Monday, January 27, 2020

The World Phone Hacking Scandal Media Essay

The World Phone Hacking Scandal Media Essay The phone hacking scandal and the subsequent public inquiries exposed how journalists from News of the World (NoW) had been employing illegal reporting techniques to gather information for news with no regards to journalism ethics. The implications of the scandal and the inquiries on public relations and media relations is more on the ethical part. Similar to the media industry, ethical behavior is also important in the public relations profession that includes media relations. Public relations can be explained as the ethical and strategic management of communications and relationships to build and develop coalitions and policy, identify and manage issues and to create and direct messages to achieve sound outcomes within a responsible framework with media relations being more specific. Media relations is a part of public relations that deals mostly with the relationships of an organization with the media. Media relations also determine how the organization gets its messages across to the target audience. Media relations what message the organization wants to send, who to send it to, where to send it and when to send it and if possible without paying directly for it through advertising. In most countries, public relations practiotioners are members of professional public relations institutes and/or associations such as the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) of the United Kingdom, the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA), the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia (IPRM) and the International Public Relations Association (IPRA). These institues and/or associations all have established a set of code of ethics which not only provide an ethical framework for the activities of the profession but is also central in maintaining the professional standards in the public relations profession. Membership of these institutes are given after the applicants pass the assestment tests and members of these public relations institutes are required to follow the set of code of ethics. Members who have breached the code of ethics can be reported to the institues and they will be investigated and pinalized. In the wake of the NoW phone hacking scandal, there are concerns in the United Kingdom (UK) about ethics and privacy arising especially from the flow of information between the government and the press. According to the report from Elizabeth Filkins inquiry, the main concern being improper disclosure of information to the media. The government and the media interacts with each other on many levels. These unregulated interactions causes information to flow outside of the government causing problems. Improper disclosure can be broken down into a few kinds. They are improper disclosure for personal advantage, improper disclosure for trading and improper disclosure cause of bribery or financial rewards. Improper disclosure for personal advantage is where civil servants deliberately leak information for various kinds of improper personal benefits such as a sense of power and control, professional advantage during employment with the government or to gain future employment elsewere by providing exclusive information. According to a statement by Kit Malthouse who is a British assembly member, there is an odd kind of fascination with knowing its them that put the information on the newspapers, this knowledge gives them a sense of power. Trading is another kind of improper disclosure of information where inappropriate information is given to the media in order to dilute or prevent the publication of other information which might be damaging to some civil servants or those with senior positions in the government. Although there are proper and ethical negotiations with the media to prevent the publishing of information which might obstruct an ongoing investigation, cause harm to members of the public or civil servants or to ensure accuracy in reporting but these negotiations often have to include unethical placing of materials or offering of exclusive information to the media in return to bury the harmful information. Quoting Nick Davies, a freelance journalist, you get the Press Officer who says, well, if I give Reporter A a particular story exclusively, then next week Reporter A will do me a favour. These kinds of behaviours conflict between what the public needs and what the Press Officer wants causing information t hat are not supposed to be known to the media to be leaked out. Bribery and financial rewards is the most common and prevalent cause of information leak. From her questioning, Filkin found out that NoW journalists have been paying civil servants especially the Metropolitan Police Service for information. The demand for exclusive government information is high especially information on police work. Police information is a commodity that is very valuable to journalists and much of it is of interest and enjoyment of the public. This demand coupled with no proper guidelines in place in regards to what is acceptable in dealing with the media leads to the unstoppable and untracable leakage of information to the media. Disaffected staffs is also another cause for improper information disclosure. Staffs that are disaffected or in dispute with the organization can become a source of improper and damaging disclosures to the media. Quoting from Filkins report, a Thomas Lund-Lack has leaked a highly confidential Counter Terrorism report to the Sunday Times. Lund-Lack has served with the British police force ethically for 34 years before being given a role in the Special Branch as a member of police staff. When integorated Lund-Lack cited that the reasons leaking the information as being annoyed by his workplace, and becoming more and more angry about the ineffectiveness of the Counter Terrorism Command. He felt that what he has done was legally wrong but was morally justified in bringing his concerns into the publics attention. Another main concern of the flow of information between the government and the press lies in the relationships the government have with the press. It is known that the government has not given equal access to all parts of the media for a number of years and that relationships between press members have been developed selectively. Journalists develop close relationships with senior government members because if you are nice to them chances are you are going to get more stories than youre not. This often leads to private news briefings during drinking sessions in clubs. This has lead to a culture where media contacts are close aquaintaces and their hospitality is a norm. It is also not uncommon for civil servants to have friends or family members working with the media. There friends and family members that when they acquired some exculsive information, they pass the information on to the media. With regards to the concerns expressed in the UK about the flow of information between the government and the press in the light of the ongoing News Limited controversy, practice and ethics of media relations are being questioned due to the similar nature of the public relations industry with the media industry. As a part of public relations, media relations is also bound to the code of ethics of the public relations profession. There is a set of common ethical practice that is generally adopted and followed by media relations practitioners in dealing with information. Before using any information, media relations practitioners must first make sure that whether the information acquired is confidential. If the information is not confidential then the practitioner can proceed with the information. If confidential information is given on the record then the practitioner is also allowed to used the information. However if the confidential information is obtained off the records, the practitioner is discouraged from using the information based on the ethical obligations of the public relations profession. Media relations practitioners are required to exercise caution when talking and/or writing about a person or an organization. This is not only to maintain the accuracy of the subject but also to avoid inadvertently defaming someone or an organization. Practitioners are also required to not dissiminate false and misleading information and/or claims. Media relations pratitioners must obtain permission for any materials that they use to acknowledge the owners of the materials and to avoid copyright infringement. Practitioners are also required to get permission to use personal information and/or images in public. Practitioners must also immediately correct any errors that occur in the course of carrying out their duty such as media using the material you provided wrongly. Ethics is a standard of conduct that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues. Who determines these ethical obigations? Ethical obligations are determined not only by a persons own values but it is also influenced by the organization a person is working with and the client the person is dealing with. Each organization has its own set of ethics that it enforces and every client has a different ethics expectation. When faced with ethical problems, the practitioner is encouraged to discuss with the employer and/or the client to reach an agreeable ethics standpoint. Ethical obligations are also determined by the industry a person is working in such as the code of ethics of the public relations industry. The code of ethics is to safeguard the credibility and legitimacy of the profession. Another factor that influences ethical obligations is the society. An ethical media relations practitioner should alwaysput the public interests before his/her owns or the clients. Besides code of conducts, public relations and media relations practitioners also acknowledge the existence of a set of universal values and embracing them in carrying out their duties to uphold the standards of practice and professional conduct on the part of public relations practitioners. The set universal values are: honesty, integrity, fidelity, fairness, transparency, accountability, confidentiality, and accuracy and most if not all of them can be found in the code of ethics of the many public relations institutions. The ethics pyramid is a structural approach to checking ethics by Tilley. It is used to examine the ethicality of behaviours and actions. It is divided into four stages: ethical baseline, ethical intent, ethical means and ethical end. Media relations practitioners are encouraged to usethis pyramid to examinie ethics. The the first stage at the bottom part of the pyramid is the ethical baseline. This stage is where the media relations practitioner carries out research on the ethics and expectations of the stakeholders. The second stage is the ethical intent stage where the practitioner plans and choose ethical principles for virtues, rules and outcomes. This is also the stage where the practitioner create measurable objectives and discuss and agree the shared ethical objectives with the client. The third stage, ethical means is assessing the tactical objectives and choosing ethical tactics to employ and deciding the means to use to communicate with others. The final stage, the ethical ends is where the practitioner assess strategic ethics objectives for evaluation and check and report ethics outcomes.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Essay --

â€Å"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.† 1 Corinthians 10:13 Rob & Burgandie Onekea with their two sons Derion (16) and Brandon (13) Rob & Burgandie Onekea with their two sons Derion (16) and Brandon (13) Online purity is a daily battle for many brothers and sisters in Christ. Taking control of your purity is something that is crucial to your spiritual walk with God; indeed, if you are continually losing this struggle, your salvation is at stake. For the Scriptures are forthright, â€Å"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people†¦ For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.† (Ephesians 5:3-5) Ricardo is moved by his baptism! Ricardo is moved by his baptism! How many of us have been doing great spiritually, when suddenly you receive an email with an inappropriate image inside? Do we easily hit the delete button or are we ensnared the minute that we see the link? David fought a losing battle for purity, as he stood on the rooftop of the palace gazing into the area where Bathsheba was bathing. (2 Samuel 11) David could have chosen to look away, but his sinful desire compelled him to summon her to commit adultery. Sadly, after this affair, Bathsheba told David, â€Å"I am pregnant.† The consequences of David’s sin were many: the death of Uriah the Hittite (Bathsheba’s husband and one of David’s mighty men), the embittering of Ahithophel (Bathsh... ... Net Nanny. Adult websites have a wealth of resources at their disposal, which make it difficult to protect your home from pornography. Therefore, it is key to take things a step further and implement changes on your home computer. We easily spend $60 on the latest version of Halo or taking a family of four to see The Dark Knight, why then the lack of investment for our online purity? Most companies offer trial versions to download for 30 days to see if it works for you. As a brother who is now experiencing the victorious life, I would strongly recommend installing one of these programs. To download a trial version, click here. As our war for online purity continues, let us take up God’s spiritual weapons as well as our modern tools, and fight with everything we have for our salvation, for the salvation of our families and for the salvation of this very lost world.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Food and Agricultue Essay

Provide at least two modern examples of how the United States has increased its food production. Genetically modifying foods is one way the United States has grown its food increase. The use of genetically engineered crops has grown rapidly in countries such as the United States, especially for soybeans, corn, and cotton where GM crops make up between 70 and 90 percent of total production (Turk, 2014). Ways the United States has increased food production farmers have utilized numerous process, some of which include irrigation and crop otation which can increase the long term sustainability and has been standard practice for many years. A step taken nearly 50 years ago to increase food production was the green revolution, which focused on â€Å"monocultures of single crops and required significant inputs of energy, water fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides† (Turk, Bensel, 2014). â€Å"Advocates say that they have increased agricultural production by more than US$98 billion and saved an estimated 473 million kilograms of pesticidesfrom being sprayed. † (Turk & Bensel, 2014, Ch. 3. 3). Tools such as herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides reduce crop losses both before and after harvest, and increase crop yields. A plentiful supply of fresh produce is vital for a healthy population. Numerous scientific studies demonstrate the health benefits of regularly eating a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables and consumers are increasingly aware of these benefits. Agricultural productivity is key to ensuring that this demand can be met at an affordable price; and crop protection products help increase productivity and usable crop yields (Turk, 2014). Discuss how these changes have affected the environment, and what impact they have on food safety? The use of genetically modified foods have be studied for years some improvements have been made. But the biggest issue is what has it done to the soil the water and the air let alone the food itself. Allergic reaction occur when the immune system interprets something as foreign, different and offensive and reacts accordingly. All GM foods, by definition have something foreign and different. And several studies show that they provoke reactions (The Open Nutraceuticals Journal, 2011, 4, 3-11). Changes is agriculture have affected our environment with soil erosion, water pollution, air pollution, and habitat destruction (Turk, 2014). I believe that this will always be an issue and will continue to have pros and cons but with proper testing they can be better. http://www. academia. edu/542384/A_Review_on_Impacts_of_Genetically_Modified_Food_on_ Human_Health http://www. croplifeamerica. org/crop-protection/benefits/increase-food-production Turk, J. , & Bensel, T. (2014). Contemporary environmental issues (2nd ed. ). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Andrés Bonifacio, Filipino Revolutionary Leader

Andrà ©s Bonifacio (November 30, 1863–May 10, 1897) was a leader of the Philippine Revolution and the president of the Tagalog Republic, a short-lived government in the Philippines. Through his work, Bonifacio helped the Philippines break free from Spanish colonial rule. His story is still remembered in the Philippines today. Fast Facts: Andrà ©s Bonifacio Known For: Leader of the Philippine RevolutionAlso Known As: Andrà ©s Bonifacio y de CastroBorn: November 30, 1863 in Manila, PhilippinesParents: Santiago Bonifacio and Catalina de CastroDied: May 10, 1897 in Maragondon, PhilippinesSpouse(s): Monica of Palomar (m. 1880-1890), Gregoria de Jesà ºs (m. 1893-1897)Children: Andres de Jesà ºs Bonifacio, Jr. Early Life Andrà ©s Bonifacio y de Castro was born on November 30, 1863, in Tondo, Manila. His father Santiago was a tailor, local politician, and boatman who operated a river-ferry. His mother Catalina de Castro was employed in a cigarette-rolling factory. The couple worked extremely hard to support Andrà ©s and his five younger siblings, but in 1881 Catalina caught tuberculosis and died. The following year, Santiago also became ill and passed away. At the age of 19, Bonifacio was forced to give up plans for higher education and begin working full-time to support his orphaned younger siblings. He worked for the British trading company J.M. Fleming Co. as a broker, or corredor, for local raw materials such as tar and rattan. He later moved to the German firm Fressell Co., where he worked as a bodeguero, or grocer. Family Life Bonifacios tragic family history during his youth seems to have followed him into adulthood. He married twice but had no surviving children at the time of his death. His first wife Monica came from the Palomar neighborhood of Bacoor. She died young of leprosy (Hansens disease). Bonifacios second wife Gregoria de Jesus came from the Calookan area of Metro Manila. They married when he was 29 and she was just 18; their only child, a son, died in infancy. Establishment of Katipunan In 1892, Bonifacio joined Jose Rizals organization La Liga Filipina, which called for reform of the Spanish colonial regime in the Philippines. The group met only once, however, since Spanish officials arrested Rizal immediately after the first meeting and deported him to the southern island of Mindanao. After Rizals arrest and deportation, Bonifacio and others revived La Liga to maintain pressure on the Spanish government to free the Philippines. Along with his friends Ladislao Diwa and Teodoro Plata, however, he also founded a group called Katipunan. Katipunan, or Kataastaasang Kagalannalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (literally Highest and Most Respected Society of the Children of the Country), was dedicated to armed resistance against the colonial government. Made up mostly of people from the middle and lower classes, the Katipunan organization soon established regional branches in a number of provinces across the Philippines. In 1895, Bonifacio became the top leader, or Presidente Supremo, of the Katipunan. Along with his friends Emilio Jacinto and Pio Valenzuela, Bonifacio published a newspaper called the Kalayaan, or Freedom. Under Bonifacios leadership in 1896, Katipunan grew from about 300 members to more than 30,000. With a militant mood sweeping the nation and a multi-island network in place, Bonifacios organization was prepared to start fighting for freedom from Spain. Philippine Revolution Over the summer of 1896, the Spanish colonial government began to realize that the Philippines was on the verge of revolt. On August 19, authorities tried to preempt the uprising by arresting hundreds of people and jailing them under charges of treason. Some of those swept up were genuinely involved in the movement, but many were not. Among those arrested was Jose Rizal, who was on a ship in Manila Bay waiting to ship out for service as a military doctor in Cuba (this was part of his plea bargain with the Spanish government, in exchange for his release from prison in Mindanao). Bonifacio and two friends dressed up as sailors and made their way onto the ship and tried to convince Rizal to escape with them, but he refused; he was later put on trial in a Spanish kangaroo court and executed. Bonifacio kicked off the revolt by leading thousands of his followers to tear up their community tax certificates, or cedulas. This signaled their refusal to pay any more taxes to the Spanish colonial regime. Bonifacio named himself president and commander-in-chief of the Philippines revolutionary government, declaring the nations independence from Spain on August 23. He issued a manifesto, dated August 28, 1896, calling for all towns to rise simultaneously and attack Manila, and sent generals to lead the rebel forces in this offensive. Attack on San Juan del Monte Bonifacio himself led an attack on the town of San Juan del Monte, intent on capturing Manilas metro water station and the powder magazine from the Spanish garrison. Although they were vastly outnumbered, the Spanish troops inside managed to hold off Bonifacios forces until reinforcements arrived. Bonifacio was forced to withdraw to Marikina, Montalban, and San Mateo; his group suffered heavy casualties. Elsewhere, other Katipunan groups attacked Spanish troops all around Manila. By early September, the revolution was spreading across the country. Fighting Intensifies As Spain pulled all its resources back to defend the capital at Manila, rebel groups in other areas began to sweep up the token Spanish resistance left behind. The group in Cavite (a peninsula south of the capital, jutting into Manila Bay), had the greatest success in driving the Spanish out. Cavites rebels were led by an upper-class politician called Emilio Aguinaldo. By October of 1896, Aguinaldos forces held most of the peninsula. Bonifacio led a separate faction from Morong, about 35 miles east of Manila. The third group under Mariano Llanera was based in Bulacan, north of the capital. Bonifacio appointed generals to establish bases in the mountains all over Luzon island. Despite his earlier military reverses, Bonifacio personally led an attack on Marikina, Montalban, and San Mateo. Although he initially succeeded in driving the Spanish out of those towns, they soon recaptured the cities, nearly killing Bonifacio when a bullet went through his collar. Rivalry With Aguinaldo Aguinaldos faction in Cavite was in competition with a second rebel group headed by an uncle of Bonifacios wife Gregoria de Jesus. As a more successful military leader and a member of a much wealthier, more influential family, Emilio Aguinaldo felt justified in forming his own rebel government in opposition to Bonifacios. On March 22, 1897, Aguinaldo rigged an election at the rebels Tejeros Convention to show that he was the proper president of the revolutionary government. To Bonifacios shame, he not only lost the presidency to Aguinaldo but was appointed to the lowly post of secretary of the interior. When Daniel Tirona questioned his fitness even for that job based on Bonifacios lack of university education, the humiliated former president pulled out a gun and would have killed Tirona if a bystander had not stopped him. Trial and Death After Emilio Aguinaldo won the rigged election at Tejeros, Bonifacio refused to recognize the new rebel government. Aguinaldo sent a group to arrest Bonifacio; the opposition leader did not realize that they were there with ill intent, and allowed them into his camp. They shot down his brother Ciriaco, seriously beat his brother Procopio, and according to some reports also raped his young wife Gregoria. Aguinaldo had Bonifacio and Procopio tried for treason and sedition. After a one-day sham trial, in which the defense lawyer averred their guilt rather than defending them, both Bonifacios were convicted and sentenced to death. Aguinaldo commuted the death sentence on May 8 but then reinstated it. On May 10, 1897, both Procopio and Bonifacio were likely shot dead by a firing squad on Nagpatong Mountain. Some accounts say that Bonifacio was too weak to stand, due to untreated battle wounds, and was actually hacked to death in his stretcher instead. He was just 34 years old. Legacy As the first self-declared president of the independent Philippines, as well as the first leader of the Philippine Revolution, Bonifacio is a crucial figure in Filipino history. However, his exact legacy is the subject of dispute among Filipino scholars and citizens. Jose Rizal is the most widely recognized national hero of the Philippines, although he advocated a more pacifist approach to reforming Spanish colonial rule. Aguinaldo is generally cited as the first president of the Philippines, even though Bonifacio took on that title before Aguinaldo did. Some historians feel that Bonifacio has gotten short shrift and should be set beside Rizal on the national pedestal. Bonifacio has been honored with a national holiday on his birthday, however, just like Rizal. November 30 is Bonifacio Day in the Philippines. Sources Bonifacio, Andres. The Writings and Trial of Andres Bonifacio. Manila: University of the Philippines, 1963.Constantino, Letizia. The Philippines: A Past Revisited. Manila: Tala Publishing Services, 1975.Ileta, Reynaldo Clemena. Filipinos and their Revolution: Event, Discourse, and Historiography. Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1998.78