Bluetongue - evaluating the latest threat to civilisation

How the media love a story that contains all if not any of the following...cuddly animals, politicians desperately trying to appear knowledgeable, a threat to the nation's health, a chance to rehash an old story. All of these came together in the latest animal health scare: Bluetongue.

The media, as one, pronounce this as yet another cataclysmic assault on the livelihoods of the farming community. Yet the facts seem to be far less interesting. The outbreak has been predicted for some time as the virus has been carried by midges across Northern Europe, and there are several approaches that can be taken to ensure the continued wellbeing of cattle, as well as milk and meat supplies. So what is the fuss all about? Well from where I sit, not a lot. The real threat to the farming industry remains Foot & Mouth and Bluetongue whilst still an unpleasant and unwelcome arrival is of considerably less significance, I would be surprised to see it appearing in the mainstream media again next month.

Evaluating the media at the Rugby World Cup

Last Friday the 2007 Rugby World Cup kicked off with a bang... on the head for Les Bleus. Overnight an exuberant, vital and excited Paris bursting with gallic pride turned to the blues (the other type) as a sense of national gloom descended. As the second half progressed and the final whistle approached the whole idea of "Mais c'est impossible!" loomed larger and larger until the nightmare turned true as Argentina defeated France, the host nation, on the opening night of this most magnificent, stylish and thoroughly comprehensive festival of rugby.

The media spotlight was intense with rugby heroes, past and present, parading before the sell-out 80,000 crowd in the imposing Stade de France, one of the best rugby stadia in the world, and in a tinge of dramatic irony also the home of the Argentinian fly-half Felipe Contepomi who tore France apart with his lethally accurate goal-kicking, for he plays his club rugby for none other than Stade de France.

But that was not the only reason why the media spotlight was intense. For a Jonah Lomu size row between the press and the RWC organising committee had erupted in the build up to the biggest day in modern rugby. Interestingly this ruck and maul has been characterised throughout as a dispute between the press and the RWC, when in reality it was nothing of the kind. In the modern world television audiences for the third largest global sporting event make or break the economics not only of the event but also of the sport itself for the sponsorship, marketing and advertising investment ploughed in pay for the development of the sport, particularly in the developing world.

Naturally, when television has paid such extraordinary sums for the exclusive rights they expect to be taken pretty seriously. And so when the new kids on the block - press media experimenting with every conceivable digital and online format - try and horn-in on the action, it seems like time for a yellow card and a ten-minute sin-binning. The RWC organising team - pressured by the broadcasters - had asked for a fixed limit on the number of digital pictures that could be transmitted from the ground which seems not unreasonable. From the reaction of many notable newsprint organisations, you could be forgiven for thinking it was time to storm the Bastille all over again. The shouts of "liberte, egalite, fraternite!" could be heard all the way from from one side of Paris to the other. The barricades were up and the tumbrils rolling over the cobbles. "It's about the freedom of the press," cried the mob, "our freedom to go wherever we want, write what we want, take pictures of what we want, in a totally free and unfettered way, so that the rights of all the free peoples of the world are protected...to buy our newspapers!" And of course it's advertisers who support newspapers and journalist jobs just as television and sponsors support the RWC.

On second thoughts, perhaps a red card would be more appropriate. Of course there are vitally important principles at stake in the true and genuine freedom of the press, but this ain't it! This is just so much cant and hypocrisy.

The battle between the social networks

Many users have chosen sides when it comes to two of the most popular networking Web sites today, Facebook and myspace.

Both sites aim to serve the same basic purpose: creating communities and connecting people with common interests. Users on both sites can benefit socially, professionally or even romantically due to the availability of information on the large population of users.

Although some users are members on both sites, many have a favourite among the two. The fight to find which site will start to lead the race has taken a distincy PR shift in recent times with the hiring of PR practitioners in an attempt to position their offerings as the safest, coolest, fastest, most accessible etc. Let us hope that they put some solid evaluation principles in place to measure their efforts.

However the time for these sites might have already passed...will we see the growth of more specific networking sites. I have so far not signed up for either MySpace or Facebook, instead I have recently joined MyRagan the network for communication professionals. Although having only dipped a toe into the site it clearly has bags of potential, with forums and offers that will certainly enhance our combined understanding of the issues facing communicators. I look forward to playing an active part in this latest forum.