A very controversial topic

Hi everyone!

Today I was browsing through Media Watch's website and I came across this segment they did on the News of the World scandal. I thought this segment was very insightful and interesting to see all the different newspapers and their perspectives on the News of The World scandal. I also liked how it was related back to Australia and our media.

Whilst it did occur last year, I am amazed at the actions of the News of the World and I think this controversy is an example of the lack of ethics and regard for law in this case, in journalism in this generation.

I am amazed at how journalists believe hacking phones and voice messages is ethical or acceptable for a story!

Below is the link to the episode, it is a very good deconstruction of the media frenzy surrounding the scandal.

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s3266976.htm

Journalism Lecture 12- Guest Speaker-Steve Molk

Hello everyone!

Today's lecture was the last one for the semester. Bruce brought in the guest speaker, Steve Molk. He is an entertainment blogger and has been for two years now. I thought what Steve had to say was really helpful and relevant to students studying journalism currently. He had a couple of great messages and bits of advice which really opened up my thoughts as to the way I approach my journalism studies.

Steve said that if you want to be a journalist, you are able to control your brand starting now. You are able to determine what you do with your brand, how you make it work for you and what it will mean for you in the long run.

When it comes to getting a job, the opportunities for employment are far greater if you can shape the internet media to make yourself the writer you want to be. Through getting a journalism degree, you are able to prove to the employer that you know what media is present and that you have the knowledge to use it in a multitude of ways. These skills make you as an employee, much better off.

When it comes to blogging, which is what Steve does as a career, he says that is is relatively young in terms of mainstream media but is becoming more important in determining how the public receive information and how we process it. For example, in places like China and Korea, the public are not able to access social networking because governments don't want their citizens knowing anything. However, in Australia we are very lucky because we are able to say what we want, do what we want and communicate how we see fit.

Blogging is not only being able to consistently work on the area of writing which you find the most fascinating but also you are able to connect to a subculture of people, the international market, fans of the area of which you write, all whilst your skills as a writer improve. It is essentially the new media form for students and journalists because we are no longer locked behind what the "media machine"tells us.

Another bonus feature about social media and in particular, Twitter, is that you can access all sorts of people in the public eye such as politicians, entertainers, artists without having to go through their PR team and agent. To find out the real story, you don't have to merely trust mainstream media but you are able to go straight to the source which creates or controls the news. This information can then be transformed into an exclusive story.

Steve said that his favourite thing to blog is about TV, and this is what he is most interested in. He admits he loves to sit around and watch TV. Thus, he is able to take information and interact with people because everyone has an opinion on TV. Although people criticise Twitter, Steve says he enjoys communicating with people and he likes to hear what people thing about what he writes and what he does as publisher. It is his choice of personal media domain because he likes the 140 character restriction on each Tweet because it forces you to be succinct and tell the main parts.

Steve reiterates that if you want to be a journalist, the opportunity is right now to show the future employer what type of journalist you are. There are lots of opportunities in journalism and all of them stem from what you do now or how you write and control the story. The chance to become a paid journalist and to be able to pitch the story in the direction you want started before you even signed up for this course.

The beauty of social media is that you have the opportunity to talk to future employers, producers, directors or your favourite writer instantly.

What Steve enjoys about Twitter the most is that it is very noisy sometimes after a big story has just broke and lots of people will tell you what they thought about something and then information will occur as a result. Journalists love Twitter because it spreads news instantly.

Steve personally became a media writer after a mid-life crisis. He says that there is a very narrow segment of media writing in Australia. If you want to get any information, the best place is from the The Australian media diary and the people who write for Fairfax. Recently, Fairfax media are using his writing and he is doing radio spots. thus his audience has opened up.

The most important message Steve gave is that the way we understand how information is given to us and the way we interpret the information presented to us, will impact the kind of journalists we become.

I liked listening to Steve talk about his career as a blogger because it opened my eyes to the instant possibilities of journalist online and in social media networks which weren't available 10 years ago. 

·       

Annotated Bibliography

JOUR1111 Annotated Bibliography

White, A. (2008). To Tell You The Truth The Ethical Journalism Initiative. Belgium: International Federation of Journalists.

The author, Aidan White, currently a Director of the Coalition for Ethical Journalism, is able to apply his decades of experience and knowledge to form the insightful Ethical Journalism Initiative. His past credentials as a journalist and General Secretary to the International Federation of Journalists provide his guidebook to ethics in journalism with plenty of reliability. The book’s foreword states that it aims to provide “support for journalists who are keeping an ethical flame alive in the profession” (White, 2008). White introduces the initiative with the Declaration of Principles on the Conduct of Journalists. He explains that one of the most controversial principles within the American Journalism industry involves the discrimination in the media towards minority interests. Furthermore, he demonstrates that the current challenge in American Journalism is that often, the opinions of minority interests are silenced for the concept of newsworthiness. White states, the ethics of journalism requires balance in documenting “political arguments so that a lively debate can take place” (White, 2008). The significant use of examples throughout the text provides the author’s views and ideas with credibility. This topic is closely linked with the significant announcement of President Barack Obama’s support for gay marriage, which has dominated the press in recent weeks. As White explains, a balance of information is lacking in the three different mediums of journalism commenting on the announcement, which are cited below. The similarities across the three articles can be equated to White’s publication as the political aspect of the announcement is at the forefront of the story rather than the interests of minority groups.

Gast, P. (2012). Obama announces he supports same-sex marriage. Retrieved from

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/09/politics/obama-same-sex-marriage/index.html?iref=obinsite

American cable station, CNN, was able to broadcast to viewers ABC News’ exclusive interview with President Barack Obama. The announcement was presented in the format of a video and an accompanying article. Phil Gast, the author, applies his experience as a writer and editor for CNN, and delivers an extensive, political based article on Obama’s support for same-sex marriage. Gast introduces the issue with an explicit reference to the political stakes surrounding the announcement. This article holds many news values such as impact, audience identification, ethics, recency and elite nations. The author is careful not to reveal his personal opinion on the issue and the language used throughout is strictly factual and presents a balanced viewpoint. For these reasons, the credibility of the article increases. Gast effectively refers to several highly reliable sources throughout the article, such as President Barack Obama, political opposition Mitt Romney, university professor John Green along with multiple sources from both sides of the issue. A significant difference between the CNN article and text articles is that the television segment serves its purpose and delivers the message clearly and succinctly to viewers. Considering CNN’s extensive broadcasting history, its target audience is the opinionated American who expects all the vital statistics and implications of the issue. The cable station delivers the message in a prompt and succinct manner to access the majority of viewers. The CNN article can be likened to the previous piece written by Aidan White as the political aspect of the issue is discussed for the majority of the article, whereas the implications for same-sex couples are virtually unmentioned.

Jan, T., Viser, M., & Borcher, C. (2012). President Obama announces support for gay marriage in reversal of prior stance. Retrieved from

http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2012/05/president-obama-discuss-gay-marriage-televised-interview/OcjD3uETDjh4fo5rXViKTP/story.html

Tracy Jan, Matt Viser and Callum Borchers, all political reporters for The Boston Globe, present an accurate article of the announcement for the support of gay marriage by Barack Obama. Despite the author’s credentials, the scope of the issue is dealt with fairly effectively as the majority of the emphasis is placed on the implications of the statement itself, with a minor section devoted to the political campaign. Due to this, the article’s credibility is enhanced; this is then accompanied by balanced and informative language, which is implemented throughout. As a result, assumptions made on behalf of the journalists are minimal. Furthermore, multiple reputable sources are cited throughout the piece; quotes from Obama, Romney, and Obama’s campaign adviser David Axelrod are frequently mentioned. Whilst this particular piece is solely text based, its purpose is served, as the information is very factual and informative. The target audience for the website, boston.com, would be traditional Americans and due to the fact that Massachusetts is one state which has legalized gay marriage, part of the focus was placed on the political implications of the announcement. Although less emphasis was placed on the implications of the announcement of same-sex couples, one credible source was succinctly referred to, broadening the pieces’ coverage of the issue. Thus, in cohesion with the CNN article and White’s initiative, the effects of Obama’s announcement on the political campaign is dealt with, with one reference explicitly citing the implication on minority interests. This further reiterates the lack of exposure on minority groups in American journalism.

Calmes, J., & Baker, P. (2012, May 9). Obama Says Same-Sex Marriage Should Be Legal. The New York Times. Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/us/politics/obama-says-same-sex-marriage-should-be-legal.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

Jackie Calmes and Peter Baker, regular contributors of The New York Times, bring years of experience to present a detailed portrayal of the issue. The article was featured on the front page of the print New York Times for May 9, 2012. The authors examine President Obama’s announcement of support for same-sex marriage with precise facts regarding the declaration itself, whilst also delivering extensive information about the surrounding circumstances prior to the announcement and after. As a result of this, Calmes and Baker’s credibility is amplified, as the details given were relevant, descriptive and demonstrated with factual language. Furthermore, the author’s positions on the issue were undetectable and for this reason, no assumptions were made on behalf of the journalists. Although Calmes and Baker’s referral to external sources is limited to President Obama, the author’s citation to the Democrat of Massachusetts, Barney Frank, one of the first gay members of congress, is effective in demonstrating their ability to locate reputable sources to comment on the issue. The New York Times is the third most read newspaper in America, and thus the target audience for this article would be all Americans interested in the rights of minority groups (Shea, 2010). Thus, the newspaper delivered information, which was highly relevant and non-partisan. In contrast to White’s initiative and previous articles on this topic, Calmes and Baker’s article examines the ramifications of Obama’s announcement in itself, rather than commenting on the political campaign, which surrounds the issue.

 References

Calmes, J., & Baker, P. (2012, May 9). Obama Says Same-Sex Marriage Should Be Legal. The New York Times. Retrieved from

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/us/politics/obama-says-same-sex-marriage-should-be-legal.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

Gast, P. (2012). Obama announces he supports same-sex marriage. Retrieved from

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/09/politics/obama-same-sex-marriage/index.html?iref=obinsite

Jan, T., Viser, M., & Borcher, C. (2012). President Obama announces support for gay marriage in reversal of prior stance. Retrieved from

http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2012/05/president-obama-discuss-gay-marriage-televised-interview/OcjD3uETDjh4fo5rXViKTP/story.html

Shea, D. (2010). Top 25 Newspapers By Circulation: Wall Street Journal Trounces USA Today. Retrieved from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/26/top-25-newspapers-by-circ_n_552051.html#s84770&title=3_New_York

White, A. (2008). To Tell You The Truth The Ethical Journalism Initiative. Belgium: International Federation of Journalists.

International story of the four Italian girls

This is a story which has dominated the press in recent weeks. The story involves four Italian girls who have run away to avoid being sent back to Italy to their "abusive" father.

Below is a link to an article which explains that the girls father says that the Australian press have distorted the truth. This article is an example of how journalists somehow publish accusations without getting confirmation from both sides of the story. It is an interesting read.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-24/italian-dad-at-centre-of-custody-battle-expresses-concern/4031468

Something I am excited about!

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to share with the readers of my blog the Brisbane City Mini Mag for the Autumn season. It is something very exciting for me because my mother, my sister and myself feature on the cover!

I remember when we did the photoshoot for the feature, I was very surprised at the amount of time and effort it took for a photoshoot to take place. Despite this, I really enjoyed being able to spend the day with my mum and sister.

Here is the link to the magazine which you can virtually flick through or look through the The City's website to see all the amazing new events which are coming up in Brisbane.
http://www.bnecity.com.au/News/News-Article.aspx?id=22584&returnurl=~/News/Default.aspx



Thank you!!

Journalism-Lecture 11- Investigative Journalism

Hello again! This week's journalism lecture was about investigative journalism and all things surrounding it!

To start off, what is investigative journalism?

Well according to Wikipedia, it states, "Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing". This definition is pretty self-explanatory.

 One we were shown in the lecture which I liked was it was defined as, "“what somebody, somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is just advertising". Bruce also said that all good journalism should to some extent, be investigative journalism- to discover the truth and identify any lapses in it.  

We then talked about what Bruce called the In’s of investigative journalism.

They are 

-  intelligent- it has to be well thought out before you go into somebody life and you must know what you are looking for, money, sex and power comes up in investigative journalism, weigh all the facts intelligently

-  informed- know the facts to the story, know which people are involved and who you suspect is pulling the strings. If you don't you will miss out on the real story. 

-  intuitive- become more experienced, be able to rely on your gut,  be able to ask yourself- is this an unsafe situation, does this story have some legs, is it dangerous to me or other people? After some experience you will be able to go with your gut.

 - inside- get inside info, get the inside story, what a journalist needs most from participants is your trust because they are bearing their lives to you and telling you information that could destroy them. You must know what is going on

- invest- this refers to investing a lot of yourself, it is difficult and it costs money and time, sometimes your mental health is at stake, it can be very tricky and serious, put something of yourself in there, in some situations people don’t talk to you again when you have broken the story 

Now onto some deeper definitions & purpose of investigative journalism. 

-  critical and thorough journalism

  critical=the journalist is an active participant,

 “active intervention”- the key idea,

thorough=journalist makes a substantial effort

-  Custodians of conscious= “exposure” is the key idea, 

“investigation takes society’s morals and norms and holds breaches up to pubic scrutiny" E.g. Fitzgerald inquiry

- To provide a voice to those without one and to hold the powerful to account

= social justice-power to the powerless, voice to the voiceless e.g. KONY 2012

" public interest is key idea", great responsibility

-  fourth estate/fourth branch of government/watchdog

- fourth estate= “journalists represent the interests of those without power to balance the power of government” 

fourth branch of government= journalists ensure free flows of information necessary for the functioning of democracy by interrogating the judiciary executive, and legislature= agenda setting
 

 watchdog= journalists make accountable public personalities, and institution whose functions impact social and political life

Some common sayings in the industry

-  ‘shoe leather’ –USA= find out what’s going on, talk to people

-  standing back (BIG PIC)- not involves the little things but how does this to relate

-  skeptical not cynical- is the attitude to have!
 

 Cutting through the agenda-  

John Pilger “It is not enough for journalists to see themselves as mere messengers without understanding the hidden agendas of the message and the myths that surround it.”   

Some historical trailblazers in investigative journalism are 

-  “the Sydney monitor” (1826) Edward Hall Smith. This case shows how long the history of investigative journalism is in Australia. 

-  “the maiden tribute of modern Babylon” campaign (1885) W.T Stead & the Salvos (William Booth)

 – created a sting- age of consent raised from 12 to 16 – big effect

-  Bob Woodward-Carl Bernstein 1972-74 “Watergate”- Nixon resigned

- Chris Masters, Phil Dickie, Shaun Hoyt, “The Moonlight State”- 2 years researching for 1 hour of television

- Julian Assange (and others) “WikiLEAKS”



Following this, a question was posed to us. Is Wikileaks journalism?

To which the answer is no!

 It is just a bunch of information and data and it needs journalists to sort through it.
 

 Investigative trailblazers 

What do all these investigations have in common? 

=making information available that other people don’t want known and they are changing the world, for example bringing down presidents or governments

Some examples of local investigate journalism are the  

 - the global mail 

-  crikey

- Australian story
  

What do we investigate? 

Old journalism saying:
  “if your mother says she loves you, check it out” 

This quote means that you should always check your facts, assume nothing, expect whistleblowers to be/go crazy 

Types of investigative interaction

-  Interviews- whistleblowers, people concerned,


-  observations- see what’s going on, don’t get it second hand

-  documents- important, online or annual reports

-  briefings- by officials

-  leaks- whistleblowers,


-  trespass- up to your morals, depends on your boss

-  theft
 

 investigate methods

-  interviewing- numerous interviews

-  observing- technical issues, scrutiny of government


-  analysing documents- law suits, law docs, tax records

  Threats to investigative journalism

-Online news, less money less time and therefore less investigative work. 


Also the great debate between Journalism and PR provides a threat towards journalism. 

Mostly for these reasons.. 

A very interesting book I found when searching through the internet was this one on the history of investigative journalism and how it has differed through cultures. 


http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=JMhmwt6h6G0C&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=investigative+journalism&ots=OXEquZ_gRj&sig=vziHUUgG6W_K4TBT8hKk8nuI3Vo#v=onepage&q=investigative%20journalism&f=false

Overall, I enjoyed this lecture because I thought we could relate it more practically to the industry itself and it is easier to see examples of investigative journalism happening every day. I really enjoyed learning about what it takes and the different facets of it. 

Journalism-Lecture 10-Agenda Setting

Today's lecture was all about agenda setting in the media. We started off the discussion with a youtube clip essentially poking fun at the stereotypical video reports which are constantly seen on television and media shows.

When defining what is agenda setting, Bruce told us that like all good theories, it is obvious!

In my opinion, I believe that agenda setting is the process which certain issues are presented in the media, some more so than others to receive  more important or less feedback.

There are several types of agenda setting.. These are as follows,

1. The public agenda- topics seen as important by the public 

2. Policy agenda-issues that decision makers that are salient

3. Corporate agenda-issues that big businesses consider important

4. Media agenda-issues discussed in the media

All of these types are interrelated!

We have to come to terms with the fact that in this day and age, the media shape the way we look at things or at issues, and they are able to tend importance to certain media exposure on certain issues.

The two basic assumptions of media agenda settings are that the mass media do not merely reflect and report reality but they also filter and shape reality. 

 Media concentration on a few issues leads public to perceive those issues as more important than other issues, this is the main purpose of agenda setting and the essential definition. 

On to the question of where did agenda setting actually come from?

A statement by Walter Lippmann which I liked was that mass media creates images of events in our minds. I liked this because it resonated with me and I thought it really made sense and sums up photo-journalism. 

Another quote by Lippmann is that, “propaganda is used as tool to help shape images in the minds of human beings in support of enterprise, idea or group. Propaganda can be used to substitute one social pattern for another”. Moreover, he argued that people rely on images in their mind to form judgement rathe than critically think. 

When asking why the media set agenda, the answer is simply, because they can!

A good example of agenda setting in the media is the O.J Simpson trial as the media controlled what people thought about the case. 

 The agenda setting family 

1. media gatekeeping- how individuals control the flow of messages through a communication channel, the exposure of an issue, what the media chooses to reveal to the public. E.g rubert Murdoch

2. Media advocacy- the purposive promotion of a message e.g. health through the media

3. Agenda cutting- most of the truth or reality that is going on in the world isn’t represented, issues like AIDS take a backseat to Justin Bieber’s new haircut, because aids doesn’t get as much time in the media, the issue is cared about less

4. Agenda surfing or bandwagon effect- the media follows the crowd and trends, the media surfs on the wave of topics originally mentioned in the opinion leading media, bandwagon effects-how existing public opinion influences others toward that opinion. E.g. kony 2012 

5. The diffusion of news- the process through which an important event is communicated to the public. How, where, when, news is released. who decides? E.g. osama bin laden death

6. Portrayal of an issue- talk about different aspects of an issue like aboriginal youth , depends on agenda – the way the issue is portrayed will often influence how it is perceived by the public, different media outlets with different portrayals can cause the public to formulate their own perception

7. Media dependence- the more dependant a person is on the media for information, the more susceptible that person is to media agenda setting, the most common media dependency is Facebook/twitter. It has become a way of life!

Another interesting fact about agenda setting is now there is new prime times rather than years ago the news was released early in the morning of one day and the next edition doesn’t appear until 24 hours later. Now, there are 24/7 outlets constantly reporting, and it has been said that there are three prime times for news.. - first thing in the morning- new primetime, traffic, accidents, lunch time, 12-2pm, and another 3pm- people have a coffee and biscuit and they check the news again.

I liked this lecture because it turned my attention to the media and how much they can control the importance or significance of an issue or block an issue out depending on their preferences. 


I also came across this youtube video explaining the agenda setting theory. I thought it explained it very clearly and made it easy to understand.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbCYr-U7MAQ

An Interesting Article...

Today, I was just looking through the news websites to catch up on what has been happening and I came across this article on ninemsn.

It is basically about how an online holiday company used Maddie McCann's photo to promote their holiday spot, which happens to be in close proximity to where she disappeared.
It also comments on how the parents of Maddie feel about the website.
In my opinion, I believe this is terribly disrespectful to Maddie's family given the circumstances and I think it is another example of how the lines of ethics with media and journalism are being blurred.

I think the story of Maddie McCann is a tragic, but fascinating story. I hope there is closure to this ongoing debacle sometime soon.

Here is the link, take a look for yourself.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8464418