BBC SCHOOL REPORT 2017
A group of S1 and S3 pupils have been working to complete the 2017 BBC school report.
They have discussed current issues and decided to write some articles on their favourite topics.
This was a great opportunity for them as they practised their research, note taking and writing skills as well as working to a tight deadline in real BBC News reporting style.
Well Done to the Team
And here is the finished product:
Feminism in Beauty and the Beast
Disney is edging ever closer towards femin
ism. Frozen is a perfect example, Elsa is an independent woman who can make decisions for herself and be a queen without a king. I have also noticed the evolution of female animated Disney characters is slowly becoming more realistic.
But now there is a new movie for critics to pull apart… Beauty and the Beast. I have seen the movie and thought that there was nothing wrong with it but further research has opened my eyes to a different perspective.
Belle is played by the wonderful Emma Watson, who is a well-known feminist. One of my favourite scenes from the movie involves Belle inventing a washing machine so that she can read while doing the laundry. I think that this was a great idea for Disney to make Belle a bit of an inventor, though I did see an article asking why her father wasn’t doing the laundry himself, I think whoever wrote that may have forgotten the film is set in the mid-1700s.
Belle also tries to teach another girl to read in this scene which causes uproar among the villagers, Belle is trying to use her intelligence to help others.
Some articles were trying to suggest that the crew behind Beauty and the Beast thought that only women that are clever and want to travel around the world could be feminists. Three women in the film that are in love with Gaston and wear lots of make-up are often taken the micky out of, which is unfair since they haven’ t been taught to read therefore they don’t really have much choice but to rely on a man. Just because Belle was lucky enough to be taught how to read doesn’t mean she is better than women in the village that can’t.
Another issue people have with the film is the controlling and dominating Beast. At one point in the film Belle says she cannot be happy unless she is free but soon learns to be content under the Beast’s rules. She even has to get the Beast’s permission before leaving the palace to rescue her father.
Though I do think this is strained, the only thing stopping Belle from leaving is the wolves during the night, she can leave whenever she wants but it is her decision to stay with the Beast.
Of course there are some controversies surrounding Emma Watson who recently exposed her breasts in a Vanity Fair photo shoot which apparently means that she isn’t a feminist.
I would like to remind people that feminism isn’t a bunch of rules that women have to follow if they want to be a feminist. A feminist is a person (that includes men) that believes in gender equality for everyone.
I do think that Disney is making steps towards making better role models for young girls and I encourage them to continue to do so.
By Kirsten
Football match fixing
A huge talking point in the world of football is match fixing. Recent champions league fixture saw Paris Saint Germain take on Barcelona at the Camp Nou, in Spain. After their 4-0 defeat to Paris, Barcelona were thought to be making a quick exit from the champions league, but after coming back to win 6-1, the Catalonians progressed to the quarter finals winning 6-5 on aggregate.
While others may call it “the best comeback in football history, others may call it match fixing and unfair. And the Catalonians have a bad history with that sort of thing. This sort of thing has been seen before in the likes of the 2009 fixture between Barcelona and Chelsea which ended 3-2 to the Spanish super club.
But it’s not only Barcelona who can be accused of match fixing. Other clubs like Juventus, Marseille, Milan, Lazio, FC Slutsk, Shakhter Soligorsk, Fiorentina and Reggina have all been found of choosing favourable referees, paying opponents to go easy on them and in one case, even spiking team mates water bottles. This disgusting way of cheating has also been seen in the most viewed sports competition in the world, the world cup.
The 2002 world cup held in Japan and South Korea was greatly accused of cheating, and not only cheating but cheating done by the hosts. South Korea were accused of match fixing and choosing unheard of referees. Most of these accusations were made by the Italians who, bear in mind were knocked out by the Koreans in the last 16. But when taking a closer look at the match highlights you can see some great shouts for a penalty, a freekick, red cards and offside positions. The Italian media still continues looking into it and questioning FIFA, The South Korean FA and match officials.
Another question frequently asked by football fans, are FIFA and UEFA doing enough about match fixing? Well the answer I would give is yes and no. Yes because they have both recently sacked their former presidents Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, for this exact reason, and also sending payments to each other worth around £1.3 million with no legal basis. They are both banned from all football-related activities for eight years. No because you can still see this scandalous form of cheating in certain matches.
In my opinion FIFA, UEFA and all the rest of them are not doing enough about match fixing scandals in football and this form of cheating should be met with a lengthy fee and demotion to the division below.
IndyRef 2: Why another?
Many Scots are puzzled by the latest announcement made by Nicola Sturgeon. Why another Independence Referendum?
On the 13th March , to the surprise of many Scots, Nicola Sturgeon has announced she will seek permission from the UK parliament to hold another Independence Referendum. This comes just under 3 years after the ‘Once in a lifetime’ Independence Referendum in 2014.
Sturgeon claims that Scotland should be able to make a fresh decision after the Brexit vote where the UK voted to leave the EU. She makes this claim after Scotland unanimously voted to remain. She also considered the UK parliaments triggering of Article 50 the material change in circumstances that she pledged in her manifesto.
Ms Sturgeon argues that a referendum is needed to protect Scottish interests in the aftermath of Brexit as independence must be attained to ensure that Scotland remains in the Single Market.
However repeated polls show Scotland does not want another independence referendum. Sturgeon’s announcement follows a BMG poll for the Herald newspaper in which the unsure are excluded, 61.5% are against another independence referendum whereas only 38.5% support this new vote. A similar survey in 2014 shows that excluding those unsure, 45.5% supported the idea of an independence referendum.
A petition has formed after Sturgeon’s speech which now has over 113,000 signatures 2% of Scotland’s population- in a matter of weeks. The petition wants another Scottish Independence Referendum to be banned. They claim that the First Minister is persecuting Scots with her hungry desire for independence despite polls showing the complete opposite of her beliefs.
MSP Tavish Scott has criticised SNP stating ‘Will Scotland ever concentrate on standards in her school, the lack of GPs and lowering costs of ferries for islanders? Scotland will now be in full campaign mode until the second referendum takes place’
If Scotland was to become independent some argue that with the tensions of the world currently with Islamic extremists, Scotland will not get dragged into illegal wars with then such of Iraq. Also Scotland could have a better and more equal relationship with England, Wales and Northern Ireland as campaigners claim we could negotiate better deals as we would be negotiating as part of a different country meaning our we will have a bigger voice.
However the Yes campaign of 2014 led by Alex Salmond claimed that our North Sea oil revenue would be a sufficient source of income for an independent Scotland despite a lack of facts to back up their statement. In reality about one month after the referendum result the world oil price crashed and SNP credibility was left questionable. With the proposal of a new referendum many people may wonder if they can trust the SNP to maintain an economy after 2014.
The opposition believes SNP should focus on important issues such as the obesity crisis which is thriving in Scotland rather than use their time in parliament to make an independent country that nobody wants. The only way a democracy will work is if the government listen to the people which is the opposite of what they are doing right now.
A Black Man, a White Man and a Latino Walk Into a Police Station.
by Emily P.
Only one makes out tax free and covered from media bombshell.
In today’s #equality and #blacklivesmatter world do we really believe all we preach? As much as we try to block it out with our Facebook rants and t-shirt slogans, as a society, do we really care? Our view on equality is so tainted by the media. What can we really trust?
In light of the recent London terror attacks, I have decided to finally take a proper stand against the bias and racist media that we have come to accept as the norm. We have all become so accustomed to the disgusting scapegoating done by our beloved news sources that headlines like ‘Killer was a Muslim Convert’ are blatantly ordinary.
My previous example of a headline is one that I find particularly distasteful. Discontent with simply reporting on the matter of the attack, The Times felt that the man’s religion was not only significant to the event but so pressing a matter that they made their front page headline. From this discovery that the attacker was a Muslim, many reporters have jumped to the conclusion that our extremist was part of a radical group.
Now, I know what you’ re thinking, ISIS has taken responsibility/credit for Khalid Masood’s actions; I am by no means stating that this was not a terror attack. I am simply stating that, whether they were involved or not, ISIS will always say that it was them. ISIS want their name put to it, they thrive off of fear mongering and by jumping straight to the conclusion that all attacks were done by main stream terrorist groups we only fuel them. We fight constantly with our war against terror yet all we do is make it easier for those we are fighting to get the upper hand. We spoon feed our fears to these organisations and then wonder how they grow so big. Maybe, instead of automatically assuming all Muslims are terrorists we should use media to teach that terrorism and religion are no strictly related.
Obviously, I have only gone by one example here but racism in media is so common; it’s really no wonder we still need our hash-tags and slogans. We live in the 21st century and yet we still treat each other differently based on our skin tone, religion and sexual orientation. Why? What is the point? What do we get out of bullying others just because they aren’t us?
Take, for example, how the media portrays the difference between white and black crime. As much as we try to ignore it, black people and white people are still represented very differently in the public’s eye.
We all know it to be true, and try as we might to repress it, we can’t ignore the facts. White men, in the past have raped, killed or stolen and been given half the sentence- if anything- that would have been given to an equal black man.
Injustice may as well be brandished onto the front of every media outlet with the amount of prejudice they spout. I have brought almost nothing to light, compared to how much injustice there actually is out there. Our media cares more about getting our attention and selling their stories than the detrimental effect their writing can have.
So, to conclude,
The media is the most powerful entity on Earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.
Martin X
Friend or Foe?
Can you forgive and forget? Old foes came from across Ireland to grieve the loss of former IRA turned politician, who sorrowfully died on Tuesday 21 March 2017 at the age of 66. There is no doubt that there was blood on Mr Martin McGuinness’ hands with his authorisation leading to one of the most notorious attacks ever committed by the IRA.
This story sounds like it appeared straight out of a movie, the bad guy who surprisingly saves the day and it ends with everyone blissfully and joyfully being friends. But can this truly happen? In modern day is it that easy to make amends, make peace, shake hands and forget? This is a loyal act of unity that doesn’t come around often.
As his coffin was carried down the streets of Bogside, his home town, thousands of people came to pay respect. I think that all these people, who justifiably, respect the fact that he changed from war to peace need to re-commit themselves to finish the work that needs to be done. Bill Clinton (former President of the US)
People who, generations ago, where enemies came to attend McGuinness’ funeral. His life was a remarkable journey Fr Canny, and it was. Going from super villain to super hero is a journey scarce and uncommon. It is unthinkable that thousands came to remember this man, his past and who he changed to be. He chose to transform his life and as many people say it’ s what you do that counts, not what you did.
Whilst countless people mourn the loss, some can’t forget and I believe it is what you choose to see. You can see what you want to see and believe what you want believe. There is a great lesson to be learned from Martin McGuinness life, one that many can gain from.
By Lucy
Should Technology Be Traded For Teachers?
Everyday technology is being developed more and more to the point that twenty-five billion dollars is being spent a year on marketing new technologies. Some people would argue that since so much money is being spent on technology, why aren’ t we making use of it. So should we replace teachers for technology.
In 2025 scientists predict that twenty-five per cent of jobs currently done by humans could be taken up by robots, teachers are one of them. Some people may argue that robots are smarter than us therefore could do the job better and more efficiently, some would also argue that school children need a better education to have a brighter future. On the other hand people against this may say that children won’t enjoy school if all their teachers were emotionless robots with no sense of humour.
One reason governments may want robots in schools is so that they don’t have to pay them. This could potentially save the government lots of money to spend on different things that the country need. However this is not a perfect plan for many different reasons. First off the robots could potentially cost a lot of money, possibly just as much as it costs to pay teachers, the government would also have to spend a lot on repairing, charging, constantly updating and reprograming. This wouldn’ t be the only fault, robots may also not be able to gain pupils respect, the only thing that keeps children behaving in schools is that if they don’t they know that it will get them in trouble, a robot may not be able to do that. Pupils will not feel disappointed with themselves if they have nobody to disappoint.
Many people are very against this idea especially if they are a teacher because they would not only lose their job, but they would have to watch the next generation grow up being taught by emotionless robots when they know that they could do a better job themselves. People are also against it because they want their children to grow up the same way that they did, not have teachers that are all the exact same and to finally have an education that their children can enjoy.
Personally, although robots as teachers is a cool, futuristic idea, I don’t think the world is ready to completely get rid of all they know to risk it for something that they won’t even benefit too much from. Children have a right to education so you might as well get the best education possible.
BBC School Report 2016
S1s in English have been doing some news gathering, scriptwriting, interviewing, filming and editing for this year’s BBC School Report. As well as working with staff from the BBC, they have been putting into practice some of the skills they have learned in class during the course of this year.
Click on the Youtube link to check out their school report:
One of the pupils completed a video diary of the experience which can be viewed by clicking on the following link.
The pupils celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the BBC School Report by attending an all day workshop at the BBC in Glasgow.
They did some news gathering with the help of Sally McNair and Duncan Kirkhope, finding out what other schools were up to for newsday and sending their reports to London for their BBC One Live feed.
Click here to see the BBC School Report produced by our Team in 2014/2015
