MEST3 Exam

Tough new German law puts tech firms and free speech in spotlight https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/05/tough-new-german-law-puts-tech-firms-and-free-speech-in-spotlight Key Data/ Statistical Info US social media companies have scaled up operations in  Germany , where a controversial new law has turned the country into a testbed for whether tech firms can be relied on to tell the difference between free speech and hate speech. Facebook and Twitter have fitted their German websites with additional features for flagging up controversial content, and spent months hiring and training moderators to cope with the Network Enforcement Act, which came into full effect on 1 January 2018. Under the  law , known in Germany as “NetzDG”, online platforms face fines of up to €50m (£44m) if they do not remove “obviously illegal” hate speech and other postings within 24 hours of receiving a notification. A seven-day period is granted for removal of “illegal” content. Figures

Secondary school pupils 'ill-equipped to cope' with stress of social media  https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/04/secondary-school-pupils-ill-equipped-to-cope-with-stress-of-social-media Key Data/ Statistical Info  Children moving from primary to secondary school are ill-equipped to deal with the onslaught of social media which takes on an increasingly important role in their lives, exposing them to significant emotional risk, a  report  says. While eight to 10-year-olds tend to use  social media  in a creative way, often playing games with one another, this changes when they enter secondary school with the use of platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat, where children begin to chase “likes” and positive comments on their posts. “While social media clearly provides some great benefits to children, it is also exposing them to significant risks emotionally, particularly as they approach year 7,” Longfield said, as she published her report Life in Like

Logan Paul apologises for film of man's body in Japan https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/02/outcry-as-youtube-star-posts-video-of-dead-body-in-japan Key Data/ Statistical Info  The 22-year-old American, who has 15 million subscribers on  YouTube , was labelled “disrespectful” and “disgusting” after he joked with his friends about discovering the body in Aokigahara forest, a notorious suicide spot at the base of Mount Fuji. YouTube said Paul’s video violated its policies, but did not respond to calls to suspend him from the site. The number of Japanese who kill themselves has fallen in recent years, although the country still has the sixth highest suicide rate in the world. The lack of services for people with  mental health  problems, as well as debt and serious illness – particularly among elderly people – have also been cited as common causes of suicide in Japan.

Dan Sabbagh: 'Editing news is intense, thrilling and ultimately exhausting' https://www.theguardian.com/membership/2017/dec/31/dan-sabbagh-editing-news-intense-thrilling-ultimately-exhausting Key Data/ Statistical Info  News always flows, sometimes it pours, flooding the Guardian newsdesk without cease via proliferating channels. Every news editor, on arrival in the morning, organises their desktop to highlight the best of the news wires, at least two TV stations,  BBC  and Sky News, Twitter and other social media.  Then they contend with the constant stream of email and chat messages from 50 reporters – the most committed in the business. Now the task is to beat the rolling news channels and publish, within moments, a single paragraph starting from the desk that is filled out, revised and updated by reporters throughout the day. Many of the most important stories come not from one big revelation but through patiently developing a theme – London property ow

Case study: Everyday Sexism 1) Why did Laura Bates start the Everyday Sexism project? She started the project because she received several sexist remarks in one week. Although she did not care that much when she was targeted every so often, the continuity showed her how women everyday are being treated this way.  2) How does the Everyday Sexism project link to the concept of post-feminism? Is feminism still required in western societies? The project links to post- feminism in the sense that it discusses the impact of the feminism movement already. Bates explains that she once encountered a man (who harassed a woman on the street), and was later asked by another man why he acted the way he did. This scenario therefore suggests that feminism has already had some impact on a much larger demographic, especially men. Furthermore, Bates had set up a website called "Everyday Sexism", in which women could post up their stories from their experiences. This links to the concept of

1) Watch the opening of Yasmin (2004) again. Does it offer a positive or negative view of British Muslims? To what extent does it reinforce or challenge Edward Said's theory of Orientalism - that the west is superior to the exotic or uncivilised east? The clip contains mostly a positive view of British Muslims. In the clip we see that Yasmin's character is integrated within British society and embraces British culture e.g when she goes to the pub with her friend. However you could argue that the man who ate peanut butter with his finger appears to be quite uncivilized, reinforcing Said's theory of the behavior of those in the east compared the in the west. Towards the end we also see Yasmin being pulled over by the police (which did not occur previously when he wasn't wearing a hijab). She instantly tells the police officers all the information they need to know which therefore suggests that she has been pulled over many times before. This therefore subverts Said'd