2007-2008 was the annus horribilis for the British media. All terrestrial broadcasters were found to have cheated their audiences through a variety of scams: Premium Rate Calling, fake competitions with results changed to suit the producers -- and more. As a result, public trust in the media dipped. Beyond Trust examines this crucial 'trust' issue with lively, opinionated and controversial contributions from a wide variety of experienced and distinguished media practitioners. It places the contemporary controversy in a historical context, examines the implications for local newspapers -- and...

Afghanistan, War and the Media: Deadlines and Frontlines explores the journalism coming out of the current Afghan war from the frontline and from the greater comfort of the library. It is an unusual hybrid: the testimony of some of the best frontline correspondents of our era, much of it placed in appropriate historical contexts, alongside detailed academic analysis - and much more. Contributors include: Indra Adnan, Director of the Soft Power Network, Australia Will Barton, Senior Lecturer, Coventry School of Art and Design Oliver Boyd-Barrett, Professor, Bowling Green State University, Ohio...

With contributions by: Peter Barron, Director, External Affairs Europe, Middle East and Africa, Google, former Editor of Newsnight Dan Bennett, PhD student, War Studies Department, King's College, London Teodora Beleaga, student at Coventry University Paul Bradshaw, Visiting Professor, City University, and Andy Brightwell, blogger Sean Carson, MA Journalism student, Coventry University Denis Chabrol, publisher and editor of Demerara Waves Kevin Charman-Anderson, former digital journalist with Guardian Online and BBC News Online Pete Clifton, Head of Editorial Development Multi-Media...

The idea of the journo-coder, programmer-journalist, hacker-journalist, journo-programmer (the terminology is undecided) is gaining ground as data journalism develops both in Britain and internationally. Programmers are coming into newsrooms, journalists are venturing further into programming and there is some blurring where the two meet. Data journalism (DJ) is certainly becoming the Big Buzz Story in the media but so far little has been written about it. This new, jargon-free text, edited by John Mair and Richard Lance Keeble (with Teodora Beleaga and Paul Bradshaw), provides an original...

FOI laws are important in democracy because they guarantee the 'right to know'. It exists in more than 90 countries and helps to expose corruption and maladministration, and assures transparency in public decision making. But problems persist, with hard-won access to government secrets compromised by 'gaming' of FOI; wide increases in national security exemptions; political interference; and journalists misusing the Act for fishing expeditions and as a source for an easy headline. 10 years after the Freedom of Information Act was introduced in the UK, has it freed journalists to expose the...

As the BBC approaches its century in 2012, it has become a national institution but one under constant financial and political pressures. The 2015 licence fee settlement was concluded in just five days, the BBC charter is due for renewal in 2017. The clouds are dark on the horizon; the political vultures are circling. It has a national place - but how many friends in high places? This comprehensive book examines the BBC's future from many angles. Is the licence fee sustainable in the long run? Is the size and scope of the BBC right? To what extent is the cloud of the Jimmy Savile scandal (and...