Kant's writings are largely a response to Hume, discuss

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher that sought to reject the epistemology of Hume. He rejected Hume's idea that people were irrational and thought it was essential that humans should be rational, so that they could be moral and free. Hume is a very important philosopher to know in journalism; he's interesting and fearless.

Hume speaks about perceptions which is any content of the mind. Perceptions can be impressions or ideas. They can be anything you see, hear, feel or think. Beliefs can be separated into either relations of ideas or matters of fact. A relation of ideas is a priori bond between ideas. For instance, 5+5=10 or all bachelors are unmarried. Matters of fact are to do with experience, a posteriori. We know these through a process of cause and effect. This does, however, rely on a belief in causation and induction. Hume believes that all matters of fact are fundamentally non-rational.

Kant believe he had a stronger form of Hume's a priori knowledge, named synthetic a priori; knowledge that can be gained independently of experience. For example, if there was 1,000 living people in a football stadium and this is fact, you could also derive from that knowledge the minimum capacity of the stadium must be at least 1,000 people, you would also know the stadium could support human life and that time elapsing.

Through this, Kant has established the existence of both space and time. An object cannot possibly exist outside of time and space, they are the pre-conditions of all experience.

Kant supposedly saves science and metaphysics from scepticism, such as Hume's, in observing that every change has a cause and effect to nature. 

He rejects previous ideas that things exist if they are perceived, claiming they have to exist in order to perceive them; existence is a predicate of perception. Although Kant suggests reality is shaped by our perception, his theory is not solipsist as he believes the universe exists independently of the mind.

Kant believes we perceive the world by processing raw data into 12 innate categories; unity, plurality (or not), totality (or not), reality, negation, extension (substance), cause and effect, community (likeness to other objects), possibility (or impossibility), existence (or non-existence) and necessity (or contingency).

Anything in the world that is observed fits into at least one of the above categories. Kant argues that our perceptions only exist in our minds as phenomena. Phenomena are real objects in the mind as we perceive them whereas noumena is the object itself, rather than as it is perceived.

Any object has a dual nature; the way it is naturally and the way it is when we perceive it. We can never know the noumena as once an object it is perceived by us, it is the phenomena.

Kant's moral philosophy was called the Categorical Imperative. It was a set of maxims that should be lived by, regardless of the situation. Any action could only be justifiable moral if it could be universalised without contradiction. For example, stealing a loaf of bread to feed your starving family may seem justifiable, but stealing a car is not. However, as stealing is not acceptable in every situation, you have a contradiction, so in Kant's view, it would never be acceptable to steal.

10,000 Views!

I hit the first milestone - 10,000 views!

Thank you to everyone ready my blog and commenting on posts - it really means a lot to me.

Reporting for Television

This is the essential guide for television reporting. The main thing you must remember is stories, 95% of the time, are about people. People ARE stories.

Firstly, it's important to know the terminology.
PACKAGE - a journalist's TV report.

PTC - piece to camera. Essentially, it's a reporter talking to a camera.

SOT - sound on tape.

GRAB/CLIP - interview sound of tape.

UPSOT - sound up on tape.

OOV - out of vision.
ULAY - an underlay.

NATSOT - natural sound on tape.

VO - voice over.

TALKING HEAD - an interview.

GV - general view.

CUT AWAY - covering shots - useful for editing or change of scene.

SOQ - standard out cue - cut off.

So now you know the basic terms and their definitions - here's the essentials of what you have to do to make a good piece.

ON ASSIGNMENT:

• First and foremost, do your research. Know where you are going, why you are going there, who you're going to see, why that person or place is important, who will be your target audience - cover all grounds.
• Know your library. It's good to know what resources you'll be able to use so you can prepare properly for your package.
• Check your equipment. This may sound basic, and it is, but it is vital you do this. There would be nothing worse than getting the chance to have the perfect interview and not having a tape to record it on, or a book to write it down.
• Get permission. It is legal for you to film in public as long as you're not being a nuisance or identifying children. Just check before you go to a location that you have full rights to be there.
• Know where you're going and be punctual. It is better to be an hour early than a minute late. It is vital if at a press conference or any important meeting you get the best seats in order to get the best quality film.
• Start shooting as soon as you can. Moments don't wait until you're ready, you want to make sure you don't miss any.

FILMING:

• Shoot in sequences. Be in control and try and get all the shots you need, using variation and thinking about actuality and shots for cutaways.
• Use different size shots. Keep the filming interesting. However, be careful not to zoom in and out to much because that's not what happens in real life with your own eyes - keep it realistic. 
• Shoot longer and more than you usually would. This is vital for editing. Cutaways can be used to cover edited moments and if you film a few seconds before and after every important shot it will give you more lenience during the editing process. Remember, too much is better than too little.
• Maintain continuity. Remember the specifics of shots so that you won't have five second with a man with a gun in his left hand, then change shot and it's in his right side.
• Shoot cutaways. It is vital to use them to cover up any possible jump cuts to make the piece smoother.
• Shoot in thirds. This is very important for decent shots. Imagine your shot has a grid of 9 squares, all equal sizes. Use it to guide your shots, for equal proportions and professional shots.

PTC:

• Don't start with PTC. That's just simple - try to be more inventive. If you want your piece to stand out from the others, try and shake it up a bit.
• Place yourself in the action. It's not going to add anything to the piece if you're sat at home talking about a riot in another city.
• Use movement. Don't just sit or stand there - walk and talk. However, make sure you start walking before you talk, otherwise it will look unnatural.
• Only do PTC if it adds something to the piece. People won't want to hear you talk if it doesn't make the piece any better. Don't try and drag it out, get the best information in. If you don't manage to fit your face in, well, that's just too bad.

INTVERVIEWS:

• Get cut aways. By now, we all know the importance of that.
• Get an intro shot for your interviewee. Introduce your interviewee with images somehow. It doesn't need to be amazing or in-depth, just something simple. For instance, if you are shooting a story about a man who was ran over by a car and lost his legs, film him getting out of bed and into his wheelchair.

COMING HOME:

• Start writing your story. Everything will be fresh as soon as you're coming home. Write down the idea of the construction of what you want.
• Check pictures. Make sure they're out of the library and on database.
• Organise graphics. Use graphics to explain facts and statistics.
• Report back to the news editor. It helps to keep in touch and if anything needs altering or changing it'll solve possible problems from arising.

WRITING YOUR INTRODUCTION:

• Introduce your piece before everything else. People need to know what your piece is about in a short, sharp way to know if they're interested or not. It is, however, important to ensure you're first line/s of your introduction aren't the same as the link.
• Remember the five W's - and the occasional H. Who, what, when, where, why and how. You need to fit this vital information into the first part of your piece, then you can expand.
• Never repeat yourself. Ensure you don't go over information in your main piece if you've already said it in your introduction.

WRITING YOUR STORY:

• Use present tense if possible. Keeping it up-to-date and now will maintain people's interest.
• Keep stories fresh. In an ever changing world, people want to know what is going on right now - they don't want to be told the same thing in the same way over and over again.
• One idea per sentence. Don't go on and on, say what you have to say and move on.
• Use plain English. Most people understand plain English - stay with simple.
• Use simple numbers. Saying two thirds is much better than 66.6%, it's just keeping it easily understandable.
• Use graphics to explain numbers. It makes it clearer for the audience to understand and it makes it more interesting - rather than just watching someone talk.

PACKAGING:

• Start with your best pictures. The first few seconds are vital for capturing the audience's attention. Reel them in with your best work.
• Don't name your interviewee. Just use a caption at the bottom of the frame, it's just keeping it short and sweet.
• Limit grabs to 20 seconds maximum. For instance, three vox pops. Once again, it's about maintaining the audience's attention by keeping everything fresh.
• End with something that has significant meaning. Don't end with a question, that's just typical. You want something that will be memorable and will make the audience want to tune in again.
• Don't end on an interview. That's the lazy way of signing out - it just doesn't work.
• Use natural sound. It makes the entire piece seem more real and natural.
• Don't describe the picture. Only use words to compliment a picture instead of describing it.

That is the basic guide for creating your television piece - follow the simple rules and with practise, you'll be able to make a decent piece.

The Essential Dos and Don'ts in Media Law

Do you want to become a journalist? A celebrity feature writer? A news reader? A travel journalist? An investigative journalist like the great Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein? Or even a modern day William Rees-Mogg?

If your answer is yes, then you'll need to know the essential dos and don'ts of media law.

So let's get started.

THE DON'TS

• DO NOT write/say/publish anything that you know to be untrue or if it is purposely to harm another without any justification or without just cause.
• DO NOT dishonestly present sources or information. Avoid interviews or information directly from family members or friends.
• DO NOT pay people to pretend to be a source. That's not cool.
• DO NOT make up sources, interviews or any other content you wish to publish unless clearly stated it is fictional.
• DO NOT purposely cause disrepute or disruption. It is not wise or even funny to edit your work after it has been cleared by your editor or superior, all you will get is a bollocking.
• DO NOT publish discriminatory or racially offensive material. Not only is it not socially unacceptable, it is against the law.
• DO NOT publish your work without checking the simple attributes such as grammar, spelling and sentence structure.
• DO NOT even consider publishing your work if you are not sure if it complies with the law.
• DO NOT be stupid. Don't breach any privacy, confidentiality, trespassing, copyrighting or child protection (and so on and so forth) laws. That'll just get you in trouble.

That's about it with the don'ts. Now to the more positive side - the dos.

THE DOS

• DO try and detach yourself from the subject you are writing about. Disinterestedness is key.
• DO get out into the industry and find yourself some useful sources. A lot of journalism is to do with who you know, not what you know.
• DO be professional and responsible at all times when presenting yourself or your publication. If you want to be taken seriously in the media industry, you must make yourself appear to be someone who can be taken seriously.
• DO check your facts over and over again. Facts are brilliant in publications if they are 100% accurate.
• DO maintain an up-to-date working knowledge of media law and media regulation. Unfortunately, not knowing if changes have been made isn't an excuse for breaking the law.

Although media regulation can put you 'in a box' and limit you as a journalist, it is there for a good reason - to try and regulate the media. 

What would happen without media law? Would the newspapers be full of lies? Would the radio be more interesting? Would publications start growing legs and walking around the streets throwing news at us?

Probably not.

However, we'll never know.

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KEY WORDS AND DEFINITIONS IN MEDIA LAW

DISREPUTE 

A low standard of esteem or credit.

i.e. Unfortunately, Rupert Murdoch brings disrepute into the journalism industry.

MALICE

The intentional allowing, publication or creation of a wrongful or harmful act with no justification.

i.e. The newspaper was full of malice, it wasn't even worth reading.

DISINTERESTED

Being unbiased, unattached and not influenced by exterior motives.

i.e. He was perfect to write to article as he was disinterested in the subject.

DEFAMATION

A false accusation of an offence or act by another which could result in damaging their reputation.

i.e. Her soul intention of that article was defamation of Lady Gaga.

SLANDER

Defamation by saying the accusation.

i.e. Stop with all the slander, I'll sue you.

LIBEL

Defamation by writing the accusation.

i.e. With all this evidence, you have a definite libel case on your hands.

RECKLESSNESS

Disregard and paying little attention to produced work.

i.e. He wrote the article with complete recklessness, the spelling mistakes were atrocious.

MEDIA REGULATION

The use of legal means to regulate and control the media industry.

i.e. Your knowledge of media regulation must be kept up to date in order to pass this course.

Nothing Like a Bit of John Mayer to Calm the ol' Nerves

I am more than worried right now.

I am stressed up to my eyeballs.

I have left my home in Nuneaton, Warwickshire and moved to Winchester, Hampshire. That in itself is a huge change. Nuneaton is a pretty common town, bit of class here and there but not a "nice" town. Winchester, however, is entirely different - and comes at a price! Everything is hugely expensive.

But that's the least of my worries, I'm about to get myself into £40,000 worth of debt by going to University of Winchester to study Journalism and now I'm not sure if it's the university I want to attend... I know I should have researched it more but I've been so excited about it up until now - now I'm actually here.

I can't help but feel it may have been a lack of guidance, consdering no one I know, including previous Journalism tutors, have ever studied Journalism at university.

But there is nothing I can do this very minute, considering it's 1am.

So, to calm my nerves, I put on the unbeatable, incredible, brilliant, beautiful, soulful, amazing album 'Where The Light Is - Live in LA' by John Mayer.

I thought I'd share a few of the best songs, in my opinion, on the album. If you don't like them, well, you have no taste.

OUT OF MY MIND

BOLD AS LOVE

SLOW DANCING IN A BURNING ROOM

EVERYDAY I HAVE THE BLUES

WHO DID YOU THINK I WAS?

There are many more, but seriously, just buy the CD. It's worth it.