This might interest third year and MA students. There are offering £400 prizes, plus work experience.  

Details follow, as we received them: 

Please see information below about the Voice of the Listener and Viewer’s  2011 Student Essay Competition.  If you require any further information please contact Linda Forbes <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. Please encourage your students to enter.

£800 in Prizes and Work Experience are offered to the Winners of VLV’s 2011 Student Essay Competition.

Voice of the Listener & Viewer (VLV) is pleased to announce the launch of its sixth Student Essay Competition which is supported by The Voice of the Listener Trust.  The two winners in the equivalent of under and post graduate categories will each receive a cash prize of £400 kindly donated by Channel 4. They and the runner up in each category will also be offered work experience with a leading television or radio production company.  The prizes will be presented by, Jon Snow, presenter of Channel 4 News.

Essay topic:

The new Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government has already made a number of far-reaching decisions affecting the media generally, and broadcasting specifically, since it came into office in May 2010. These include the freezing of the BBC Licence Fee, changes in the funding and status of the BBC World Service and S4C the Welsh language TV service, and, along with many other public bodies, cuts to the telecommunications and broadcasting regulator, Ofcom. Controversies about telephone hacking of public figures’ messages by journalists have raised new concerns about communications technology, privacy, individuals’ rights and journalistic ethics. Considerable concern has also been raised at the possible threat to media plurality by the proposed 100% takeover of BSkyB by News International, making it the most dominant commercial force in UK media. A new Communications Bill is planned by the Government in 2012 and a Green Paper is shortly to be published. In the light of these developments, Voice of the Listener & Viewer (VLV) has chosen the following subject for its 2011 Student Essay Competition.

VLV invites entries for its 2011 Student Essay Competition from students studying for a UK registered undergraduate or postgraduate degree, or similar professional qualification, on the following subject:

‘What safeguards, if any, do you think should be in place to protect media pluralism, journalistic integrity, and opportunities for citizens and consumers to make their views known, in the Government’s forthcoming Communications Green Paper? Should anything else be safeguarded in your opinion? Refer to existing legislation and current regulatory, e.g. Ofcom’s, guidelines’.

Entries should be submitted as a written essay of a maximum of 2,000 words. The closing date for entries is Wednesday, 1st June 2011.

Jocelyn Hay, VLV Hon President commented: “This is VLV’s sixth annual essay competition.  Previous competitions have attracted entries from students across the UK and we were very pleased with the standard they set.  We are grateful to Channel 4 for providing the cash prizes and delighted that Jon Snow has kindly agreed to present the prizes”

VLV membership is open to all students and costs just £15 annually.  VLV membership offers many benefits to students including the chance to attend VLV events at special rates where they can hear, meet and interview leading speakers from the industry at first hand.

Voice of the Listener & Viewer (VLV) is an independent, non-profit-making association, free from political, commercial and sectarian affiliations, working for quality, diversity and independence in British broadcasting. VLV represents the interests of listeners, viewers and new media users as citizens and consumers across the full range of broadcasting issues. VLV is concerned with the structures, regulation, funding and institutions that underpin the British broadcasting system. VLV does not handle complaints. The Voice of the Listener Trust (registered charity 296207) supports many of the educational activities of VLV that fall within the scope of its own objects.

Full details and entry form, which must be completed, are available at vlv.org.uk<http://vlv.org.uk> <http://vlv.org.uk><http://vlv.org.uk>  or in writing, enclosing an SAE from: Linda Forbes, Conference Administrator, VLV, PO Box 401, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 9FY.

Linda Forbes
Administrator

Voice of the Listener & Viewer
PO Box 401, Gravesend, Kent DA12 9FY
Tel: 01474 338711 or 01474 338716
Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Website: vlv.org.uk<http://vlv.org.uk>