Br(e)aking the News: Journalism, Politics and New Media

What is the breaking news in the world today? How did you find out this news? How do you know it is true? Was it reported ethically? What checks and balances are being put on the news media?
The answers to these questions reflect the themes of this book. The chapters are by experienced journalists, academics and practitioners in the field. They unravel and clearly present the recent and on-going developments in journalism and the press around the globe, including the US, Europe, Asia and Africa. Chapters deal with the phone hacking and data thefts in the UK that provoked a major inquiry into press ethics and standards. Twitter is examined and found to be a valuable tool for reporters in the Arab world and research shows how, in Australia, readers use Twitter to pass along news topics. Chapters also explore the use of the mobile phone to access news in sub-Saharan Nigeria, the role of media magnates in presenting political views in Europe, and Wikipedia’s representation of conflict. This collection of fourteen chapters by leading authors examines journalism as practised today and what we might expect from it in the future.

Dr Janey Gordon is a principal lecturer in radio at the University of Bedfordshire, UK. She is the project co-ordinator for the University’s community radio station Radio LaB 97.1. Her research interests and publications are in the areas of community radio, mobile phones and media pedagogy. She started her career in BBC radio.
Dr Paul Rowinski is a senior lecturer in journalism at the University of Bedfordshire. He is a former foreign correspondent and has been a national and transnational newspaper journalist for over twenty years.
Dr Gavin Stewart is a senior lecturer in media at the University of Bedfordshire. His research interests focus on digital media. He is co-ordinator of the Under the Mask: Perspectives on the Gamer conference series.