a greater focus on plot, setting, sounds and feelings, as well as the facts themselves. Truman Capote and Tom Wolfe are great exponents of this style. Hunter S Thompson also took a similar approach, but applied it to his own, drug induced adventures, rather than specific news stories, such as in his 'Kentucky Derby' piece.
This indicated a shift in form from telling to seeing. This new school of journalism shifted the focus from objectivity in favour of subjectivity. The new journalism approach adapted techniques of Zola and Dickens to create this new style, which has come to define features writing, with Thompson particularly pioneering the Gonzo journalism style (Dr Gonzo was a character in Thompson's 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas).