It’s been a year since I welcomed our first cohort of Nanjing University. I am delighted to welcome another amazing cohort from Nanjing University to our exchange (non-credit) programme . Thank you, everybody, for your help in setting up this programme and thank you to the students for being with us for another year!
Thank you to our colleagues from Nanjing University and JSBC for your kind attitude and co-operation, and for your reflection on your own website. I am sure this programme will be a great success again and the students will be happy with their performance during the next three months!
Address by Dayman Kachulski, Programme Co-ordinator
Dear students,
I want to congratulate you on the successful completion of the journalism programme as part of the Nanjing Exchange Project 2018! I know my colleagues would echo my words in saying that you have a lot to be proud of because you have done an amazing job.
Your persistence has led you to complete all assignments successfully, publish numerous articles, produce, direct, shoot and edit excellent pieces of reportage, designed and 3D-print exceptional 3D objects, improve your employability opportunities and visit great media companies. Your hard work has generated over 1100 unique visits on your website; you have done an excellent job and have made everybody proud!
Apart from your academic achievements, what I have been most impressed with is your ability to face all difficulties head on – you did not take them as challenges, but as opportunities to learn and improve yourselves! Never lose the passion with which you work! It is your work ethic that will take you far!
We celebrated the Chinese culture on 5 Feb 2019, the Chinese New Year. Diversity is at the core of our programme and we wish all of our Chinese students at the University of Stirling and around the world happy Spring Festival
Here are the 3D plans of the Cottrell Building our student Xin Shen (Coco) created. We used the 3D printers in the Maker Space to print a 3D model of the building.
This week we visited BBC Scotland and had the opportunity to gain access to the BBC TV studios, newsrooms and radio studios. We interviewed Mrs. Sara Gardner who spoke to us about the production cycle and interesting facts about the production of news and radio programmes.
Students trying the green screen and auto queue at BBC
BBC Scotland at Pacific Quay, Glasgow
We also sat in the audience of Braking the News with Des Clarke, the popular BBC radio show which had its very first appearance on television with its St. Andrew’s special on BBC 2 Scotland.
“Can you imagine the sort of programmes that will be on Donald Trump’s television channel? Just like Makeovers with Melania, showing you how to signal for help using only a contour brush and a lip liner.”
“I’m a bit worried, the cows are getting the blame of all this global warming. Because they are farting a lot. I have politely asked my cows to hold it in.”
“What makes Dundee become the hottest city?”
…
（Breaking The News）
（Breaking The News）
This was the recording scene of the comedy show on BBC Scotland, Breaking The News, which made all the audience on the spot laugh and applaud frequently. We were so fortunate to be part of the audiences on the 29th November, and got a unique chance to visit the whole building of BBC Scotland. From this experience, while broadening our horizons, we also felt many differences in our different cultures.
Breaking The News, for BBC Radio Scotland began a 10 week run on Friday 5th June. Describing it, the BBC says: ‘A mix of the UK’s top comedians, journalists and up and coming stand-up talent [takes] a satirical swipe at the week’s news in Scotland and across the UK’.
Mrs. Sara Gardner who works in the Client Relations Department of BBC Scotland told us that Breaking the News is not a serious news programme, but a comedy programme about the news. It mocks current affairs and makes fun of the news. The programme actually started as a radio programme and what we saw was the first time they recorded for television (BBC 2 Sccotland).
Mrs. Gardner giving us a tour of the building
Mrs. Gardner taking us to the BBC studios
The audience in the studio burst into laughter over and over again while warthing Breaking the News due to its satirical overtone. It is interesting to find out that sometimes we could not understand why people laughed. This was because many of the points were what local residents were familiar with but we were not aware of.
The elderly are the main group of people who came to participate in the show recording. When asked about the age range of its audience, Mrs. Gardner said it was a comedy program that everyone could enjoy. Its audience would range from the elderly to people in their 20s or 30s. There are many older people attending recording in the daytime because older people have more free time than younger people since they have retired. In addition, older people signing up to watch shows which are usually free. Anyone who wishes to participate in the recording of Breaking the News can sign up by clicking on the relevant link on the BBC website.
Mrs. Gardner taking us to the BBC studios
BBC Scotland at Pacific Quay, Glasgow
Mrs. Gardner giving us a tour of the building
Students trying the green screen and auto queue at BBC
When asked about what kind of skills one needs most to work for the BBC Scotland, Mrs. Gardner answered that everyone who works there has different skills but she thinks the most important thing is to be flexible and adapt to the new television environment. People wor work there have many opportunities to learn and master different skills. Only with a positive attitude, flexibility, can we do a good job here, she said.
After visiting the production studios of BBC Scotland, we realized why the BBC program is so creative. The six-story headquarters building is not large, but the interior is full of mystery.
Mrs. Gardner took us to the rooftop of the Building and enjoyed the views of Glasgow skyline.
The building is generally made into a hollow central structure, with the middle part transformed into a spacious open hall, which maximizes the empty space utilization. There are cafes, office computers, and small studios in the open areas, and people can clearly see every corner of the interior of the building no matter which floor they work on. This means that if you stand on the ground floor and eager to find a colleague on the sixth floor, you may just need to look up and shout at him or her.
(The interior of the BBC Scotland building)
There is no obvious separation between the desks in the office. People gather together for cooperation, rather than for work. Being exposed to an open environment makes it hard to be isolated and left out on your own.
(The office area)
(The office area)
Just as the Scottish proverb says “Guid gear comes in sma’ bulk“, BBC Soctland produces 15,000 hours of high-quality television broadcast programmes per year with just one thousand staff. It is obvious that their success relies not only on the hard work people put in, but also on the mining and innovation of their own culture.
On November 23rd, away from the hustle of Black Friday, a warm meeting took place in the Pathfoot Buiding at the University of Stirling. This week we were visited by a delegation comprising members of the management team of Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC), the third biggest television network in China as well as Nanjing Yunbao Science and Technology Company Limited and Shiqiu Film Studio Company Limited.
Nanjing Exhange Class
Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation Executives
Our guests from Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation, aiming to build a bridge between students in our class with our possible future employer JSBC, provided us with the opportunity to showcase our work at the University of Stirling. Participants from JSBC included: Mr. Jiang Xiaoping, vice president and deputy general manager of JSBC; Mr. Liu Wenming, deputy director of publicity management department of JSBC; Mr. Shao Zhong, general manager of Nanjing Yunbao Science and Technology Company Limited and deputy general manager of Shiqiu Film Studio Company Limited; Mr. Yang Shu, general manager of Omnijoi Media Corporation Company Limited; Ms. Wei Li, deputy general manager of Golden Dreams Media and Communications (UK) Company Limited.
It has been two months since the Nanjing University Exchange Project 2018 started, during which we have learned a lot from all the activities and lectures we have had, and we have also achieved a lot.
Erica outlines the programme
Maggie showcases our work
In the very beginning of the meeting, programme co-ordinator Damyan Kachulski first warmly welcomed all the guests from JSBC and briefly introduced the class members and the programme. To help our guests better understand the Exchange Project and what we have done here, we carefully prepared a presentation. Erica showed the website and briefly introduced different kinds of lectures we have attended. To show our work, Maggie later displayed articles we wrote and the fancy videos we produced, which had captured everybody’s attention. Angel delivered a short speech on the culture of drama in UK, following by Coco’s introduction to her fantastic 3D printing models.
Coco presenting her 3D models
Angel outlines the drama culture of the UK
In the end of the meeting, Erica, our class representative, on behalf of the class, sincerely expressed our gratitude for the support and help from JSBC and University of Stirling. Mr. Jiang Xiaoping from JSBC also appreciated the effort we made and the teamwork we shown over the course of our programme. He encouraged us to apply for internships with JSBC and gave us practical advice on how to prepare for our future careers.
Mr. Jiang Xiaoping, vice president and deputy general manager of JSBC
After the meeting ended, we had a chance to talk to our guests and share more details of our time at the University as well as our future plans.
In the post-truth era, the wide-ranging access to media and Internet, as well as the overwhelming amount of mis- and dis-information, have contributed to the fact that journalism has gradually become one of the most untrusted professions in the world. A survey conducted by Social Research Institute Ipsos MORI in 2017 suggests that in the trust level ranking for an array of occupations with social significance, journalists were ranked among the bottom four.
Ipsos MORI Veracity Index
Ipsos MORI Least Trusted Professions
The decline of journalism is attracting scholars’ attention as well. On the evening of November 21st, Adrian Hadland, Head of Communications, Media and Culture at University of Stirling, gave a lecture on the “The Future of Journalism and Democracy” in his inaugural ceremony, which introduced his views on prospects of journalism based on the current state of the democratic societies, and provided sincere suggestions for the next generation of journalists.
What role does journalism play in the current framework of media and democracy? In the digital age, what changes will face the news industry? How do these changes affect democratic nations? In this article we will discuss them in detail.
Idealism | The Role of Journalism
For a long time, in the political practice of Western democracies, there has been a deep co-dependence between journalism and democracy. Professor Hadland mentioned multiple times the concepts of “The Forth Estate” and “Watchdog” in the Journalism Studies lectures this semester, which specially stressed the status of the news media in Western society and its importance to an informed and healthy society, shaping a healthy state.
(Professor Adrian Hadland)
When talking about the “The Fourth Estate”, it is generally considered that the media, with its function to keep the powerful to account, is the fourth power in addition to the traditional state powers, executive, legislative and judicial. But in fact, at its original source, “The Forth Estate” stems from the Western concept of the three estates of the realm, which was used by Edmund Burke in a parliamentary debate in 1787. He said, “‘Balance of Powers’ – three estates of Parliament to balance each-other: The Lords Spiritual, the Lords Temporal and the Commons.”
In 1841, Thomas Carlyle wrote in his book, “On Heroes and Hero Worship”: “Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters’ Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important by far than they all.” He stressed the importance of the “Forth Estate”, proposing that the news media, as an independent part of secular power, to supervise the state machine.
In addition, the news media is also known as the “Watchdog” in Western countries. New media has been acting as a bridge that connects the public and the state. By delivering real and effective information to the public through reports, news media has helped the public understand the problem, and effectively supervises the state apparatus.
Digitisation | The Advantages and Disadvantages of News Industry in the Future
When the trend of digitisation of news becomes irreversible, can the news continue to function effectively as “the Fourth Estate” to balance administrative, judicial and legislative powers?
Newspaper advertising revenues are declining. The circulation of publications – reducing, which increasingly leads to the suspension of the newspaper as a medium. In contrary to the depression in the newspaper industry, the Internet news field is booming, ranging from news websites to apps and social media platforms, which attracts more and more paper media to move their content online. Take the US newspaper giant, New York Times, as an example. As one of the most successful media in the world for digital transformation, it currently has 2.8 million digital subscribers, which comprises nearly two-thirds of their digital revenue.
It is true that the rapid development of the Internet and social media has promoted the spread of news. The world’s information streams seem to flow into our mobile phones and computers, through which we can find out about what is happening around the world almost instantly anytime, anywhere.
(Digital News Age)
Professor Hadland acknowledged that the digital age has had a positive impact on our lives, but it also means the death of privacy and a decline in emotional health of citizens, especially the young generation.
When we browse the Internet, use social media, and subscribe to news feeds, the algorithms behind them also domesticate us. According to our preferences, they push news that we might be interested in. Unconsciously, we start consuming a myopic range of information and become besieged in the “information cocoons”. Different opinions are filtered by the algorithm, and our inner thoughts are gradually strengthened in the subtle. Step by step, the ability of decision-making fades away, and it is difficult for us to distinguish between truth and falseness of information. In particular, the young generation, known as the “Digital Native”, have been influenced by digital media since their childhood. A danger is that, in the absence of a healthy news media sphere, they are more likely to be influenced by a confusing array of information on the Internet, which may lead them to go astray.
Monetisation | The “Expensive” Democracy Behind Digital Media
Professor Hadland mentioned in the lecture that healthy conditions of news and media are prerequisites for a healthy democracy. However, the development of digitisation does not only bring the problem of “algorithm domestication”, but also threatens the healthy democracy of news. Christina Neumayer, a professor at the University of Copenhagen, mentioned in the book Journalism & Democracy in the Digital Age: Digital media does not only have a positive impact on the public domain, what is more, the potential for democratic technology development is overestimated.
On the one hand, in the context of digitisation, people’s privacy has been challenged unprecedentedly. As the European Commissioner Kuneva said, “The personal information is becoming the new oil of the Internet and the currency of the digital world.” That is increasingly true of the new business models technology companies have championed. The Internet giants such as Google and Facebook have been accused of forcing users to share personal data. Such is the extent of privacy violations that the Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems had called for Facebook and Google to fined 3.9 billion and 3.7 billion euros respectively (the sum of the two is about 8.8 billion dollars).
On the other hand, the wider voice space and information channels also bring with them the complexity of information. As fake news swarms, people are increasingly mistrusting the information they get from the public domain. In this digital world of “ordering and filtering information”, the state of news and media has deteriorated, and the emotional health of young people has declined, with their decision-making ability steadily decreasing. This is a vicious circle out of which few see escape, unless you “switch yourself off”.
In the era of digitisation, the new globalisation, people have more opportunities to speak and consume information, and democracy seems to be more and more mature. However, due to the “death”of privacy and the reduced credibility of information, people’s decision-making ability is correspondingly reduced, and the cost of maintaining democracy is also increasing.
Just take Brexit, for example, following a very confusing and questionably truthful campaign. In the whole process of holding a referendum, negotiating with the EU, reaching consensus, and signing an agreement, the UK spent a total of 50 million pounds. However, in the past 45 years, the annual contribution paid by the United Kingdom for the EU was about 50 bullion dollars. Apparently, the United Kingdom has pay a extreme expensive cost to maintain “DEMOCRACY”.
(The Brexit campaign)
(the Anti-Europe bus)
The purpose of the news is to ensure people have access to information. But in fact, with the development of journalism in the digital age, we are faces with a cohort of new enemies. The journalism industry will face greater pressure and challenges as well. At the end of the lecture, Professor Adrian Hadland said: When democracy is in crisis, journalists should ensure accountability, transparency and the public interest. These are fundamental for a healthy democracy. The next generation of journalists is on its way, and we want to ensure we have a healthy and diverse media sphere. Professor Hadland said he is very proud to be a part of the team preparing future journalists for shaping healthy conditions for a democracy we all want to be a part of.
On the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, 11.11.2018, we bring you the ceremonies to remember those who lost their lives in battle from Stirling, where there was a parade and service of remembrance and laying of wreaths in front of the Stirling War Memorial.
Our students were the first students to make use of the new pilot rooms in the Cottrell Building. Featured below are rooms 2B121, 2B129 and 2W5, which have had a makeover and new furniture fitted and new AV facilities installed. Here is a video showing our students using the Pilot Rooms.
As a part of 2018 Stirling Winter Festival, the Christmas Lights in Stirling were switched on on November 14th. Family and friends gather together in the city centre to enjoy a series of activities including a Santa parade, ceilidh and concerts.
On the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, 11.11.2018, we bring you the ceremonies to remember those who lost their lives in battle from Stirling, where there was a parade and service of remembrance and laying of wreaths in front of the Stirling War Memorial.
