Weekly new and digital media story 1

'Attack on journalism': WikiLeaks responds to Google's cooperation with US govt

Google’s willingness to surrender the private emails of WikiLeaks staffers to the United States government amounts to an “attack on journalism,” a representative for the whistleblower group says.

Kristinn Hrafnsson, an Icelandic journalist who joined WikiLeaks as the group’s spokesman in 2010, said he’s “appalled” that Google gave up his personal correspondence and other sensitive details to the US government in compliance with a search warrant served to the tech giant, apparently in an effort to bring charges against the anti-secrecy organization and its editor, Julian Assange.

“I believe this is an attack on me. As a journalist for now almost 30 years, I think this is an attack on journalism,” Hrafnsson said Monday at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

Earlier that day, WikiLeaks announced that the Google accounts registered to three staffers – Hrafnsson, investigations editor Sarah Harrison and senior editor Joseph Farrell – had been the subject of federal search warrants served to the tech giant in March 2012.

According to Hrafnsson, the warrants compelled Google to give up the contents of the WikiLeaks staffers’ Gmail accounts, including deleted messages, draft emails, photo attachments and information about the IP addresses where those accounts had logged on from.

The fact that Google have been able to access people's personal information and messages for their own use perhaps highlights the fact that the democratisation offered by the internet is an illusion. In truth everything we post on the internet such as blogs, are all posted on a site owned by a large institution, the elite, who ultimately holds the power to remove, delete, or edit our post if we chose, therefore showing that even online we are in the hands of the elite, following the Marxist theory.

Weekly new and digital media story 2

Social engagement now more important than TV ratings, says Fremantle boss

Advertisers now see TV’s ability to generate social media as its most valuable asset, says FremantleMedia’s digital chief Keith Hindle

Television might be here to stay but the industry is experiencing a seismic shift towards social media, FremantleMedia’s Keith Hindle has told the Guardian. 

Hindle – chief executive of digital and branded entertainment at the production giant behind The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol – said that the level of social engagement that shows drive has superseded TV ratings as the most important indicator of content’s success in the eyes of advertisers.

He said TV “would be here for a long time” but described the change as a significant turning point for an industry in which social engagement would have been treated as an afterthought five years ago: “No longer is it: here’s a content idea we’re going to make, let’s produce it, put it up and then let’s think about the social engagement around it.”

Hindle added that sponsors would no longer sign up to content unless they had confidence in the social media strategy: “There’s a belief among major advertisers, associated with major pieces of content that the content is a paid media campaign to drive an earned media result. That’s the really interesting shift.

“A few years ago, the only things that mattered was ratings. Now what matters more is the level of social engagement around the content.”

This highlights the prominence of new and digital media in the television industry. The fact that television producers and marketers now have to take into consideration their media campaigns before they start filming shows the impact of new and digital media. Companies now look to utilise the internet to advertise their programmes because of its popularity and emergence as the modern media platform.

Identities and the Media: Reading the Riots

How did the language and selection of images in the coverage create a particular representation of young people? 

The selection of images created a completely negative portrayal of young people with images of fire and vandalism chosen to give an impression of the destruction young people caused. All young people pictured were also made to look very intimidating and all had the costume of a typical 'chav', conforming to the typical teenage stereotype.

Why does David Buckingham mention Owen Jones and his work Chavs: the demonisation of the working class?

He mentions Owen Jones because Jones is someone who has published books speaking about how the media demonizes the lower class, which they have done in their filming of the riots, making lower class teenagers seem like uneducated and violent individuals.

What is the typical representation of young people – and teenage boys in particular? What did the 2005 IPSOS/MORI survey find?

The survey found that 40% of articles that included or mentioned young people simply focused on violence and not any positive actions done by young people. In total 71% of the articles presented them in a negative manner highlighting the typical negative stereotype spread through the media.

How can Stanley Cohen’s work on Moral Panic be linked to the coverage of the riots?

The media know that there is already a moral panic within society about young people, who society believes to be violent and aggressive, especially males, which the media has tried to accentuate through its coverage and make people believe it further.

What elements of the media and popular culture were blamed for the riots?

Some elements that were blamed were rap music, violent video games and reality TV for their ‘undisciplined’ nature.

How was social media blamed for the riots? What was interesting about the discussion of social media when compared to the Arab Spring in 2011?

Social media was blamed for helping to organise and spread the riots as most people that use social media are young adults, which were also the main group involved with the riots.However in coverage of the Arab springs social media was presented as a democratic platform in which people are able to freely express their opinions and fight against oppression and dictatorship.

The riots generated a huge amount of comment and opinion - both in mainstream and social media. How can the two-step flow theory be linked to the coverage of the riots? 

The two step-floe theory can be applied as many famous people commented on the riots. One example may be Russell Brand, who has millions of twitter followers and his opinions shared on twitter may have certainly influenced the views of people that follow him.

Alternatively, how might media scholars like Henry Jenkins view the 'tsunami' of blogs, forums and social media comments? Do you agree that this shows the democratisation of the media?

I do think that the massive response online in response to the riots highlights the democratisation of the media as the media offers a platform in which anyone can freely express their views on such opinionated subjects like the riots. Without the internet only the elite on television have a voice that is heard.

What were the right-wing responses to the causes of the riots?

The right wing responses to the riots were heavily critical of those that took part in the riots, specifically targeting youths, comparing them to animals and stating that they should be put on 'leashes'.

What were the left-wing responses to the causes of the riots?

The left wing responses were much more accepting of the actual rioters, instead blaming society's negative image of youths spread through the media as well as faults made by the government, cutting funding to youth centres and other incentives for youths, causing them to rebel.

What are your OWN views on the main causes of the riots?

I think that the riots were a result of a culmination of factors. I think that although the rioters were ultimately wrong for what they did, the right wing view is very inconsiderate to the leading circumstances. I think that the constant cut of funding of youth centres and the cut of the EMA made youths feel ostracised from society and that the government didn't care about them. Cuts to youth centres were understandable to an extent but the sudden withdrawal of the EMA would have heavily affected many young adults studying, who used the small amount of money they received from it to help with living costs at University, which had already just increased to £9000 a year. 

As well as this the fact that it was summer when the riots took place is also significant, youths woere all off school, and with very few youth centres still existing had nothing to  occupy them, which made the riots an attractive opportunity to get out and do something with their free time.

How can capitalism be blamed for the riots? What media theory (from our new/digital media unit) can this be linked to?

Capitalism can be blamed as it has caused us to live in a materialistic society in which people are now attracted to designer brands and labels in order to stand out and appear wealthy. Because of this the riots offered the opportunity to gain more materialistic items by looting shops, 

Were people involved in the riots given a voice in the media to explain their participation?

A majority of people that went out and rioted were not given a voice by the media to explain their participation because it would completely go against the media accepted and politically correct right wing view, as the left wing view would challenge and seek to blame the government, something that the media and those in power will not let happen. Instead they chose to demonise the youths because they are of a lower class. 

The few rioters that were interviewed during the riots were complete conformants to the negative stereotypes portrayed by the media, wearing hoodies, covering their faces with bandannas, speaking with slang and showing an overall lack of education. I'm sure a majority of the rioters were well educated individuals, hence why the EMA removal had such an impact, however interviewing an intellectual rioter who could actually justify he rioted and who could give his political opinions on the government and constant would allow people to see the alternative argument and go against the stereotype the media wants to portray. 

What is your own opinion on the riots? Do you have sympathy with those involved or do you believe strong prison sentences are the right approach to prevent such events happening in future?

I think it's difficult to give a definitive answer to the question. In my opinion, as stated earlier, there were legitimate reasons for some people to riot and showcase their frustration at the constant abandonment from the government in terms of funding and therefore I have sympathy with these people.

I do however think that rioting was completely the wrong way to go about getting that message across. I do't think ruining someone's business and damaging their property can ever be justified. I feel that a well organised protest would be a much better alternative, however arguably this would not have gained anywhere near as much attention.

In addition I completely condemn those who simply went out rioting in order to loot and steal whatever they could. I think that this is completely unacceptable and only feeds the media the negative perception of youths they want to spread.

Institution case study: News Corporation

1) Research News Corporation’s response to the growth of new and digital media by listing each of the institution’s brands (Sky News, Times etc.) Have any closed, changed or been in the news in the last five years for any reason?

• The Sun
• The Times
• Sunday Times
• Press Association
• Foxtel
• Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox), a US broadcast television network
• MyNetworkTV, a US broadcast television network
• Fox Television Stations, a group of owned and operated Fox television stations
• Saeta TV Channel 10, channel of Uruguay
• ITV plc (7.5%), a British broadcast television network and the UK's largest advertising revenue based broadcaster
• BSkyB, United Kingdom & Ireland (39.1% holding). In practice, a controlling interest.

2) Develop examples of the impact that new and digital media has had on News Corp’s brands (paywalls, readership figures, audience share etc.)

New and digital media has negatively impacted all of Newscorps brands. The prevalence of easily accessible news online for free has fuelled the decline of the newspaper industry in general as broadsheets no longer sell as a result, leading to titles such as The Sun and The Time continuously making losses.

These losses have forced Newscorp titles like The Sun to go behind a pay wall in an attempt to regain revenue through online subscriptions, however even The Sun's 225,000 subscriptions can not make up for the decline in broadsheet sales.

Why and with what success are traditional media institutions adapting to the challenge posed by new/digital media?

Traditional media institutions are being forced to adapt to new and digital media as it is now the dominant and most popular platform. If traditional media institutions do not adapt, they will inevitably go bust and continue to lose money as there is very little money outside new and digital media in the modern era, highlighted by the constant losses made by newspaper companies.

Overall news institutions are not adapting to the challenge posed by new and digital media very well because it is not the change in platform that is necessarily the problem. It is the ability to access free news on websites such as the BBC that is killing newspapers, even if they make the switch to new and digital media proven by the Sun still making losses despite 250,000 subscribers. 

Weekly new and digital media story 1

BuzzFeed hires Heidi Blake to head UK investigative journalism team

Sunday Times assistant editor won awards for Qatar World Cup bid scoop and was also involved in Telegraph’s Vince Cable ‘I’ve declared war on Murdoch’ sting

BuzzFeed has hired Heidi Blake, whose reporting credits include the award-winning story into alleged bribery by Qatar to win the 2022 World Cup, to set up and lead a UK investigative journalism unit.

The social sharing news and entertainment site has hired Blake, a Sunday Times assistant editor attached to the paper’s Insight investigative team, to lead a soon-to-be recruited team of initially three reporters.

Blake’s appointment is the first expansion of BuzzFeed News’s investigations unit beyond the US.

This article highlights the fact that the difference between the so called 'professional journalism' written for broadsheets and online journalism is becoming blurred as online news service Buzzfeed have now hired a professionally acclaimed journalist to write and investigate stories, highlighting the growing power and influence of online news.

Weekly new and digital media story 2

Does the Sun really speak to more people than Russell Brand?

The Sun has stepped up its attacks on Russell Brand in recent days but in many ways the comedian is now much more influential than the paper

The Sun newspaper has run two front pages this week attacking comedian and political activist Russell Brand, but is it really controlling the public debate any more?

The Sun sells 1.9m newspapers a day, according to the latest ABC figures from November. This is considerably more than the 48,000 copies Brand’s latest book, Revolution, had sold up to 22 November, according to Nielsen.

However, Brand dwarfs the paper’s reach on the majority of the world’s favourite social media sites. He has 8.6 million Twitter followers, which is 13 times more than the Sun. He also has 1.2 million more Facebook followers.

While the Sun’s most viewed video on YouTube, Page 3: the women you’d love your woman to be like, got 4.5m views, Brand took 5.7m for his interview of the Westboro Baptist church.

In terms of regular viewers, the comedian has nearly 100 times more subscribers to his channel, where he hosts his video series The Trews,than the Sun.

This highlights the power that celebrities can gain through social media in that they have the ability to take on a major news institution due to the amount of followers he has on twitter.

Weekly new and digital media story 2

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/nov/23/vine-comedy-clips-journalistic-tool-alex-thomson

Vine shifts from comedy clips to a valid journalistic tool

Channel 4’s Alex Thomson filmed Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone and shared the short videos on Twitter

Vine is a video sharing app that allows a user to film and edit six-second clips, which loop continuously, and post them online. It was founded in June 2012 and was bought by Twitter in October the same year. It now claims 100 million people are watching Vines each month.

Although it is still mainly used for visual gags and comedy – France’s Jerome Jarre, for example, has more than 7 million followers and has turned comedy “Vining” into a career – Vine is becoming an increasingly popular journalistic reporting tool.

In recent months Vines have been used to report on stories from the riots in Ferguson and the Scottish referendum to last week’s student protests in London. Video filmed in the app is low resolution and, obviously, very short, so the video file is small and can be uploaded to the internet with a relatively weak connection.

This is an example of user generated content that arguably has improved the standard of journalism. In my opinion it has, as videos such as these of ebola in Sierra Leone and riots in Ferguson, which news institutions can use in their reporting of the event. 

Weekly new and digital media 1

Digital giants get bigger at the expense of the small blog sites

The growth of companies such as BuzzFeed, Gawker, Mashable and Vice Media could crush independent journalistic enterprise

The article highlights the way in which big institutions such as AOL have been recently buying off their smaller competition or making ‘investments’. It also states how channels and media outlets online such as buzz feed are experiencing increases in profit. The rest of the article outlines how there has been in recent times and emergence of profitable user generated content on websites such as YouTube.

In my opinion this again highlights the power of the big media giants and their ability to simply buy off their competition meaning that they keep their customers and a majority of the revenue available, meaning that it is very difficult for any new smaller companies to emerge.

Weekly new and digital media story 2

#illridewithyou: hashtag offers solidarity with Sydney's Muslims after siege

After concerns that people wearing Islamic dress could be harassed, Sydney locals have been using Twitter to offer to travel with them

With hostages still in danger and central Sydney in lockdown, residents have turned to social media to spread a message of tolerance.

Locals have became concerned about the potential for rising intolerance or aggression towards people wearing religious dress.

One woman started what soon blossomed into a social media campaign to stand in solidarity with the city’s Muslims.

I think that this highlights one of the positives of social media in that it can bring people together and spread a positive message. The internet is usually notorious for trolling and abuse however this highlights that positive messages can be spread online and through social media. 

Updated story index

1 Facebook under fire from drag queens over 'real-name' rule

2 Minecraft studio Mojang bought by Microsoft for $2.5bn

3 iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus: 'Record breaking' four million units pre-ordered in 24 hours

4 Murdoch's Newscorp accuses Google of having "overwhelming power"

5 Pornhub launches record label 'Pornhub Records'

6 Does free speech give us the right to anonymously troll strangers?

7 James Murdoch attacks Google over piracy links

8 Spain moves to protect domestic media with new 'Google tax'

9 Online voting should be made mandatory, says Martha Lane Fox

10 Vine star Dapper Laughs is not laughing any more after ITV turn-off

11 Local papers cautious as BBC courts them with free content

12  Times newspaper turns first operating profit since 2001

13  UK set to be first country in which more than half of ad spend goes digital

14  Stephen Foster: The future's online but Rupert Murdoch shows print isn't dead as Times Newspapers turn a profit

15. Is ‘The Interview’ The Future Of Movies? YouTube Premiere Of Sony Comedy Offers Distribution Case Study For Hollywood

16 'The Interview' gets the job done: $31M in sales

17 News Corp UK suffers £3.5m loss after £51m profit the year before

18 Reading Post bids a print farewell and welcomes an online future

19 The TV is dead, long live television

20 Google News Spain to be shut down: what does it mean?
21 Government must fund hyper local news, urges new report

22  Facebook app lets you view anyone’s hidden photos

23 #illridewithyou: hashtag offers solidarity with Sydney's Muslims after siege

24 Digital giants get bigger at the expense of the small blog sites
25 Vine shifts from comedy clips to a valid journalistic tool

26 Does the Sun really speak to more people than Russell Brand?

Weekly new and digital media 1

http://metro.co.uk/2014/12/30/facebook-app-lets-you-view-anyones-hidden-photos-5003545/

Government must fund hyperlocal news, urges new report

A new browser extension, available now on the Chrome web store, boasts that it will let you view the hidden photos of ‘anyone on Facebook’ – whether they’re your friend or not.

Facebook users currently have the ability to ‘hide from their timeline’ any unflattering photo that they don’t wish others to see.

In my opinion this highlights some of the dangers that come with using the internet, it can be easy for people to invade someone else's privacy. 

Weekly new and digital media story 2

http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/dec/08/government-must-fund-hyperlocal-news-urges-new-report

Government must fund hyper local news, urges new report

The report argues that 

• Ofcom should welcome grassroots hyperlocal media as a positive asset in contributing to media plurality.

• The government should widen existing financial interventions in the local news market to include hyperlocals. For instance, it should permit local authorities to spend some of their statutory advertising budgets through hyperlocal news providers.

• The BBC and other local news organisations should facilitate stronger relationships with hyperlocal news providers.

• The Lottery, and other relevant funders, should consider the potential for establishing a new funding programme dedicated to hyperlocal news sites.

I do think that hyperlocal news should be provided with some sort of financial backing considering the economic decline of the newspaper industry in general. I think that with newspapers likely to move online and onto the pay wall like the Sun, this is likely to be the end of most local newspapers as they will not gain enough subscriptions to survive, therefore they will need financial assistance from the government.

Weekly new and digital media story 1

Google News Spain to be shut down: what does it mean?

Google news has stopped its news service in Spain and removed all links to Spanish media in it's search results due  to the Google tax introduced in Spain to protect Spanish newspaper industries, not allowing Google to provide free news, which causes newspapers to lose money

I think that it highlights the power of Google that it is willing to completely withdraw ts services from an entire country, knowing that it will not be massively influenced due to the large revenues it already creates. I do however think that it probably will help Spanish newspapers to an extent as they will now have to go to newspapers for their news where they will have to pay.

News on the Tweet

1. Why are respected news brands good news for Twitter?

Respected news brands are good for twitter because they bring with them a large following of readers who may then join twitter in order to follow their favourite newspaper online, which benefits both parties.

2. Why in turn is Twitter good for respected news brands?

Twitter is good for respected news brands because twitter users can gain access to their stories using the site. For example if the newspaper posts a link to a post on their page and people re tweet it, more and more people will click on it. It also enables newspapers to interact and adapt to their younger audience who are unlikely to buy broadsheets.

3. The report suggests that old and new media “are not, in fact, in direct competition, but often work extremely well together to enhance both the media eco-system and the consumer experience”. What evidence do they provide to support this idea? Do you agree with it?

The report uses evidence to support new and old media working together such as through twitter, people are able to gain a trusted and respected brand to validate breaking reports, allowing people to gain access to news immediately and gain trusted news. It also uses the example of community in which through following a newspaper on twitter you can interact and debate with people with similar interests and political beliefs. I do think that this shows old media and new media working together, in that old media is the newspaper institution and twitter the new social platform. However this does not solve the problem of old media broadsheets being sold, and in fact only worsens the problem for news institutions to an extent by sharing free content on twitter.

4. On page 24/25 of the report, the focus turns to gossip or banter. What example tweets from journalists are used to illustrate this? 

Tom Newton Dunn @tnewtondunn:

Biggest cheer at the Emirates tonight by 

#AFC? To an announcement for the MUFC 

away fans that no more trains leaving Euston

Lucy Tobin @lucytobin:

Excellent: a University has spent £20,000 

building a mock pub for students to 

investigate why people get drunk. http://t.

co/0iaUkZi1GI.

Neil Ashton @neilashton:

Arsenal are toast: In all seriousness now, what 

are the sales figures like for this kind of stuff

5. Do you think the increasing amount of gossip or banter is harming the reputation of news and journalists?

I think that when using the new media, online platform of twitter that institutions should adapt to the audience on that platform. The main reason institutions are on twitter is to appeal to younger audiences,therefore I think that using gossip and banter especially is a good way in engaging them in the news. In the same way that broadsheets should be professional and well written due to the older audience, institutions should appeal to their audience online by using these techniques.

6. What does the report say about trust in Twitter and journalists (look at pages 34-39)?

The report says that "Almost half of all Twitter users, and almost two thirds of newsbrand users, say it is important that news on Twitter is verified by a respected brand.This helps build trust in the content". This again adds to the point that on twitter newspapers are able to varify breaking news and people are able to gain trusted news quickly.

7. Finally, do you think new and digital media developments such as Twitter have had a positive or negative impact on traditional newspapers?

In terms of the institution as a whole I think that twitter has massively helped newspapers appeal to their younger audiences who otherwise may never see or be aware of many of the stories they are able to access through their twitter feed. These twitter pages are a great way to appeasl to the younger generation and keep them interested and informed with the news.

However giving free content online and posting links to free content on twitter is part of the problem that is causing newspapers to continuously make losses. Younger generations aren't going to pay for content if they can get the content for fee through links on twitter and online. Therefore giving this content on twitter is adding to the problem of broadsheets declining. 

Weekly new and digital media story 1

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/09/tv-dead-long-live-television-format-consuming

The TV is dead, long live television

We might be turning off our sets, but the format is thriving – we’re just consuming it in different ways

• For the first time, the number of UK homes with a television has fallen, with ownership dropping from 26.33 million households to 26.02 million between 2012 and 2013, according to media regulator Ofcom.

• We’re consuming it in different ways: according to Ofcom, nearly 1 million homes have broadband but no telly, while in the past 18 months BBC iPlayer requests from tablets or mobiles have risen from 25% to 47%.

• The rise of the YouTube superstar reflects the way young people are changing how content is produced and consumed

The article discusses the future of the television in households and the possibility of programmes to be completely consumed online in the future online. I do believe that far more programming will begin to move online, proven by BBC Three's recent decision to move online, meaning that far more programmes will be watched over the internet and fewer people will watch content on the TV. However I don't think the television will ever be completely removed from households as in my opinion they are still important and there is certainly still a market for it, going online is unlikely to make any more money from advertising than on TV, the BBC is an exception because it is publicly funded.

Weekly new and digital media story 2

Reading Post bids a print farewell and welcomes an online future

The Reading Post has just published its final issue after its owner, Trinity Mirror, decided to stop publishing its newsprint version.

One of the Post’s articles relates the paper’s 49-year history while another explains the virtues of its online future.

Launched as the Evening Post on 14 September 1965, the Post was then regarded as “the most technologically advanced paper in the country.”

In 1991, it became a tabloid, and three years later it was acquired by the Guardian Media Group (GMG). It turned from a daily into a weekly in May 2009 before GMG sold it on to Trinity Mirror the following year.

Now Trinity Mirror aims, its says, to continue the Post’s legacy of being at the forefront of innovation by focusing on a digital-only approach, a change celebrated by Ed Walker, who has been appointed as publisher of getreading.co.uk. He writes:

“The average adult in the UK who owns a smartphone (such as an iPhone) unlocks their phone more than 100 times a day, and by early 2015 the percentage of adults with a smartphone is set to pass 80%.

We have to ensure getreading is one of those key places people turn to when unlocking their phone, be it for a quick catch-up on the latest news or an in-depth read on the issues affecting our town.”

I think that this move by the Reading Post to move online signals the future of online journalism and newspapers. It is economically unsustainable for the larger newspapers to continue to focus on their print platform let alone smaller papers such as this one. I do however think that the newspaper may struggle online to gain enough revenue from advertising to continue, considering that the Sun is making losses with 225,000 subscribers, it is very difficult for newspapers to make profit. I therefore think that in the future all newspapers will go online and most likely behind a pay wall, and I think that this will mean the end of smaller brands such as this one going bust because people are only going to subscribe to a few popular brands and not lesser known ones, meaning that in the future I think only the major news institutions are likely to be around, unless smaller and local newspapers can gain funding from someone like the BBC.

Weekly new and digital media story 1

http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/dec/17/news-corp-uk-suffers-35m-loss-after-51m-profit-the-year-before

News Corp UK suffers £3.5m loss after £51m profit the year before

Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper and publishing division suffered an operating loss of £3.5m in the year up to June 2014 compared to a £51m profit the year before.

The loss by News Corp UK & Ireland, which owns the Times, Sunday Times, the Sun and the book publisher HarperCollins, is revealed in accounts filed by the company, without fanfare, at Companies House. 

One stand-out feature was the plunge in the profitability of the Sun, where operating profits were down to £35.6m from £62.1m in 2013.

The Sun’s revenues fell 5.5% to £489m, due, says the report, “to continuing market decline in newspaper circulation, particularly for the popular segment”.

Last month, the paper revealed that some 225,000 subscribers had signed up for online packages, which it regarded as a success, but it did not compensate for the continuing decline in print revenues.

Similarly, earlier this month, News UK made much of Times Newspapers having returned an operating profit of £1.7m, but the accounts reveal that it suffered a pre-tax loss.

After a previously positive financial outlook from their pay wall system and released profits it seems as though the pay wall has not been so successful after all. Despite encouraging signs with 225,000 people subscribed to the Sun the profits were not enough to make up for the failing print platform. This perhaps suggests that even a pay wall may not be enough to save newspapers considering that even with that many subscribers it can't make profit. However the article does speak of the heavy fines faced by Newscorp due to their hacking scandal which have significantly contributed to their losses. I therefore feel that the pay wall is the future of newspapers as the print format, as proven by The Sun is no longer economically viable.