M4: Explain the mode of address and structure used
The purpose of the article I have written is to raise awareness on the affects of social media. I want to make the next generations aware of what the could let themselves in for if they sign up for social media. I don't want to discourage them though as social media is a great way for them to see the world and meet new people but I want to make them aware of what could happen to them if the do sign up and use it. The audience is children who watch Newsround on CBBC. This is great as I am able to directly inform them of social media and they may be more likely to listen. Because the target audience is the Newsround/CBBC audience, the article will be informal as to keep the viewers interested and to make the story more relatable as the reporter would be speaking almost as they would, using easy simple words and in an informal tone. The style of the text will be direct as I want the story to be personal as if the children think it's about them, then they may be more incline to listen. The tone of the story should be peer to peer because I think it would be easier to get the message across to the audience if you spoke to them as if you are one of them. It is more of a direct way of speaking and the viewer is more likely to listen and pay attention to what is being presented if you speak in this way especially with children. I used the videos that I used because it provides an opinion and a valid one at that as the video is the interview with Emma who is a parent and children will tend to believe a parent figure as they look up to them. I think that the opening sentences are structured so that they can almost tell the whole story. They mention the Who, What, Where in the first 3 sentences but I think I could have done better in putting them into one sentence. I could have put the part about Teenagers using social media at night in the second sentence instead of the third as to tell the viewer sooner who the story is about. The why and how aspects are covered in the article as I don't think they are relevant to what I am talking about and if they were, they may take long explanations that the audience may not know or understand let alone pay attention. I don't think it would be appropriate to go into long discussion about why we do what we do because it would strain the attention of the audience and the studio would run out of time during broadcast. I did use many sources. All the sourced used were able to provide evidence and those enhanced the article into making it more believable. The statistics and facts make the article look more believable to a child whether they're right or wrong. One of the most valuable sources was the interview. It was good as it was able to reassure parents who may be watching that social media is fine and children are ok to use it but they must be monitored for their safety. Another one is that some teenagers spend around 9 hours a day on social media. This helped put into perspective that some people overuse social media and this high number and the reporter insinuating that it's a bad thing will discourage the audience from spending such a long time on social media.
D2: Justify the choice of sourced information to be referenced within the article
My article does not break IPSO Editor’s Code of Practice as all the facts are correct and all sources have been listed. It also doesn’t target a particular group of people for negative reasons as I am highlighting good and bad points of social media and using the effect it has on teenagers to support what I’m saying. I am in a way breaking the Code of Practice by disclosing the name and general location of the interviewee however I don't expect anything to come of it. My article keeps to OFCOM's Broadcasting Code as it is 100% accurate and everything has been double checked to make sure they are so. It's also not harmful or offensive as I have shown the article to various different people to make sure that it doesn't cause offence. The article also keeps to the Broadcasting code as the information provided in the article is suitable for those under 18 (It's target audience is CBBC viewers). My article keeps to the BBC's Editorial Guidelines as all the facts are accurate and correct. They have been double checked and verified so I am not feeding the audience with misinformation. The article doesn't cause any harm or offence as there is no language that could be deemed offensive and there are no phrases that could be offensive. The article also follows the Editorial Guidelines by keeping the article suitable for children. The article doesn't have any causes for concern with the information being used however there could be an issue with moral panic. This may not be a problem for older children but for the younger ones they could become a bit spooked when the reporter starts to talk about the negatives of social media and this could present a problem and they could be put off social media and this could create some problems with big social media companies. Putting children off using social media is not the objective of the article, it is to explain the good and bad affects of using it.