D2- Legal and Regulatory Considerations

When producing  any kind of media, there is regulation set in place so that this media is appropriate for the public. As I have produced a news article, I have to follow the codes of practice set by IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation). These codes have been set to make sure any articles do not induce morale panic or any other similar reaction. In my own article, I believe that I have followed and complied with the regulations currently set in place.

One code that I believe I clearly complied with is the very first; “Accuracy”. This refers to making sure all information used is accurate, that statements and facts are made clear of which of the two they are, and the headline is relevant to the content of the article. Firstly, I made sure to only use information such as statistics, from trusted, well reputable websites that are either written by medical professionals or by people who were helped by professionals. For example, one of my articles was co-written with Dr. Zwanenberg, who is a trained and experienced Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. I also made sure to make facts and statements clear as if I didn’t, the reader may become confused and false information could be spread. I did this by writing “research suggests” when stating statistics and didn’t use quotation marks, I then used the pronoun “he” and used quotation marks for comments that were not technically factual. This clearly distinguished what was a comment and what was a fact as seeing quotation marks would connote to the reader that it is just something that my Head of sixth form has said and not to take it as fact. My headline was also relevant to my article, reading “School and Mental Health: Match Made in Heaven?”. This headline is relevant as my article discusses the relationship between school and mental health. For example, my article reads “it would be easy to point the blame at school and the stress that comes alongside it”. I also made sure to make the article relevant to the positive connotations that come with the word “Heaven”. I did this by swinging the bias positively towards school, giving a topic in which the statistics are normally negative for a positive spin.

Many codes set by IPSO are not very relevant to the topic of my article, for example; “Hospitals” and “Payment to Criminals”. However, this doesn’t mean none were relevant. Another code I had to consider and comply with was “Harassment”. This refers to making sure no potential source is intimidated or under “persistent pursuit”. When getting information and statements, I made sure not to persistently ask to an uncomfortable degree. I did this by getting statistics from secondary sources that did not require permission because the statistics were from public papers. I also chose a primary source that I knew would not need to be pushed into doing anything, and even if they did, I could choose another person to ask within school as there are many who could help. e.g. those who work in student services. In the end, I simply had to ask my Head of sixth form once and he happily cooperated and answered the questions I had prepared. e.g. “social media has had a big impact”.

The third code that I considered when writing my article was “Discrimination”. This refers to not mentioning a persons race, ethnicity, religion, and much more, when writing your article. This is if these things are not relevant to the article or the context you are giving within it. I made sure not to mention anything such as race and religion in my article as I believed it was not relevant to the point that the article was trying to make. For example, when referring to my interviewee, I called him my “head of sixth form” and did not disclose any more information about him.

https://www.ipso.co.uk/editors-code-of-practice/

M4- Article Analysis

Firstly, due to the article being focused on school and how it can affect mental health, the article needs to be readable for an age group that is most affected by the stress that school gives. When checking readability on Microsoft Word, my article scored 9.3 on the Flesch-Kincaid Test. This means the article is easily read by people of the ages 14 and over. This means those who school generally affects the most (those doing GCSEs and A-Levels) are able to clearly understand what the article is talking about. This is important as if the article was too hard to read then readers may lose interest and give up on reading. The same thing goes for if the article was written at too low of a level, as people may feel patronised or as if the article is not for them. It was vital that the article was at about the readability level as it means the main audience who can really relate to the article in the present can fully understand it yet it doesn't become a tedious and boring task when reading it as it is still to a fairly good level.

My article is to be distributed in print form and online, possibly through social media. I believe it's suitable for both of these platforms due to how easy it is to read and because it's related to an extremely popular topic that can related to by most people. Online, the article could be posted to a website and then advertised on social media. For example, as I have spoken about school and more specifically Deyes High, the article could be advertised on their Twitter as the readers that come from there will be able to relate for the article on possibly a more personal level as they may go/have been to Deyes themselves.

As my article was written to be more informative than it was entertaining, I do not have an abundance  of language techniques used within it. In my stand first I have a rhetorical question that engages the reader, using direct address to have them relate to the question and the subject that the article is going to address. If it is successful and the reader can begin to relate because of this, it may mean they're more likely to stay and read the rest of the article. I also placed some rhetorical questions in the 3rd paragraph. These were put here to get the reader thinking about the bias (another technique I used), if they begin to do this then they may become intrigued and want to find out more, meaning they carry on reading the article. I felt that it was important to keep engaging the reader otherwise they may become bored and want to move onto a new article/bit of news. I felt that there was pressure to do this because of the way news is consumed in the technological, social media oriented time that we currently live in. News and information is consumed quicker than ever and without reader engagement I feel as if my article would be dismissed for another, quicker source of news.

I also used statistics and quotes. The statistics I used were all relevant to the article and were used in the first paragraph of my article. They were used to persuade the reader that it is a problem that needs talking about, therefore justifying the purpose and existence of the article. The statistics are about young people, primarily addressing the target audience of my article which is young people going through education. The quotes within my article are from an interview I carried out with my head of sixth form. I mention this in the article before I begin quoting him so the reader knows who is being quoted and why it is significant that they have been asked to contribute. Also, as the head of sixth form and being heavily involved in school and teaching, it meant I could gather quotes that fit the bias of the article.

One theory that I had in mind while writing my article was Bernsteins. He suggests that language can be either restricted or elaborated. In my article I have used restricted language so that it is easy for my intended audience to read and understand. I made sure not to use any words that would be out of a regular students comfort zone so that their reading of the article isn't disturbed by a potential Google search for the meaning of a word. However, I have not made the article a patronising read either because this could frustrate and turn readers away.

I have structured my article into eight paragraphs, all of a similar size. Each paragraph is between three and five lines long. This improves the readability of the article as smaller paragraphs offer the reader small bursts of information that feel much easier to read. Larger paragraphs may have felt too long and could become an effort to read which in turn could push them away from the article, meaning they move onto an easier to read, quicker to consume article. Within these paragraphs I have used a few different types of sentence. Some of my sentences are quite short, these are the less informative parts of the article and are there to engage the reader. For example, "Maybe you should think again". Long and medium size sentences have also been used throughout the article in order to house statistics and quotes. These are the more informative parts of the article which are longer so I can fit quotes in. Different tenses are also on show within the article, these are the present and the past. These are the most common tenses used in my article are the past and present, they're used to explain what Deyes have done and do in order to help their students. However, the word "should" is used in the future tense at the end of the article to suggest an idea. I also wrote article in first and third person. Referring to myself as "I' and my head of sixth form as "he".

As I have some statistics from one of my sources in my article, I have referenced the source using a Harvard style reference. This includes when and where its from, with a link to the website that I gathered the information from so that it can be checked by whoever is reading. The reference I have used is: BT. (2018). Worried your teenager is depressed? Here’s how parents can spot the signs – and what to do about it. Available: 1. https://home.bt.com/lifestyle/health/wellness/worried-your-teen-is-depressed-heres-how-parents-can-spot-the-signs-and-what-to-do-about-it-11364257914509 . Last accessed 20th May 2018

P6- Sub-editing

Once I had written my article, I needed to proceed to sub-editing in order to make my article presentable to an audience. To do this I used Microsoft Publisher as it is easy to use and allows me to incorporate the elements I need to in order for my sub-edit to be interesting and appealing enough for the audience. For example, using the column tool, I was able to split my text into two columns to give my sub-edit professional look. It makes it look more professional as columns are a very common convention found in articles within magazines and newspapers around the world.

Before I placed my article in my Publisher document I needed to proof read it so that I do not risk publishing an article with mistakes. If mistakes were found then it could harm the professionalism of the sub-edit and the article, possibly even damaging my reputation as a journalist. I proof read my article myself, got a friend and even my tutor to read through it just in case I had made any mistakes.

Another thing I had to do in my sub-edit was to sacrifice some of the article so that the article was better presented. So my article fit better on the page in the font type and size that I wanted (Segoe UI Light, size 11), I had to remove some text in the article. The text I chose was near the end of the article and I felt that it wasn't vital to keep. This allowed me to use the font I wanted, which was important to me as it was both easy to read and aesthetically pleasing. As I was able to fit my text where I wanted it, I was then able to fit an image and stand first below the headline.

I placed a pull quote in the bottom right hand corner of the page in the space that was not covered to not only fill that space so that the page doesn't look bland, but also in an attempt to grab the readers attention. I made the text larger and used the same font but made it bold. I did this so the style of the text is consistent throughout. 

I have also tried to make both my headline and my stand first stand out. To make sure my headline stands out from the rest of the text I have placed it as the masthead of the page. I have also made the text larger and in bold. This means on the readers first glance they can read the headline and decipher what the article is going to be about. The stand first is different from the rest as I have used a box-out to try and guarantee that the reader takes notice of the text. This is because the text is an introduction to the article and will give the reader an idea about whether they will want to carry on reading the article. 

As the image I have used is quite a general image and does not have anything to do with certain things in the article (e.g. it's not a picture with students in, if it was then the students would have to be actual students). I also do not have a caption anywhere on the publication so I do not have any captions to check for inaccurate information. 

Finally, there was nothing in my article that would mean my copy isn't legally safe, therefore I did not have to change anything in the sub-edit of my publication. I also believe I have met the guidelines for editors that is issued by IPSO. For example, the statistics I have included are accurate as they are from reliable sources. Others codes of practice have been complied with.

P5- Article

School and Mental Health: Match Made in Heaven?      

Are you thinking an overwhelming no? Maybe you should think again.

With the current rise in mental health awareness, it seemed like a better time than ever to write an article like this. The sudden increase in conversations about mental health has revealed how common problems with it actually are. Research suggest that one in ten young people have a diagnosable condition at any given time and 20% of adolescents have at least one mental health problem within a year[1]. 

Mental health problems affect everyone, no matter what age. However, the concern of recent times has been focused on the state of young people. Due to this specific age group being put in the spotlight, it would be easy to point the blame at school and the stress that comes alongside it. 

The so called “best time of your life” never really seems it at the time, especially when exams come around. Coursework isn’t much better, but is school the only reason why students are feeling stressed? Does school often become a scapegoat? Is it right to solely blame them?

As a student myself it would be easy to jump on the bandwagon and join in on social media, normalising the depressed and anxious feelings students feel and blaming it on school. Instead, I decided to speak to my head sixth form to get another perspective on what can sometimes be quite a biased discussion. 

I quizzed him about his thoughts on the relationship between school and the mental health of its students. Maybe as a teacher he was biased, but he was certainly willing to share a more positive outlook. He proposed the idea of school actually being a “different ear”, giving them an opportunity to talk to adults when with their parents they may feel “a little bit awkward”. 

He also suggested that school isn’t always what’s bothering young people, acknowledging the fact that students have lives outside of education, stating that what he has seen an increase in is “students being more stressed from outside factors”, mentioning that he believes “social mediahas had a big impact”. Even though these issues may not necessarily be school related, he wanted to ensure that the school has “good listeners” that students are able to talk to.

Even though the school is equipped with a student services department, it cannot be responsible for dealing with more serious problems. This does not mean school don’t help. Instead, they refer the students too professional organisations who can deal with the issue better than a school could.

What does all this really mean though? Well it shows that the school cares, which is something easily forgotten when being squashed by all the work expected of you as a young person. School offers an environment away from external problems and provides you with non-judgmental adults with experience that will listen and help as much as they can. Maybe school should be thought more as a possible solution to stress rather than the source.

---

[1]BT. (2018). Worried your teenager is depressed? Here’s how parents can spot the signs – and what to do about it. Available: 1. https://home.bt.com/lifestyle/health/wellness/worried-your-teen-is-depressed-heres-how-parents-can-spot-the-signs-and-what-to-do-about-it-11364257914509 . Last accessed 20th May 2018

P4- Questionnaire Evaluation

To conduct some primary research, I conducted a survey using Survey Monkey and got students from within school to answer it. I chose this specific group of people because they are the ones that will be able to relate to the article the most as they are currently going through it.

Question 2 revealed that 60% of people who responded believe they have experienced problems with their mental health during any time in the school year, with question 3 revealing that 80% of people believe the stress they feel is heightened during exam periods. This indicted that school was extremely negative to the mental health of these students. However, I felt as if taking the angle of school being detrimental to students' is very cliché and has been worn out. Instead, I will try to encourage a more positive relationship between school and the mental health of it's students. Therefore, I may not use these statistics as they will not support the bias I am attempting to create.

Question 4 asked the participants whether they knew enough about mental health and question 5 asked them whether they knew how to deal with problems. Question 4 revealed that 80% of people think they do not know enough about mental health and question 5 told me that the same amount of people don't know how to deal with the problems that they have. Once again, these results do not fit the bias that I intend on applying to the article and so will not be used. However, it does show me that students are not being taught enough about mental health and that maybe this needs to change.

 

In question 6 I wanted to know what kind of problems students were experiencing. This question was more useful than the rest as I could still use this information within my article, no matter what bias I intend on applying. The results told me that 100% of people believe they have experienced one of the problems I listed. This is a little contradicting of the results from question 2 but does indicate that maybe the students didn't realise that some on the list were mental health problems, possibly enforcing the fact that students don't feel that know enough, meaning maybe they should be taught more. e.g. stress, as they feel that it is not as serious as it may be. 60% of people claimed they had experienced stress the most during their times at school, 30% believe they were depressed while 10% had felt very anxious while at school. Once again, these results do not fit the bias that I intend on applying to the article and so will not be used.

P4- Interview

Interviewer: Have you noticed more pupils talking about their mental health to you or any other teachers in the past few years?

Delaney: Not necessarily an increase, I think students have always been stressed in the build up to exams, I wouldn’t say there’s been a big increase in the amount of students that have come to speak to us to say that they can’t handle exam time. I think it’s normally a small handful of students that we will support in the build up to that.

Interviewer: How do you facilitate people with mental health problems when it approaches exam time or any deadlines?

Delaney: We work closely with the student services department, Mrs. Haines at school, if any students need any specialist help then there are various different organisations that we can link them up with that can discuss things on a more personal level. Obviously this would include letting the parents know as well, so it’s just liaising really with the right organisations and helping them in that way but the students have also got form tutors that they can speak to on a level and each year group has a head of year, so we do have systems where we will contact student services first, and if they feel it’s serious enough to connect to one of the professional organisations then we will do so.

Interviewer: When students have been stressed, have you seen their work being affected?

Delaney: Not necessarily, its more to do with the time management but what I have seen an increase in is students being more stressed from outside factors rather than school so students who get stressed out about the amount of workload may have jobs through the week and some students work in different places from six till ten o’clock at night through the week or they work all day at the weekend and then it doesn’t leave them anytime if they don’t manage their time in school to do any of the work, to do any of the revision etc. But also I think social media has had a big impact on the way students feel about themselves.

Interviewer: Do you think there are any positive effects that school has on students’ mental health?

Delaney: I think sometimes we are a different ear to listen to because sometimes the students, certain individuals might not want to discuss these type of things with their parents or their guardians at home, they might feel a little bit awkward, it could be something quite sensitive that’s triggered the situation, so sometimes just having somebody else to talk to, we are good listeners, that’s one thing we’ve learnt over time and as I’ve said, if something is really, really serious, we will need to report it to the relevant authorities but I think the fact that we give students time to explain things, we are always there, it’s not like in a college where it might be that you might not see the same people every day, because the same people every day, we’re a little bit more contactable

P4- Article Plan

The story I would like to cover relates to mental health and its relationship with school. In it, I will be discussing the correlation between school and mental health as a way of finding out whether students from Deyes High are being positively or negatively affected.

Even though my planned article does not cover all of Galtung and Ruge’s news values, it will cover a few. The first of these is ‘proximity’, this refers to the relevance it has to the people it’s being distributed to. In this case, it is about the UK and more specifically about Deyes at times, so it is relevant to my audience as they not only live in the UK, but also go to Deyes. It should also cover the news value of ‘ordinary people’. This is because it is just about students and what they’re potentially going through. As they might be able to relate, the story will be of human interest and may be able to provoke sympathy from people who do not struggle from mental illnesses. The article will also cover ‘ordinary people’ as it represents a large issue forming in our society.

I will present my information in article form as this is suitable for a school newspaper. The article will consist of shot paragraphs as I have noticed this to be a very common convention for newspapers of all types. I will keep my article to a limit of 600 words, as a longer article may increase the chance of a loss of interest. The main body of my article will consist of quotes from the Head of sixth form in my school, these will then be explained and then used to try and engage the reader. For example, if my Head of sixth form makes a point, I will explain it and then give the reader something to think about or relate to, such as a rhetorical question or a statement of my own.

Even though my article has good intentions, it could cause moral panic. One way it could do this is by causing readers to think that they have a mental illness, even if they don’t. It could make students paranoid about their mental health and cause for some of the possible side effects to occur (e.g. the quality of their work begins to drop). This could be done through sensationalist language and hyperbole that describes the extreme of the situation, which may cause people to think that the extreme cases are quite common. Another form of moral panic it could create is by turning people against school, as they might read a sensationalist headline indicating that school can have a detrimental effect on mental health and then suddenly blame all their relevant problems on Deyes High. To avoid causing any moral panic, I will make sure to not sensationalise such a serious topic. I believe this is important to do so as the subject can be very sensitive, therefore I will make it more factual than dramatic, so that no situations are blown out of proportion. An example of something I will not say but could do to cause moral panic is; ‘Students are going mental; could it be you?’


In terms of language, I will use sensible adjectives as the issue that my article is discussing is quite a sensitive one and I do not want to come across as glamorising or using the increase in mental health awareness to benefit the article. e.g. using mental health as a marketing tool as I know it is a popular topic at the moment. This would be terrible to do as it is morally wrong and could ruin the reputation of both me and the school (which has ties to where the article will be published). Rhetorical questions will also be used throughout my article to engage the reader. I aim to use them to make the reader think and relate. This is because this could further their interest in the article and even their connection with it. This could increase the chance of them reading the whole article, which is important to do when news can now be consumed so quickly.  


The article will be written in first and third person. I think these are the most suitable ways in which I can write my article due to the content. First person is suitable because as it is such a personal and sensitive topic for people, the readers need to know that it's coming from someone, rather than it being just information on a page. It gives the article a more personal feel and means I can also state that I too am a student. I believe this could be important to mention as what is being said will mean more coming from someone who is living it at the moment rather than someone who hasn't experienced that specific situation for a while or who has the benefit of hindsight who could say things that the targeted readers do not agree with. Third person also needs to be used so I can refer to the interview that I have completed with the Head of my sixth form. Without third person I could not correctly and appropriately incorporate the quotes into my work or explain that he has the experience needed to be classed as a credible source.

I believe if I deliver my article using more factual based, calm, quoted language, it will limit the amount of sensationalism that is possible. It will also inform people, and the more they know about the situation, the better they can form opinions of their own. Rather than just hearing about how school may be damaging towards their mental health and then blaming the school for all of their relevant problems.

P4- IPSO

https://www.ipso.co.uk/editors-code-of-practice/

IPSO is the acronym for the Independent Press Standards Organisation. This organisation replaced the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) after the PCC was closed down on the 8^th of September, 2014. This was largely due to the poor response they gave regarding the phone hacking scandal involving News of the World (British newspaper that was stopped in 2011). 

The ‘Editors Code of Practice’ is a list of policies set by ISPO that must be followed by the press. These codes set what is acceptable for the press to do (within what the codes cover). There are 16 codes in total that are enforced by ISPO, these are:

• Accuracy                                                              -     Reporting of crime                                  
• Privacy                                                                 -     Clandestine devices and subterfuge
• Harassment                                                       -     Victims of sexual assault
• Intrusion into grief or shock                        -     Discrimination
• Reporting suicide                                            -     Financial journalism
• Children                                                              -     Confidential sources
• Children in sex cases                                      -     Witness payments in criminal trials
• Hospitals                                                             -     Payments to criminals

Regarding accuracy, the press cannot, and must make sure to not publish any inaccurate or misleading material, including headlines that do not correlate to the story below. If the inaccurate material published is significant, then it must be corrected swiftly and the news outlet it has come from must apologise. The press must also make sure it is clear to the reader what is a comment, opinion or a fact and must report these three things fairly. Privacy must be respected as it is something everyone is qualified to have, therefore editors must either receive consent for intrusion, or justify it. Even though text about an individual without consent can be justifiable, images cannot, no matter where/when the picture has been taken. No matter how much a journalist wants a story, they’re not allowed to take part in any harassment, as persistent questioning can make the interviewee uncomfortable and may make them say things they don’t mean to. If a journalist is going to take part in any intrusion into grief or shock, it needs to be done sensitively and with sympathy, as it needs to be recognised that the person they’re enquiring about is going through a hard time. Reporting suicide is another sensitive issue that can be done, but with little detail. This means the method they have used should be explained much as people in an unstable state may read the article and decide to use the method that the journalist has detailed. Children need to be treated with respect, this includes not bothering them during school times, this means journalists cannot approach or photograph them. These rules also apply for children of famous parents, as that is not an excuse to report on a child’s private life. Children under 16 must also have consent be given when commenting on their or another child’s welfare, the consent must be given by an adult, usually their parent or guardian. There are also rules for children in sex cases, these include not revealing the identity of the child and not using the word “incest”. However, the adult can be identified, but their relationship with the child cannot be stated or hinted at. In the case of hospitals, journalists must have permission from someone of authority to enter non-public areas and respect the privacy of the patient involved. Reporting of crime is also something the codes of practice take into consideration. When discussing a convicted person, friends/relatives should not be named, especially if they’re under 18 years old. If the person with the criminal offence is going to a child’s court, naming should be avoided, however, if they’re seen in a crown court it is more acceptable. Clandestine devices and subterfuge refers to acquiring footage in an immoral way. For example, it would be morally wrong for the journalist to incept private messages. The codes also cover expectations of behaviours towards victims of sexual assault. This means that the press cannot release anything that may reveal the identity of the victim, unless they can legally justify the decision. Codes on discrimination tell us that the press cannot detail an individual’s “race, colour, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental illness or disability” unless it has relevance according to the story. The press must also not show any kind of prejudice towards any of the previously listed things. Financial journalism is also mentioned, stating that when being involved in this type of journalism, the journalists cannot use any information they receive for their own financial gain. Also, if they have any or know anyone who may have a financial interest in articles, they must inform the editors. In the case of confidential sources, the journalists have a “moral obligation” to keep the identity of confidential sources hidden for their source protection. The codes also talk about witness payments in criminal trials. Before any witnesses can be given payment, the suspect must be freed/have pleaded guilty. The same rule applies to anyone who hasn’t been called as a witness, but is expected to be. The rules regarding payment to criminals is also mentioned. If it is in the public interest to pay to get the story, then the payment can be justified and the story published. However, payments should not be made to those attempting to “glamorise crime”. 

One complaint I found was relating to a breach of privacy against the Sun newspaper. It was about a story they had published stating that Ferne McCann had like an Instagram post that referred the release of the acid attacker Aurthur Collins. The argument was that the person who posted the picture would never accept follow requests to his account from people he doesn’t know. The conclusion of this case was that no breach of privacy was made.

https://www.ipso.co.uk/rulings-and-resolution-statements/ruling/?id=20838-17

Another complaint I found was made by Gianni Accamo. He complained that the Bristol Post had been inaccurate, publishing material that claimed he had been caught in Nottingham by police due to him being part of a set of “elaborate diamond and jewellery frauds”. However, Gianni claimed that he was not arrested in Nottingham, and actually turned himself in to a police station in Cardiff. The conclusion of this case was that no breach of the accuracy code was made.

https://www.ipso.co.uk/rulings-and-resolution-statements/ruling/?id=18860-17

P4 & M3 & D1- Research

Primary and Secondary sources, what’s the difference?
Primary sources are those that are sourced by the person looking for data/information. Instead of reading and sourcing data has already been collected, the researcher goes and gets the data/information themselves. A secondary source is one that has already been written. The research has been done for you. You simply read through the data/information and pick out what is relevant to you. You have to be careful when picking secondary sources and make sure you always consider the reliability and accuracy of the information. For example, can anyone enter information on this source? Has it been done by professionals? If a website, does it have ‘.org./.gov’ in the URL.

Primary Sources

Interviews- I plan on using interviews to get further information on how the school feels towards mental health and how they think it affects their students. I have arranged a meeting with my head of year here at Deyes to discuss the subject. I will record the interview as a voice memo on my phone and use the audio as evidence. I plan to ask at least five questions of real importance and relevance to the topic of my planned article.

Questionnaires- I will also use questionnaires to reach a wider audience. As teachers will be too busy to answer my online questionnaire, I will target this at students. The maximum amount of questions I will have is ten, as I feel any more will lose the users interest. Of course the questions will all be focused on the topic of mental health and will aim to get answers that I wouldn’t be able to get from teachers.

Secondary Sources

https://home.bt.com/lifestyle/health/wellness/worried-your-teen-is-depressed-heres-how-parents-can-spot-the-signs-and-what-to-do-about-it-11364257914509

• “research suggests 20% of adolescents experience a mental health problem in any given year”
• “some depressed teens may also show signs of self-harm, changes in appetite (either not hungry or comfort-eating) and poor concentration, leading to a decrease in academic performance.”
• “one in 10 young people have a diagnosable mental illness at any one time”

http://www.wzzm13.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/my-west-michigan/teenage-mental-health/69-528194991

• Suggests an increase in the “availability of counsellors in schools”.
• Talk more about “the signs and symptoms of mental health conditions”.
• “avoid expelling and suspending students” if they have demonstrated behavioural issues.

https://www.mind.org.uk/

• Lists mental health problems. e.g. anger, depression and loneliness.
• Lists treatments. e.g. antidepressants, mindfulness, sleeping pills.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/08/uk-country-not-like-children-reports-tory-austerity

• “A raft of reports shows a collective neglect of children”
• “only 25% of children and young people” have access to the treatment they need for their mental health.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/11548719/Sharp-rise-in-number-of-school-girls-with-emotional-issues.html

• “News research reveals a 55 per cent rise over 5 years” in the number of girls suffering from emotional problems. This is between 2009 to 2014.
• “increasing pressure on girls to perform academically, coupled with anxiety over body image”. This is “amplified by social media”.

Interview Techniques
Within an interview, many techniques can be employed to make the interview as worthwhile as possible. One technique I will use is varied question types. In the interview itself I will use open questions. Open questions are questions that encourage a larger, more specific answer with an explanation and other details. The question should be able to spark a conversation between the interviewer and interviewee; this is great because a fluid conversation may lead to more questions (that haven’t been asked/haven’t been pre-prepared) being answered. This can lead to more and better information. In my questionnaires, I will have closed questions. This is a quicker questioning method that lessens the chance of you getting an irrelevant answer, as you basically choose the set of answers from which they can choose. I believe this is more suitable for my questionnaire as it will be located online and will be done by more than one person (the amount of people I am interviewing), to get more response, it will be more efficient to have a smaller, shorter question filled questionnaire that can be done quickly so it does not inconvenience the user. Another technique I can use in my interview is to keep eye contact with the interviewee. If I am able to do this, the person I am interviewing may see that I am interested and listening closely to what they have to say. This could lead to the interviewee responding to my questions with better, more detailed answers. My body language could also be used, with a generally open body position showing that I am interested and willing to learn. The positioning of my legs can also be used. If they are pointing towards the person I am interviewing, this indicates that I am interested in them and what they have to say.

Evaluation of sources

For my primary research, my sources will be the Head of Sixth Form (my interview) and other students (questionnaire). The Head of Sixth Form is a reliable source as he is very aware of what is going on throughout school. As Head of Sixth Form, he will also have accurate answers due to him having to be well informed on all of the school’s procedures, and having experience dealing with students who may be struggling with their mental health. As for my questionnaire, it may be less reliable sue to the fact that people may want to rush filling it in. However, I feel as if the chances of this are low as I am asking students questions about them, showing an interest in how they feel. Students of Deyes High are a reliable source as they will just tell me how they feel, meaning it will be hard to label what has been said as a right or wrong answer (unless an open question gives me a ridiculous answer that isn’t relevant to the question).

My secondary sources are all websites I found when researching my articles topic. My first source is on the health and lifestyle section of the BT website. Throughout the article, the writer refers to “Dr Zwanenberg”, a trained and experienced “Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist” (http://www.priorygroup.com/professionals/results/dr-hayley-van-zwanenberg). This means she is reliable because she has been studying and working within and around this subject for a while, increasing the chance of the data and information being accurate. The second source I have found was an article on ABCs “13 on your side” website. The information in the article is courtesy of “Dr. Matthew Clark” from the Clark Institute. This is reliable as he is also experienced in his field, being a “Fully Licensed, Doctoral Level, Clinical Psychologist” (http://theclarkinstitute.com/index.php?link=drmatthew). As he is trained in this particular field, he is a trustworthy source of information, as if he was to be untruthful, it could harm his reputation as a psychologist. The third source I found a charity named “Mind”. As it’s a well reputable charity, I feel that it is a very trustworthy source, especially since it is a not-profit organisation. To build up a good reputation and to be sufficiently donated to, their information has to be helpful and accurate, otherwise of they are found out not to be accurate, they could lose a significant amount of donations. The fourth source I have found is an article on the Guardian Online, for the information I have picked from it, they refer to GP Online as their source. GP Online is a reliable source as they refer to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which is a public body of the Department of Health and Social Care of the Government of the United Kingdom. As it’s a government organisation, we can assume that it is professionally ran and the research they have done has been through and accurate. The final source I have found is an article on the Telegraph Online which refer to the University College London. This is trustworthy as it’s an established, well reputable, public research university. As research is its speciality, it shows they have been recognised specifically for their quality research. The article also refers to the Anna Freud Centre. This is a reputable and trusted organisation that is focused on “delivering pioneering mental health care”. As they’re so informed on the subject of mental health and because people trust them, information that they publish has to be accurate, otherwise they could risk losing this trust they have built up with any stakeholders they may have. If this was to happen, donations could significantly decrease, therefore inaccurate information would be too costly for them to pubish.

M2- Berstein

Restricted (restricted because limited information is given to/known by the reader)

• Words are predictable, standard language that is used on a day to day basis.
• Vocabulary is limited and often habitual.
• Often used between people that share identifications.
• People can understand without a full explanation.

 

Elaborated (elaborated because it’s giving more information)

• A wider vocabulary is used.
• Language is explained and contextualised.

http://newlearningonline.com/new-learning/chapter-5/basil-bernstein-on-restricted-and-elaborated-codes

 

Comparisons

BBC NEWS: Toys R Us UK goes into administration- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43225248

Mirror: Bloodbath on the high street: Three major chains announce 6,000 jobs cuts in one morning- https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bloodbath-high-street-bloodbath-high-12102203

 

I will be discussing the difference between two articles by investigating multiple aspects of each. The articles I have investigated are from BBC News and The Mirror and both concern Toy R Us UK going into administration.  

Headlines are a very important part of the article as it can heavily contribute to whether a user clicks/ decides to read an article. These headlines in particular were interesting to read. The BBC went for a simple headline that didn’t give too much information on the topic at hand, instead relying on the fact that you’ll click the article and find out there. Due to its lack of explanation we can say it’s restrictive, especially with its use of the word “administration”. Here, the writer of the article is assuming that everyone who reads the article understands what the word ‘administration’. This is probably because the majority readership of the BBC News business section is those labelled ABC1 socio-economically. Therefore, the writer feels as if the word needs no explanation. In the Mirror, the headline is a lot more elaborated, stating that there has been “6,000 job cuts”. Here they get straight to the point and do not hide what has happened underneath a word that their C2DE target audience may not understand. The headline they use is also a lot more sensationalist, using the word “bloodbath” as an adjective to describe the situation, this connotes chaos to the reader.

In the Mirror, the adjective “major” is used. This emphasises the size of the companies involved which in turn makes the subject of the article seem more important than it actually may be. This is used to shock the reader, implying that even the large companies are struggling at the moment. This is an example of a noun used by the Mirror to make their story more appealing to the reader. The BBC on the other hand did not rely on descriptive language as much, and went for a more statistical approach. At one point it is wrote that “26 stores will close this spring”. This informs the user with more details about the topic, “26 stores will close this spring”. This informs the user with more details about the topic, rather than glorifying it using interesting adjectives and nouns.

Both articles have small paragraphs that are clear and easy to read, this is because it’s a common convention of news reporting to have one sentence per paragraph, however the BBC does sometimes use two. This again could be because of the BBC’s socio-economically higher target audience, as it may be presumed that they can concentrate more on/are used to reading larger paragraphs. This is important because if the article was written too simply for those of a higher NRS grade, they may feel patronised and become bored of what they’re reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P3 & M2- Soft News and Hard News

Soft news:

v  Article 1: Why Roberto Firmino is underrated but crucial for Liverpool- http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/11240829/mnf-extra-why-roberto-firmino-is-underrated-but-crucial-for-liverpool

v  Article 2: 'Best day ever!': Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield neck FOUR glasses of neat whisky... before feasting on huge slices of cake to celebrate her birthday on This Morning- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-5367431/Holly-Willoughby-Phillip-Schofield-neck-whisky.html

Hard news:

v  Article 3: Trump claims he never dismissed Russian meddling, blames Obama- http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/trump-claims-russia-succeeded-dividing-america-article-1.3828013

v  Article 4: Iranian plane crashes into mountain, killing 66 people on board- http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/iranian-plane-crashes-66-passengers-leaving-tehran-article-1.3827785

All my articles were found online as it is much easier to find specific articles online rather than in a newspaper as you can simply type in and search for what you want using a web browser (e.g. Google Chrome) or on the newspapers’ website. Articles 1,3 and 4 were all found on the homepage of their respective websites as they were all large stories at the time in their own right. Article 1 was popular due to Roberto Firmino’s good performances at the time, whereas 3 and 4 were both important world news that the newspapers felt needed to be seen. This is why they were put on the homepage as it’s the initial content readers see when they go on the website. Article 2 was found on the side bar on the page which displayed another article due to its lack of importance and global appeal. For example, the Kardashians made it onto the homepage because of their popularity, which is significantly larger in volume compared to the two presenters that featured in my chosen article.

Article 1 has a simple headline that effectively draws in readers by being straight to the point and telling them exactly what they’re going to get without spoiling the answer to what the writer hopes the reader is now asking themselves (why is Firmino so crucial to Liverpool?). Article 2 has a long winded title to intrigue readers into reading it all (just because of the shear length of it). Even though it’s long, it’s almost as if they don’t expect the reader to read it all so try to pull the reader in with the first few words: “Best day ever!”. An exclamation mark is used to emphasise how good of a day they’re suggesting it to be. Article 3 name drops Donald Trump and then uses the word “claims” directly afterwards. This suggests that he might be lying but does not give away for sure if he is or not, here they use Trumps shaky relationship and reputation with/within the media to make people think he is lying (therefore making them want to click on the article to find out if he is or not). Article 4 is another simple and straight to the point title but does not play any kind of tricks to persuade you to click on the article. This is largely due to the newspaper having respect for the people involved in the accident and to the terrible press the newspaper would receive in return to exploiting an accident such as this one.

Sensationalist language is language used to excite the reader, sometimes in a vulgar manner. Article 1 has none of this due to the content only really including statistics and quotes, so not many sensationalist descriptions are required. However, the article does provide imagery by reading “opens up the space for Salah to make that penetrating diagonal run in behind that space between the full-back and the centre-back”. This description can make you almost recreate the situation inside your head, which is exactly the aim of imagery. Mentioning the positions of the players can help the target audience (those who are interested in football) to really visualise it even more clearly as they can recall from when they’ve seen it happen before. In article 2 there isn’t any sensationalist language either, with no need for it as the article itself is about a very light hearted topic. No imagery is required either as pictures are used frequently throughout to show the reader exactly what happened. After a few moments of being on the article, a video even plays in the corner of the users’ screen that plays the part of the TV program they’re talking about. This means the reader does not need language in order to visualise the event as it is being shown to them. Article 3 has sensationalist language in but does not come from the writer, with quotes making up a lot of the article, some have examples of sensationalist language that can cause excitement and release a reaction from the reader. One of these is when they mention expletive language that Trump used, saying that Russians are “laughing their a--es off” to Americas allegations of Russia meddling with the election. The language quoted could be regarded as inappropriate by many and adds a shock factor to the article (in the sense of people being shocked that Trump would say that). Imagery was not plentiful within this article as it was mostly a series of quotes. However, it did provide imagery in the sense of it helped readers understand the situation better, by showcasing some of the most important things people involved have said why they said them. Article 4 does not include any sensationalist language due to the sensitive topic at hand, any language like this may cause problems as it could come off as disrespectful towards the victims and their families (as their tragedy is being exploited). The same attitude was shown concerning imagery with the bare minimum being said about the location and the circumstances due to the writer not wanting to glorify the situation in any way.










As expected, article 2 is extremely informal and the use of colloquial language in the headline shows this. The word "neck" has been used as an adjective to describe the way in which the presenters drank the whisky and implies that they consumed the alcohol in a quick, almost unnecessary way. This is expected from this article as the Daily Mail is a tabloid so is bound to use sensationalist language to attract readers to their celebrity/gossip news. In general, the article uses quite restricted language to cater for their mostly C2DE audience. For example, the article mentions how they sipped on "booze", which is popular slang for alcohol used by many people throughout Britain, popularised within areas that the C2DE groups dominate. The main body of the article also consists of plenty of quotes. This is because the article has been published by a tabloid, which often report more gossip than actual news. Due to the nature of gossiping, people just want to know what happened, where and when. Heat realise this and cater for their audiences needs by simply telling them what happened, not bothering with analysis and in-depth explanations which could take away from the escapism that stories such as this can provide for people.




Language techniques were also used in article 1, the first being statistics, which is very common in an article of this genre. They provide the reader with useful information that as fans of the sport or the player in question would want to hear. If at the end of the article the reader feels that they have learnt something, especially things they can share with family and friends, they will keep coming to this source (Sky Sports) in order to gain more knowledge. An example of statistics that they've used is "Firmino also averages 76 sprints per 90 minutes". The article also shows a positive bias towards Firmino throughout the whole article, explaining all the good things about him and how he plays. For example, near the end of the article it suggests that Firmino is crucial by stating they're not sure "whether Liverpool would be able to cope without Firmino". Jamie Carragher is also interviewed who as a previous Liverpool player, is expected to show a bias towards the player. Sky did this so they can get quotes that can provide the article with an excited tone, as he is happy that such a good player is playing for his club. He shows a bias by not saying anything negative about the player but stating things such as "for them to replace Firmino, they will have to do an awful lot".

Paragraphing can really affect the ease of reading and the aesthetic of the article so is important to get right (depending on the articles’ target audience). Article 1 has kept each paragraph to 5 lines each so the reader is only getting short bursts on information at a time. As this is a very statistic based article, it is important for it to be set out this way so said statistics can be retained more efficiently. Sentence structure doesn’t vary too much, with medium to long sentences being used time and time again to provide comfortable and familiar reading (as it doesn’t want to be too challenging due to the nature of the topic). The tone manages to fit perfectly in clever grey area between formal and informal which makes for an interesting read. Quotes are used frequently with former players such as Jamie Carragher giving opinions on the player in question. Within the quotes, explanations of points are made, therefore making the article almost write itself (showing minimal effort may have been required other than sourcing the interviews/quotes, implying it is not intended to be a challenging read). Article 2 had extremely small paragraphs often consisting of only 2-3 lines of text. More focus was on the images and video, with the images having short captions just to explain what was going on in them. With very little content, the topic showed to inspire a bit of a throw away article, with sentences not being able to vary in structure due to a lack of them. The article was informal throughout as the topic was extremely light hearted and didn’t warrant any serious language. Article 3 was mostly made up of quotes so paragraph length was largely based off of the size of the quote. Structure was mostly long due to the mannerisms in which the people being quoted possess, such as not knowing when to pause and continuing with the sentence as it is an easy thing to do when you’re not writing it down and instead just speaking it. The tone was mostly formal because of the serious topic at hand, but some quotes did offer some informal and expletive language such as the Trump quote I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Article 4 kept to short paragraphs consisting of at most three lines of text. The tone was formal and didn’t try anything out of the ordinary to make sure respect was given to those affected by the accident.