[cfp: democracy and communication]

Call for Papers: Canadian Journal of Communication

Special Issue: Democratizing Communication Policy in the Americas: Why It Matters

Deadline for full papers December 15, 2009; publication date Fall 2010.

Communication policy is an often important but overlooked topic ­ a blind spot - in much social policy research and public discourse. Media and telecommunications systems have become so fundamental, ubiquitous and pervasive that we often take them for granted as enablers, and nothing more, of many other freedoms, rights, and capabilities. Many do not realize the extent to which policies concerning communication resources are quite vulnerable to fluctuating corporate and government interests.

This "knowledge gap" is what this special issue of the CJC seeks to address:

how do communication policies affect economic, social justice and human rights, and what are civil society organizations in the Americas doing about this? For example, how do the supposed decline of traditional news media such as newspapers, struggles over copyright, the emergence of new ways of communicating online, questions about who owns or controls the internet, or access to the information we need, relate to social policy concerns such as sustainable development, immigration, environmental degradation, labor rights, gender equity, and other concerns across the Americas? What do any of these struggles have in common related to media, communication, and internet policies?

With these ideas in mind, we seek two types of submissions from concerned experts working either in academic or non-academic settings in the Americas:

• Policy Contexts (i.e., Enabling/Disabling Legal and Regulatory Environments): Short syntheses of the current state of play re communication policy that includes attention to the full spectrum of convergent policy issues such as broadcasting, telecommunications, information (i.e., intellectual property rights and access to information laws), and internet governance policies in each of the following regions: North America (Canada and the U.S.); Mexico and Central America; the Caribbean; Spanish-speaking Latin America; and Brazil.
  

• Civil Society Responses: Research illuminating either failed (and why) or successful (and how) civil society engagement related any of the previously listed communication and social policy areas in terms of making policy making actors, processes or institutions more transparent, representative, and accountable to public vs. corporate interests. Simply put, we seek to know why and how communication policies matter to a variety of social policy concerns and how civil society actors are working to effect communication policy change in a variety of contexts.
  

For this special issue, and given our interest in linking media and communications with social policy more generally, we are also interested primarily in research that is informed by critical theory, social justice and/or human rights frameworks and that features praxis-oriented research capturing the various challenges and/or opportunities for public-interest oriented interventions in policy making processes across the Americas.

Full-length papers (7,000-9,000 words) in English or French should be submitted electronically following the guidelines laid out on the CJC submissions website (http://www.cjc-online.ca/submissions.php). Make sure to write in all caps "COMM POLICY" in the Comments to the Editor field, and also to include it on the cover page of your article as well. Please do
not include your name on the cover page.

Comments and queries can be sent to one or both of the special issue editors:

Dr. Leslie Regan Shade, Concordia University, leslieshade@gmail.com
Dr. Becky Lentz, McGill University, becky.lentz@mcgill.ca

[employment: lectureship in new media]

This is an amazing position at the University of Leeds...makes me (almost) wish I was in the U.K.:

Closing Date: 17th July 2009

Lectureship in New Media
(Job reference: 317127)
Faculty of Performance, Visual Arts and Communications
Institute of Communications Studies

The institute of Communication Studies seeks to appoint a Lecturer in New Media from
2 September 2009 or as soon afterward as is mutually convenient.

You will deliver teaching and research primarily in areas related to New Media at
both undergraduate and postgraduate level, but may also be asked to teach more
generally in other areas of media and communications. Essential teaching
requirements are ‘Design for New Media’ and ‘New Media, Planning and Gaming’. You
will also be required to take responsibility for student project work. You will be
expected to play a leading role in the continued development of the programme in New
Media and undertake supervision of undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD projects and
dissertations.

You will possess a PhD, or have such an award pending and be able to demonstrate a
developing research profile with a clear indication of future plans and potential
commensurate with aspirations to an 'international' standard of excellence.

See http://ics.leeds.ac.uk for more information on the Institute of Communications
Studies or http://hr.leeds.ac.uk/jobs/ViewJob.aspx?CId=3&JId=416 for more details
about the post.

University Grade 7 (£32,458 – £35,469 p.a.)
Salary: Lecturer Grade 7 (£32,458 - £35,469)
Apply using: Application form, CV and Equal Opportunities Monitoring form
Download an application form: (pdf version) | (Word version)

Informal enquiries: to Dr Stephen Sobol, New Media Programme Head, email
s.c.sobol@leeds.ac.uk, tel +44 (0)113 343 6247 or Professor Gary Rawnsley, Director
of the ICS, email g.d.rawnsley@leeds.ac.uk , tel +44 (0)113 343 6906.

Send completed applications to:
email vpaempl@leeds.ac.uk, or by post to:

VPAEMPL,
PVAC,
Faculty Office,
Man-Made Fibres Building,
University of Leeds,
LS2 9JT

Closing date: 17 July 2009

[employment: professorships in digital media and design]

The IT University of Copenhagen has just advertised a super position for those working with digital media and communications or interaction design to start in Jan. 2010.


"The program covers two main areas: Media and Communication and Interaction Design. Successful candidates should be competent in one of the two areas and must be enthusiastic about:
• conducting research at the highest international level
• developing and conducting excellent and inspiring graduate and under-graduate teaching
• actively taking part in developing the IT University and its relations with external partners
Furthermore, faculty on associate professor level are expected to draw in external funding for research and be capable of, and prepared to supervise Ph.D. Students.

Applicants in the area of Media and Communication should be competent in a broad selection of topics from the area of digital media and communication, including humanistic, social and cultural aspects of digital technologies. A disciplinary background in the humanities, communication or social sciences is preferred, although others are not excluded if the candidate can document work within the area.
Topics of interest are: digital communication (Internet/mobile), academic communication and writing, digital media theory, digital rhetoric, methodologies in the study of communication, strategic communication, cultural and sociological approaches to the study of digital media, digital culture and cultural policy, digital literature, digital aesthetics, art and design, historical perspectives on digital media and design, and visual communication. Moreover, it will be an asset if the applicant engages in creative digital practice.

Applicants in the area of Interaction Design should be competent in a broad selection of topics from the area. Topics of interest are: methodologies, methods and techniques for interaction design, contextualized philosophy of science and historical aspects of digital design, techniques and tools for sketching, modeling and prototyping, ethnographic approaches to design, methods for user-driven design, digital aesthetics, pervasive computing, location-based services and gaze interaction."


Submit applications to:

The IT University of Copenhagen
Att. Journalen
Rued Langgaards Vej 7
2300 Copenhagen S
Denmark

journalen@itu.dk.

Read more about the application process and what you need to include here.

[employment: multidisciplinary post doc]

Oxford Internet Institute

University of Oxford

RESEARCH STAFF GRADE 8 (£36,532 to £43,622 p.a.)

We are seeking a Research Fellow to complement our multidisciplinary team undertaking research into the societal implications of the Internet and related information and communications technologies. This Fellowship offers post doctoral researchers of outstanding promise or distinction an opportunity to pursue advanced research within this field.

Our preference is for candidates with a strong theoretical and/or methodological background in computer science, law or one of the following social science disciplines: communication, information, media studies, economics, political science, social psychology or sociology; and with an interest in research which will complement one of the OII's current research areas.

These concern the role of the Internet and ICTs in: everyday life and work; government and democracy; research and learning; shaping the Internet; and issues of theory and policy that cut across these settings. Applications from those with a track record of multi-disciplinary research on the societal implications of the Internet and/or related policy issues who have doctorates in other relevant disciplines will also be welcomed.

Based in the heart of Oxford, this post is available from October 2009 for two years in the first instance with the possibility of renewal thereafter.

How to apply

Grade 8 Fellow Application Pack (pdf, 100kb)

Further information, including details of how to apply, may be obtained from Nicola McVay, Administrative Officer, Oxford Internet Institute, 1 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3JS, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1865 212330; email: recruit@oii.ox.ac.uk

Applications must reach the Institute by 12:00 noon on Wednesday 25 February 2009. It is expected that interviews will be held on Tuesday 10 March 2009.

Research Fellow (Grade 7)

RESEARCH STAFF GRADE 7 (£28,839 to £35,469 p.a.)

We are seeking a Research Fellow to complement our multidisciplinary team undertaking research into the societal implications of the Internet and related information and communications technologies. This Fellowship offers post doctoral researchers of outstanding promise an opportunity to pursue advanced research within this field.

Our preference is for candidates with a strong theoretical and/or methodological background in computer science, law or one of the social sciences, including communication, information, media studies, economics, political science, social psychology or sociology; and with an interest in research which will complement one of the OII's current research areas.

These concern the role of the Internet and ICTs in: everyday life and work; government and democracy; research and learning; shaping the Internet; and issues of theory and policy that cut across these settings. Applications from those with a track record of multi-disciplinary research on the societal implications of the Internet and/or related policy issues who have doctorates in other relevant disciplines will also be welcomed.

Based in the heart of Oxford, this post is available from October 2009 for two years in the first instance with the possibility of renewal thereafter.

How to apply

Grade 7 Fellow Application Pack (pdf, 100kb)

Further information, including details of how to apply, may be obtained from Nicola McVay, Administrative Officer, Oxford Internet Institute, 1 St Giles, Oxford OX1 3JS, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1865 212330; email: recruit@oii.ox.ac.uk

Applications must reach the Institute by 12:00 noon on Wednesday 25 February 2009. It is expected that interviews will be held on Tuesday 10 March 2009.

[employment: head of department of media technology]

DMU has been undergoing some changes and one of them is the restructuring of various faculties. There is now a new faculty of technology that is divided into four different departments. The department of media tech. is looking for a head:

Head of Department of Media Technology

The salary will be commensurate with a senior academic appointment.

The Faculty of Technology offers a unique combination of professional focus and research excellence. It has recently been renamed and re-organised into a structure of four departments.

We seek individuals with proven academic and managerial qualities to lead the departments and develop plans for future growth in line with University strategy. You will bring both experience and vision to lead a dynamic, energetic community of academic staff. A major part of this role is to further develop areas of excellence and provide strategic leadership. You will be required to demonstrate the energy, experience and vision to translate strategy into real achievement.

Informal enquiries may be made to the Dean of the Faculty of Technology, Professor Adrian Hopgood, on
0116 257 7092 or aah@dmu.ac.uk.

Please include a personal CV as well as a completed application form. Applicants are asked to include a covering letter illustrating how their skills and achievements match the requirements of the job.

Closing date: Monday 16th February

Further details are available from our website; click here.

To apply, click here.
Please quote reference numbers above when applying for a job.

Alternatively telephone 0116 250 6433 (24 hour answerphone)

Or write to:
The Human Resources Team, De Montfort University,
The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH.

[blogosphere blamed in political fakery]

What's that? Sarah Palin doesn't know that Africa is a continent. Well, I certainly wouldn't be jumping to defend her. I probably wouldn't think that she was misquoted. I'd assume, well, that she was Republican and that is pretty much synonomous with...well, you know.

When Fox news made this assertion, it was (mostly) taken as fact. Now that the election dust has settled, it turns out that Martin Eisenstadt who fed this information to Fox doesn't exist, and the guys who created the now famous character were really only trying to pitch a new tv show.

But, the imporant thing that you'll discover if you read the NY Times, it's all the fault of the blogosphere.

"Mr. Gorlin, 39, argued that Eisenstadt was no more of a joke than half the bloggers or political commentators on the Internet or television.
[...]
But most of Eisenstadt’s victims have been bloggers, a reflection of the sloppy speed at which any tidbit, no matter how specious, can bounce around the Internet. And they fell for the fake material despite ample warnings online about Eisenstadt, including the work of one blogger who spent months chasing the illusion around cyberspace, trying to debunk it."
[...]
Among the Americans who took that bait was Jonathan Stein, a reporter for Mother Jones. A few hours later Mr. Stein put up a post on the magazine’s political blog, with the title “Hoax Alert: Bizarre ‘McCain Adviser’ Too Good to Be True,” and explained how he had been fooled.

In July, after the McCain campaign compared Senator Barack Obama to Paris Hilton, the Eisenstadt blog said “the phone was burning off the hook” at McCain headquarters, with angry calls from Ms. Hilton’s grandfather and others. A Los Angeles Times political blog, among others, retold the story, citing Eisenstadt by name and linking to his blog.

Last month Eisenstadt blogged that Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, Joe the Plumber, was closely related to Charles Keating, the disgraced former savings and loan chief. It wasn’t true, but other bloggers ran with it.

Among those taken in by Monday’s confession about the Palin Africa report was The New Republic’s political blog. Later the magazine posted this atop the entry: “Oy — this would appear to be a hoax. Apologies.”

But the truth was out for all to see long before the big-name take-downs. For months sourcewatch.org has identified Martin Eisenstadt as a hoax. When Mr. Stein was the victim, he blogged that “there was enough info on the Web that I should have sussed this thing out."

job opportunity - lecturer media & communication

Lecturer in Media & Communication

Interactive Media team

A wholly owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University (Formerly UCE Birmingham), the Technology Innovation Centre (tic) is a national centre of excellence providing training and support for individuals and organisations to develop their capabilities within a rapidly evolving, technology-based society.

Starting Salary within the range £26,281 - £30,880
Permanent Post
Part Time - 18.5 hours per week

As a key member of our Interactive Media team, apply your skills and knowledge to develop, deliver and co-ordinate programmes of learning, technology transfer, applied research and business development.

Educated to Degree level or equivalent you will either hold a teaching qualification or be willing to study for one. With a good general skills and knowledge base of the overall television / new media production process you will have a particular demonstrable interest and experience in at least one and probably several of the following areas:

• Script development and screen studies
• Television Journalism
• Media and Communication Theory

Based at Millennium Point, Birmingham, the successful candidate will:

• Undertake responsibility for the development and delivery of undergraduate modules particularly in the TV Journalism, scripting and screen studies, Media and Communication Theory areas.
• Generate, support and supervise student projects and placements.
• Undertake appropriate quality assurance responsibilities for course delivery, assessment, evaluation and the students experience.
• Promote the Centre for Interactive Media and it's courses.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of short courses, consultancy and other income generating activities.
• Encourage, develop and sustain appropriate links with the Television industry.

tic offers employees private healthcare, childcare vouchers, a final salary pension scheme, flexible working and professional development.

For an application pack, please visit our website at www.tic.ac.uk/jobs. Alternatively, you can e-mail tic Human Resources at Jobs@tic.ac.uk quoting reference number T00154 or phone 0121 331 7502.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 25th August 2008 at 5pm.

Further Details

[job opportunity - assistant prof @ trinity uni, usa]

Multiplatform Journalism
One-Year Instructor or Assistant Professor
Fall 2008 / Department of Communication


COMMUNICATION: Trinity University. Instructor or Assistant Professor of Communication, one-year appointment, Fall 2008, M.A. or A.B.D. (Ph.D. preferred). Teach six undergraduate classes per year (9
contact hours per semester) with teaching responsibilities in multiplatform journalism (reporting, writing, and producing across media; and analysis of the challenges of convergence and technological changes) and either industry analysis (Mass Media) or textual analysis
(Media Interpretation and Criticism).

The department is integrated among media specialties and within the liberal arts and sciences mission of the university. The faculty is committed to linking theory and practice in our teaching, research, and service. Trinity University, a highly selective, primarily undergraduate liberal arts and sciences institution, has an ideal student-faculty ratio, and excellent facilities, equipment, and services. Salary: $40,000-$42,000.

Deadline for receipt of applications is July 1, 2008. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Send letter of application, *curriculum vitae*, three references, graduate institution transcript(s), and teaching evaluations if available to Dr. William Christ, Chair, Search Committee, Department of Communication, Trinity
University, One Trinity Place, San Antonio, TX 78212-7200, email: wchrist at trinity.edu, Fax: 210-999-8355. Electronic submissions preferred. EEO Employer.

[ha ha!]

Via Gawker.

[meds1100: media texts & representations lecture]

Following today's lecture on new media here are some questions you might like to address (either here or in blackboard):

[if ET had the iphone he wouldn't have made it home]

Two weeks (or there about) after people were seen running to the nearest store only to stand in a queue for hours in order to pay over a week's rent (400 pounds for 4 gig) for a 'phone (albeit a super pretty one), they're seen running right back to return them.

As Cade Metz explains

"Let's be honest here: The iPhone's all-finger, no-stylus interface is a beautiful thing. With the exception of the on-screen keyboard - which isn't
quite up-to-snuff if your hands are any larger than a twelve-year-old's - this
is pretty close to the ultimate UI, an interface you can use without a second
thought. From the get-go. But $541.42 is too much to pay for an interface. UI
aside, the only real reason to buy an iPhone is peer pressure."

He ends his musings with this one-liner:

"More importantly, if you carry an iPhone, what happens to your self-worth? I can assure you: It plummets. Carry an iPhone, and you're just one of the lemmings."

As for technical issues, well, here are 28!


I think I'll stick to my Blackberry. So it doesn't have a 5mp camera but it has a fast web connection (Edge is soooo 2005...), security, loooong battery life, and loads of other businessey-type apps (the iphone doesn't let you edit Word of Excel files?!) that Apple doesn't seem to want to provide (yet).

Plus there's a major security flaw with iphone technology:

"Hackers could take control of an iPhone if its owner visits a doctored Web site or Internet hotspot, security researchers reported Monday.

The vulnerability of the vaunted device, Apple Inc.'s first cell phone, is only theoretical for now. There are no reports of criminals actually taking advantage of the security glitch to remotely access an iPhone. But if it were exploited, hijacked iPhones could be very useful to the same gangs that take over personal computers and use them to disseminate spam, said Charlie Miller, principal security analyst at Independent Security Evaluators, which discovered the flaw. "You could have a million iPhones dialing the company's main line and overwhelm it that way," Miller said."

For more ranting check out anti-ipod.

[microsoft surface = our networked future]

I know what I want...NOW!

This is from the site's source code:

"Surface is the first commercially available surface computer from Microsoft Corp. It turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, interactive surface. The product provides effortless interaction with digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects. In essence, it’s a surface that comes to life for exploring, learning, sharing, creating, buying and much more. Soon to be available in restaurants, hotels, retail and public entertainment venues, this experience will transform the way people shop, dine, entertain and live."

Woah.

And yeah, I know there'll be some critque out there...seeing as Surface is only coming out in the winter of 2007 and won't be (initially) available to the public...but still - it's a cool idea.

[someone could be blogging you...]

jas_public writes "The Wall Street Journal reports on the controversial events which ultimately led to the firing of radio shock jock Don Imus. 'At 6:14 a.m. on Wednesday, April 4, relatively few people were tuned into the "Imus in the Morning Show" ... Ryan Chiachiere was. A 26-year-old researcher in Washington, D.C., for liberal watchdog organization Media Matters for America, he was assigned to monitor Mr. Imus's program. Mr. Chiachiere clipped the video, alerted his bosses and started working on a blog post for the organization's Web site.' The article breaks down how that viral video clip and word of mouth outrage reached the ears of the presidents of CBS and MSNBC, ultimately leading to Imus' dismissal."

From Slashdot. Posted by Zonk on Saturday April 14, @06:26AM


UNHORSED JOCKEY
Behind the Fall of Imus, A Digital Brush Fire
In a Blur, Watchdogs, Blogs, Email, SpurRadio Host's Firing

By BROOKS BARNES, EMILY STEEL and SARAH MCBRIDEApril 13, 2007; Page A1

At 6:14 a.m. on Wednesday, April 4, relatively few people were tuned into the "Imus in the Morning Show" when Don Imus referred to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed ho's."
Ryan Chiachiere was. A 26-year-old researcher in Washington, D.C., for liberal watchdog organization Media Matters for America, he was assigned to monitor Mr. Imus's program. Mr. Chiachiere clipped the video, alerted his bosses and started working on a blog post for the organization's Web site.
Yesterday, after eight days of dizzying activity, CBS pulled the plug on Mr. Imus's hugely successful radio show. One day earlier, MSNBC had canceled its broadcast of the show on cable TV. CBS had originally suspended Mr. Imus for two weeks, but succumbed amid an escalating national outcry and an exodus of big advertisers. "All of us have been deeply upset and revulsed by the statements that were made on our air," CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves said yesterday in a written statement.
Mr. Imus, who didn't respond to repeated calls seeking comment, had for years been making outrageous and frequently crude remarks about risky subjects such as race, sex and gender, a style that millions of listeners had embraced. The media executives and advertisers profiting from Mr. Imus's popularity stood by him as protests occasionally surfaced. They usually subsided after a few days.
This time it was different. The target was a sympathetic team of young athletes. In the ensuing furor, the lucrative and often vulgar business of talk radio found itself running into new limits, as the Internet sent Mr. Imus to millions of PC screens, driving executives, advertisers and employees to distance themselves from his racist words.

On the morning of the original broadcast, there was little response to Mr. Imus's slur. Media Matters posted the video and transcript on its Web site and sent an email blast to several hundred reporters, as it does nearly every day. The post received dozens of comments, many heated, some more than 300 words long. The next day, top news outlets didn't mention the incident.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Video: NBC's Steve Capus on discontinuing "Imus"

[blogging pedagogy]

I've just joined this blog hosted by the Computer Writing & Research Lab at University of Texas at Austin. The blog caught my eye because it's about (go figure) "pedagogy and English studies. It is a space to share resources, stories, successes, and failures." Jim Brown, (who seems to be the site govna) writes an interesting post on Fora.tv:

FORA delivers discourse, discussions and debates on the world's most interesting political, social and cultural issues, and enables viewers to join the conversation. It provides deep, unfiltered content, tools for self-expression and a place for the interactive community to gather online.

The interactivity seems to come in the form of posting comments, tagging videos, or even posting your own video content. Essentially it's YouTube with less Numa Numa kid and more Noam Chomsky.

From the fora.tv site for those slightly dense but still interested in breaking "discourse, discussion and events" there is this explanation:

"The word fora is simply the plural of "forum." The dictionary definition of forum is: the public square or marketplace of an ancient Roman city that was the assembly place for judicial activity and public business."

Whew....I was like so wondering what that was...

I did a bit of a search and found this recording of a journalism conference: "The Coming Media Monopoly. Here is the blurb:

Jun 1st, 2006: Society of Professional Journalists and Media Alliance - San Francisco, CA

The Society of Professional Journalists and Media Alliance presents a panel examining The Coming Media Monopoly: Concentration of Press Ownership and Its Effects featuring moderator Erna Smith and panelists Linda Foley, Tim Redmond, Stephen Buel, Brad Westerhold, and Sandy Close.

The last year has seen dramatic shifts in Bay Area media ownership:

MediaNews, the new owner of the San Jose Mercury News and Contra Costa Times, will soon control nearly two-thirds of local daily newspaper circulation; the two largest weekly newspaper chains, Village Voice and New Times, merged; and there's been an escalating scramble by several large media companies to control the expanding market for ethnic and foreign-language readers.

Can journalism survive in an era of Wall Street mergers and acquisitions?

What about public service and community needs?

What can be done in response to these trends to strengthen the quality of our news media workplaces?

Hear from journalists and media reformers who are responding creatively to the evolving media landscape.

Fast forward to about 8:00 minutes in and you'll hear Linda Foley (president of The Newspaper Guild) firstly give thanks that the conference is taking place in "the heart of America where people actually think about what matters" (8:50 minutes). Then at 10:56 minutes Foley argues that a pressing challenge in this "digital media age we're in" comes down to the worry that "journalism just becomes blogging." Someone shouts out something (unclear in this video) so Foley explains, "by blogging I mean if it just becomes free blogging..." This is detrimental because then "we won't have an umm...ahhh...system of providing credible information" (11:14) (emphasis mine) (You'll be using the fast forward button as umms and ahhs abound). Hrm....and apparently blogging is just opinion while reporting is "just the facts"...really? Are journalists not human then... (I know some would beg to argue).

Personal Note: annoyed it had to be a woman...



The video link is here.


NB: after fast forwarding this video a few times I managed to crash explorer and then the fora site itself seemed to go down (update for clarity: as in I couldn't get to the site: "cannot find server, the page cannot be displayed)...don't think it's really going to be competing with youtube.

[watch yo'mouf]

"Talking" CCTV cameras that tell off people dropping litter or committing anti-social behaviour are to be extended to 20 areas across England.
They are already used in Middlesbrough where people seen misbehaving can be told to stop via a loudspeaker, controlled by control centre staff.

About £500,000 will be spent adding speaker facilities to existing cameras.

Shadow home affairs minister James Brokenshire said the government should be "very careful" over the cameras.


Home Secretary John Reid told BBC News there would be some people, "in the minority who will be more concerned about what they claim are civil liberties intrusions."

"But the vast majority of people find that their life is more upset by people who make their life a misery in the inner cities because they can't go out and feel safe and secure in a healthy, clean environment because of a minority of people," he added.

The talking cameras did not constitute "secret surveillance", he said.

"It's very public, it's interactive."

Competitions would also be held at schools in many of the areas for children to become the voice of the cameras, Mr Reid said.

Downing Street's "respect tsar", Louise Casey, said the cameras "nipped problems in the bud" and reduced bureaucracy.

"It gets across the message, 'please don't litter our streets because someone else will have to pay to pick up that litter again'," she told BBC News.

"Half a billion pounds a year is spent picking up litter."

'Scarecrow policing'

Mr Brokenshire told the BBC he had a number of concerns about the use of the talking cameras.

"Whether this is moving down a track of almost 'scarecrow' policing rather than real policing - actually insuring that we have more bobbies on the beat - I think that's what we really want to see, albeit that an initiative like this may be an effective tool in certain circumstances.

"We need to be very careful about applying this more generally."

The talking cameras will be installed in Southwark, Barking and Dagenham, in London, Reading, Harlow, Norwich, Ipswich, Plymouth, Gloucester, Derby, Northampton, Mansfield, Nottingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Wirral, Blackpool, Salford, South Tyneside and Darlington.

In Middlesbrough, staff in a control centre monitor pictures from 12 talking cameras and can communicate directly with people on the street.

Local councillor Barry Coppinger says the scheme has prevented fights and criminal damage and cut litter levels.

"Generally, I think it has raised awareness that the town centre is a safe place to visit and also that we are keeping an eye open to make sure it is safe," he said.

But opponent and campaigner Steve Hills said: "Apart from being absurd, I think it's rather sad that we should have faceless cameras barking at us on orders from who? [hrm....shouldn't it be from "whom" tut tut Steve Hills....] Who sets these cameras up?"

There are an estimated 4.2 million CCTV cameras in Britain.

A recent study by the government's privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner, warned that Britain was becoming a "surveillance society".

Click here to watch the talking cameras in action.

Article from the bbc.