MediaNet Academy - Recently Updated Pages

Andrew Graystone: Being a Christian in the Media

drbexl — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:00:52 CDT

Thousands of people have watched 'Any Dream Will Do', BBC1's recent hit show, but how many people know that Andrew Graystone first step into the media was singing on the original cast recording of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. After many years working in the BBC, Andrew is now Director of the Churches Media Council.

Christians in the Media: Different?
If you come across a moral and ethical being in the media world, does this indicate that you are dealing with a Christian? In previous conversations, Andrew has highlighted that you can be these things without being a Christian. So, as a Christian in the media, what do you bring to the table that is unique?

Christians: The Fundamental Difference
The only unique aspect for Christians in the media is the Christian story, or metanarrative, which describes the way we see the world. However, we must remember that beyond this we share, and have common ground with, much that non-Christians do. Christian lifestyles and value-sets vary greatly, and none of us "have copyright on the word Christian". We cannot reject other viewpoints, whether Christian or not.

Is 'Religious Broadcasting' a useful genre?
The genre 'religious broadcasting' may disappear, and Andrew considers that this may not be a bad thing, although he's not campaigning to have it removed. As a seperate genre, religious broadcasting can be sidelined, especially when no new inspired ideas appear. By having a specific 'religious broadcasting' genre, which often has a niche audience, it 'lets off the hook' other genres, including news, entertainment, science, history and current affairs, which would reach a wider audience.

Are there conflicts of interest as a Christian in the media?
"Everything I've ever done has been a compromise," although there have been notable pinch points, and sometimes Andrew has had to find a way round something which he could not agree to with integrity. Complete control is impossible, and most difficult are those times when a piece has gone out, with which Andrew does not entirely agree, with his name attached to it. A couple of recent examples from the Heaven and Earth Show were the story of Mark Berry, church-planting in Telford, which was edited in such a way that he appeared a loner on a one-man mission; and the story of a Christian comedy club which was edited so as to appear that Edwina Currie's first comment was 'Nobody will go to that, it's all jokes about churches'. Working in the media, you are never the only person involved, but can make a difference.

In 2027, what will be different?
The future will clearly be:

Digital
Interactive
Commercial
Individualised
Scary
Fragmented, rather than big corporations

In 2027, what will remain the same?
This conference has talked much about what will be different in the future, however there will be some things that remain the same. It will still involve humans, with needs, questions, and a desire for entertainment. There will still be a desire for human contact, as the media will not provide a substitute for this. Much is talked about an increased interest in spirituality, but Andrew does not believe that this has changed, as this desire is inbuilt, but that our current culture feeds it less adequately, and people are more aware of it.

Further Information

Out there with Andrew Graystone (LICC)
Thought for the Week (BBC, Manchester, 2006)
CBC Conference 2006 (You Tube)
Introducing God (Christians in Media, Sydney)

Bex Lewis

The Web Stream

medianetacademy — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:33:42 CDT

Our brief was to produce a simple site using Wet Paint, including articles, some interactivity and space to host the audio and video streams. The site you see before you. The team comprises of:

Bex Lewis

Bex Lewis, 32, has a PhD in wartime posters, and is shortly to go to Vietnam to teach English. She is a commissioned writer for the National Archives, Damaris Culturewatch, and the London Transport Museum, with both print and online contributions. She has taught history and media studies at university level. Her website portfolio is: http://www.mydesigna.co.uk.

bex@bex-lewis.co.uk

Elizabeth Hopkirk
Elizabeth Hopkirk, 34, has many years' experience in print media as a reporter, sub and page designer. Currently working in news for the Evening Standard, she has also reported from Rwanda for the Sunday Telegraph.
elizabeth@ripserve.com

Frances Murphy

Frances Murphy, 23, is an intern in the Communications and Public Affairs Office of the Diocese of Westminster. Having gained an MA in Theology from the University of Nottingham in 2006, she has long-term ambitions of a career in policy and research for a Catholic organisation.

francesmurphy@rcdow.org.uk

Gareth Duffield

Gareth, 21, is a Journalism student at the University of Lincoln. He presents a Christian radio show on community radio stations Siren and Erewash Sound. He has a passion for seeing Christian ethics represented more in mainstream media and wants to set up a Christian media company. garethduffield@yahoo.com

With thanks to trainer Rachel Collinson: Rachel@rechord.com

Meet the trainees

medianetacademy — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:32:51 CDT

During the conference 15 young people on the MediaNet Academy learnt new skills in new media, television and radio.

Starting Point: "If Doctor Who travelled through time to the media world of 2027, what would he find? How will God be working in and through the media 20 years from now?"

We split into three streams and this website, with its video and audio feeds, is the result of 36 hours of feverish activity.

If you like what you see and want to give us a job, find out more about us here:

We would like to thank the co-ordinator of the MediaNet Academy, David Ashford, all of our trainers, and the sponsors of the academy:

The Radio Stream

medianetacademy — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 07:55:02 CDT

The audio team was given a brief to produce a 3-minute audio piece to deliver to the web team for hosting. Their work can be found here and the team are:

Anna Krarup
Anna, 21, is graduating in theology from Cambridge this month, where she was heavily involved in student radio. She is looking for a job in religion and ethics in radio or TV.
agk30@cam.ac.uk

Elizabeth Hunter
Elizabeth, 23, is currently working for BBC Radio drama and would love to gain more research experience, ending up eventually on a magazine programme in speech radio.

lizbet01@hotmail.com

Emily Hall
Emily works at Gcapmedia on the commercial side of the business in sponsorship. She is currently diversifying her skills set.

Emily.hall@gcapmedia.com

Loretta Fenton
Loretta, 31, is working for Premier as an assistant producer/co-presenter on the Breakfast Show. She has a music background so is interested in getting into music radio but also producing documentaries - and finally finishing her half-written novel.

Loretta.fenton@premier.org.uk

Ruth Morris
Ruth is 22, she's a qualified Nursery Nurse and her lifetime ambition has always been to become a Blue Peter presenter.

A committed Christian, Ruth enjoys living life to the max! An enthusiastic optimist! Morris.ruth@yahoo.co.uk

With thanks to trainer Richard Staples: Richard.staples.01@bbc.co.uk

The Video Stream

medianetacademy — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 04:01:12 CDT

The video team brief was to produce two videos, one 3 minutes, one 90-seconds, which you can now see here.

Emma Brotherton
Emma Brotherton, 23, has a BA (Hons) in Media and Performance from Salford University. Now a secondary school drama teacher, she would like to get more involved in the media, influencing Christian entertainment for young people.

emabrotherton@yahoo.co.uk

Joy Gilmour
Joy Gilmour, 24, has a BA (Hons) in Fine Art and an MSc in Events Management. Currently a marketing executive for Christian Resources Exhibitions. Keen to work in film-making and presenting.

Gilmour_joy@hotmail.com

Matt White
Matt White grew up in the Salvation Army, and for the last four years he's been the Divisional Youth Officer for their London North-East Division. Matt would one day like to work in TV and radio as a presenter and has a potential interest in factual entertainment.

mattgwhite@btinternet.com

Naomi Grace Redhead
Naomi Grace Redhead is a Creative Studies graduate. An ex-outdoors pursuits instructor, she is currently an assistant at a Healing retreat centre. She is also available right away for work experience!
naomi@univ.bangor.ac.uk

Natasha Davies

Natasha Davies, 23, graduated two years ago in Media and Performance from Salford University. Now working with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. She wants to build an empire for God in entertainment, targeting youth.
natdavies2003@yahoo.co.uk

Peter Bazeley
Peter is a video and drama graduate currently based in London and employed as an assistant drain surveyor.
veryverycrazy@hotmail.com

With thanks to trainers Debs Gardner-Patterson, Jeremy Higham & Simon Morris: info@cornerstonefilms.co.uk

A Future and a Hope?

medianetacademy — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 03:50:42 CDT

If Dr Who time-travelled to 2027, what would the media look like? Will the Christian face in the media be a powerful presence like the Doctor himself, unafraid to tackle the issues of the day, or will Christians be hiding in the woodwork waiting for the Doctor to come and fight their battles?

Will the Church be a major player in the media of 2027, or will it be watching from the sidelines, offering doughnuts and quiche, rather than meaningful messages?

Step into the Tardis with us to find out

On this site we consider some predictions for the future, including unique interviews with leading names in the media field, including audio and video content.

A Flavour of the Conference
We don't have any doughnuts to offer, but we hope the following will whet your appetite:

The Future?

medianetacademy — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 03:43:42 CDT

What will the media world look like in 2020, 2027? Can we predict with any accuracy the future? The MediaNet Academy asked delegates what they think. Find out what they think by listening to the audio and video links here and following the links at the foot of the page.

A Time of Rapid Change
In a period of rapid media change, legally, culturally and technologically, Christians can either engage constructively with debates, or be left shouting from the sidelines. The new digital technologies offer many opportunities to truly meet people where they are – be that ‘Facebook’, blogs, podcasts, interactive gaming, or whatever is the next idea to catch the public imagination.

Audience Models
With the media increasingly both globalised and fragmented, audiences are both more and less difficult to establish. Audiences are media savvy, expect to be offered the chance to ‘make their own decisions’, and to interact. Sky+, allowing delayed viewing, calls particularly for a need to appeal through general programming, rather than providing “the God slot”, which often simply preaches to the converted. Sky+ also challenges the traditional advertising-revenue model, as viewers skip adverts.

Christians Adapting to Changing Issues
Although Christians have to deal with increasing regulation, legislation (which we need to exploit) and generally anti-Christian feeling, an increasing awareness of spiritual needs means that people are prepared to engage in debates. Amid the proliferation of magazine titles, The Times noted a call for “more serious stories” (27/4/7). Christian media specialists need to be prepared to adapt as the market changes, being more generalist than specialist.

In-Depth Stories

MediaNet Academy Audio and Video

medianetacademy — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 03:35:10 CDT

Religious Broadcasting

medianetacademy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 20:43:14 CDT

Impassioned debate started even before the Chair of the session, Andrew Graystone, set the conversation going on the second meeting of the stream.

Now and Then
The initial debates focused on the past and the present. Recent changes were discussed, but we must recognise that the media world is already changing, and we must engage with this. We questioned whether 'Religious Programming' is a useful genre title, and what kind of programming is currently available in this - whether it be high-quality 'Songs of Praise', or low-quality podcast sermons. Stress was laid on the fact that the challenge is to be thrown back to Christian producers to generate programme ideas to which controllers can say "I want to put that on my channel".

What options are there other than the mainstream channels?
If we took the BBC and ITV out of the equation, what other media could Christians use to reach their audience:

Community Radio
Marketing and branding
Empower and enable those in the pews, free and equip people to be able to take risks
Churches improve their 'product' (Sunday services)
Recognise that we need to use each other's skills, rather than assigning ourselves with an institution
Encourage and highlight high quality creative material, as C.S. Lewis and Tolkien produced in the past.

Bex Lewis

BBC Local Radio

medianetacademy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 20:34:58 CDT

The growth of Catholicism

On Monday the BBC Local radio stream looked at the issue of Catholicism in 2007 and how the increase in migration has led to an explosion in the catholic faith Britain. There are over 40 different languages spoken in some catholic congregations yet in this seminar we could only identify nine different ways to say hello!

Claire Ward from the Catholic Agency to Support Evangelisation (CASE) spoke about the conflict between having a denomination that was growing rapidly yet was struggling in some areas because of the last of community.

"Other denominations are better at discipleship, so it's not just the priests job, there are not enough lay people within the catholic church realising their potential." she said.

She went on to say that Britain has the highest number of priests per head but our country is used to the luxury of having too many and that's why it may seem like they are struggling.

Catholics and the BBC

To reach out and evangelise the Catholic church will be working with the BBC to produce a series later in the year called 'Come home for Christmas' a series of videos and audio featuring people who have returned to the catholic faith. Claire also encouraged broadcasters with sources and contacts for future news stories.

Gareth Duffield

Virtual Exhibition

medianetacademy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 20:19:49 CDT

add some sound - www.addsomesound.com	Audiopot - www.audiopot.org
Here and Now, in conjunction with the BBC - www.bbc.co.uk	Capel Manor College - www.mythgardens.org.uk
2day.ws - www.mycommunity.2day.ws	Church Urban Fund - www.cuf.org.uk

iChaplaincy - www.ichaplaincy.org.uk	Inspire magazine - www.inspiremagazine.org.uk
International Ecumenical Film Conference - www.div.ed.ac.uk/research/film07	Plain Truth - www.plain-truth.org.uk
Jesuit Media Initiatives - www.pray-as-you-go.org	Quirky Motion - www.quirkymotion.com
The Salvation Army - www.salvationarmy.org.uk	Sat 7 - www.sat7trust.org

Think Israel - www.thinkisrael.com	Whistling Frog Productions - www.hcjb.org.uk
World Vision - www.worldvision.org.uk

Interactive Area (BBC)



	An opportunity to have a go on the notorious Manchester Cathedral game, Resistance: Fall of Man. Enter our poll: what do you think of the game?

News and Journalism

medianetacademy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:49:50 CDT

Don't moan at us to run programmes or stories about you - do it yourself.

The democratisation of the media was one of the key issues discussed by the news and journalism stream.

Andy Duncan and Mark Browning had earlier taken a bashing for not giving Christians more air time.

But the answer lies in the hands of charities and churches themselves, said Amanda Hancox from BBC Factual Radio, producer of Iconoclasts and After Death, What?.

Yet this is exactly what mainstream broadcasters fear most.

Freaking out

"Anyone can set up their own radio station and reach anyone around the world. People will come to Tearfund radio, for example, if they are interested in that sort of stuff," said Ms Hancox.

"The big organisations like Channel 4 and the BBC are freaking out about this.

"The real challenge for people is doing it for yourself. You need to think quality not quantity - you don't have to broadcast for hours like BBC1."

But Christians have been slow to adapt to new media.

"We have to be much more clever in terms of marketing," said BBC veteran and media trainer Julia Bicknell.

Nerdy bloggers shame CBS

"Certain blogs in America now have more readers than regional newspapers, which is amazing because I can have a blog, you can have a blog. Ninety per cent are written by American high school students and are incredibly boring. But there are opportunities for people who are good communicators."

She encouraged Telegraph motoring writer Erin Baker to blog about learning to ride a motorbike. Baker took some convincing, but her blog became a huge hit because she wrote with such wit.

Blogs are also changing the way news is being reported, with one group of American "nerdy bloggers" exposing a CBS story about George Bush as fabrication, by using old-fashioned investigative journalism.

But traditional Christian and mainstream media organisations can both take heart, said Ms Bicknell.

"People will be so bombarded by everything that you'll still need your trusted guide, whether that's UCB radio or the BBC giving you their idea of the top 10 stories because you haven't got time to decide yourself," she said.

Elizabeth Hopkirk

Issues Facing Christians in the Media

medianetacademy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:43:16 CDT

Can you make compromises and keep your integrity? It's a daily pressure for many of us, with little time to think through the consequences.

The news editor wants a story about miserable old people's homes, but after extensive interviews you can only find happy residents. You're on a week's trial. Do you tell him his story stinks or deliver what he wants?

Your boss asks you to develop a new TV programme involving spiritualists. What do you do?

These were two real examples tackled by the Issues Facing Christians in the Media stream.

Facing the sack

"With these new short contracts there's no time to build relationships," said radio and TV producer Rachel Phillips. "You can't tell the editor he's got it all wrong because you could be kicked out. This way of working doesn't make it easy to keep your integrity."

Martin Booth, a former comedy writer and TV producer who is now Ofcom's religion specialist, spent a sleepless night in prayer trying to decide how to handle that request for a show about psychics.

"The next morning I told my boss it was against my religious principles. He just said 'OK, fine'," said Mr Booth.

Fallen world

"But some days I come home and think I have done nothing with integrity. I rely on prayer and worship during the day to be cleansed, refreshed and to start again. I wrestle with integrity every day of my life. It's a fallen world.

"We are employed to do a job. But if you can find a way to supply what editors want without doing something morally unacceptable it's OK. Sometimes you're happy and sometimes they are."

It's not just journalists facing these issues, of course. The Rev Joel Edwards of the Evangelical Alliance has advised many confused Christians in different walks of life.

"We need to liberate people on the front line to see compromise is a necessary tool," he said. "The trick is discerning when not to compromise."

Elizabeth Hopkirk

Religious Broadcasting on Commercial Radio

medianetacademy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:28:01 CDT

A Commercial Future?

What will radio look like in the year 2020? It was a contentious issue in Tuesday's talk by Andy Duncan and Mark Browning, but how will BBC Local Radio, Commercial Radio and Community Radio be used in 10 years time and will they survive?

During Mark's presentation and the Commercial Radio stream that followed, he made it clear that although many may not agree, that there is no place in commercial radio for Christian broadcasting. He said research he did before this conference shows that listeners to Heart 106.2 don't rate faith as one of the most important things they want from their radio station.

Mark praised community radio saying "Our future could end up with lots of niche communities, my concern is we leave behind the disenfranchised in our culture who don't have access to this new technology" He suggested using the old AM and FM frequencies to house 'real local radio'

He also pointed out that in this age of digital awareness and consumers being able to pick and choose what they listen to that if they want to listen to Christian music they can tune in to a Christian radio station.

Christian Radio

Although this may indicate a decline in religious content on secular radio stations maybe it does give hope for an expansion of Christian radio stations in the future. Currently there are two Christian radio stations with local DAB licences, Premier Radio in London (who are currently bidding for the national DAB license) and UCB Radio in Staffordshire, Cheshire and Greater London.

In terms of the potential for expansion in Community Radio, Cross Rhythms City Radio were the first radio station to be awarded an FM license for Stoke-on-Trent and have recently also won a license for a community Radio station in Plymouth, as well as smaller community Radio stations such as Flame FM, Day One Radio and Revival Radio as Mark Browning suggested maybe this is the way forward for Religious broadcasting in the future.

Gareth Duffield

Heart 106.2
Premier Radio
United Christian Broadcasters
Community Media Association

What You Missed

medianetacademy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 19:03:21 CDT

Throughout the conference there have been a number of streams focusing on specific areas of the media and how Christians can play a role now and in the coming years.

Because there were so many streams we have provided you with a taste of each one so you can catch up. To find out more select the appropriate sub-heading in the navigation.

The eight streams were:

If you would like to continue the debates you were having in your stream, or get an idea of what your colleagues were talking about in another stream, why not log on to the Facefish: Christians in the Media group on Facebook and start a discussion with other conference delegates?

Theological Reflection and Cultural Engagement

medianetacademy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:55:21 CDT

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matt.5:3)

Led by Paul Woolley, director of ecumenical think-tank Theos, this stream looked at the challenge and message issued to us through Jesus' words in the Beatitudes, and the way in which the media is effective in communicating this message.

The beatitudes were held up in comparison to the words of John Lennon's 'Imagine' and C.S Lewis' 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' as examples of a world view being presented to an audience. The ensuing discussions focused on the comparative possibilities and realities of these worlds, and the different ways in which they are presented. As both consumers and producers of media, how can Christians communicate the ideals of the beatitudes to wider society in the most effective manner, whilst staying faithful to the truth of the Gospel? In a society which can often seem hostile to faith and unaware of religious values, the call of the beatitudes must remain as strong as ever; the way in which this call is and should be lived out through Christians in the media can take many different forms, as the contributions offered to this stream demonstrated.

Frances Murphy

Communications and Public Relations

medianetacademy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:54:27 CDT

A masterclass in the "do"s and "don't"s of good communications, co-ordinated by Keith Ewing of Tearfund and presented by PR consultant Sarah King.

The three sessions were divided into the themes of:

Developing and Managing a PR Campaign
Effective Media Relations
Issues in Crisis Management.

The delegates who attended this stream shared their own experience of some of the main issues and problems faced by communications professionals in the Christian sector, and volunteered examples of best practice. Sarah King's wealth of experience in the field of public relations proved invaluable as she talked about the importance of good communication not just with the media but with members of one's own organisation and other audiences. It was made abundantly clear in all of the discussions that took place in this stream that there is a real enthusiasm among the Christian Churches and organisations that were represented for positive and effective communications with the media.

Frances Murphy

The media - the modern pulpit?

medianetacademy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:52:23 CDT

The Church is missing a trick. An important trick.

The world of 2027 will be a world in which there are even more media outlets, producers and consumers than there are now. Forward-looking by its very nature, this is something that the Church should be prepared for, but even in the here and now the Christian presence in the media is far from heartening. This is not because the Church has nothing to say; far from it - the Church's message is as relevant now as it ever was. It is because nobody knows how to tell the stories that matter. At this rate, the Church will be left far behind as an imminent media revolution sweeps consumers towards a secularised society. The Church needs to catch up, and quickly.

There is a great need for media training to be included in education and formation of both lay and ordained Christians. Advances in new media technology will only serve to provide more platforms from which the Christian message can be spoken, but the onus is on the Christian community to make the best possible use of that technology.

At a recent conference of the Churches' Media Council, Andy Duncan, CEO of Channel 4 and Mark Browning, Programme Director of Heart 106.2, defended the lack of religious broadcasting in their respective fields by appealing to a lack of interest in such programming from their audiences. If this is going to change then it is up to the Church to educate and train its followers, and more importantly its leaders to make them realise the power and potential of the media.

A universal Papal audience

"There is room for improvement in how we use the media, and training is very important to help us improve in this area" says Fr Michael Walsh, a priest in the Diocese of Salford who also acts as the Diocesan Communications Officer. "Of course the best user of the media was Pope John Paul II, and this was a very important part of his papacy." The late Pope, whose strong presence in the media has been instrumental in raising the profile of the Catholic Church over recent decades, was not afraid to make use of the media as a part of his ministry. Many ministers of religion, however, are very reluctant to do this.

We are stuck in something of a catch-22. Largely negative publicity means that Christians are afraid to speak out with their good news; but a lack of communication of this good news means that only the less desirable stories come to the fore. So how do we become a more media-savvy Church?

The modern pulpit

The media needs to be seen as a tool for evangelisation, not as something to be feared. According to Clare Ward, a team member of CASE (Catholic Agency to Support Evangelisation): "The media is the modern pulpit. In some ways it is even more intimate than the pulpit as you can really address the individual." She is realistic about the uphill struggle that the Catholic Church faces in this area though, as she points out that some dioceses in England and Wales have only just reached the stage where all of their priests have an email address.

"By neglecting what's available we are holding ourselves back in communicating," she continues. "But there are signs of people embracing new technologies. Companies such as CathCom and Xt3 are helping parishes without the know how to make their own websites, and at a national level there are a lot of good initiatives. With technology changing so fast these days though it is getting harder and harder to keep up with new developments, and parish communities tend to consist largely of the older generation, so catching up at grass roots level will take time."

Paul Woolley, director of the think tank Theos, agrees that the constant developments in new media do install a sense of panic in people who feel they cannot keep up. This fear of the technology itself, and of the power of the media to damage those in the spotlight, means that the media is perceived by many within the Church to be an aggressor. This leads to a defensive Church, a Church that is always on the back foot and as such has missed the chance to evangelise through the media.

Woolley thinks that the media space is exactly where the Church should be directing its message. "If we look at it historically, to describe the media as the new pulpit is both useful and accurate. The pulpit was where people used to go to get information that was of interest to them - now the Church needs to think theologically and creatively about how to transfer from the pulpit into the media.

"The media offers huge opportunities to the Church. The secularisation thesis has stalled now, there is a renewed interest in faith - we need to speak creatively to address that interest."

Frances Murphy

The media in 2027

medianetacademy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:51:07 CDT

Predicting the future is a mug's game. We're still not driving around in floating cars or living on Mars.

The pace of change in the media is now so fast it's hard enough to keep up with today's technology, let alone know what tomorrow will look like.

"But either we take hold of the future or the future takes hold of us," said futurologist Patrick Dixon.

The YouTube generation

It is already a reality that some blogs have higher circulations than newspapers, and that YouTube can attract more viewers than ITV1.

No one watches TV commercials any more and global brands commission agencies to make web ads that look viral so consumers will trust them. We are more likely to believe the user reviews on Tripadvisor than the official hotel website.

Anyone can write a blog, and even Tony Blair has a Facebook profile - though, tellingly, not Gordon Brown. And the average age of people with a Second Life avatar is 45. Meanwhile, St Pixel's is planning to bring church to your mobile phone.

More soberingly, all this also means missionaries' newsletters can be read by a potentially hostile crowd around the world - and archive versions will still show up in 20 years.

Telling stories

But whatever we digest our media through in the future, the fundamentals will never change. Journalists and Christians will still be telling stories.

"The future media will reflect the appetites of people to read, listen and watch just as they do today," said Dr Dixon. "And because human nature shows no sign of changing I suspect the balance of content will be exactly the same.

"A lot will be sensational or contain very personal stories and a lot will be emotional reaction to events rather than the events themselves. The Sun sells newspapers by following stories people are interested in. They are identical to the stories that will spread virally in the future. It's populism and all media is based on that premise."

A more pressing issue for Dr Dixon is editors dealing fairly with all sections of the community. "The key to all this is consistency," he said. "It's vital that the religious convictions of different minority groups are respected rather than one being singled out for particularly negative treatment.

"I am seeing an increasing militancy in some parts of the Church partly, perhaps, as a reponse to seeing the success the Islamic community has had in discouraging mockery of their faith through well-organised protest."

Narrowing of minds

He reads the Guardian and Telegraph every day to compare their coverage of the same stories. But Mark Browning, programme director of Heart, fears few people will do that in the future.

"It's quite a cultural challenge that people don't want to get challenged out of their mindset," he said. They will rely on RSS feeds and email summaries provided by outlets that share their prejudices and so may never be exposed to alternative views.

Andy Duncan, chief executive of Channel 4, believes journalists must fight this narrowing of minds. "I do worry that over time some of that mass experience of sharing of ideas and information may get dissipated and we'll end up a much more fragmented society, which is something to be protected against really quite carefully," he said.

"Ultimately this is about an opportunity and a threat. Whether you like it or not the world is changing pretty rapidly. That's not going away - it's going to accelerate. If you are not seriously thinking about it you should probably be a bit worried. Over the next five to 10 years it will be harder not easier to get religious programmes on air, for example.

"There are some threats and problems and issues we all have to deal with but my goodness there are some real opportunities too. Most organisations have more ways of communicating with people and more ways of hearing back from people than ever before. For the first time consumers get it and know how to work this stuff and are keen to interact. That's a fantastic opportunity."

Elizabeth Hopkirk

www.globalchange.com
www.stpixels.com
www.channel4.com
www.heart1062.co.uk
www.facebook.com

Commercial Radio

medianetacademy — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:15:35 CDT

On Tuesday Mark Browning joined the commercial radio stream where Media Chaplin Tony Miles quizzed him further about his role as Programme Director at Heart 105.2 and how much of an impact God has had on his move up the career ladder.

This session moved on from the thoughts of the speech and looked more at how can local Christian communities have an impact in their local radio station in a way that is more relevant to the audience. The general conclusions were that there are some good examples of the way this is being done, but there aren't enough experts within the church on Culture and Lifestyle that can step forward and be used in a relevant way in commercial radio day-to-day.