An Ghaeilge and The Leaving Cert
A story which has been all over the news in recent weeks in which I have a great interest, is that of Mary Hanafin’s strong opinions on Irish as a subject for dyslexic students.
The controversy arose due to the fact that although students with learning disabilities such as Dyslexia are exempt from taking the Irish exam but may take another language. It gives rise to the idea that students are avoiding studying the language due to its difficulty instead of the inablity to learn it. We must also look at the fact that there are three different levels of Irish which the student can take – Honours, Ordinary and Foundation. It is down to the student anf the teacher to choose a level which is suitable for that student. While it is an unfortunate fact that Gaeilge is not widely used in every day life and students feel that it has no worth and to be straightforward, is a waste of time. I believe however that this is a pure shame and although I am not familiar enough with the issue of Dyslexia, I find it difficult to undersand how a student is unable to sit the Irish exam due to the dissability yet is fit to learn French, German and even Latin, although this is not my place to say due to a lack of knowledge on the subject.
While this case has been all over the news, bloggers have also picked up on it. The following two blogs give contrasting views on the subject, one pro and one con and it shows that blogs give a voice to the voiceless and allow them to express their opinions through the medium of Net Culture and Blogs.
The Irish Economy
Someone would have had to be living under a rock for the past eighteen months to avoid the dreaded words ‘recession’ and ‘economic downturn’ which have become part of the daily vocabulary of the Irish public. This has become an occuring theme in all various types of news outlets, blogs included. The blog, The Irish Economy deals with the subject in depth and focuses on it under the issues of Tax and the Banking Crisis to name but a few. For the budding economist, this blog is a must read and gives the reader different views and in depth analysis on the subject.
Blogging Versus The Law
The reasons to blog are colossal – to review, discuss topical subjects, or to merely voice your opinions. However, can vocalizing these opinions get you into more trouble with the law?
The Huffington Post
Hypertext is intended to aid the reader’s understanding of a subject, giving links to background information on a subject rather than reminding the them through the article. This is exactly what is done in The Huffington Post, the online media source. Take for example the story entitled, ‘O.J. Simpson ‘bored out of his mind’ in prison’ In this article, we are given three hyperlinks, all of which relate back to other sources on the story and other related stories. This indeed aids the credibility of the story. Whats more is the article offers the reader a ‘read more’ option, listing eight links on O.J. in which the reader may have an interest. This is without doubt a positive example of the good use of hypertexts.
Amateur Bloggers -V- their Professional Conterparts
As we all know, any Joe Soap can start their own blog and share their opinions on news stories with the world. They can relay news stories, acting as journalists and put thier writing skills to the test. But where does the professional journalist fit into this equation? (more…)
A New Story or a News Story?
What is more important to you as a reader, to read something before anyone else has seen it or read a story based on accurate facts? Now, What is more important to you as a writer, to get a ‘new’ story out and deal with the facts later, or write a clear, correct and certain?
Transparency and Credibility
How does an online writer gain credibility when there are numerous amounts of inaccurate blogs doing the rounds? A writer can only gain the respect and credibility he or she deserves over time and by continuously giving the public factual and accurate information.
If you want a reader to take you seriously, then take them seriously and report the news to them in a professional and fair manner. Do not give them information that may be deemed inaccurate or misleading. Write to be right, not to be corrected later. A good journalist, professional or an amateur blogger should focus on the importance of delivering credible news rather than being the first person to write the story.
By the People, for the People
Citizen Journalism is considered to be an important aspect of today’s Media as it epitomizes the idea that the experiences of those directly involved with an issue gives a more rounded and complete picture of a particular issue.
It allows people with a common interest to discuss important aspects of life, and share their own opinions. This gives the public the opportunity to have their say on what goes on in the world around them and they need not read and believe what they are told to read and believe.
Hyperlinks – A useful tool for Online Journalists?
“Hyperlinks not only can help provide informative context to information within a story, they also can help keep a story alive long after its original publication.” Robert Niles
The Hype about Hyperlinking . . .
Hyperlinking is the means of directing a web user to another webpage by attatching the URL to the document.
It is a uselful tool often used to navigate the reader to one or more locations on the net…foe example, hers the hyperlink to my blog based around the priciples of brodacast journalism which is written as Gaeilge . . .
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