Their relationship with academics and what they need them for
David Buckingham works for both Ofcom and The Advertising association. He is an academic who is used to his full potential, his work includes public debates on media literacy, government agency work i.e. upholding regulations of reality TV to protect young people which is being [1] funded by grants from the Department for Education and Skills, the UK film council and media regulator Ofcom. The association has set up an interactive website offering resources, chat forums and research opportunities to its members www.mediaedassociation.org.uk.’ Buckingham’s own project...He has several noted research reports including:
- ‘Consumerism’, behind the framework of advertising and how it entices children to notice and buy products
- Young People, Media and Personal Relationships, by Professor David Buckingham and Dr Sara Bragg of the Institute of Education, London University..[2]
- (2000), study of children’s and young people’s relationships with news in the US and UK, states the function of news as: ‘how television addresses and constitutes the viewer as a citizen and as a potential participant in the public sphere of social and political debate. “
Robin Blake works solely for Ofcom as a senior programmes manager specialising in contents and standards( including Media literacy).He has also worked as a speaker for Westminster Media He is Project leader in the following:
- Ofcom is leading a Consortium of stakeholders from across government, industry, education and the third sector to promote
digital participation.
- Working with stakeholders to help focus on the present and future media literacy needs of all members of society. Provide
leadership and leverage to promote media literacy...[3]
'Jenny Grahame taught Media in Inner London comprehensives for many years. Since 1987 she has been Media Consultant at the English and Media Centre, a national centre of excellence supporting teachers of English and Media, where she delivers CPD, writes teaching resources, and is Editor of MediaMagazine. She has developed CPD and ITE courses in Media Education from KS3 to MA Level for many local authorities and HE institutions, including a national Strategy training package for Media in English at KS3. She has devised an extensive range of clasroom publications from KS2 to KS5, including work on advertising, news, TV genres, the music industry, and short film, and has collaborated on a variety of cross-curricular research projects in partnership with TDA, CSYM, QCA, Gulbenkian, Esmee Fairbairn and MEA. She is a founder member and Vice Chair of the Media Education Association'...[4]
The official members of the Organization themselves raise suspicion with their involvement in other activities. For instance Marina Palomba who serves as the Director of Media Smart published a book titled “Ad Law- Breaking the Mould without Breaking the Rules".[5]She also specializes in Brand protection, advertising and marketing law and regulation, including intellectual property rights. She is also allegedly “establishing the first global compliance and advisory service with the aim to assist advertisers, agencies and technology companies’’.[6]
Paul Jackson is the Director of European Marketing Director for the confectionary business and he serves as the Vise President of the World Federation of Advertising and the Responsible Advertising and Children program, they claim to be committed to responsible marketing communication on a local, regional and global scale. .[7]The programme is responsible for launching Media Smart in European Union. Coincidently he runs a Silver fin which is a brand doctoring consultancy company.[8]
The expert group are clearly using Media Smart programs as a platform for advertising products, to children in Europe and potentially in the world ,in which they have involvement. Issues and concerns have been raised by child psychologists about the vulnerability of children to advertising companies. In 2004 Minister of Media and Heritage Lord McIntosh noted that “advertising in all forms played an important role in informing people’s choices of products and services”. This view is channelled by Media Smart Groups to exploit young people by exposing them to all forms of advertising though Digital Ad wise and Media Smart programs.[9]
The outcome of having experts in both the publisised academic field and the experts behind the scenes create an environment in which media smart has all their bases covered. From the government to student magazines to product managers the firm can push for their ideas to be given the go-ahead either in the public eye or not. By having these connections it could be constrewed as a breach of ethics as the experts may overlook a different firms work in order to help media smart. Although only three out of ten experts have been looked in to , their credits display their peers also, many of the experts are linked together in their work none more that David Buckingham.
Notes
- ↑ Maggie Brown, Child performance laws set for review in wake of reality TV complaints 3/09/2010, Last accessed 6/10/2010
- ↑ Ofcom, accessed 6/10/2010
- ↑ Robin Blake, accessed 6/10/2010
- ↑ Jenny Grahame, accessed 6/10/2010
- ↑ Marina Palomba Profile Linkedin Website, accessed 2/11/10
- ↑ Marina Palomba Profile Linkedin Website, accessed 2/11/10
- ↑ Frequently Asked Questions, Responsible Advertising for Children, accessed 16/11/10
- ↑ Kids are getting Media Smart in the UK" Family kids and youth website],accessed 4/11/10
- ↑ WFA members back digital media literacy lessons for UK children, World Federation of Advertisers website,accessed 4/11/10
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