A post for the BBC Sport...

I think that by Caster remaining so calm about the whole situation shows that she has nothing to hide. By the gender testing being made so public shows a lack of regard toward the young athlete. The matter should have been dealt with more privately. I think that this public humiliation should be severely dealt with.

Journalism's Third Degree...

In a blog written by Patrick Thornton we, as bloggers, are given some perspective on what Patrick’s view on “J-school” is and the winding road ahead that is in store for Journalism. According to Patrick, one should not be fooled into thinking that “J-school” (formally known as Journalism school) will promisingly lead one into an established media publication. There is that slight possibility BUT that chances are slim. VERY slim. Patrick thinks that Journalism school does not equip their students sufficiently for the hustle and bustle of the media world. Journalism, according to him, is not for the faint hearted and that it is more for those who are willing to do more than just string a few sentences together, they should be able to blog , be socially media inclined and work on the web. Where top-ranked J-schools are concerned, it was mentioned by David Cohn that although he came through J-school, due to working part-time, he learnt more on the job than in actual J-school! The link between the two is that it somewhat complements the other. The connections made on J-school are essential but then again, working on the job also enables one to make the same if not more connections. The thing to bear in mind is that J-school cannot under any circumstances teach any individual to have a passionate desire to want to change the face of journalism. The future path of journalism, according to Patrick, is leaning more to being online, for example, journalists having a web site and being on a social media. Patrick mentions that where undergrad versus grad school is concerned, it is a given that any degree plays a monumental role when it comes to acquiring a job. Having a grad degree allows for some options, the step forward from there is experience, this could be attainted through working on campus publications. Patrick states that there are two circumstances where he would not recommend J-school; to improve writing schools and for connections. One, most of his connections did not come from J-school, being active on sites like “Twitter” and “Beatblogging.org” and “Wired Journalists” fueled the engine for connections. These sites will also enable one to pick up skills that will enhance one’s writing ability. Two, writing skills are given way too much credit with regards to Journalism. Granted, good writing skills are needed in the field of Journalism, however, outstanding writing skills are more for aspiring writers, not journalists. Great reporting is the core of journalism.

Blog-Writer... what is the difference?

Site one

Blogger: Thought Leader
Who the site belongs to: Mail &Guardian Online
Writer/s: Coenraad Bezuidenhout, Micheal Trapido and many more

Site two

Blogger: T Hill, Nigel Thomas and many more who have submitted their comments
Who the site belongs to: Times Online
Writer/s: Anja Ahuya

Site three

Blogger: The sport blog
Who the site belongs to: The gaurdian
Writer/s: James Dart, David Hopps and many more

Site four

Blogger: World Cup blog
Who the site belongs to: South Africa World Cup blog
Writer/s: Daryl and then fans that are interested in the world cup have posted their comments

Site five

Blogger: Anthony Kaufman
Who the site belongs to: Indie WIRE Blog Network
Writer: Anthony Kaufman

Site Six

Blogger: Sujewa Ekanayake and the comments posted as well
Who the site belongs to: Indie film BLoggers movie
Writer/s: Sujewa Ekanayake

About Anthony Kaufman

Anthony Kaufaman enjoys writing articles that discuss films, he also surfs the internet looking for websites which make movies available to the public on the internet. The website allows bloggers to stay informed about what is happening on the movie front of things. This way, for bloggers who have a craze about movies, they can share information about various websites and things alike. Anthony writes on line regularly and this therefore qualifies him to be a blogwriter, his experience of writing articles stand him in good stead as well.

Silencing The Voice

Censorship tapes an invisible band over the mouth and only allows for selected utterances to escape. Censorship can be seen as infringing upon one’s human rights to freedom of speech. The phrase “freedom of speech” suggests that one has the right to say whatever comes to mind. However, this is certainly not the case. It can be understood though why there is a filter on what we (as citizens) are allowed to say or not say; if each individual were allowed to go around expressing everything that they felt, there would be a lot of hate speech. So, from another point of view, censorship serves to protect those on the receiving end of the voice. But even so, if a transgression takes place, surely that voice and the story it seeks to tell should be heard.

The limitation of state censorship spreads far and wide; across the television, radio and newspapers, it can therefore be seen that the new form of media, for example: the internet: blogging are breaking these bonds. Individuals have now got the space to tell their story “like it is” or is it? The situation in Iran proves how state censorship interferes by silencing the people’s voice. The fact that the media is censored in Iran shows how limited the citizens in Iran are, the news that they receive have been carefully selected; with the elections that took place, it could be described as being unfair. The state only gave their citizens the information that THEY wanted their citizens to have. In this sense the state guides their citizens as to what they should think! Irregularities in the recent Iranian election even shows how this infringement of freedom of speech also steps on violating a “supposed” democratic election.

Regarding the You tube clip, Carroll felt that his voice was not being heard and that United Airlines were ignoring his dissatisfaction with their service. He therefore posted videos of this dissatisfaction, to bring light to the public’s eye of United Airline’s treatment of one’s property. By doing so, the public is now aware of what happened and they also have the space to respond to what had happened. Some bloggers responded by saying that Carroll should not receive compensation if he did not take proper precautions in putting his guitar in a flight case. Some found his song to be very entertaining and believe that United Airlines should pay for Mr Carroll’s “smashed guitar”.

Regarding the incident with Ms Bonnen, one can see that one’s phrases and utterances carry a heavy weight. The Horizon Group Management sued Ms Bonnen for “tweeting” that there was mould in her apartment. So what is tweeting? It could be seen as the cyber world of a coffee shop with a group of friends just having a chat. However, can “tweeting” be considered to be publishing? Horizon seems to think so. The Horizon Group Management believes that their good name has been tarnished. Looking at it from Ms Bonnen’s point of view, one can see it as Ms Bonnen just passing a comment about her living condition. From both instances, one can see that “new media” gives voice to what would otherwise not be heard.

When an individual or group feels that their name has been defamed, they could sue for a lawsuit and have the party that caused the defamation to publish a public apology.