Friday 29 January 2010

Crosswords and Crufts

So we return from our Christmas break, a break of over-indulgence and likely lethargy. What have we learned? Not to buy so many Christmas presents? That turkey dinner is fattening? Has in turn the arrival of the new year initiated new resolutions and new habits? I’ve certainly made a big effort to read as many newspapers as I can get my mitts on and not only do I watch BBC but I watch Sky, Al Jazeera, Fox, CNN and Euronews. I listen to vast array of radio stations (except radio 1, no newsjunkie in the world should have to subject themselves to Moyles)
I have developed a penchant for Private Eye and have forced myself to once in a while by The Daily Mail ( I actually like the crossword) (only because I can complete it, unlike The Times). Despite all this dedication, I think what I have learned above all is HOW I absorb my news. I pay stringent attention to words used, my latest gripe is the use of the word ‘quiz’ particularly in The Sun. It is usually used in reference to a murder enquiry, ‘So and So was quizzed on the murder of her two children’….I’m sorry was Anne Robinson conducting the investigation? ‘Quizzed’ to me seems like a light inquiry, such as where the nearest post office is, not what possessed someone to commit a murder! Argh!

Anyway I digress….(horrie trademark) The point is that every word printed and every phrase spoken has been chosen by a producer or editor or journalist for a specific effect, when you analyse each word it becomes easier to fathom the effect the author wishes to create.
I now see myself walking through a park full of dog walkers as a crufts official, intently assessing factors which would otherwise go over my head.


This attention to detail has spawned from our latest project, to find and research an example of something Orwellian. Namely something that relates to the totalitarian state depicted in Nineteen Eighty Four.
Horrie as an example showed us an advert for Dasdani, a bottled water produced by the coca-cola company, which was laced with bromate, essentially a carcinogenic poison.
Although this had at the time of the water’s release become public knowledge, when asked about the brand of water, most of the class, including myself inaccurately recalled the bottled water was proven to just be tap water.
This scary untruth was published after the scandal had leaked that the water contained poison, basically Coca-Cola had published ‘Mis-information’ which successfully altered the memory of the public, making the company look like silly con-men as opposed to murderers who could have poisoned millions.

My point of interest was going to be on NESTLE a company which has long suffered contention due to it’s aggressive marketing of it’s baby milk formula in the third world. I researched the subject concentrating on the language Nestle used to defend claims and the language used by the accusatory force 'Boycott Nestle'. A short video will follow this blog displaying my findings.

1 comment:

  1. It is a shame that you did not make video blog on orwell

    ReplyDelete