Ah, how refreshing!

I was reading The Global Mail today and in light of the recent post on agenda setting, I found this interesting. At the bottom of the screen, on every page, in simplistic font it says, "Our audience is our only agenda."


What a bizarre concept. "Our audience is our only agenda." It's quite refreshing to hear really. Everyone seems to have their own agenda and here is something that cares about my agenda, not their own. I truly enjoy The Global Mail and profusely hope it continues to stick around and refresh me every once in a while.


http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/rear-view-of-new-york/243/
Definitely take the time to read/watch this one. It's a view from behind, a very cool, new and Australian project.

ABC, the true hipsters of TV- Week 11

"The press may not be successful much of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its reader what to think about."- Bernard Cohen

Ok so there are four different types of agendas:

1.       Public Agenda- what you and I think are important issues

2.       Policy Agenda- what decision makers like Gillard & Co. think is important

3.     Corporate Agenda- what big businesses think is important

4.       Media Agenda- the issues we see on tv and hear on the radio ect.

All these things are interrelated. Here is a nifty diagram to show how:

I thought I was impressive in finding this diagram, only to realise that it was actually used in the PowerPoint.

 The mass media do not merely reflect and report reality, they filter and shape it. Media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to perceive those issues as more important than other issues.

That is a massive responsibility that has been placed in our hands. We have the power, as journalists, to completely sway the opinion of an entire culture. We’ve seen this happen over in the US. I’m in no way an expert on US government however I have seen the incredibly bias yet extremely good documentary by Michael Moore called “Outfoxed”. In short, Murdoch and George W Bush were good mates and, as most people know, Murdoch owns Fox News. During the election campaign Murdoch, in his plight to be “fair and balanced”, aired footage depicting Bush to be a fallen angel whilst showing his rival at the time, Al Gore, to be a bumbling idiot who didn’t know much about anything. With a cousin, or some long lost relative of Mr Bush working in conjunction with Fox News, prematurely announcing that Bush had won a crucial seat in one of the states, critics say that Fox News actually won Bush the election. Don’t quote me on that however it’s easy to see that the power of one man and his agenda quickly translating into the public agenda.

Where did all this power come from? I’m sure there are examples from earlier however I think the one that stands out was coined by Adolf Hitler and Leni Riefenstahl. Riefenstahl knew what she was doing when she made the propaganda films for Hitler during the Second World War. In hindsight it seems ridiculous that Hitler could convince and justify his actions to an entire country but the power of images should never be underestimated. When we look back in fifty years will there be something that we will feel ashamed about believing, a secret agenda that we were oblivious to?

I applaud the ABC and SBS sometimes. They appear somewhat immune to the ‘bandwagon’ effect you hear about when talking about the media’s agenda setting. When the head honchos’ of Channel Nine and Ten (I pick on TV because they are easy examples) walk into their meetings and ask “What are we going to talk about today lads?” I’m sure the response would be “Well, what do people want to hear about? Kony, Justin Bieber or oh wait, what about that YouTube clip of those babies yelling at each other, that made me lol! Heck, as long as we make some money on it, who cares?” It’s not about what we want to hear, it should be about what we need to hear. No one had even heard of Kony or the terrible things he was doing before that clip came out. Not going to lie, even I got swept up in the whole fan fair of it all and it wasn’t until the ABC gave some alternative viewpoints that I started read and see and listen to reports with a grain of salt. High five ABC for pulling some heads in. 

I wrote a few weeks ago that violence sells, ‘if it bleeds, it leads,’ which I still agree with but I’m now aware of why. Public, policy, corporate and media agendas and how they all interrelate as well as the influence they possess, blows my tiny first year mind. I really feel as though we have a massive responsibility as journalists to shape the way that the public think. We are the voice to the politicians, we shouldn’t be manipulated by spin because then the public will be too. We decide what’s important, Bieber and Kony are only important because we made them that way. If we hate the way media perceives issues, why don’t we just change it? 

This was an attempt not to rant about ethics. It was unsuccessful in this attempt. - Week 9

"Ethics is knowing the difference between what we have the right to do and what is right to do"- Potter Stewart

What’s the difference between unethical and just bad taste? I struggled to make that differentiation when Dr. Harrison flashed the class advertisements during our lecture this week. I personally don’t want to degrade my blog with images of poor examples, I’m sure you can let your imagination run ramped. I also don’t want to waste your time by writing “Oh golly, advertisement is just smut these days. It’s simply racist and sexist and every other -ist I can think of. Let’s burn all advertisers at the stake for the heinous crime of corrupting my innocence.” I tire of false condemnation.

 Yes, some advertisements are “bad taste”, “unethical" even. No, I don’t believe that the act of racism or sexism or whatever else should be condoned. I do, however, think that we shouldn’t just attack advertisers, stand over them and tell them to say sorry to society for trying to get our attention. Let’s look at this from their perspective. I want to make you buy my product. Yelling, “SALE! HOLY HEN’S TEETH THERE’S A SALE!” doesn’t cut it anymore. Advertisers are resorting to risqué techniques that often aren’t too popular among the owners of high horses. It is more of a consequentialism approach, the “I’ve had to step on a few toes but my advertisement is now open for discussion on prime time television and the sales have never been better” approach. The point is advertisers have a job to do. Sure there are other clever ways of getting the viewers attention, Frank from National Tiiiiiles springs to mind, but not everyone is that original or virtuous.

At the end of the day, I get angry at a sexist slur as much as, if not more so, then the next person. This doesn’t mean I’m going to be a ranting lunatic on my dodgy blog, that isn’t going change a thing.  I believe that there are two sides to every story and if I kick and scream and demand action over something I have no idea about then I think that’s just ignorant. Dr. Harrison even said, “Justice is the mean between the injustice of overzealous and excessive law and the injustice of lawlessness.” I am in no way fighting for lawlessness or being flippant over degrading and immoral advertising. I am, however, saying we all need to step back and stop finding scapegoats in advertisers for society’s spiralling moral standard. 

Does it really matter?- Week 10

"When a dog bites a man that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news." - Charles Anderson Dana

Unfortunately today’s blog will consist of a lot of lists. I enjoy making lists in order to give the illusion that I’m organised.  I will also re-write things in terms that I understand, be it wrong or right.

Alright so, what are news values?

Impact- Things that make you go “Gee Whiz” or if you’re not from the 50’s, a simple “wow” will suffice.

Audience identification- “If it’s local it leads”

Pragmatics- Practical stuff, how to lose 50kg on the lentil diet, why your house is a death trap, Today Tonight and other such garbage. Yeah?

Source influence- The dreaded PR and its increasing influence on journalism

News values are commonly known as newsworthiness.

Different institutions and individual journalists play roles in shaping their own news values. They are also shaped by social and cultural contexts. For example, ‘The Sun’ over in the UK is known to be a tabloid style newspaper. Is this because ‘The Sun’ has a specific set of values they want to perpetuate or is it because the journalists enjoy writing about this sort of thing or is it the fact that society enjoys reading about the next Lady Gaga v Madonna scandal?

I think Judy McGregor sums it up when she says, “Journalists do not adhere to formal codes of newsworthiness that can be identified or promulgated... instead, the informal code of what constitutes a good story is part of newsroom initiation and socialisation.”

There have been over half a dozen attempts to define what is newsworthy, however I think O’Neill and Harcup sum up what is newsworthy in 2012 quite nicely.

It’s all about:

1.       The power elite

2.       Celebrity

3.       Entertainment

4.       Surprise

5.       Bad news

6.       Good news

7.       Magnitude

8.       Relevance

9.       Follow-up

10.    Newspaper agenda

I am particularly against the fact that the power elite and celebrities get a shoe in when it comes to the news. In “Famous” magazine and “Women’s Weekly” sure, write ‘til your heart’s content but the six o’clock bulletin, just no. I don’t care that Justin Bieber is in Australia, I appreciate that people do care, hence it is polluting my commercial news, however I think it reflects poorly on the culture we’re becoming. It also saddens me that we, myself included, get some sort of perverted thrill out of bad news. When I hear about a tragic tsunami overseas, I expect to hear extravagant death tolls and feel somewhat disappointed when I hear there are only ten. You may think that is wrong but I’m sure some do it too, it’s as if it’s not worth talking about unless it’s catastrophic.

So what are the threats to these news values?

Lazy, incompetent journalism. Ouch. Yes, that stings a little considering most of us want to become these lazy, incompetent people however I don’t think it’s too far off. Like Downie and Kaiser said, “too much of what has been offered as news in recent years has been untrustworthy, irresponsible, misleading or incomplete.” PR influence and Tabloidisation is also threatening our beloved news values. As summed up by Davies in the PowerPoint “... media falsehood and distortion; PR tactics and propaganda; and the use of illegal news-gathering techniques.”  *Cough* Phone hacking scandal *Cough*.  In reality though, I never realised how much PR had infiltrated the news. Churnalism.com is a website where you can paste in a news article and it will tell you how much of it was taken from press releases and media statements ect. It is a very entertaining and eye-opening site, perfect for exam block procrastination.

In a nutshell every culture, city, station and journalist has their own set of news values. Some good, some not so good. I feel that it is a rather subjective sort of thing; it’s what makes people pick up a trash magazine or watch SBS instead.  There are a few threats to these values that people need to be more aware of and PR is definitely one of them. Take everything you read with a grain of salt, because, like what will be discussed next week, everyone has their own agenda.

Annotated Bibliography- Assessment 3

This annotated bibliography will delve into the Kony 2012 campaign initiated in March of this year. Through looking at the mediums of online and ‘hard copy’ newspapers, television reports and finally a relevant scholarly journal article, very differing views on the same issue are unveiled.

de Brito, S. (2012, March 7). Make Kony Famous. The Age. Retrieved from: http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/culture/blogs/all-men-are-liars/make-kony-famous-20120307-1ujd5.html

The author, an employee and blog writer at of The Age has over 10years experience writing for TV, film and newspapers. That expertise coupled with the fact that this article was written in The Age adds to the reliability of the article. Written early in the Kony 2012 campaign the article is more descriptive of the situation than anything else however rather than being swept up in the emotive whirlwind of the campaign, de Brito offers already emerging counter retaliations. This proves to show the lack of bias and perpetuates a balanced argument. Further into the article, the author briefly touches on the use of social media-by referencing tweet trends for example- yet doesn’t fully encapsulate the enormity due to, most probably, the issues recent conception. He forces the reader to approach the Kony campaign with a grain of salt yet leaves the ultimate opinion of the reader up to them, “they have started a conversation. The quality of that conversation is up to you.” (de Brito, 2012)

Fitzsimmons, H. (Reporter) (2012, 9 March). Lateline [Television broadcast] Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved from: http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2012/s3450301.htm

Winner of two Walkley awards, a Human Rights Award for TV reporting and over 15years experience, Hamish Fitzsimmons’ credentials speak for themselves. The ABC takes pride in providing objective and conclusive news reports; they have proven to be a reliable source of information in the past and their evening show Lateline is no exception. In his report on the Kony 2012 campaign, Fitzsimmons effectively describes the situation and then proceeds to give a balanced two sided perspective. He collates a varied yet certified array of sources, among them multiple Doctors with expertise in the matter, the co-ordinator of the Kony campaign, human rights experts as well as citizens actually living in war-torn Uganda. Fitzsimmons brings up many good points about the actual power of social networking and the ability they will have on the capture of Kony. The visual aspect of the report is also a good technique in providing the viewers’ with something somewhat tangible to associate with the campaign, giving a face to the name perse. The author brings a fresh perspective on the issue, wrenching the viewers’ away from the one, overexposed side perpetuated by the organisers of the Kony 2012.

Miller, N. (2012, 22 April). Catch Kony campaign loses couch potatoes. Sun-herald (Sydney, N.S.W.)  p. 28. Retrieved from: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/catch-kony-campaign-loses-couch-potatoes-20120421-1xdqc.html

Projected as a seemingly unaccredited author, Nick Miller has a mere thirty articles in the Sun-herald newspaper to his name. Alas, he is a published author nonetheless, which allows for some credibility.  Targeting the ‘couch potatoes’ or as he calls them, ‘clicktivists’ Miller has somewhat of a condemning tone as he describes the dismal turnouts to the event known as “cover the night”. With references to pot, memes and use of conversational style writing, the authors youth is made evident which, in some aspects, tarnishes his authority when put alongside professionals 20years his senior. The article is also poorly supported with Miller’s sources consisting of poorly written tweets and Facebook posts. The only redeeming attribute appears in the form of statistics however are only used to support the author’s one-sided condemnation of teenagers’ allegiance to a failed campaign. Concluding with the unsourced discrediting of the campaign organiser and pessimism to boot, this article leaves a somewhat humours yet nonetheless bitter taste in the readers’ mouth.

Kim, J. (2012). The institutionalization of YouTube: From user-generated content to professionally generated content. Media, Culture and Society, 34(1), 53-67. doi: 10.1177/0163443711427199

In this peer-reviewed journal, author Jin Kim, proves to be experienced in the field of YouTube and the role it plays in distributing information.  Ranked 40 out of 67 for communication among the journal community, Media, Culture and Society is a credible and knowledgeable source in the academic realm. The article extensively discusses the shift of YouTube from more user-generated content (UGC) to professionally generated content (PGC).  This is particularly relevant for the Kony 2012 campaign as it illustrates the power of social networking to influence consumers. With a string of sources from a multitude of different fields this article is not only wide in its analysis but also very deep. Kim goes on to talk about the impact of activist documentary shortening the “time gap between production and distribution, increasing impact and introducing new possibilities for strategic design.”(Kim 2012) This has been proven to be true with the immense impact of one twenty-nine minute documentary, an issue that has been present for over two decades suddenly made explosive due to social media. Kim has provided a very insightful, credible and extensive article about the impact of YouTube, featured in an equally credible journal.  

Factual Story Telling Assignment

Factual story telling - JOUR1111- Semester One 2012
Photos and Video created by Immogen Grosser
Video excerpts provided by ABC
Songs-
Piper's Song- Gypsy & The Cat 
First Year of the Equinox- Skrillex
Ultraviolet- Stiff Dylans 
Hurt Me (Jezebels Cover)- Big Scary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PM9S3GsfWg

Public Media: Not just dusty old professors and sex on the TV- Week 8

"The difference between commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting is the difference between consumers and citizens."- Nigel Milan

Before starting university, when my judgement was shrouded with the idea that commercial media was, like, only the coolest thing ever and public media was for really, like, ancient people, and I had very limited knowledge about anything of importance. After starting university, after being forced to actual engage in the outside world and particularly after starting my Film and Television major, I have realised, dare I say it, the ABC isn't that bad. This definitely doesn't mean I'm an avid Radio National listener or 7:30 Report viewer, it simply means I have a clearer understanding and respect for what the ABC and SBS actually does.

As the PowerPoint mentioned I once thought public media was out of touch, boring and elitist. It was for the 50-somethings to watch stuffy old know-it-all’s talk about things most people couldn’t comprehend. After my days of watching Play School and the Wild Thornberry’s were up, that was it, goodbye ABC. Don’t even get me started about SBS, I mean who wanted to watch the Arabic News anyway? Remember, white, middle-class girl couldn’t see much outside her bubble. I know realise the necessity and the great pool of knowledge these channels hold. 41% of Australians get their news through the ABC, 41%! We pride ourselves on being a multi-cultural society yet without out the SBS how would these people keep up to date with the news, receive important messages from the government or simply be informed about what’s happening in their home country? Channel 10 wouldn’t do it, b105 wouldn't do it. Granted, I don’t watch it, soccer and sex, uhm, I mean “world movies”, don’t interest me, but for a large portion of our community it's essential for them to survive in this foreign brown land. (The news, not soccer and sex)  

We briefly delved into the role of the SBS in Australia but I feel as though there was one major fact that was neglected. SBS was conceived due to the ABC reluctance to acknowledge diversity. Gay Hawkins in Public Service Media: Governing Diversity says, “... the ABC has generally managed difference using two primary strategies: ignore it or render it a problem. While it has always acknowledged special populations in the interests of responding to the market failures of commercial media, the special categories have traditionally was ‘women’, ‘rural’ and ‘children’... ethnically diverse audiences have not been considered special... for a long time they were largely ignored and thereby rendered invisible by the national broadcaster... these populations simply did not see or hear themselves on ABC TV or radio... hence the decision to establish SBS... a separate public broadcaster with a specific multicultural brief.” Public media produces things that, although may not be popular, are relevant and necessary for public consumption. 

So there’s another amateur overview on public media. Some may still call it old and boring, I say listen to Triple J, it’s so much better than the monotonous whine of modern music and you feel better inside when you realise the Jerry Maguire’s of the world aren't earning more money by inundating you with advertisements for the latest miracle bra or life insurance.

Go forth and listen to Triple J. You will never have to hear the laborious shrill of One Direction again.

From I-still-hate-them-with-an-undying-passion. 

Favourite song at the moment that features on Triple J.

Hurt Me (Jezabels Cover)- Big Scary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UejgxtaL6-U&feature=related

Commercial Media: An amateur's guide to the green eyed monster- Week 7

"Honesty is the best policy- when there's money in it."- Mark Twain

Some may call it the big bad wolf of media, some may call it the best thing since One Direction* but all we know for certain is that commercial media dominates what we see, hear and listen to.

I think I’d like to start this review with answering a question posed in the lecture. Can commercial media deliver on both commercial (profit) and social functions (public trust)? Simply put, no. Jerry Maguire springs to mind when I think of the big boss of channel 9, b105 or even the Courier Mail. “Show me the money, SHOW ME THE MONEY!” I reckon it’s a pretty fair depiction. Ah yes, you might say, they can be out for profit, who can blame them, but they can be reliable too. May I simply direct your attention to current affairs programs such as Today Tonight. You don’t have to be linguistic god or even a high school graduate to understand the fact their “reports” are pure gobbledygook. (Windows synonyms you never cease to surprise me) I for one would not even listen to, let alone trust, their obsolete drivel. So I think it’s fair to say that commercial media is out for one thing, and it’s definitely not the public trust.

So, how do they satisfy this green eyed monster? Advertising and/or subscription. Using television as an easy example, let’s assume we’re talking about free to air television like channel 10. The only way they’re going to get money is through advertisement spaces purchased by companies, what makes McDonald's or ProActive want these spaces? What ever gets the most viewership, what makes people want to watch a program? If it’s new, live or unfortunately, if it oozes American. What the audience wants is what the broadcaster wants. Even in the news, instead of airing the same old poverty in Africa, commercial companies are dictated by audience demand to see Zac Efron shirtless on his apartment balcony. Popularity is everything when advertisement deals depend on the ratings of a program. I think this will see an increase of entertainment infused news reports, such as ‘The Project’ and less of hard hitting news seen on the ABC and SBS.

So this week’s analysis has probably cut into next week’s analysis of public media but that’s ok. I’m sure I’ll have some more amateur knowledge to corrupt the minds of my surprisingly large Russian audience with by then.

I know you would rather not be reading this but stop Russian to the end... *ba-doum-chh*

Wow. Bye.

From my-dad-wouln’t-even-of-laughed-then.

*Please Note: I do not in any way shape or form support this boy band fad. I never had, nor will I ever, camp out to catch a glimpse of their hair sprayed, glitter infused frullets whilst screaming at ear shattering decibels. If you are one of these tweenage expletives stop corrupting every form of commercial media with your ridiculous hysteria. Rant concluded. 

You Only Live Once- Irrelevant Post About Nothing in Particular

“It's opener, out there, in the wide, open air.” - Dr. Seuss 

You know what, I was going to write a blog about how evil Facebook is but as I started writing it, I sounded so much like a whiny emo/deep-in-thought/life-sucks/first-world-problems teenager that I had to stop, clean up the vomit induced by shear lameness and calm my late night farm. Yes, I deactivated Facebook. Yes, I now see the unbelievable waste of time it is was. No, this is not a fad. I’m legitimate. It’s on the internet now, it must be true.

In all honesty, I think I finally realised that although I had 300 friends (intense, I know) I was lonelier than ever. When was the last time I had a proper conversation with someone? A conversation where I didn’t talk about things I’d seen on Facebook or how much I was procrastinating at uni. It’s been a long time and I think I definitely need some space from my mindless use of social networking.

Wow, whiny emo/deep-in-thought/life-sucks/first-world-problems teenager is resurfacing, need to get off the internet.

Good early morning from,

I-will-probably-delete-this-when-I-regain-my-senses

Is racism overused?

People are murdered all the time. Particularly in America. Most of you would of heard of Trayvon Martin and as a new fan of the Global Mail I read an excellent article regarding his shooting. I think what made it so controversial, the reason his death was different to the other hundred deaths, wasn't because he was black, black people are murdered all the time, it wasn't because he was 17, young black people are almost excepted to have untimely deaths, it was because Trayvon was murdered by a white neighborhood watch volunteer. The shooter wasn't a police officer, he wasn't another black guy, he was a run-of-the-mill white guy who thought he had the right because he had a gun permit. It really got me thinking, is racism really dead? Was this a hate crime or was it in fact self defence? Does society sometimes jump the gun in pointing the racist finger or was the shooting in fact justified?

I watched the Hunger Games the other day and a particular scene caught my attention. If you haven't seen it, stop reading now, spoiler alert. When the young black girl dies (who didn't see that coming, seriously people) there is outrage from her "district". People start throwing chairs, guards get attacked, sporadic fires suddenly ignite, it's dramatic stuff and do you know the first thing I thought? "This is a bit racist, isn't it?" See, the people from her district, the only ones in the film that make this barbaric coup, were black people. Why did I think that? In a bid to become more accepting of multiculturalism have I lost a sense of rationality? When I read the article about Trayvon I was outraged at the seemingly obvious and blatantly racist hate crime inflicted on this young man, was it fair? I didn’t hear the shooters perspective, I only read that he alleged it was self defence but instantly discounted it. Maybe I should start thinking about all perspectives of a story, not just the perspective that I want to see.

I still think what the guy did was wrong. Just because I see his perspective, doesn’t mean it changes my opinion. Take away the fact that one was black and one was white, fact of the matter is, a 28-year-old man gunned down an unarmed 17-year-old boy and wasn’t charged. The fact Trayvon was black, is rather irrelevant when you look at it that way.

Article I read on the Global Mail: 

http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/justice-hidden-in-a-hoodie/160/ 

Media Use Diary- Assessment 1

"To know who we are, we must understand how we are connected."- Nicholas A. Christakis

My Media Use- Table. 1

In a survey conducted on JOUR1111 students in February 2012, statistics on media use were collated with surprising results.

One such result showed that the majority of students spend between 2 and 3 hours on the internet. For these students Facebook is undoubtedly a habitual site in which they visit with a staggering 91% spending the majority of their internet time on this site.  As one of these students, I contributed to these figures as I spend about 61% of my 2-3 hrs of internet usage on this form of social networking. Some would see this as a waste of time and useless in regards studying journalism however it is surprising to note that nearly half of the cohort obtains news through this medium. Although this figure does not apply to me, as I receive my news in other forms, through Facebook my communication with others not only in Australia but overseas has been strengthened and used as a valuable way in sourcing and making connections. 

Graph depicting the time I use on the internet

Although I spend a large quantity of time on the internet, I actually obtain the majority of my news through the “old” mediums. For example, watching the 6pm news bulletin has become routine. As shown in Table. 1 I watch this nightly in order to stay informed in a way that is relatively effortless, something which also proves popular with my class mates as 71% receive news through television.  

I also share similar statistics when it comes to the amount of radio I listen to with 63% of my peers and I both averaging under an hour a day. This exposes me and other listeners to at least one news update in this time however this is dependent on the radio station, some stations are dedicated solely on reporting for example.

When it comes to the oldest of the “old” news mediums, newspapers are on the rapid decline in popularity. With people obtaining news nearly the same amount and even more so through Facebook and online news sites- something formed within the past decade- than actual newspapers- a news source stretching over a century- the rise of the internet is inevitable. This is reflective in my own media use as Table.1 portrays the fact I read the tangible paper once a week, on a Sunday out of tradition, whereas I read the online paper nearly every morning. These statistics just reinforce the claims that the online newspapers are simply a quicker, more diverse and convenient form of news over newspapers. Most of us still watch television and listen to radio because these forms of media have become more convergent in providing news, entertainment and broadcasting niche programs tailored to our preferences and interests. This is something that newspapers simply cannot compete with.

Graph depicting my time used on "old" media

Touching quickly on my media production, or lack thereof, I think it comes down to inexperience. I don’t create YouTube videos because I don’t know how, I never used Twitter because I was unable to understand the concept and the only reason I took photos is because I enjoyed it and have the technical understanding needed to upload the occasional picture. In saying this, even in the time spent after collating my data, my production has increased as I become more familiar with the tweeting and blogging realm.  

My Media Production- Table. 2

Overall, through old and new media, I am relatively connected both on the journalistic and communication front. The internet has been inundated with Facebook, Blogger and Twitter users alike and I believe that we, as the iGeneration, have the ability to coin the new ways in which we report and receive information. Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler, author of the book “Connected”, have an interesting view on social networking. They say that our constant connectivity with our friends, our friends’ friends and our friends' friends' friends will result in us being, not only influenced, but an influence to others. Imagine the possibilities for a journalist with the ability to influence those around them through just one of the many forms of mediums. 

Sounds like a blog- Week 5

So this week I thought I’d try being an indie kid by showing some diversity and record my blog. Enjoy the sultry* sound of my voice.

*Awkward, sort of feral

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p.s. I meant to say 3:30 not 6:30, I would reload this video however it did take the majority of a morning to upload. I'm sure we will survive.

^This is obviously not working (if anyone knows why please feel free to tell the me, google can't save me now) If you really can be bothered you can download it via this url
https://sites.google.com/site/immogensblog/mp3

What makes a great picture?- Week 4

“In a democracy, everyone is a journalist. This is because everyone has the right to communicate a fact or a point of view, however trivial, however hideous”.-Ian Hargreaves

William Klein “Gun Play – Broadway  and 103rd
Street” 1955

Pictures really do say a thousand words, that’s why I think I love them so much. When I was in high school I loved art, not just making art but writing about it. I loved analysing what the colours meant, what the positioning meant, the message behind it, all of it. To tell you the truth, I’d probably be an art journalist if there was more of a need for them and they paid you in money that wasn’t from Monopoly.  That’s why I got so excited when I discovered we were talking about pictures this week.

First we delved into the history of pictures and the beginning of photojournalism. How exciting would it have been to be alive in that era? People were just blown away by things we in the 21^st century take for granted, colour pictures and moving pictures were a big deal and 3D wasn’t ruining movies everywhere. Of course, being humans and all, we had to ruin this innocent and beautiful form of medium with Photoshop. These days it’s impossible to know what is real and what is manipulated, except if Taylor Swift looks like this...

Seems legit.

So what makes a great picture? I think it’s definitely if it can tell a story and evoke emotion. Sure you can have a picture of a fence that satisfies the criteria of framing, focus and point of view but it if you don’t feel something it’s a useless picture in my opinion.

Jodi Bieber- "Bibi Aish"


 This is the kind of picture that makes a difference. 

We also went on to discuss the advances in moving pictures and the impact it can have on whole nations. After the London bombings, anyone with a mobile phone became a citizen journalist. I thought this was an interesting concept and one that is both useful and redundant in the journalism realm. On one hand you have your amateur bloggers who write one-sided garbage about uni life (what a drain on society) and then on the other hand you have footage of a plane crash that you would never have witnessed had it not been for Billy Nobody and his camera phone. We need them as much as they need us.

So that was week 4, my favourite so far. I learnt valuable things about pictures and also learnt valuable things about uni. For example, if you use your uni diary vouchers on the days ice coffee is $2, you get it for free! [Insert success kid meme here]

Over and out from I’m-finally-understanding-uni.

The inverted pyramid strikes back-Week 3

What difference does it make if you live in a picturesque little outhouse

surrounded by 300 feeble minded goats and your faithful dog . . .? The question is: Can you write?-  Ernest Hemingway

So after reading some of my classmates’ blogs and feeling clinically depressed due to overexposure to talent, I have decided that I probably need be a little more serious and actually put some of decent content into my blog rather than my disliking of black jelly beans and parking. I will try anyway. So this week we had Skye Doherty come in to talk to us about text.

First thing I saw was the infamous inverted triangle, oh how I have missed thee. Not only did it haunt me at high school, now uni has decided to rehash my nightmare and show it in every.single.course. Small psychotic breakdown aside, Skye started off by saying she how important text was, not only the content but the way it was positioned on the page. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty tedious stuff. However she finished early and we got to discuss other things such as the use of gaming as a journalistic technique, not going to lie, that was surprisingly interesting stuff. The whole concept of educating society about complex issues through the game medium is a relatively foreign yet effective technique. Things like the stock market would lend itself perfectly for this sort of thing. No one understands it unless you’ve had some form tertiary education in economics (or actually give a crap) so making an interactive game that explains the concepts in laments terms is perfect for people like me, who is both the former and the latter of the two. There are some topics that are a little sensitive however and these topics, in my opinion, are sort of taboo in the gaming realm. For example, Doherty showed us a game called “Cutthroat Capitalism”. In my opinion, that diminishes the seriousness of the matter to an extent. Deciding whether we’d kill, beat or threaten hostages became something of an amusement when we trialled it in the lecture. Sure it’s educational but to where do we draw the line?

Is it too far?

In talking about where to draw the line, I study Film and Television in my arts degree and at the moment we’re discussing policy and also what is and isn’t acceptable to say in the media. Racism, of course, is a hot topic and whether or not journalists play a role in “framing” stories in order to get readership and therefore get the sales. In my opinion, of course they do. What’s going to get people to stop and read the story, a bashing in Melbourne’s CBD or violent attack in the vicinity of a mosque?  I always wanted to be an objective journalist, someone who just stated the facts and was all for peace and love man but in reality, that’s impossible. Everything I write will be from a middleclass, white girl’s perspective. Someone could tell me and a forty year old, balding black man to write an objective report on the proceedings of an event we both attended and they could both be completely different. Why? We have different circumstances that warp our perception of life. Wow, that was a little too deep.

Moving on to a quick “note to self”, playing Draw Something throughout allocated study time will result in absolutely no study and leave you with a mild-sever addiction.

From I- need-counselling.

Curious and Curiouser- Week 2

Journalism is the first rough draft of history- 

Phillip Graham 

I made it. 1 week down, only 12 to go. As a first year student I have already learnt valuable life lessons and have decided, after discussing the lecture, I’ll share my little ‘note to self’ moments.

My review of last week mainly consisted of me retelling my inability to find a building let alone sit down. However this week involved jelly beans and therefore JOUR1111 may in fact be my favourite course.

A little fact about myself, I.love.jelly beans. What’s not to love about multi-coloured, bean shaped pods of pure sugar? Nothing, except if you eat the black ones, they are like the kooky second cousin that no one talks about. The best thing about them however, they are oh-so cheap. This is an analogy that Dr. Redman used when comparing jelly beans to newspapers. Like jelly beans, newspapers are cheap, everywhere and serve their purpose. After receiving a sample of jelly beans, he went on to talk about entitlement and how we felt entitled to receive our news for free, just like we had received our sample of jelly beans for free. When he proceeded to take our entitlement back you could see the shear disappointment and anger welling up in the eyes of the students. Message received. Rupert Murdoch taking our free news away will really annoy a LOT of people. I feel, on an academic note, it was an excellent way to remember the information and stimulate the feeling that you’ll get if you are a reader of the ‘Herald Sun’, the first Australian newspaper about to go behind a pay wall. On a poor uni student note, I got free jelly beans.

                                                           You wonder why we hate you.

Ok, so now you’re all up to date in regards to the lectures, now to enlighten you on some interesting findings about uni life.

‘Note to self’:

1.      The parking sucks. I live in Ipswich (shameful I know), so it takes me a solid 2hrs to get here if the traffic breaks the speed record of 4 km/hr #firstworldproblems. When I got on campus, being a naive first year and all, I was under the false pretence that there would be hundreds of car parks lining the streets of knowledge. I was hilariously wrong. After parking 2 km away in what I’m pretty sure was a disabled car park, I arrived to my media studies lecture fashionably late and smelling like a homeless alley cat. Yay for naivety and no deodorant!

2.   The food will kill me. This is by no means a jab at the quality of the food but the price, something that will slowly eat away at my summer job savings. (See what I did there, food... eat away at.... never mind) After attending O-week and spending copious amounts of money on Boost and Subway, I decided I would start eating the refec sandwiches, no complaints there. After a very short while however I realised that even this expense was eating away at my budget. So here I am, the end of the week 2, eating grapes I brought from home because it appears to be the only food that requires no preparation time.Who knows, by then end of week 3 I may be reduced to chewing gum and smelling the coffee outside Merlo to get my coffee fix.Tragic I know.

There were many other lessons I learnt the hard way but I’ll leave those for another time. This week has definitely been an eventful one, not only on campus but off. With the Kony 2012 explosion, political idiocy and my newly found maybe-disabled-car par, I think studying journalism is going to be... hectic.

Auf Weidersehen,

From I-used-to-study-German.

Inspirational Video

I said that I wanted my blog to contain minimal depression but this video isn't of a sneezing panda or my brother biting my finger. It is a video, however, that will blow.your.mind. The qualities this guy shows are what make a good journalist, I want to be someone who can have this sort of impact on the world.

 http://vimeo.com/37119711

Down the Rabbit Hole- Week 1

"Hey, is that a new kid or something?"-  Napoleon Dynamite 

Dungeon is the first word that came to mind when I descended down the stairwell to room E109. The fact that I had even made it this far was an achievement in itself. Everyone, it seems, have these things called “smart phones”. I, a lowly check-out chick, on the other hand possess what can only adversely be described as a very “stupid phone”, a beast with the sending capabilities equivalent to a sick carrier pigeon #firstworldproblems. So while I navigated around the sandstone maze with my A1 sized map of the campus, I wondered how I was ever going to fit in. Finally inside the Forgen Smith building, I descended to my first ever JOUR1111 lecture and aside from looking like a hot mess (the sweaty, disgusting kind of hot) I was doing ok, until I sat down.

What everyone else looked like on the first day .v. what I felt like.

While I collapsed in the closest chair, my free bag from O-Week fell to the floor and its contents lay strewn all over the aisle. Great, now my homemade Vegemite sandwich was on display for all the class to see. As I subtly scanned the perimeter to  make sure no one saw, I noticed everyone looked very sophisticated, drinking coffee and not being socially inept. In spite of all this I thought by the end of the first day I would at least have 5 people I could call friends. I didn’t. To my surprise, making friends is actually way harder than I remember. There was no play dough to bond over, we didn’t get set time to skip merrily through the Great Court, it was just you, the lecturer, and 200 other guys who didn’t give a rats if you were there or not. The awkward first day conversation was close to unbearable, so it was a welcome relief when the Dr. Redman actually started speaking. This thought was quickly revoked when I learnt I had to write a blog.

Eating my Vegemite sandwich from behind my laptop screen, away from the Subway eating judgers.

When it comes to blogs I’m pretty clueless. Blogs are something I read only on occasion. This is due to the fact that I detest reading about stranger’s animal allergies and irate whinging about the public transport system. Insignificant details such as these not only bores but angers me. So my intention for the rest of my blog is to enlighten my loyal readers (Dr. Redman and mum) about my life as a journalism student with minimal depression and a whole lot of unrelated pictures. I hope you enjoy. As I’ve mentioned, I’m pretty clueless about blogs so I don’t know how one signs off without sounding pathetically mainstream. Solution, I collated all the cliché ways to say goodbye and combined them, in turn going beyond mainstream and becoming iNDY...

...And on that bombshell, the tribe has spoken, you are the weakest link, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight.

From I'll-think-of-something-better-next-time.