Research

Notes:


Research plan:

Here is my initial research plan which should help give some structure and guidance for my research for my FMP. I have identified some primary and secondary sources. Research will be key in supporting and developing my idea - for example its vital that I do research into the facts and statistics for my piece, also to look at BBC News reports to help develop my piece.

Secondary sources:

The following research source is a Public Health England report that gives a review of the prescribed medicines problem in the UK. This will form the main research source for my news report - also as this is published by Public Health England - it is a governmental organisation so the information should be reliable and accurate. This is a good example of a secondary research source.

Public Health England (2019). Dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines. [online] London: PHE. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/829777/PHE_PMR_report.pdf [Accessed 2 Mar. 2020].

This is a BBC News video report which covers the story of the Coronavirus. Although my news report doesn't focus on this topic - it is still a health story like this one and it will also help me to learn how to structure my BBC News report. This is a good example of a secondary research source.

Coronavirus: British man linked to 11 other cases ‘fully recovered’. (2020). [video] London: BBC NEWS.

This website focuses on the code of conduct all journalists should follow from the NUJ (National Union of Journalists). This will be important that I follow these codes to ensure my journalism is fair, legal, accurate and carried out in a professional manner. This is a good example of a secondary research source.

National Union of Journalists. (2011). NUJ code of conduct. [online] Available at: https://www.nuj.org.uk/about/nuj-code/ [Accessed 2 Mar. 2020].

This is the BBC News online report on the story I will be covering. This contains useful statistics that I can use and also analysis from experts which will be useful to study. This is a good example of a secondary research source.

Triggle, N. (2019). Too many 'hooked' on prescription drugs. [online] BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-49639914 [Accessed 2 Mar. 2020].

I have found this book really useful as its all to do with broadcast news and reporting - exactly what my FMP is! It also comments on how health stories (exactly what I'm doing) are popular health stories as the vast majority of of us want to remain happy and healthy. This is a good example of a secondary research source - also this is a different source to websites which I use very often - its important that my research comes from a range of different sources.

Barnas, F. and White, T. (2013). Broadcast News Writing, Reporting, and Producing. 5th ed. CRC Press, p.80.


Primary sources:

I have already carried out two questionnaire's among my target audience to help ensure that my idea will be suitable for my target audience. I have learnt from previous projects that if I create a survey for my target audience early on, it will mean I can adapt my research and news report to attract my specific target audience:

To be entirely sure that my topic was suitable for my target audience I carried out a survey amongst a range of my family and my parents’ friends (a total of 15 people who are in the target audience) to supplement my secondary research. I asked them 2 questions:

1.What subjects of news are you most interested in?

2. What is the most frequent way in which you find out about the news

The charts below shows the  results of these questions.

In terms of the subjects that I cover health was the most popular – again this confirms what I found in my secondary research. This has also confirmed to me that covering a health story will be a really popular choice for my target audience.

In terms of the most frequent news source my survey confirmed that TV news is the most common way that people get their news – which supports my choice of making a TV news report if I want to reach my target audience. It also showed that online is the second most popular. Therefore as planned I will also be writing a Guardian-style article that would be seen on the Guardian website - I originally was thinking of writing an article for a newspaper however, from my research I have found that this source of news is the least popular with my target audience.

This is my target audience profile:

I have carried out research into BBC News' audience profile to help determine my target audience

Codes and conventions of television news reports  (Fact File: GCSE Journalism In The Media And Communications Industry, 2018)
Its extremely important that I carry out extensive research into the codes and conventions of television news reports also known as news packages so I can try and incorporate these into my news report to ensure it looks and sounds professional.

• Contributors e.g. experts, witnesses and members of the public:

- These are the additional voices called upon to comment on events - this may be integrated into the report as a live interview. An example of this could be a lawyer outside law courts after a verdict has been called or even as edited excerpts e.g. a short excerpt from a political statement by a politician delivered earlier in the day). The contributors can include experts explaining the detail of a situation, witness giving testimony or members of the public offering opinions on a topic related to the story. When a member of the public offers their opinion on a topic this can be referred as "Vox pops" - these are intended to give quick cross section of the views of the public on a particular subject.

• Actuality footage - this is raw footage of real life events:

- This is unscripted live-filmed footage of something taking place or happening in real time. It is used to give the audience a greater sense of immediacy and proximity to the even being discussed. 

• Piece to camera from the news reporter:

- This is when a reporter talks directly to the camera on location. They are used as a way of establishing the reporter at a location relevant to the story which adds impact and context - it also brings immediacy to the report.

• Cut away:

- This is literally cutting way from the main action to show another shot - perhaps a different angle of the same subject or an incidental subject nearby. This often used to provide a different perspective or some visual interest for the viewer.  Cut was can be useful buffet between shots because of this. Cut away's can also be used to provide extra  detail e.g. a shot of the hands of a person being interviewed about a traumatic experiences which could she vulnerability or even help hider their face (protect their identity) as well as providing a little more variety for the viewer.

• Voice-over (VO):

-  Voice-overs are used to narrate shots and contextualise them. it can help provide anchorage and shape the overall news story. This is recorded separately from the images being shot and is added to footage in post-production. These are often recorded using condenser microphones.

• Graphics

- These are often used to explain or clarify the story in a visual way and easy to understand way - they are often used to help break down statistics and other complex information that are used in reports. They are commonly used on electrical coverage, showing results as they are declared across constituencies.

National Union of Journalists code of conduct

Before I start my extensive research into my topic and the other journalistic aspects of my project - its important that I look into the National Union of Journalists code of conduct as this is what every professional journalist show follow to ensure their journalistic work is fair, reliable and accurate. Here are their main guidelines I found out from my secondary research (NUJ code of conduct, 2011):

1. At all times upholds and defends the principle of media freedom, the right of freedom of expression and the right of the public to be informed.
2. Strives to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate and fair.
3. Does her/his utmost to correct harmful inaccuracies.
4. Differentiates between fact and opinion.
5. Obtains material by honest, straightforward and open means, with the exception of investigations that are both overwhelmingly in the public interest and which involve evidence that cannot be obtained by straightforward means.
6. Does nothing to intrude into anybody’s private life, grief or distress unless justified by overriding consideration of the public interest.
7. Protects the identity of sources who supply information in confidence and material gathered in the course of her/his work.
8. Resists threats or any other inducements to influence, distort or suppress information and takes no unfair personal advantage of information gained in the course of her/his duties before the information is public knowledge.
9. Produces no material likely to lead to hatred or discrimination on the grounds of a person’s age, gender, race, colour, creed, legal status, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation.
10. Does not by way of statement, voice or appearance endorse by advertisement any commercial product or service save for the promotion of her/his own work or of the medium by which she/he is employed.
11. A journalist shall normally seek the consent of an appropriate adult when interviewing or photographing a child for a story about her/his welfare.
12. Avoids plagiarism.

By carrying out this research I now know that my final journalistic pieces (news report and article) need to not break any of these conducts. For example if we look at the 2nd code of conduct "Strives to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate and fair", this means that when I find research to put into my piece e.g. facts and figures these need to be from accurate and fair sources. I will need to make sure that the sources that i collect my information are credible and are not from sites such as Wikipedia, where information can be easily changed.

Another important observation from this secondary research is that, my journalistic pieces must not be hateful or discriminatory towards any group in society "Produces no material likely to lead to hatred or discrimination on the grounds of a person’s age, gender, race, colour, creed, legal status, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation". Therefore as a journalist, I need to make sure that any social biases I may have must not be conveyed in my journalistic pieces.

By carrying out this research this has helped to develop my piece to ensure it meeds strict journalistic guidelines and looks and sounds professional.

Content Research

Another really important part of my research is the content research - this is the information that will be included in the journalistic pieces such as facts, figures. As my journalistic pieces are to do with the UK's problem with prescription drugs, I have found a Public Health England report that looks exactly into this 21st century issue.

Here were some of the key findings that I found out from the evidence review (Public Health England, 2019):

• The review looked at the use of strong painkillers, antidepressants and sleeping tablets - these were used by quarter of adults in England.
• Antidepressants were the most prescribed drug between the years of 2017 and 2018, with a substantial 7.3 million prescriptions being given out during this time
• Other prescription drugs that were looked at during this review were opioid painkillers with 5.6 million prescriptions between the years of 2017 and 2018. Gabapentinoids with 1.5 million prescriptions, benzodiazepines with 1.4 million prescriptions and Z drugs with 1 million prescriptions.
• Long term use: The most worrying part of the report however is the number of patients that have been using some of these drugs for a long period of time according to Public Health England. In fact in the report they state: "Opioid-based painkillers should only be used for short periods so the fact that there were 1.2 million people on them for at least a year - 540,000 of whom had been taking them for at least three years - is extremely worrying."
• Another important finding from the review, was the amount of people being prescribed depressants. Now although they take time to have an affect, so long term use is not surprising, "but there were nearly 1 million people using them who had been on them for at least three years, which rang alarm bells" - Public Health England has said.
• Here is a pie chart from Public Health England that shows the proportion of patients taking prescription drugs for longer than a year:

This source is certainly reliable as these are published statistics by Public Health England (a government agency) and these will not change - therefore this is repeatable data. The source is also valid as this review talks about how many people in England are becoming dependent on prescription drugs - which is clearly indicated in the article's title: "Dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines."therefore this article measures what it is supposed to.

As I have previously mentioned in my research one of the National Union of Journalists, code of conducts is to "strive to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate and fair" therefore its essential that I evaluate my sources to ensure I am giving accurate information in my journalistic pieces - its vital that the sources I use are reliable and valid.

This review is very much based around published statistics, so is very much based around quantitive data. As I have watched lots of tv news reports and read articles  I have found out that statistics play an important part in news stories. In fact further up in the blog I mention how facts and statistics are one of the common codes and conventions of a tv news reports.

It was also important that I gathered medical experts opinions on this report to give it more context and also some more information surround this topic, and here was what I found on this BBC News article (Triggle, 2019):

• Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, of the Royal College of GPs, said doctors did not like prescribing medication long-term, but were sometimes left with no choice. In fact she said "What it indicates is the severe lack of alternatives." The article went on to say that NHS England have said that investment was being made in services such as talking therapies and so-called social prescribing, which includes exercise classes and arts-based activities, that could be more appropriate.
• Prof John Read, of the British Psychological Society, said the findings were "alarming".
• Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the report should act as a "wake-up call". He went on to say "I refuse to let this escalate to the level seen in the US."
• PHE medical director Prof Paul Cosford said he was worried."These medicines have many vital clinical uses and can make a big difference to people's quality of life." But he added there were too many cases where patients were using them for longer than "clinically" appropriate - where the drugs would have simply stopped working effectively or where the risks could outweigh the benefits."We need to make sure people are helped to access alternative treatments," he added.
• PHE said it was not clear if this scale of long-term use of prescription drugs was causing harm - although each drug does have side-effects, including weight gain and placing stress on the heart, kidney and lungs. They also said long-term use meant tolerance could build up and treatments could stop being effective or require patients to up the doses they were taking, while any reduction in use could lead to withdrawal symptoms.

This particular BBC news article (Triggle, 2019) also looked at how the situation compares to the USA. Now it's very important that in my journalistic pieces that I compare the situation to other countries in the world such as the USA, as I have identified from research that my target audience has a 'global outlook'. 

• The misuse of prescription drugs - and in particular opioid-based painkillers - is a major problem in the US. In fact the prescription rates in the US have risen sharply since the late 1990s and there are signs attempts to crack down on this have driven people into the illegal market for drugs.
• The number of drug overdose deaths decreased by 4% from 2017 to 2018. In fact more than 67,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2018, making it a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States and of those deaths, almost 70% involved a prescription or illicit opioid (Opioid Overdose and Drug Overdose - CDC Injury Center, 2020).
• Deaths from opioid overdoses have more than doubled in the past decade in the US.
• Prescription rates are four times lower in England than the US and deaths from overdoses have not increased at such a rate.
• PHE said what is being seen in England is not yet on that scale.

This article features many opinions from Public Health Experts e.g.  therefore this article includes a considerable amount of qualitative data. This is useful as, as I mentioned in my codes and conventions section, opinions from experts are one of these common codes in news reports. This source is certainly reliable as many of these health experts work for Public Health England (a government agency).  The source is also valid as this article talks about how many people in the country are hooked on prescription drugs - which is clearly indicated in the article's title "Too many hooked on prescription drugs" - therefore this article measures what it is supposed to.























UKB NEWS - LEFT LEANING - SOCIAL INJUSTICE
Narrative theory e.g. hyper needle etc.





Stock footage

3:30/32 - rack focus

3:36/39 - rack focus
































Research links:

Public Health England Report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/829777/PHE_PMR_report.pdf

NUJ – code of conduct:

TV code and conventions

http://www.rewardinglearning.org.uk/common/includes/microsite_doc_link.aspx?docid=22662-1

Of-com broadcasting regulations:


BBC News link
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-49639914


Another reason why I thought this would be a really good main news story for my broadcast is because when I was researching into broadcast news I came across this book called: 'Broadcast News Writing, Reporting and Producing' in which it said "Health and medical subjects rank high in interest among radio and TV audiences for obvious reasons - we all want to remain healthy " (Barnas and White, 2013). It's vital that I have an interesting story for my audience and this book has definitely helped confirm to me that this is the one.


Bibliography:



TV codes and conventions of news reports:

Rewardinglearning.org.uk. 2018. Fact File: GCSE Journalism In The Media And Communications Industry. [online] Available at: <http://www.rewardinglearning.org.uk/common/includes/microsite_doc_link.aspx?docid=22662-1> [Accessed 11 March 2020].

NUJ Code of conduct:

National Union of Journalists. (2011). NUJ code of conduct. [online] Available at: https://www.nuj.org.uk/about/nuj-code/ [Accessed 2 Mar. 2020].

Content research:
Public Health England (2019). Dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines. [online] London: PHE. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/829777/PHE_PMR_report.pdf [Accessed 2 Mar. 2020].

Triggle, N. (2019). Too many 'hooked' on prescription drugs. [online] BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-49639914 [Accessed 2 Mar. 2020].

cdc.gov. 2020. Opioid Overdose And Drug Overdose - CDC Injury Center. [online] Available at: <https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/index.html> [Accessed 25 March 2020].