News Article 12

Google's Robot Cars Tested On Public Roads 



This is how BBC News represented the story: 

Google's purpose-built robot cars have been given the go ahead to drive on public roads and this summer, they will be seen on the roads around Mountain View, California which is where the search giant is based. The cars will have safety drivers on board who can take over if needed, meaning they are not completely autonomous. 

The systems engineer in the self-driving project, Jaime Waydo said: "Every moment has been building towards putting these cars on the roads where we can start learning even more from them.  Eventually the purpose-built robot vehicles will not have a steering wheel or any other control though detachable versions will be used during the forthcoming road tests. The top speed of the cars will be capped at 25mph (40km/h) during the tests. In preparation for their public debut the cars had been put through a series of demanding reliability and durability tests. Each vehicle has been clocking up thousands of miles each week on the test tracks - some of which resemble Californian highways and streets". 

Mixing with real-life traffic will help Google engineers refine the on-board software to cope with many situations the cars have not encountered during testing, said project head Chris Urmson in a blog post.

"Getting these cars out in to the public and allowing people to react to them, allowing us to see them out there, that's a huge deal and most importantly it's the necessary step to getting them to drive themselves," he said.

My Opinion on the news article

It has been represented by BBC news as an important development that has taken a lot of preparation to get it to this stage. I believe that as a society, we are becoming more and more developed regarding our technology and I am very unsure as to what to expect for the future. I feel that this is quite a risky creation and people will be very weary to use self-driving cars but if the correct precautions are taken, it could be quite exciting. 

News Article 11

CONSERVATIVES WIN MAJORITY 




This is how BBC News represented the story: 

David Cameron has returned to Downing Street with the Tories having defied polls and won the general election.

The Conservatives made gains in England and Wales and are forecast by the BBC to secure 331 seats in the Commons, giving them a slender majority.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said he would stand down on Friday, saying his party must "rebuild" with a new leader.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has also said he will quit, with his party set to be reduced from 57 to eight MPs.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage is also quitting after he failed to win Thanet South, losing by nearly 2,800 votes to the Conservatives.

The Conservatives have now won the 326 seats needed to form a majority administration, meaning they are able to govern without the need for a coalition or formal agreement with other parties.

Mr Cameron all but declared victory in a speech after being returned as MP for Witney, in which he set out his intention to press ahead with an in/out referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union and to complete the Conservatives' economic plan.

"My aim remains simple - to govern on the basis of governing for everyone in our United Kingdom," he said.

"I want to bring our country together, our United Kingdom together, not least by implementing as fast as we can the devolution that we rightly promised and came together with other parties to agree both for Wales and for Scotland.

"In short, I want my party, and I hope a government I would like to lead, to reclaim a mantle that we should never have lost - the mantle of One Nation, One United Kingdom. That is how I will govern if I am fortunate enough to form a government in the coming days."

Mr Cameron later returned to Downing Street with his wife Samantha and is now having an audience with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Chancellor George Osborne said the Conservatives had been "given a mandate to get on with the work we started five years ago" and would follow the "clear instructions" of the British public.

However, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith acknowledged that governing with a small majority was difficult.

"Whatever else we now do we keep it simple, we keep it focused and we absolutely stick to our manifesto commitments," he told the BBC.

He said the party would deliver an EU referendum as it was a "red line".

How I feel about the news article:

I feel that BBC News have not been biased towards the situation and the writer of the article has not made it clear whether or not they are pleased the conservatives got in. It is very factual and quote based however, not much is said about the other politicians and they have focused completely on David Cameron. 

News Article 10

Royal Baby No.2 Has Been Born



William and Kate, the Dutch and Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to their daughter at 08:34 BST on Saturday, 2nd May at St Mary's Hospital in London and she weighed 8lbs 3oz. The princess is fourth in line to the throne and bookmakers claim that Charlotte and Alice are the favourite names for her, followed by Olivia, Victoria and Elizabeth. William and Kate have spent the first night with their baby at Kensington Palace and they will spend the next few days there. 

Of course, this is a huge event which represents England as a place with great national pride, with almost all of the UK's national newspapers dedicating the entire front pages of their Sunday editions to the birth of the new princess. Additionally, Tower Bridge was among several London landmarks such as the London Eye and Trafalgar Square's fountains that lit up pink in the princess' honour. 



Party leaders also offered their congratulations regarding the birth of the princess and these can be seen in the video below: 




How I feel about the news article: 

I feel this is a very good story to represent how much pride England has as a Nation because it is clearly seen as very important by the media, with it taking up the front pages of nearly all newspapers. Even with the election coming up very soon, the politicians took time out to express their happiness for William and Kate which again enhances the idea of National pride but I also think that the politicians are trying to gain as much support from the public as possible and by congratulating the birth, they are helping people to warm to them. 

News Article 9

Harper Lee saves Mockingbird play from closure 

Author Harper Lee has started a non-profit company to produce a play of her iconic book To Kill a Mockingbird in her hometown of Monroeville, after a dispute was set to end the show.

Licensing firm Dramatic Publishing had not extended the performance rights for the production, so Lee stepped in with Mockingbird Company.

It will produce the play from 2016, giving proceeds to local communities.

Dramatic Publishing said on its Facebook page it was "thrilled".

It added: "We are also happy to announce that the play will be performed by Mockingbird Players, who have acted this American classic so well for so long. We believe that this is the best way (from the stage) to celebrate Ms Lee's masterpiece throughout the greater Monroeville area."

A Facebook page called Save Monroeville's To Kill a Mockingbird play had been campaigning for the play to stay in Monroeville, and had been liked by big names including Oprah Winfrey and JK Rowling.

Comments on the Facebook page included Johnny Johnson saying: "Thank you Miss Harper Lee , you have made Monroe County proud," and Meagan McDonald adding: "Thank you for working towards an agreement!! What a blessing for Monroeville!!"

Performances for the play for this month and next are sold out, boosted by excitement over the upcoming publication of Lee's second book, Go Set a Watchman. It will be the 88-year-old American author's first release since the 1960s.

The show has been staged by the Monroe County Heritage Museum for years, despite it being involved in legal disputes with Lee, 88, in the past. She sued the museum in 2013 for selling Mockingbird souvenirs in its shop, after it had opposed her application for a federal trademark for the title of her book.

The dispute has since been settled.

My opinion on the news article: 

I think it is good that Harper Lee independently started a non-profit company to make her book into a play after a dispute was set to end the show and it also shows how much she cares about her work. It clearly has good audience reception and this news article taken from the BBC website has a positive representation of the story.  

News Article 8

Jeremy Clarkson reveals that he probably had cancer at the time of hitting a Top Gear producer 



Two days before physically attacking Top Gear producer, Oisin Tymon, Jeremy Clarkson had been told by his doctor that a lump on his tongue was most likely to be cancer. He then told the paper that he later got the 'all clear'. 

He wrote in his Sunday Times column that the incident occurred on his "most stressful day...in 27 years at the BBC" but that other people facing stress "manage to cope better than I did". Regarding being told that he had to get the lump on his tongue checked out immediately, he also wrote in his column: "but I couldn't do that. We were in the middle of a Top Gear series. And Top Gear always came first." 

He also told the paper about his obsession of having Top Gear as his job and he claims to have felt an "enormous" sense of loss after finding out that his contract was not going to be renewed and he wrote: "it was an all-consuming entity, a many-tentacled global monster that was dysfunctional and awkward and mad but I loved it with a passion. I loved it like my own child. I felt sick because after I'd lost my home and my mother, I'd thrown myself even more vigorously into my job and now, idiotically, I'd managed to lose that too." 

The BBC suspended Jeremy Clarkson on the 10th March which caused a very large amount of support from the fans of Top Gear who, over a million of them, signed an online petition to reinstate him. However, this still did not work and Tony Hall, BBC's director general made a confirmation regarding how Clarkson's contract would not be renewed. 

How I feel about the news article:
This information came from the BBC News website and from this article, it seems as if they are siding towards him slightly because they do not say anything negative about him and they include quotes that may cause audiences to feel sympathy towards him. A newspaper such as The Sun may have taken a more dramatic approach to catch the attention of their audience, and they may be likely to express the story either completely negatively or positively on Clarkson's part. I personally think that Jeremy Clarkson is only bringing up the fact he thought he had cancer on the day of the attack as an excuse for himself and to make people feel sorry for him. By expressing his 'sob stories' in more detail now, he is making it clear how much he really loved his job and it is as if he is still trying to get his contract renewed. 

News Articles 6 & 7

Young Boy Dies When Skiing Alone 

7 year old, Carwyn Scott-Howell fell to his death on a skiing holiday in the French Alps with his family. It is believed that he asked to ski alone on the final run of the day. French police say he fell 160ft to his death after leaving the piste. He was reported missing at 16:30 local time and at 19:00, his body was found at the bottom of a 100 metre cliff. 

Police commander, Michel Ollagnon quotes: "It seems as if the boy did the last piste descent of the day on his own after asking his parents' permission. He appears to have become lost before falling over the edge of the cliff after taking his skis off. A helicopter was deployed in the search before his body was recovered. A judicial inquiry into what happened has begun." 

How I feel about the news article:

I think it is very unfortunate that this has happened and I would hope that his family are receiving lots of support for their lost. I do not think the boy should be blamed in the future as he did ask his parents permission and it appears that what has happened was a devastating accident. 

Man's Body Found In Car Boot

In South Belfast, a Man's body was discovered in the boot of a car. The discovery was made in the Windsor Road area, off the Lisburn Road, on Sunday morning. 

Police have begun a murder inquiry and they are examining a scene at Church Gate apartments in the Mill Street area of Comber, County Down. Already, a Man and Woman in their 20's have been arrested on suspicion of murder. John McVea, Det Ch Insp quotes: "I appeal to anyone who was in or around the Church Gate Studios late last night or earlier this morning and heard a disturbance or noted any suspicious activity to contact detectives." 

How I feel about the news article:

I think it is shocking that a body has been found in a car boot and I hope that they find the suspects soon as clearly, they are dangerous and should not be out on the streets. I think anyone that believes they have additional information should not be afraid to get in touch with the detectives as it is a very serious issue. 

Radios

The invention of the radio

Who? When? Where? Why?

There is a debate about who invented the radio regarding two men: Guglielmo Marconi and Nikola Tesla. 

It is most commonly said that the radio was invented in 1895 by an Italian man named Guglielmo Marconi at the age of 21. Whilst experimenting in his parents attic, he invented what he called "the wireless telegraph" and the instrument he used to transmit Morse code via radio waves became known as the radio. Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American scientist and in 1884 he emigrated to the U.S. It was here he invented a device which was essential to sending and receiving radio waves and it was known as the induction coil or the Tesla coil. However, as he was preparing to send a radio signal approximately 50 miles to West Point, N.Y, a fire destroyed his lab in 1895. This means there are still debates regarding who invented the radio depending on the person and the different evidence they have read about. 

Guglielmo Marconi 



Nikola Tesla


Case study example: KISS FM

Kiss FM is a UK radio station which broadcasts on FM and National DAB and it plays at a frequency of 100.0 MHz in London. It is owned by Bauer Radio which is a UK-based radio division of the Bauer Media Group that is divisible in two main groups: The Bauer City&National Portfolios and Passion. The first air date of Kiss FM was 1 September, 1990 but it first began in the October of 1985 as a pirate radio station. According to the internet site, Hoovers, Kiss FM makes $2.3 in revenue. 

Kiss FM is clearly a popular radio station because it has been listed number eight in the top ten radio stations with the most listeners. It has 4.9 million listeners every week which seems much less when compared to the top radio station, BBC Radio 2 which has 15.3 million listeners every week. The genre of music that Kiss FM plays is hip hop, R&B, urban and electronic dance music so it is likely to attract young people who are enjoy listening to these genres and an audience of elderly people are less likely to enjoy it. The Bauer Media Group quotes: "Dedicated to music and lifestyle, KISS is designed to unite listeners around their passions. KISS audiences are characterised by the emotional connection they make with the music, presenters and everyday life. A mobile audience, reseach shows they use every platform available to engage, from FM and DAB, online, social media, mobile and TV, creating unique and powerful ways for advertisers to emotionally engage with listeners." Personally, I do not listen to KISS FM as it genre of music does not appeal to me and I would rather listen to X fm as I prefer indie/alternative rock music. 

Kiss FM make money through advertisements, special events, celebrity endorsement by having celebrities host a show and by call ins or competitions which cause people to spend their money.