Recent
Report of an independent assessment
Two years ago, in the Children's Plan, the DCSF committed itself to commission an independent assessment of the impact of the commercial world on children's wellbeing. That assessment, led by Professor David Buckingham, is now complete. As part of the process SIRC was commissioned to undertake two major reviews: Children and Family Life: Socio-Demographic Changes and The Ecology of Family Life. more
Psychological impact & the lessons of recession
There can be very few people in Britain who are unaware that we have been living in times of recession…It is clear that people — even those unaffected directly — are worried, especially about their future financial security. But are there some positive lessons to be learnt? more
The role and citizen impact of Public Service Broadcasting
As a complement to the extensive work contributed by other players on the rapid advances in technology and consumer behaviour, the work is designed to review and present the available data on broader social trends which may impact on PSB in the future…more
Passion, emotion and the 'beautiful game'
The Football Passions report summarises extensive sociological research across 18 countries in Europe. The objectives of the study were to capture the emotions of being a football fan and to compare the feelings, expressions and behaviour of fans associated with support of their football teams…more.
Naming & Praising update
The SIRC Naming & Praising campaign highlights two examples of responsible reporting of health issues in the 10th January Express.
Maggie Morgan reports on a researcher's claim that most heart disease and cancer deaths are caused by x-rays, but avoids causing unnecessary alarm by stating in the first line of her piece that these claims have been widely denounced as misleading and unscientific. Such messages are all too often relegated to the very end of reports, with the more dramatic 'scare' elements dominating the lead paragraphs. Morgan's piece is a refreshing and welcome exception to this common practice. As well as generating false fears, news reports often raise false hopes.
Martin Stote is careful to avoid this in his report on research showing that curry spices might play a role in fighting colon cancer. He makes it clear that while initial findings seem promising, much more research and testing will be required to determine the effects of the curcumin spice, and that this work could take up to ten years to complete. (A report on the same story in the Mirror, by contrast, makes no mention of such caveats.)
