Last Day, Last Blog

Well ladies and gentlemen this will be my last blog for my JOUR1111 course at UQ. I thought I'd take the time to reflect on some memories and also what I have learnt since starting back in February.

This semester has been my first of university and after a year off after high school it was a shock to the system. On the first lecture for JOUR1111 I can remember Bruce Redman telling all of us about our assessment pieces for the semester and what we would be studying. I'm not going to lie, I was daunted by it. Particularly as to this blog. We had to reflect back on our lectures each week and post online! Serious?! I'd never looked at or made a blog before this one and I was pretty nervous about it at the start. I can remember sitting at the keyboard not sure what I should be writing. Reflecting on lectures was one thing, but then putting personal stuff on as well?

Well as you can probably see over the months I've posted a lot of random thoughts/ things that have interested me while I've been undertaking journalism. This blog has turned into a diary of sorts, or a place where I can write down my thoughts on whatever I feel like. It has become so much easier as I've become more comfortable and familiar with it. I even know how to upload video clips on here now! This was something that had me stumped for a while.

What else have I learnt since I started journalism? I've met some really great people in this course and had a lot of fun doing the Factual Storytelling Exercise. I've also learnt there are so many branches of journalism: investigative, photo, political, scientific, international. There are several that spark my interest already. I am thinking my dream job would be to work as a science journalist for National Geographic or something similar.

I have also become more aware of how journalism is evolving through technology and what a huge influence this has. Not only do we find journalism in newspapers, radio and magazines, but endlessly online! The new Web. 3.0 is the next step in journalism's evolutionary journey. News travels faster than fire these days. As fast as the click of a mouse and there is an ever growing audience of like-people to contact.

I'd really like to thank all the people who have helped build this course into a very enjoyable and interactive introduction to journalism. The lecturers, tutors and fellow peers have helped give me a great grounding in what will be an exciting few years ahead!

Lastly, I'd like to reflect on my most vivid memory during journalism. It was during one of my tutorials with Ali Rae. We were covering the topic of ethics in journalism and she brought up this picture: 

This photograph showing a starving Sudanese child being stalked by a vulture won Kevin Carter the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography.

This photograph really made me think about my morals and what would I have done in Kevin's place? There is no right or wrong answer. Do you have ethics as a journalist that are different to your ethics as a person? I still don't know if I have the answer to that question. The discussion in our tutorial afterwards was fascinating to me. Hearing different people's opinions. Should Kevin have saved the child? Should he have not photographed the scene? Should he have waited for the vulture to come closer? I have thought about it many times since!

Once again thank you to everyone involved in organising JOUR1111!

The Manslater

This is just a really quick blog. One of my friends posted this on Facebook and I found it pretty hilarious so I thought I'd put it up here.

Miss Universe Australia 2012

Having not watched TV or read much news for the last five days (I've been camping) I turned on the TV news this morning to find out the winner for Miss Universe Australia 2012 had just been announced last night. I've never been a follower of the beauty pageants or Miss Universe (Jennifer Hawkins is the only winner I know) and I have generally had the opinion that most of the competitors are blonde bimbos with little personality or intelligence. Harsh? Well this morning I decided to give the latest Miss Universe Australia a fair chance so I watched her interview with Mel and Kochieon Sunrise.

I'm sorry to say that she looked every inch the blonde bimbo I had expected. What can expect though if its a beauty pageant? When asked what she wanted to do she gave the answer that she couldn't 'wait to travel the world' and represent Australia in the international Miss Universe 2012. So original....

On the plus side her voice wasn't the whiny, 'I'm so cute' sort that so many models put on. Unfortunately I found little originality about her and it leads me to wondering what the criteria for winning a beauty pageant actually is. Obviously all the girls who enter it must be beautiful, skinny and have long hair and tanned skin so what makes a girl like Renae Ayris stand out? I certainly didn't pick it during her Sunrise interview.

Well according to the Herald Sun 'Ms Ayris impressed judges, including actor Vince Colosimo, designer Wayne Cooper and Dancing with the Stars choreographer Jason Coleman, in her glittering silver and white evening gown and purple bikini.'

So, it wasn't Renae who was the winner, it was what she was wearing? That's what it seems more like to me. If someone else had worn her clothes would they have won instead? Many beauty pageants claim they choose their winners on 'inner beauty' as well as their good looks but I didn't see any mention of that. Surely if we are choosing someone to represent Australia we want them to be able to speak well and have an attractive personality. For now I'm still at a loss as to why beauty pageants are run and what makes a winner.

Looking to the sky!

The first partial eclipse of the year appeared in the sky last night for those lucky enough to witness it. For residents of Australia, Asia and and North America it was amazing to see the one third of the moons surface go an eerie black. It makes us remember how small we really are.

 Partial Lunar Eclipse

Tomorrow there is actually a transit of Venus across the sun that won't occur again in our lifetime! Australians are in a good position to see this rare event that won't occur again until 2117. Because Venus is such a large planet its transit across the sun will be more impressive to watch than the smaller and more common transit of other planets like Mercury. So get your sunglasses on tomorrow morning and have a look!

A planet transit across the sun

All this talk about transit and eclipses got me interested in finding out just how rare these sights are and what is the difference between the many different eclipses, transits, etc.Well according to (Earthsky, 2012) there are about seven eclipses per year. Some, like the one witnesses last night are only partial eclipses, but there are also lunar, solar and total eclipses too. Of course where someone is located on the planet has a lot to do with whether these events can be seen. Different eclipses can only be seen in certain parts of the world. For Australians we are lucky to enough to be able to see two eclipses this year. One was last night night and the next is a penumberal eclipse on the 28 November (Earthsky, 2012). Penumberal eclipses are unfortunately deemed the least impressive of the eclipses with many people unable to see them with the naked eye. If you want to see the more impressive total lunar eclipse I'm afraid you're going to have to wait until April 2014 and then buy yourself a plane ticket over to North America.

References

Earthsky. 30 May 2012. The next eclipse is a partial eclipse of the moon. Retrieved from http://earthsky.org/

Khan Academy: An Online Education

During my first semester of university I've been participating in a Chem1090 course so I can enter into a dual degree of Science/Arts next semester. Cramming two years of high school chemistry into one semester of uni has meant a lot of information is thrown at us and we must take the initiative to go home and do more in-depth learning of what is being taught.

In one of my PASS sessions a website called Khan Academy was mentioned to me. It is run by a man called Salman Khan who basically teaches a variety of subjects like maths, science and finance through online videos. I went on to the website, wondering how useful it would really be. After watching a few lessons on parts of my chemistry course that I was having trouble with I couldn't believe what a gold mine I had found! He takes viewers through different processes step by step and explains things in such simple terms compared to in lectures. I really can't thank Sal, as he calls himself, enough for helping me both learn and enjoy chemistry as much as I have.

I turned on the TV the other morning and was amazed to see him being interviewed on Sunrise. Through the interview I discovered his online website aims to educate those who live in remote areas who do not have access to a teacher or school. His website has been viewed over 50 million times and is now being used all around the world. So who is this guy? How does he know so much STUFF and how to teach it so well? I watched an interview he did with Charlie Rose to find out. Here it is below.

So for anyone having trouble with any sort of mathematics, science or finance stuff try out this website and it will no doubt help you out! http://www.khanacademy.org/ 

Week 13 - Guest Speaker: Steve Molk

So we had our very last JOUR1111 lecture this week. Its hard to believe my introductory journalism course is winding up, I can still remember my first lecture! Being told, 'you are the journalist!'

For our last lecture Bruce introduced us to a guest lecturer: Steve Molk. An IT professional who confesses he 'likes talking about TV' and wanted to be a media writer. He runs his own blog, writes articles often published by Fairfax and appears on several radio shows.

Today he talked to us about online and social media and his experiences. Being an avid Twitter man he reminded us of the power such a website has. Just last week it was through Twitter that the world learned of Michael Clarke's wedding. Some positive aspects of Twitter he highlighted: Engaging, not just one-way, interactive, opinionated, noisy, boils down to the facts, spreads news instantly.

As has been emphasised in previous lectures, Steve talked about the growing importance of online media for journalists. A degree in journalism will aid us with employment but we should be getting out there on the internet even as undergraduates and setting ourselves up. The internet and social media makes us much more employable if was can demonstrate our knowledge as a journalist. We can gain international exposure and without editors we can pitch our story in whatever way we choose. Getting news online gives us many different views, connects us straight with the source and allows us to interact with people who have similar interests. These are no doubt some of the reasons it has taken off.

I found Steve's story of Mia Freedman interesting. Once the editor of Dolly, Cleo and Cosmo she left her job and started a blog called Mamamia. Now five years later it has turned into a 'mini empire' with about twenty employees and nearly 900 000 viewers each month! After the lecture I went on to her website and found out a little more. Here it is:http://www.mamamia.com.au/

Steve also talked about his experiences as a blogger. He likes to talk about television that is topical and interesting to him. He takes whatever opportunities he can to interview people on television or who make television. One of his rules when watching any show is to give it at least three episodes before forming an opinion. He told us of his interview with Will Anderson last year and I was amazed to hear he asked for the interview over Twitter! I know I sometimes wonder how I will ever get in contact with anyone I want to interview so maybe I will try out this method! Steve's blog is still in its early stages but is growing steadily with some of his work now being published by Fairfax.

Something Steve said that I thought was worth writing down was, "The way we understand how information is given to us is going to impact the writers and journalists we become."

Thanks for the lecture Steve Molk!

Investigative Journalist : John Pilger

In our last lecture Bruce Redman mentioned the name of a man called John Pilger. Both an investigative journalist and film-maker I decided to find out more....

John Pilger is a Sydney-born man whose career spans decades and various continents. He appears a man interested in exposing crimes against humanity and global injustices, issues that I believe should be in our news more often.

Here is a brief  biography from the website: http://www.johnpilger.com/biography

Like many of his Australian generation, Pilger and two colleagues left for Europe in the early 1960s. They set up an ill-fated freelance 'agency' in Italy (with the grand title of 'Interep') and quickly went broke. Arriving in London, Pilger freelanced, then joined Reuters, moving to the Londo
n Daily Mirror, Britain's biggest selling newspaper, which was then changing to a serious tabloid.

He became chief foreign correspondent and reported from all over the world, covering numerous wars, notably Vietnam. Still in his twenties, he became the youngest journalist to receive Britain's highest award for journalism, Journalist of the Year and was the first to win it twice. Moving to the United States, he reported the upheavals there in the late 1960s and 1970s. He marched with America's poor from Alabama to Washington, following the assassination of Martin Luther King. He was in the same room when Robert Kennedy, the presidential candidate, was assassinated in June 1968.

His work in South East Asia produced a iconic issue of the London Mirror, devoted almost entirely to his world exclusive dispatches from Cambodia in the aftermath of Pol Pot's reign. The combined impact of his Mirror reports and his subsequent documentary, Year Zero: the Silent Death of Cambodia, raised almost $50 million for the people of that stricken country. Similarly, his 1994 documentary and dispatches report from East Timor, where he travelled under cover, helped galvanise support for the East Timorese, then occupied by Indonesia.

In Britain, his four-year investigation on behalf of a group of children damaged at birth by the drug Thalidomide, and left out of the settlement with the drugs company, resulted in a special settlement.

His numerous documentaries on Australia, notably The Secret Country (1983), the bicentary trilogy The Last Dream (1988) and Welcome to Australia (1999) all celebrated and revealed much of his own country's 'forgotten past', especially its indigenous past and present.

He has won an Emmy and a BAFTA for his documentaries, which have also won numerous US and European awards, such as as the Royal Television Society's Best Documentary.


What an amazing guy!! He is certainly a great example of what an exciting and rewarding career a journalist can have. If you would like to watch any of the videos he's made here's a link to them: http://www.johnpilger.com/filmography

A closer look at cliches

Ever wondered how a phrase or cliché was first made? A leopard cannot change its spots, All's well that ends well, Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. During my writing course I've come across a few of these and it got me thinking and wondering who thought of them and why have they stuck? So I thought I'd find out the origins and meanings of some my favourite and most popular phrases and cliches.

Straight from the horses mouth
Meaning - From the highest authority
Origin -In horse racing circles tips on which horse is a likely winner circulate amongst punters. The most trusted authorities are considered to be those in closest touch with the recent form of the horse, i.e. stable lads, trainers etc. The notional 'from the horse's mouth' is supposed to indicate one step better than even that inner circle, i.e. the horse itself.

Wild goose chase
Meaning - A hopeless quest
Origin - The earlier meaning related to horse racing. A 'wild goose chase' was a chase in which horses followed a lead horse at a set distance, mimicking wild geese flying in formation.

Jump the gun
Meaning - Beginning something before before preparations for it are complete
Origin - Derives from track and field races and was preceded in the USA by the phrase 'beat the gun' (or pistol). This has been known from the early 20th century.

Loose cannon
Meaning - An unpredictable person or thing
Origin -  From the 17th century to the 19th century, wooden warships carried cannon as their primary offensive weapons. In order to avoid damage from their enormous recoil when fired they were mounted on rollers and secured with rope. A loose cannon was just what it sounds like, that is, a cannon that had become free of its restraints and was rolling dangerously about the deck.

On Cloud Nine
Meaning - In a state of blissful happiness
Origin - A commonly heard explanation is that the expression originated as one of the classifications of cloud which were defined by the US Weather Bureau in the 1950s, in which 'Cloud Nine' denotes the fluffy cumulonimbus type that are considered so attractive. Another explanation is that the phrase derives from Buddhism and that Cloud Nine is one of the stages of the progress to enlightenment of a Bodhisattva (one destined to become a Buddha).

A square meal
Meaning - a substantial meal
Origin -  It is frequently repeated, by tour guides and the like, that the expression 'a square meal' originated from the Royal Navy practice of serving meals on square wooden plates. Such plates did exist so that is a plausible story, but there's no other evidence to support it. The word square has many meanings, including 'proper, honest, straightforward', and that's the meaning in 'square meal'. This isn't a rectilinear meal on right-angled crockery, but a good and satisfying meal.

Spill the beans
Meaning - To divulge a secret
Origin - The derivation of this expression is said to be a voting system used in ancient Greece. The story goes that white beans indicated positive votes and black beans negative. Votes had to be unanimous, so if the collector 'spilled the beans' before the vote was complete and a black bean was seen, the vote was halted

Take the cake
Meaning - Carry off the honours
Origin - It is widely supposed that this phrase originated with cake-walk strutting competitions, which were commonplace in the black community of the southern USA in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In those, couples would be judged on their style in the 'cake-walk'. The winners were said to have 'taken the cake', which was often the prize.

On the wagon
Meaning - Abstaining from alcohol
Origin - Suggested explanations of the origin of 'on the wagon' focus on actual wagons that were used to transport people; for example, condemned prisoners who had taken their last drink in this life and were transported to the gallows by wagon.

The bees knees
Meaning - Excellent
Origin -  Bees carry pollen back to the hive in sacs on their legs. Hence the phrases alludes to the concentration of goodness about the bees knees.


All meanings and origins of the phrases above were taken from
 http://www.phrases.org.uk

Week 12 - Investigative Journalism

Just the title of the topic for this week's lecture had me excited. Who wouldn't want to be an investigative journalist, uncovering buried stories and exposing them to the world? We began the lecture with looking at the in's of investigative journalism:
- Intelligence - money sex and power often comes up in investigative journalism
- Informed - research and get the facts
- Intuitive - use your gut feeling
- Inside - get on the inside
- Invest - invest a lot of yourself

I found it interesting that there were four different definitions given for investigative journalism, all of which I agreed with. I have written them below.

Definition 1: Critical and thorough journalism

• Critical - The journalist is an active participant
• Thorough - the journalist makes substantial effort
•  Active intervention - the key idea

Definition 2: Custodians of conscience

• Exposure - the key idea
• Takes societies morals and norms and holds breaches up to public scrutiny
  

Definition 3: Provide a voice for those without one and hold the powerful to account

• Social justice - giving power to the powerless, voice to the voiceless
• Public interest - the key idea

 Defintion 4: Government watchdog/ Fourth branch of government/ 'fourth estate'

•  Balancing the power of the government with the powerless of society
• Interrogating judiciary, executive and legislature to ensure free flow of information in our democracy
• Hold public figures accountable for functions that impact on society
• Watchdog - key idea

 They key ideas of each are different but I don't think any of them are 'wrong' definitions. It is more they are different variations and purposes of investigative journalism.

Bruce Redman showed us some investigative journalist trailblazers who changed the world through the stories they uncovered and exposed. This was both inspiring and a little intimidating as there is so much work involved. I definitely feel that the story a journalist uncovers must have special meaning for them to be able to toil over it so long and meticulously. Some examples of local investigative journalism  were: The Global Mail, Crikey and Australian Story

I think Bruce gave us three very important things to consider when undertaking an investigation:

1. Always check your facts
2.  Assume nothing
3.  Expect whistle blowers to go crazy

You are really putting your reputation, your job and possibly your safety on the line when doing investigative journalism and the three points mentioned above must always be remembered to help stay out of trouble. Checking facts I think is the most important as getting them wrong will give misleading information and possible legal repercussions.

Some types of investigative interaction:
-Interviews (both with on record and anonymous sources)
-Observations
-Documents (laws suits, legal docs, tax records)
-Briefings
-Leaks
-Trespass
-Theft

Possible threats to investigative journalism include:

• Online news - Less money, less journalists and less time

• Growth in PR - Shrinkage in journalism

I think of investigative journalism sort of like the 'extreme' of the journalist stream of work. Its both exciting, hard-work, often takes months or even years, and is hopefully rewarding at the end. What more could you ask for from a job?

Annotated Bibliography

Cline, A. (2009). Putting Journalism's Unwritten Theory of Democracy onto Paper. Journal of Mass Media Ethics: Exploring Questions of Media Morality, 24 (2-3), 194-196

Andrew Cline from the Department of Media, Journalism and Film at Missouri State University reviews the published works of Jeffrey Scheuer, The Big Picture: Why Democracies Need Journalistic Excellence. The author first discusses the unwritten theory of democracy using information from Democracy and the News by Herbert J. Gans (2003) to clarify his ideas. Cline is unimpressed with Scheuer's approach to putting journalism's unwritten theory of democracy into writing and uses direct quotes from Scheuer's book and example scenarios to strengthen his argument. With citations once again from Scheuer's book he points out that the author makes claims without evidence, often fails to elaborate and uses unoriginal ideas found in other published works. Throughout the review Cline also contrasts and challenges Scheuer's book with citations from two other published works on similar topics. In an effort to find positive aspects of the book Cline asserts the book's value in creating discussion in journalism ethics and suggests it as a prequel to Kovach and Rosenstiel's (2001) Elements of Journalism. The review given by Cline has evidence backing its opinions, and aims to give an experienced perspective on an ethical issue of journalism.

Sunday Night. Channel 7. 1 April 2012. Retrieved from

http://au.news.yahoo.com/sunday-night/features/article/-/13305677/surf-life-saving-in-crisis/

Sunday Night's award-winning investigative journalist (Knox, 2008), Ross Coulthart, examines why Matthew Barclay and two boys before him died at the Australian Life Saving Championship. Coulthart interviews a variety of sources to add credibility to his investigation including Phil and Dana Bird - parents of deceased Saxon Bird, professional lifeguard - Terry McDermott, CEO of Surf Life Saving - Brett Williamson and Super Intendant - Jim Keogh. After various interviews, Coulthart confronts Surf Life Saving Queensland President - Ralph Devlin, as to why the event was allowed to run. One of the key arguments put forth by Coulthart is documentary evidence of the competition's sponsorship contracts. As these documents are never shown on the program viewers must trust Coulthart to be telling the truth. Because Sunday Night relies on audience numbers for its survival, it makes the investigation emotionally and visually engaging. It emphasises injustice and points fingers to create drama that captivates its audience. Visual stimulation shows grieving people, funeral footage, dangerous surf and unflattering close-ups of the accused Life Saving President. These techniques are used to sway audience opinion to suit Coulthart's agenda and keep them from flicking the remote.

Calligeros, M. (2012 March 29). Heartbreak and Inquiries after death of 'great kid'. Retrieved from

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/

Marissa Calligeros is a University of Queensland graduate and finalist for Queensland's Student Journalist of the Year 2008 who currently works for the Brisbane Times (Marissa Calligeros, 2009). In this online article she reports on the death of Matthew Barclay, the effect of this tragedy on the community and the investigations that will take place in the future. As Brisbane Times is a local news source, whose audience resides in Brisbane city and its surrounds, the report focuses strongly on the community effect of Matthew's death. Interviews of his friends and classmates along with descriptions of those grieving are peppered throughout the article. This is very different to the less personal, more interrogative approach of Calthart. Calligeros interviews several people to add credibility, but her opinion and conclusion as to how Matthew died are not stated like in Calthart investigation. When assessing the credibility of this online article it must be remembered that the Brisbane Times, like Sunday Night, is a commercial media driven by profit-making. The article's target audience is more localised and the approach taken by the reporter is not about 'finding who is to blame' like Sunday Night's Calthart, but in exposing a local tragedy to the community.

Forbes, T. & Eastley, T. (Presenters) (2012 March 29). Teenage Life Savers body found. AM, ABC Radio

According to ABC News (2012) AM has been setting the day's agenda with concise reports and analysis from journalists for over forty years. The ABC corporation is a citizen-funded public media whose values are centred around informing the public and producing quality material (Redman, 2012). As it has no allegiance to investors and is not driven by profit-making it is a highly regarded news source in Australia. Radio presenter Tony Eastley has been working at the ABC as a journalist, foreign correspondent and television and radio presenter for over thirty years (ABC News, 2012). On his radio show he discusses with reporter Tom Forbes the aftermath of Matthew Barclay's death. Tom Forbes reports directly from Kurrawa beach where the tragedy took place. Throughout the discussion talk is focused mainly on the conditions of the beach and the body found earlier that day. Forbes' report of the incident has none of the drama of Calthart's investigation and less personalisation compared to Calligeros's report. True to ABC style, it brings a lot of facts and no personal opinions, but these facts are hard to verify when listening because of the lack of visual aid. We have to trust that Forbes has done his research and interviewed people before talking on AM with Tony Eastley as there are no direct quotes or interviews to back him.

Interestingly, both the ABC Radio report and The Brisbane Times report leave the question as to how Matthew died unanswered whereas Sunday Night's investigation tries to convince its audience that Matthew died because of dangerous surf conditions. While the other two sources blame no one Sunday Night, after interviewing different people, directly accuses Surf Life Saving Queensland for the fifteen-year-old's death. As no formal investigation has yet taken place and no evidence of how Matthew died has been released these assumptions are questionable. This highlights once again Sunday Night's commercial media outlook, pulling audience numbers rather than keeping to the facts.

APA Reference List

ABC News. (2012). AM with Tony Eastley. Retrieved from

http://www.abc.net.au/am/about.html

Calligeros, M. (2012 March 29). Heartbreak and Inquiries after death of 'great kid'. Retrieved from

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/

Cline, A. (2009). Putting Journalism's Unwritten Theory of Democracy onto Paper. Journal of Mass Media Ethics: Exploring Questions of Media Morality, 24 (2-3), 194-196

Forbes, T. & Eastley, T. (Presenters) (2012 March 29). Teenage Life Savers body found. ABC Local Radio

Knox, D. (2008, October 17). Ross Coulthart Joins Seven. Retrieved from:

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2008/10/ross-coulthard-joins-seven.html

Marissa Calligeros. (2009). Brisbane Times. Retrieved from

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/about-us/marissa-calligeros/index.html

Redman, B. (2012) Week 7 – Public Media. [PowerPoint slides]. Unpublished manuscript. JOUR1111. University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia