Bear that in mind as you read reports on the disappearance of the 24 year old girl in Glasgow. At each stage of the story which media organisations are reporting responsibly and which ones are using implication/conjecture? What is being done which would be helpful to the Police or a hindrance to an official investigation? What need is the media trying to meet – what does each target audience want? What is the media really trying to do? Why does one – or more – news organisation reveal information that others choose not to? In whose interests are they acting?
Keep an eye on the following organisations:
Mail Online
Daily Record
BBC Online News
BBC News (National and Local)
STV News
Which ones reveal very little/which ones reveal too much? Why are they acting in this way? Which ones are funded through sales? Licence fees? Pay-per-click?
Compare this with Twitter and other social media.
Is social media forcing the hand of more traditional organisations?
