The Media

Milestones in the Evolution of The Media

Year	Milestone	Importance
1922	The BBC (British Broadcasting Company) is formed and the first radio broadcasts are given.	Information and entertainment is distributed faster and becomes more available. (Relation: 1 - many)
1923	Time Magazine launches in the US, the first new magazine.	Spreading information through visual media (photos) is now possible.
1936	The BBC Television Service opens, the first broadcaster in the world to produce a high definition television service.	Spreading information through audio-visual media (videos) is now possible.
1953	Queen Elizabeth II's coronation is watched by over 20 million people on live television across Europe - the Age of Television is ushered in.	TV is widely spread on common.
1971	First e-mail sent between computers	Individual communication (over long distances) is possible and simplified. (Relation: 1 - 1)
1973	First cell phone	Individual communication via speech is portable.
1980	CNN launches the first 24-hour new station.	New coverage is constant and nearly instant.
1985	Live Aid, a rock concert to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia, is one of the largest-scale satellite link-ups and TV broadcasts of all time - with around 400 million viewers in 60 different countries.	The media does not only reach millions of viewers world-wide but is also used to point out and raise awareness for different issues.
1993	The World Wide Web is made available to everyone.	The internet becomes a public platform for global information exchange
1997	There are one million websites; blogging begins.	Transition towards user-generated content. (Relation: 1 - few)
2001	Wikipedia launches	New form of knowledge-sharing with collaborative features.
2004	Facebook launches	Era of social media and self-depiction begins, changing how humans maintain relationships.
2005	YouTube goes live	Shifted media consumption from professional broadcasts to user-generated video, allowing anyone to become a global content creator.
2006	Wikileaks starts	Anonymous revelation of secret information (about governments and other institutions) is possible.
2007	Apple releases first iPhone (smartphone).	Access to the internet becomes portable and is combined with additional features (camera, cell phone). It is a tool for media creation and sharing.
2011	Activists organise an uprising in Egypt with the help of social networking sites.	Social media can be a powerful tool for groups to organise themselfs up to real-life actions.
2012	The London Olympics - first 3D Games with live coverage available in HD, on tablets, mobiles, radio and TV.	Content is available across various types of media at once.
2013	Social media is a major source of information about the Boston Marathon bombing.	Photos and videos of major historical events spread in an instant world-wide by eyewitnesses, passing traditional new stations.

Keypoints of the Journalistic Code

• Journalists should serve the truth.
• Journalists should research and report facts only.
• Journalists must seek the truth as part of the public's right to know the truth.
• Journalists must be accurate, objective and fair.
• Journalists must think about and question the topics they report on.
• Journalists should report on major events of public importance and interest.
• Journalists should serve the general welfare of the people.
• Journalists must guard the freedom of press.
• Journalists should put public statements and actions into context.
• Journalists should protect the right to express unpopular opinions.
• Journalists must not be biased.
• Journalists must respect the rights of individuals (e.g. dignity, privacy, well-being).

Violations of the Journalistic Code

German Yellow Press: "Bild"

The German newspaper Bild has a long history of violating journalistic principles, mostly disregarding personal rights for the pure purpose of sensation. Officials at Bild defend such publications, citing the public's right to know the truth. The strategies used by Bild and their justifications demonstrate how journalistic principles can conflict with one another, depending on the perspective from which they are viewed.

A reacurring scene is the usage of a practice called "widow shaking" where journalists interview people after the death of a relative (or another tragic event), often before officials have had a chance to inform them of their loss. The victims (of the journalists) are in a highly emotional state, making them more willing to share personal information with the journalist.

Solingen (2021)

A direct example is the tragedy in Solingen in 2021. A mother tried to stab her five children and herself; only one child survived. Bild has intervied the 12-year-old child and published private chat messages, not respecting the personal rights of the survivor.