What LIES Beneath

Love him or hate him, Julian Assuage had good intentions with WikiLeaks; as an investigative journalist, his aim was to reveal all truth to the public to avoid corruption.

Though he may not have gone about it the right way, hundreds upon hundreds of journalists around the world have the same hunger: a hunger for the truth.

When I was younger, my mum used to tell me stories in books and TV shows were like icebergs. While they look pretty  on top of the water, underneath there’s another 2/3 of ice just waiting to sink you unless you know it’s there. The same theory can be applied for investigative journalism. Though things may seem alright on the surface, you never know what lurks beneath, and this is what journalist try to uncover to save the public from a sinking ship.

Therefore journalists become the ‘Fourth Estate’; a way to check the government true and incorruptible in the face of their voters. The journalist therefore becomes an active and critical participant and uses active intervention in his or her story; they make a substantial effort to approach consulted sources, regardless of the time spent. They become a custodian of conscience, a voice a caution to all parties involved.

So when you first hear that ‘breaking’ story on the news- wait for the follow ups, you’ll never know how big the iceberg is under the surface until you hit it.

The expression 'tip of the iceberg' never seemed truer...

“It’s real! Trust Me, I’m A Journalist.”

We’ve all seen the reality shows- the outrageous scandals and even tacky personalities which make you question how ‘real’ this reality is. Have we ever stopped to think though how ‘real’ all TV shows are, particularly the news? How much is truth and how much is just ‘constructed reality’?

The media plays a great role in ‘constructing’ or ‘mediating’ the social world around us; the create a social construction of reality called agenda setting. Agenda setting is seen as when an individual’s conception of reality is socially constructed through shared language and though the reality exists, the way we come to think about it is socially mediated.

A journalist, therefore, must then select topics that that address Public Agenda; what do the general viewers perceive as important and relevant? Then, they must also tackle Policy Agenda and issues ‘decision makers’ would believe salient. After that follows Corporate Agenda, which is issues that big business would see as important and Media Agenda, which outlines and feeds off topics already being discussed in the media.

One must be careful though, as agenda setting can also use the media as a mass forum for propaganda. This is due to the fact the mass media does not simply reflect and report reality, they also filter and shape it to their own ends and means. This can leads us (as the public) to believe some issues are more important than others, which is not always the case.

So I’ll leave all you today with a little test: When you next see a picture in the media, be it an advert or even just that tiny little intro photo on the news, what is the first association you make and why?

You could surprise yourself.

Now this could be an interesting place to live...

No News Is Good News, After All

 Stuart Hall once said “news values are one of the opaque structures of meaning in modern society… journalists speak of the news as if events select themselves… yet of the millions of events which occur daily in the world, only a tiny proportion ever become visible as ‘potential news stories’: and of this proportion, only a small fraction are actually produced as the day’s news…”. The value we place on ‘news worthy stories’ can sometimes seem ridiculous as we uncover what readers see as ‘news’, and nine times out of ten, it’s the bad news that sells more. Once, a ‘good news’ paper was set up, but failed after only 2 months as their selling rate was so low. This was also seen in the documentary “If It Bleeds, It Leads!” whose name dictates their on ‘news worthy stories’.

Seems ‘no news is good news’ is truer than once thought.

News values must work within the realms of impact, audience identification, pragmatics and source influence. Impact reels the reader in; it’s that punch line that makes the readers say “Gee Whiz!” (Authur MacEwen, US editor) which works by indentifying that audience that it would impact through culture, location and social values.

One must then turn to the pragmatics of the situation; the news must be ‘everyday worthy’, current affairs and be practical to the audience. It then turn to it’s source influence in PR, who seem to be eternally in a love-to-hate relationship. While journalists constantly criticizes their ability to control and ‘spin’ situations, they are essentially their other half as without PR, media wouldn’t function.

So, what do you expect to see when YOU turn on the news?

Sit Down, You're Rocking The Boat!

Ethics and taste in journalism can be somewhat likened to the balancing of weight in a boat; it need’s to be just right otherwise the whole thing will tip. Therefore, a journalist must balance the scale of what sells in relation to what is in good taste to avoid rocking the boat.

To avoid becoming a titanic remake, Journalists therefore must analyze their reporting based on a ‘grid of ethics’. This papaw’s ad, while employing a sexual innuendo, is still in good taste, and there sit like so on the ‘grid’.

This Coopers ad however, takes their sexual innuendo too far and see’s their boat start to sink to the lower part of the grid marked in ‘bad taste’.

However, while this ad is considered in bad taste, it still does not drift into un ethical waters. Material considered unethical can fall into three categories: Deontology, consequentialism and virtue.

The first, Deontology, follows rules, principals and duties. All ethic codes are deontological and there MUST be followed (otherwise you may have to find yourself deciding whether it’s Jack or Rose who gets to survive on the door…).

Consequentialism’s practice however, relies on simply receiving an outcome that benefits ‘the greater good’, never mind how this was achieved. It works for the ninety-nine percenters, sometimes at the disadvantage of smaller parties, which is usually not the case with journalism virtues.

Virtues rely on journalism ‘goodness’ . These virtues in journalists include courage, justice, temperance and prudence. These virtues create fair and ethical journalists (wouldn’t that be nice?).

Just remember, while money’s pretty, it’s not much use at the bottom of the ocean…

Annotated Bibliography

Australian Federal Police. (2012, May 18). Acting PM herds Greeks to polls. The Australian, p.10

This article is about the Eurozone Crisis and Greece’s acting PM’s decision to elect a caretaker cabinet before the election to avoid bankruptcy. The intended audience for this article is the general public and most likely readers interested in foreign affairs and economics. This extract can used to portray the Australian point the view on Greece’s economic status. However, it was also written and/or moderated by the AFP (Australian Federal Police), which means there could be some bias within the piece as to how the events unfolded. As an author employed by The Australian did not exclusively write the piece, it means the information may be moderated. However the information divulged by the AFP matches that of Today’s Zaman’s intelligence, who’s information came from the Associate Press, a source that prides itself on freedom of information, and SBS’s TV coverage, which relayed the same facts and was cited from the Australian Associated Press. Both of these sources independent entities that validate the AFP’s intel. The report was also made only hours after the election was held, meaning that it is valid information, but more may have come to light since it’s publication. The information was presented with a factual tone and credits it’s sources at the end of the article.

The Associated Press. (2012, May 17). Greek caretaker Cabinet and legislators sworn in, elections next month. Today’s Zaman, Athens. Retrieved from, http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=280620

This article is from an Internet source, and relates to Greek’s financial difficulties and their acting PM’s decision to elect a caretaker government before the final elections in June. The intended audience is the general public; most likely those foreign to Greece as the article is written in English without any annotation that might suggest it was translated. Its information, as stated earlier, also comes from The Associated Press, whose facts and legitimacy can be verified by both the AFP (Australian Federal Police) and the AAP (Australian Associate Press). The article is presented with a factual tone and shies away from intentional bias. It also relies on the fact that the reader has prior knowledge about Greece and it’s financial situation. Like The Australian’s and SBS World News, Australia’s articles, this was released within 24 hours of the event, meaning that it’s information, while up to date at the time, might be outdated now as more information may have come to light in the last week. It’s source, the Associated Press, also references all it’s sources, verifying the validity. The article was clear on concise, using an inverted pyramid process to inform the readers of the most important information first.

Segos, M. (2012, May 17) Caretaker Greek cabinet is sworn in. SBS World News, Australia. Retrieved from, http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1651284/Caretaker-Greek-cabinet-is-sworn-in

The subject of this new segment on SBS World News is the electing of a caretaker cabinet for Greece before the elections to prevent bankruptcy. The audience intended for this show would perhaps be ‘higher-brow’ public reader, as the news reader uses technical jargon relating to politics and economics and relies on this idea that the viewer already has prior knowledge on the subject and can therefore fill in the back story. This story works well in correlation to the articles presented by The Australian and Today’s Zaman as it shows how the same facts can be presented differently to their corresponding audiences. This article was also intended for a foreign audience as it’s read in English and the segment would also be presented as an information, rather than a news, article if it was proposed for a local Greek audience. The article was published merely hours after it had been announced, even sooner than The Australian’s piece, as it could be published on the nightly news, whereas The Australian had to wait until the morning edition. This means, like The Australian, though the news is current, more facts may have come to light since then, perhaps making it outdated. SBS also retrieved their intelligence from the AAP (Australian Associate Press) which, as stated earlier, is an independent news source which thoroughly cites and references their information and the sources they came from, validating the legitimacy the articles evidence.

Malek, A. (1997). News, Media and Foreign Policy: An Integrated Review. A Multifaceted Perspective (pp. 3-22). USA: Greenwood Publishing Group

This journal informs readers on news, media and foreign policy through the use of theoretical processes. The journal was intended for those studying journalism, mass media or the presentation of foreign relations. It was most likely intended for someone studying a high form of education such a university degree. Throughout the chapter it outlines the importance of a reliable and truthful representation of foreign affairs in local and international media. It would invaluable to the study of the Greek foreign affairs as it helps the readers dissect the way in which the media has presented in the issue.  All work collaborated with other notable authors and is also correlated with clear referencing systems and bibliographies to support his theorems. By correlating this article with the media coverage of Greece’s decision to induct a caretaker’s cabinet, one can properly analyze the representation of foreign affairs. However, the journal citation in question was also published in 1997, which could be considered outdated in a world where modern technology and media have advanced so much in the past decade. However, the basic theory still applies, even if the medium of the media has changed. The author also references his credentials on the first pages of the book to verify his legitimacy.

Her Story

Hi again, y'all! 

Now I'm not going to lie, trying to get this video onto my blog was an absolute bitch (excuse my french), but alas, it is done!

For my Factual Story Telling assignment, I chose my best friend, Rosanna Wakley as my subject. I've only known her for about two years now, but I can tell you, it seems like a lifetime!

Rosanna had a pretty hard time growing up, but as you can see in the interview below, she's become all the stronger for it, and still one of the most kind hearted souls I've ever met.

So sit back and just watch, my pretty little readers!

P.s.- I'd keep a box of tissues on hand.

Play Holly's Video!

All I (Used To) Hear Is Blah, Blah, Blah

Okay, I’ve been putting off this blog for awhile because, like most of my fellow students out there, I couldn’t be bothered to take the time to sit down and listen to the sound lecture, but alas, my friends, I’ve done it! *An imaginary applause erupts as the crowd goes wild at my amazing feat of strength and persistence that in no way seems lazy *

Okay, so it wasn’t quite that dramatic, but it was done none the less! However, it got me thinking: why it was hard for me to do this very simple task? I mean, I go to the lectures every week like clockwork (despite the exhausting walk from the college grounds… Okay, so maybe I am a bit lazy), but why was it so hard to simple sit down and listen to this lecture? My initial response, was that without the pictures and visuals, my mind became disinterested; that to my mind, colour equaled fun. However, I realized it was more than that. Even though it took me so long to sit down and listen to the recording, once it began, I became trapped within it’s crafty web. With the topic of this week’s sound lecture being the medium of radio, presented by Carmel and Richard Fiedler, I realized I hadn’t been dreading listening to this recording because I believed audio was dull, but rather because my experience with audio was dull. Once the presenters, ABC local radio’s Carmel and Richard Fiedler began to talk about their means and methods such as keeping the listener as included and involved as possible in the conversation, they managed to hold and keep my attention. With the employment of endless questioning, sincere personality, trust and the motto that “As it is in life, as it is in radio”, they were able to keep me captivated and interested. They made me realize that radio, while simply sound responsive, can still be affective in a modern society so ruled by visual appeal.

Throughout this course I’ve considered many different types of journalism, but it seems this is the first time I’ve considered radio.

(I'd also listen to my radio more if it looked like that!)

Photo Source: http://www.chinatraderonline.com/Electrical-Gift/Cute-Panda-Radio-212750805.htm