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/