The Cochrane Report “Do Physical Measures Such as Hand-Washing or Wearing Masks Stop or Slow Down the Spread of Respiratory Viruses?” was published on 30 January 2023. (Jefferson et al. 2023). I have chosen two articles published by typically opposing outlets on the UK political spectrum from which to analyse how this report has been communicated to the public: The Daily Mail and The Guardian. Continue reading “The Cochrane Report and Mask Efficacy”
2. Journalism Attracts the Best
Perhaps the simplest answer to the question, “What is Journalism For,” is a simple: To be a voice for the voiceless while speaking truth to power; offering an objective and accurate report of events unfolding and unfolded. Journalism, however, is a movement almost in its changing definitions; and what it means – and how it’s used – is ultimately subjective. Continue reading “2. Journalism Attracts the Best”
1. Journalism Attracts the Worst
Monday January 9, 2023
Well, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. I was down with stomach flu but needed to write a presentation on ethics in journalism; so, delirious with discomfort and permanently online, seasonally depressed and unable to keep a drink down for the purposes of self-medication, I’ve been reflecting on that old ethical dilemma of whether journalists actually have any.
Ethics, that is. Continue reading “1. Journalism Attracts the Worst”
What Rhymes with UK Racism?
We’ve been asked to write about racism in the UK. Are we covertly racist or genuinely inclusive? I immediately sat and hammered away a draft, thinking I had a pretty good sense of things; subjectively, of course. Waking up the next day, I sat for my morning movements while doom-scrolling the news, as is tradition – and oh my good Lord in hell. Continue reading “What Rhymes with UK Racism?”
Kingdom of the Sunak
In the miserable year that the Tories regained power, a humble investment banker from Southampton joined a hedge fund called Theleme, which would go on to invest in Moderna. Yes, that Moderna.
Dishy Rishi Sunak became a Conservative MP in 2015, rising up the party ranks until, as Chancellor of the Exchequer during the COVID-19 pandemic, he brought in hedge fund partner, John Sheridan, as an advisor. Goodness knows whose advice he was taking when he axed the £20-a-week increase in Universal Credit but it was our first proper indicator of his compassion for the poors. Continue reading “Kingdom of the Sunak”
Diary of an Elderly Schoolboy: Part 5
New teaching block, new Reporting teacher, and we’ve been tasked with writing a short piece pondering whether or not the year of our Lord 2023 will be good. Good for whom? Define truth. Answer me, dammit. I don’t know.
Personally, I’ll be finishing my first year of this Journalism degree; that is unless my breakdown becomes more physical and disruptive. I’ll begin the second year in September but then I won’t receive funding because Student Finance England’s chaos algorithm has reached the singularity and replaced all numbers with squirrels. Continue reading “Diary of an Elderly Schoolboy: Part 5”
Johnson Put in Risky Position
In a clear miscommunication of Ukraine’s request for absolute weapons, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson revisited Kyiv last Sunday to meet with President Zelensky. Johnson was most recently in the news regarding his dealings with the BBC Chairman who allegedly helped him secure an £800k loan. Continue reading “Johnson Put in Risky Position”
Whiter than the Very Cliffs of Dover
Eleven years ago, I created a Facebook group called ‘Parlett’ in the hope, partly, of filling the massive gaps in my ancestry, but also of meeting some distant family who weren’t as distant as my close one. Continue reading “Whiter than the Very Cliffs of Dover”
Diary of an Elderly Schoolboy: Part 3
Three-hundred words isn’t enough for anything. Continue reading “Diary of an Elderly Schoolboy: Part 3”
Diary of an Elderly Schoolboy: Part 2
Once upon a time, I started a music degree. That was during a Labour government when tuition was free and banks would throw money at you.
CHRIS PARLETT 