Survive the storm with narrative

This short journal article, written by Tom Hallman, speaks of the innate need for 'storytelling' in the realm of journalism. A good read!

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When two or more journalists get together these days, the talk inevitably turns to the state of our business. We're too busy with cuts and a shrinking news hole to muster the enthusiasm needed to discuss what's required for a narrative.

A few weeks ago I joined a group of journalists in a hotel bar. Soon, it seemed as if we were hanging out in an emergency room comparing our journalistic injuries. And then a woman at the table said the turmoil might make it easier to get narrative into the paper. What she said, and the discussion that I had with her over the phone days later, should be used as a roadmap for those of us searching for our role in this new world. When the storm finally passes, the journalist who understands story, understanding why it matters, will remain productive and valuable, no matter how the story is disseminated. If you want a future, you have to become a storyteller.

"All the talk these days is local, local, local," Pat WestBarker said. "We're also supposed to find new ways to tell stories with multimedia. Narrative stories do all that and more, better than any other type of story."

She's right.

West-Barker, 64, was the associate features editor at the Santé Fe New Mexican until she took a buyout. She watched the battle between old-timers worshipping the inverted pyramid, and those who believed narratives were the way to capture readers. "The inverted pyramid is good for hard news stories," she said. "But readers remember stories about people. Narrative gives us stories about life. There are so many way to tell these stories, combining print and multimedia."

So what's holding us back?

"For so many section editors," she said, "narrative isn't part of their training. They aren't sure how to use it or what it is." But, she said, there could be a new commitment to trying narrative at small papers willing to experiment because the crisis has forced them to look at ways to attract and retain readers. "What's been done in the past isn't necessarily working," she said. "Papers are being forced to look at different ways to present the news. Narrative should be right there front and center."

West-Barker said that, in her experience, the push for narrative often came from the bottom up.
It's something I continue to hear from reporters from across the country. It's a battle that should have ended long ago. She said she had an advantage when she got into the newspaper business because she was an English and American studies major, and she earned a master's degree in psychology. "I wasn't trained to be a journalist," she said. "I didn't have that J-school mentality that a story had to be written a certain way." During her career, she worked in public relations and in corporate. "I was trained to be a writer," she said.

By that, she means she had to continually ask herself what she wanted readers to get from her words.
"That's not the newspaper approach," she said. "What we do is just present the facts, and once you get that down, it's pretty easy to do. You crank it out and fill up the paper. Or we pour stuff onto the Web with a lot of posts that no one cares about. Newspapers do so many things that readers don't even remember."

To touch readers, we need stories that require writers to think. What does it mean? What are the message, lesson and theme? It's time, she said, for writers - and editors - to move away from what she calls "pro-forma" features that are passed off as narrative. "What I mean is a story that opens with a quote, maybe three grafs and then the nut graf," she said. "There is no voice, no narrator, no point of view."

Newspapers, West-Barker believes, are at the crossroads. Those run by timid editors hanging onto the past, judging success by how many posts are produced each hour, are in danger of becoming irrelevant to the market. "What we have to ask is what readers respond to," she said. "We need to write the stories that we want to read."

Earlier, I'd told West-Barker that I believe stories help readers find meaning in what seems to be meaningless. "Yes," she agreed. "What makes humans human, different from the apes, is that our purpose in life is to make sense of our lives. At the heart of our existence is narrative, a story about who we are."

Tom Hallman, 'Survive the storm with narrative' (2009) 97, The Quill, 35 

Phillip, Jessica and Joshua

These may be completely foreign names to you. If so, all I can say is you're about to thank me big time. Or maybe not...maybe my obsession of American Idol has clouded my good judgement. Either way, please humour me and watch these performances! They never cease to amaze me, and in my opinion rival some of the best in the business.

Winner: Phillip Phillips - Yes, his name really is Phillip Phillips. Laugh as much as you please but his unique musical artistry and humble disposition trumps any issues you may have with this double-whammy name!

We've Got Tonight

Volcano

Movin' Out

Runner-up: Jessica Sanchez - At only 16 years old, her voice is out of this world. If you don't feel like sitting here watching every video I have posted, please watch one of hers. She's remarkable!

And I Am Telling You

The Prayer

I Will Always Love You

3rd Place: Joshua Ledet - This. kid. is. ridiculous. I'm a self-confessed soul music lover, and 19 year old Joshua encapsulates the best of late 50s, early 60s soul music. He is a phenomenal vocalist and has an incredible stage presence. His performances got him 15 standing ovations throughout the season - a record!

When A Man Loves A Woman

It's A Man's World

Runaway Baby

Now you may thank me...

Twobsession

Yes, I'm obsessed. And when I say obsessed I mean really obsessed.

Twitter. Is. Amazing. Hence, my twobsession.

My twobsession, in fact, was spurred on by another obsession - a 'guilty pleasure' if you will. American Idol. For the last four months I have spent every Thursday and Friday evening glued to Fox 8 as exceptional talent was showcased. I love everything about the show - the singing, the contestants (who are everyday, ordinary, relatable people who just happen to have extraordinary voices - yes, I'm a sucker for a story of the rising underdog!), the judges (Randy's honesty, Jennifer's soft spoken demeanor and killer fashion, and Steven's eccentricity), the mentors, the production, the audience...I've even begun to like Ryan Seacrest! I love music with every fibre of my being, I have a song for each mood, no car ride or study session can happen without a tailor-made soundtrack and I've been singing ever since I was little (not well may I stress; my stage has been the shower or the car and my audience, my mother - without her consent ...I'm no Beyonce!)

My love for American Idol entered the realm of obsessive, however, when I began to go further than watching what was televised. I religiously tuned in every week to a YouTube program called 'idology' that extensively interviewed eliminated contestants and talked about the past week's performances. I spent hours reading other interviews and watching old videos of the contestants performing and, of course, I liked my favourites on Facebook and followed them on twitter... (cue my twobsession!) Unfortunately American Idol finished last week as Phillip Phillips was crowned as the winner (One of my very favourites!!), which means one obsession had to end...or so I thought.

As we were required to create a Twitter account for the purposes of this course, I wasn't completely foreign to the social networking site. However it was initially solely a means of news consumption. I made a new twitter two weeks ago, just before the finale of Idol, with the intention of fuelling my obsession, knowing full well that it would soon come to an end and believing that my new account would sit there untouched once the show was done.

Boy was I wrong.

I had created a monster.

I started to follow all my favourite celebrities, bloggers, photographers, television shows, charities, news networks and more. Within 48 hours I was following 100 different people/groups. My automatic trawl through the Facebook newsfeed whenever boredom (or a need for distraction) hit, was replaced with a scroll through twitter as I 'favourited' and 're-tweeted' like a pro. I set my morning alarm five minutes earlier than normal to go through tweets that were posted throughout the night and do the same before bed. Never has anyone been able to be so intimately in-touch with seemingly 'untouchable' celebrities or those in positions of power. You can mention them in a post or reply to their tweet and they are directly notified, free to reply if they wish. And they do!

Previously, a webpage dedicated to a notable individual was handled by hired professionals, payed to act on that person's behalf. Any communication was indirect if not non-existent. Now, with the ability of Internet-enabled phones, anyone can tweet at the touch of a button from wherever they may be. We are given a unique view into their lives as performers and photographers take us backstage, celebrities take us into their homes and charities like World Vision take us into war-torn countries. We feel like we intimately know the people behind each tweet. If I thought I was emotionally invested in those I admire before, I am their best galfriend now. I feel like I know them better than their own mothers! So, although American Idol has finished, my obsession remains as I follow their every move through the wonderful world of twitter. I even watched Jessica Sanchez (American Idol runner up, a 16 year old powerhouse performer) on 'live stream', linked from her twitter, for an hour as she mindlessly sang, hummed, went about her evening and occasionally answered questions people were posting on the page from her DC hotel room late the other night. I feel as though I have officially entered stalker town let me tell ya...but I loved every second of it. Now I can add 99 more obsessions to my list thanks to those who I have followed on twitter. Ahhhhmmmaaazzziinnnggg! I'm in lurve.

And, what's more, all this is created in the miniscule space of 140 characters.

Magic!

Lecture Eleven

Investigative journalism is "what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is just advertising" and "an investigative journalist is...to discover the truth and to identify lapses from it in whatever media may be available". (Northcliffe, Burgh) It requires innovative and reliable journalism which probes, interprets, explains and exposes.

Intelligent. Informed. Intuitive. Inside. Invest.

Investigative journalism is deep and purposeful as it unearths areas of corruption and violence otherwise hidden in our society. It involves critical and thorough journalism (active intervention), led by custodians of conscience (exposure),  in order to provide a voice for those without one and to hold the powerful to account (social justice and public interest) within the fourth estate (press - 'watchdog'). Its intention is to be sceptical, not cynical. The journalist is an active participant who is thorough and critical in their reporting. They must understand the hidden agendas of the message they purport and the myths that surround it.

The Fitzgerald Enquiry

"Journalists' uncritical dependence on their sources, orchestrated government leaks...media units and press secretaries...can lead to [the media] becoming a mouthpiece for vested interests"

- Fitzgerald Report 1989

Australia has a long and involved history of investigative journalism. Some historical investigative trailblazers include:
1. Edward Hall Smith - "The Sydney Monitor" 1826
The Monitor exercised a strong influence on public opinion in connection with the existing form of government. It stood for trial by jury and a popular legislature, and it condemned in unmeasured terms the oppression of convicts, public immorality on the part of officers, and even the conduct of the governor himself. His feats were seen as "heroic" in Austraila, despite the harsh punishment he received
2. W.T. Stead & the Salvos - "The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon" 1885
Controversial articles on child prostitution which raised the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16
3. Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein - "Watergate" 1972-74
Reported on a number of political 'dirty tricks' used by the Nixon re-election committee during his campaign for re-election.
4. Chris Masters & Phil Dickie & Shaun Hoyt - "The Moonlight State" 1987
Investigations into systemic Queensland police corruption.
5. Julian Assange & co. - "WikiLEAKS" 2006
Exposure of private, secret and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks and whistleblowers (However, this is not journalism, there was no journalistic analysis or input involved)
All of these investigations changed the world - they had massive social effects

Thus, investigative journalism has a far-reaching effect on the 'goings on' of the world as it exposes injustice and corruption. In order to make these kinds of social and political changes, however, an incredible amount of time must go into the research and creation of these investigative pieces. For example, 'The Moonlight State' required two years of lead-up work to produce one program. It is brutal, highly intensive work, but I believe the potential for exposing injustice is incomparable.

Locally, we have investigative journalism being produced by The Global Mail, Crikey and Australian Story. These institutions interactive using interviews, observations, documents, briefings, leaks, trespass and theft. It is an intense and gruelling area of journalism which requires a laborious check of facts, no assumptions and an ability to deal with crazed Whistleblowers.

Threats to investigative journalism include online news (less money = less journalists and less time = less investigative journalism), empty newsrooms and a growth in PR (and, consequently, a shrinkage in journalism). However, I believe that investigative journalism will continue - in one form or another - into the future, however new media-centred it may be. I see it as too important, influential and beneficial for it to be allowed to simply dissipate. It will be web-ised, just as everything else is. It just has to be!

"If your mother says she loves you, check it out!"

Agenda Setting and the Future

This is a compilation of excerpts (as well as my own commentary) from the exceptionally interesting journal article "Agenda Setting and Agenda Melding in an Age of Horizontal and Vertical Media: A New Theoretical Lens for Virtual Brand Communities" by Matthew Ragas and Marylin Roberts, on the future of agenda setting in our increasingly media-saturated world.


As a result in the changes in technology, there have been major changes in the ways in which people receive their news. Newspapers, broadcast television, and terrestrial radio are all examples of “vertical media” which is rapidly declining. Now the more common form of media is “horizontal media.” The main differences are that it is more specialized and people pay premiums for this type of media. Horizontal media includes cable television and satellite radio as well as other media that is paid for. Horizontal and vertical media intersect in virtual brand communities, or the Internet. This is because the Internet is free like vertical media but serves specialized interest groups like horizontal media. Now people seek news in different ways, the media and its agenda have had to adapt. Although the major tenets of agenda setting theory have maintained their importance with the changes of new media, an aspect of agenda setting theory has changed. This change is known as Agenda Melding which focuses “on the personal agendas of individuals vis-à-vis their community and group affiliations". This means that individuals join groups and blend their agendas with the agendas of the group. Then groups and communities represent a “collected agenda of issues” and “one joins a group by adopting an agenda.” On the other hand, agenda setting defines groups as “collections of people based on some shared values, attitudes, or opinions” that individuals join. This is different from traditional agenda setting because according to Shaw et al. individuals join groups in order to avoid social dissonance and isolation that is also known as “need for orientation". Therefore in the past in order to belong people would learn and adopt the agenda of the group. Now with the ease of access to media, people form their own agendas and then find groups that have similar agendas that they agree with. The advances in technology have made agenda melding easy for people to develop because there is a wide range of groups and individual agendas. The Internet makes it possible for people all around the globe to find others with similar agendas and collaborate with them. In the past agenda setting was limited to general topics and it was geographically bound because travel was limited.

Ragas, Matthew; Marilyn Roberts (2009). "Agenda Setting and Agenda Melding in an Age of Horizontal and Vertical Media: A New Theoretical Lens for Virtual Brand Communities". Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 86 (1): 45–64.

Agenda Setting vs. Reversed Agenda Setting

With the advent of the Internet, Netizens who use the Internet for a specific purpose appeared. Some people simply search for certain information they want through various media channels, while others post their own opinion or discuss a certain issue on their internet homepages or internet communities. Thus, increase in the role of citizens in agenda setting sheds light on a new direction in the traditional agenda-setting research.

Kim and Lee (2006) noted that the agenda-setting research on internet differs from traditional agenda-setting research in that the Internet functions alternative media which is in competition with traditional media, the Internet has enormous capacity for contents, and users’ interactivity has been stressed on the Internet. Lee, Lancendorfer and Lee (2005) argued that “various opinions about public issues are posted on the Internet bulletin boards or the Usenet newsgroup by Netizens, and the opinions then form an agenda in which other Netizens can perceive the salient issue”. The researchers also stated that the Internet plays a role in a medium for forming Internet user’s opinion as well as the public space.
Kim and Lee (2006) studied the pattern of internet mediated agenda-setting by conducting a case study on 10 cases which have a great ripple effect in Korea for 5 years (from 2000 until 2005). From the result, researchers found that a person’s opinion could be disseminated through various online channels and arouse public opinion which influences on news coverage. Their study suggests ‘reversed agenda effects’ that public agenda could set media agenda. Maxwell McCombs (2004) also mentioned "reverse agenda-setting" in his recent textbook as a situation where public concern sets the media agenda.

According to Kim and Lee (2006), agenda-setting and agenda-building through the Internet take the following three steps: 1) Internet-mediated agenda-rippling: an anonymous netizen’s opinion spreads to the important agenda on the Internet through online main rippling channels such as blogs, personal homepages, and internet bulletin boards. 2) agenda diffusion on the Internet: Online news or portal sites report the important agenda on the Internet, which leads to spread the agenda to more online publics. 3) Internet-mediated reversed agenda-setting: traditional media report the online agenda to the public so that the agenda spread to both offline and online publics. However, the researchers said that internet mediated agenda-setting or agenda-building processes not always occur in consecutive order. For example, the agenda which was reported by traditional media has come to the fore again through the online discussion, or the three steps occur at the same time in a short time.

Lecture Ten

Agenda Setting - How the media constructs reality

The all-powerful media plays a large role in the mediation of the social world. That which is released by the media is seen to be of certain import. Thus, journalists have great influence in constructing public opinion. Agenda setting transfers the salience of an issue from the mass media to the public.
The two main types - first and second level agenda setting - suggest what and how the public should think about an issue.

In society today there exists four interrelated agendas:
1. Public Agenda
2. Policy Agenda
3. Corporate Agenda
4. Media Agenda

Coleman, McCombs, Shaw and Weaver defined agenda setting in 2008 as "the process of the mass media presenting certain issues frequently and prominently with the result that large segments of the public come to perceive those issues as more important than others. Simply put, the more coverage an issue receives, the more important it is to people"

It must be assumed when thinking of media agenda setting that the mass media does not merely reflect and report reality, but filter and shape it. Another assumption is that media concentration governs public perception regarding the importance of the issues.

Agenda setting as a theory developed in the 1920s by Harold Lasswell who formed the 'hypodermic needle model' which purported that the media 'injects' direct influence into the audience. This theory is very much about propaganda and is seen to be quite limited. In 1922, Walter Lippman brought forward the idea of 'the pictures in our heads' which are drawn by our media exposure. He thought that people rely on these images in the formation of personal beliefs and opinions rather than thinking critically about the topic. In this way, "propaganda is used as a tool to help shape images in the minds of human beings". What I loved about Lippman's theory is his advice, which can and should be considered a great manifesto for a journalist:

"Yet in truly effective thinking, the prime necessity is to liquidate judgements, regain an innocent eye, disentangle feelings, be curious and open-hearted."

He introduced the notion of the power an image holds, a thought that lends itself to the knowledge of Leni Riefenstahl who made the infamous Nazi propaganda film, "Triumph of the Will". Later, in the 1960s, Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw conducted a survey which led to their hypothesis that the mass media sets the agenda by emphasising specific topics.  The relative salience of an issue on teh media agenda determines how the public agenda is formed, which in turn influences which issue policy makers consider. (Interrelation of agendas!)

The Agenda Setting 'Family' consists of seven elements:
1. Media Gatekeeping - the exposure of an issues (very prominent in the USA)
2. Media Advocacy - purposeful/purposive promotion of a message
3. Agenda Cutting - most of the truth and reality in the world remains unrepresented
4. Agenda Surfing/Bandwagon Effect - media follows the crowd; existing public opinion influences others towards that opinion
5. Diffusion of News - process through which an important event is communicated to the public
6. Portrayal of an issue - particular portrayal of an issue will, of course, influence public opinion
7. Media dependence - most common media dependency is that put on the social networking sites of facebook and twitter, which becomes a 'way of life' and makes people reliant on that form of media representation

The strengths of the agenda setting theory lie in its explanatory power, predictive power, organising power, its ability to be proven false, its scientific element and its power to spur on further research. Its weaknesses include the faulty idea that an audience is passive, ideal and wholely impressionable, as well as the rise of new media threatening traditional principles of agenda setting.

The modern 24-hour news cycle means that an old-school reliance on newspapers is being replaced. Thus, the traditional concepts of 'prime time' are shifting and news production is fast-paced as stories are constantly in demand. This constant demand, I believe, calls into question the quality of what we are exposed to. How can there possibly be exceptionally 'newsworthy' stories 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A lot happens in the world, of course, but is it newsworthy? Is Justin Bieber's new hair cut really worth a place in the news alongside the famine in Africa or the riots in Greece?

Assessment Item - Annotated Bibliography

 The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics states that “professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility” (SPJ Code of Ethics, 1996). How else is it possible to determine a journalist’s ‘professional integrity’ than through the practice of scholarly criticism? Thus, critical evaluation of the communication discipline is an essential skill to gain in journalistic education. This assessment is comprised of four annotations which test this skill. The currently ardent debate of legalising same-sex marriage in Australia acts as the framework for this investigation.

Pullen, C. (2009). Gay Identity, New Storytelling and the Media. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

The book, ‘Gay Identity, New Storytelling and the Media’, written by Christopher Pullen initially focuses on the representation of homosexuality in the media. Pullen, a homosexual himself, promotes the idea of communal understanding and acceptance in reporting on issues of homosexuality. Although heavily and credibly referenced, the author’s sexual orientation immediately sets up a bias in his argument for positive media representation. At one point, he analyses the BBC’s 1963 radio program The Male Homosexual, which acted as a trail blazer for positive media representation in a characteristically repressive society. He emphasises the importance for the media to understand that homosexuals are “typical citizen[s] who just happen to be gay” (Pullen 2009, p.35). Pullen sees responsible reporting as “political possibility” which can “bond individuals and groups” (Pullen 2009, p.11). He also delves into media scrutiny of homosexual public figures such as comedian Ellen Degeneres in an attempt to link social justice and individuality. While this book can be criticised as too “ambitious” (Christian, 2011) and one-sided in its exploration of homosexuality and the media, it provides a framework for the responsibilities journalists have in the ongoing same-sex marriage debate facing Australia today.

Cardinal Pell argues against gay marriage. (2012, April 4). The Australian, p. 23.

The article, ‘Cardinal Pell argues against gay marriage’ appeared in The Australian on April 4^th, 2012 amid national ardent debates on the hot topic of gay marriage. The subject of this piece is George Pell, an Australian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and current Archbishop of Sydney. His deep religious affiliations create an immediate bias regarding his stance on the issue of same-sex marriage. This bias is directly conveyed in the article which, in an effort to remain objective, presents a one-sided report solely privileging Pell’s standpoint. His view that gay marriages “undermine”(Cardinal Pell argues, 2012) the traditional understanding of what constitutes a ‘family’ aligns with his pre-existing religious beliefs. These views marginalise the homosexual population thereby opposing Christopher Pullen’s declaration that homosexuals are “typical citizens”(Pullen, 2009).  The article goes on to recognise the legal underpinnings of Pell’s argument which lie in a child’s right “to understand their biological heritage” (Cardinal Pell argues, 2012) as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Australia is a signatory. The publication itself was established by News Limited, which is one of Australia’s leading media conglomerate companies. Its great influence is cemented in its large readership, thus its content must appeal to readers, especially considering its enactment of a paywall. Readers will not pay for dull or generic journalism. This article, in its raw portrayal of Pell’s controversial and extremist opinion, adheres to public interest, despite its unbalanced content.  

Gerber, P. (2012, May 15). Marriage equality, myths and misconceptions. The Drum Opinion. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4010980.html

Dr Paula Gerber, author of ‘Marriage equality, myths and misconceptions’, uses both her legal and human-rights background to great effect in framing this piece published on The Drum Opinion. Despite it being explicitly opinionated, Gerber supports every claim made with a piece of relevant law or evidence from a highly regarded scientific study, including the notable ‘National Lesbian Longitudinal Family Study’, giving the article extreme credibility. In this, she responds to The Herald Sun’s report that Victorian doctors are expressing anti-gay marriage views rooted in ‘medical evidence’ combating this “prejudicial” and “misconceived” (Gerber, 2012) assertion with well-researched, scholarly evidence, which is lacking in both the article from The Australian and Francis Tapim’s ABC piece. An ABC publication, The Drum is consistent with the principles of public media in representing the views of the nation. This evidences itself in the 801 comments left below ‘Marriage equality, myths and misconceptions’ on The Drum Opinion’s site. The Australian public responded in overwhelming praise for this opinion piece, largely agreeing with Gerber’s standpoint and commending her probing, credible investigations. Thus, Dr Gerber’s view that children of same-sex marriages are not in any way harmed by their situation finds its feet in comprehensive research and appeals to the majority.

Tapim, F. (2012, March 12). Angry backlash over Katter gay marriage ad. ABC. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-12/angry-backlash-over-katter-gay-marriage-ad/3882850

ABC journalist Francis Tapim wrote the article, ‘Angry backlash over Katter gay marriage ad’ which appeared on the network’s online news site on March 12, 2012. ABC’s choice to publish this story online gives it an interactive element, characteristic of Internet journalism. The reader is able to watch the embedded advertisement itself as well as a related radio interview podcast which is linked off to the side. This supporting journalism acts as a precursor to the piece’s ideological standpoint, which tends to support the backlash, favouring the opinions of those who oppose Katter’s unabashed political conservativeness. It is a quotation-heavy article, the majority of which further privilege the pro same-sex marriage stance, including the view of gay-rights activist Tony Robertson who “says the ad is a disgrace” (Tapim, 2012). However, it does voice the opinion of the Queensland leader of Katter’s Australian party, which provides balance. One of the two main public media outlets, the ABC strives to be of public-service, having been founded as a nation building project. The Broadcasting Research Unit in its definition of public service journalism included the element of “special provision for minorities” and a “special relationship to the sense of national identity and community”(Wessels, 2005). In the article’s privileging of the homosexual standpoint, ‘Angry blacklash over Katter gay marriage ad’ epitomises the network’s public service intentions.

External References

Christian, Aymar Jean. (February, 2011). ‘Review: Gay Identity, New Storytelling, and the Media’. Communication, Culture and Critique, 4, 118-120.

SPJ Code of Ethics. (1996). Retrieved May 20, 2012 from http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

Wessels, Bridgette. (December, 2005). 'A new public service communication evironment? Public service broadcasting calues in the reconfiguring media'. New Media & Society, 7, 834-853. 

The trials and tribulations of a freelance writer

This is an extract of the undeniably entertaining, witty and highly intelligent article by American freelance writer Richard Morgan: 'Seven Years As A Freelance Writer, or, How To Make Vitamin Soup'

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"When people say they want to get into freelancing but don't know how to do it, what I tell them is: OK, fine, you don't know how to freelance because you've never done it before, but take something you do know how to do - dating - and just use the same rules. Freelancing is basically just courtship, but the freelancer-editor relationship is nothing more than friends with benefits. The editor likes you because you remind the editor of when she had enthusiasm and appetite and vision, and so you make the editor feel powerful in the way that nostalgia empowers people.

But the editor will never choose you over the publication to which he is married. It will not even be a fleeting thought in the editor's mind. The freelancer can have a lot of fun, but is ultimately the editor's plaything. And any one freelancer is, above all things, unnecessary and replaceable. I always felt like the most fumbling juggling act in the industry.

Freelancing is an adventure the way "Locked Up Abroad" is an adventure. Journalism even at its best is already a fairly caustic and draining experience. All the qualities that make you a great journalist make you a terrible person: gossip, urgency, obsession, noisiness, theatrics and hysterics...Freelancing requires such strict adherence to todayism, to sycophancy, to the grubbiest, lowliest submissions. It is an on-spec life and it is full of what can only be described as insane serendipity (or serendipitous insanity)..."

Web 2.0: The Machine Is Using Us

OUTFOXED

While the Fox News cable network has promoted itself as a "fair and balanced" news outlet - so much so they it has even trademarked the phrase - not everyone believes that they're living up to their slogan, and this activist documentary by filmmaker Robert Greenwald takes a close look at the political perspective of Fox's coverage.

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism examines the right-wing slant of Fox News' reporting, as represented in stories the network chooses to cover and their shoehorning of editorial opinion into stories, revealed in interviews with former Fox employees and several noted journalists (including American broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite) who discuss the pro-conservative, anti-Democratic views of the channel's management and how they're manifested in their programming.

The film also puts talk show host Bill O'Reilly under the microscope and offers potent examples of his frequently abrasive interviewing style. Production of Outfoxed was supported in part by the leftist political action network Moveon.org

The Audience

Jay Rosen (2005)

"You don't own the eyeballs. You don't own the press, which is now divided into pro and amateur zones. You don't control production on the new platform, which isn't one-way. There's a new balance of power between you and us. The people formerly known as the audience are simply the public made realer, less fictional, more able, less predictable. You should welcome that, media people. But whether you do or not we want you to know we're here."

Lecture Nine

This lecture posed the questions: What are news values? And what can be considered newsworthy? They can be defined as: 

"The degree of prominence a media outlet gives to a story and the attention that is paid by an audience [as a result]"

or 

"News values are one of the most 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..."

or 

"[News values] are fundamental to understanding news production and the choices that editors and other journalists face when deciding that one bit of information is news while another is not"

Whichever definition, news values determine that a piece of news is something with impact, audience identification, pragmatics and source influence. 

I think the most agreed upon definition of news values was published in 1994 by A. Boyd; "News journalism has a broadly agreed set of values, often referred to as 'newsworthiness'..." Does a piece of news hold interest? Will it stand the test of time? News values vary across different news services and different countries and cultures. It is a very subjective discipline. Despite this, there are universal news values such as the employment of the inverted pyramid style of writing and the two phrases, "If it bleeds, it leads" (stories of notable deaths, murders, wars, accidents etc.) and "If it's local, it leads"(stories of droughts, floods, ongoing events, sports and politics). 

One of the things that most stuck with me since hearing this lecture was Harold Evans' - the editor of the Sunday Times - reference to editors as the "human sieves of the torrent of news". I think, echoing the thoughts of Bruce, that it is such an intelligent and accurate depiction of the editorial discipline. More than simply instinct and logic, Bruce emphasised the importance of experience in journalism. More significant than promulgated codes of newsworthiness is the "informal code of what constitutes a good story" which is "part of newsroom initiation and socialisation." (McGregor) 

We then proceeded to go through many different theories of what constitutes news values - what determines a story's placement if at all, its prevalence and its newsworthiness? In 1965, Galtung and Ruge analysed international news to discover common factors and news agendas which resulted in the determination of 12 universal news values: negativity, proximity, recency, currency, continuity, uniqueness, simplicity, personality, predictability/expectedness, elite nations or people, exclusivity and size.

They formed three hypotheses: The additivity: the more factors an event satisfies, the higher its newsworthiness, complementarity: the factors will tend to exclude each other, and exclusion: events that satisfy none of very few factors will usually not become news, hypotheses. 

Beyond those of Galtung and Ruge, we explored the ideas of Golding and Elliot, Stephens, O'Neill and Harcup, Masterson and McGregor. While doing this, I found quite a few similarities and a couple of minor differences between all of these different perspectives. The overall sentiment, however, was resoundingly similar and essentially adhered to the ideas of Galtung and Ruge stated above. 

When considering the threats to newsworthiness these days, three 'tensions' came to the fore:

1. Journalism/commercialisation of media and social life

2. Journalism/public relations

3. Journalism's ideals/reality

In this, we consider the words of Downie and Kaiser on lazy, incompetent journalism; "Too much of what has been offered as news in recent years has been untrustworthy, irresponsible, misleading or incomplete" as well as those of Davies on PR influence and tabloidisation; "...media falsehood and distortion; PR tactics and propaganda; and the use of illegal news-gathering techniques" and finally those of Rowse on hyper-commercialisation; "Media mergers are rapidly creating one huge news cartel...controlling most of what you see, hear and read. These mergers further corrupt the news process...news organisations cut down on serious coverage...". Mckinnon drew all of these together and said the combination of which "leads to an unfortunate trend...in which pressures of the newsroom (or according to some, laziness or inadequately trained journalists) result in everyday reuse of press releases without re-writing, checking or analysis." 

When focussing on the 'audience' in relation to news values, it is safe to say that we just want to be heard. We wish to inform the media of our existence, and of a shift in power. The audience is the public. From this lecture, I have adopted the belief that news values are constantly shifting. If they are to remain stagnant that would mean that the world has halted. News values relate directly to what is going on around us and without them being adaptable, journalism as we know it would die. The drivers of what can be considered newsworthy shift as society's values shift. It is undeniably an ever-changing field. 

Vogue's Empress

Anna Wintour

"You just need to have a love for what you're doing. It's not about thinking that it's the cool thing; it's about really believing in it. I was brought up to believe absolutely in the importance of journalism and communication and to have a real love for the printed word. I have so much respect for all the talented people I work with"

Anna Wintour - the Queen of fashion journalists

Anna Wintour, the legendary editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine for twenty years, is the most powerful and polarising figure in fashion. Hidden behind her trademark bob and sunglasses, Wintour has become an institution throughout the fashion world, widely praised for her eye for fashion trends and her support for young and upcoming designers. 

I am sure many, many girls dream one day to become the head of a magazine so influential and fashion-forward as that of Vogue, and I have to admit I am one of the masses in that regard. Anna Wintour has always been an inspirational figure to me. A decisive perfectionist, she holds qualities and experiences which I can only wish to obtain. This CBS interview and behind-the-scenes look at Vogue is one of many insightful meetings with Wintour over the years and it gives a taste of the fast-paced, dynamic world of fashion journalism.

Fashion Journalist in the City

Recently I stumbled across a Canadian fashion journalist named Chloe Tejada, who ran a blog called Fashion Journalist in the City. (I say ran because it seems she hasn't created a new post in just over a year!) As I trawled her site, I came across a post she wrote in reaction to the article by The Global Herald: "New Digital Era Spells Trouble for Fashion Bloggers".  This and the article itself (click on the article name below) are definitely interesting reads. 

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Bloggers vs. The Rest of the Fashion World

"I came across an article from The Global Herald called  "London Fashion Week AW 2010 – New Digital Era Spells Trouble for Fashion Bloggers." It highlights the gap that is closing between fashion bloggers and the fashion elite (editors, buyers, writers, PR, etc) and how fashion weeks are dealing with what to do with the growing army of said bloggers. This article specifically talks about the mass of bloggers at London Fashion Week taking over the press area and whether they should be considered press.

Lately there have been many articles talking about whether bloggers should be allowed to cover shows, much less sit in coveted first-row seats. With the rise of Tavi (Style Rookie,)  BryanBoy,  Garance Doré,  Sea of Shoes, Fashion Toast, Style Bubble and more, fashion bloggers seem to be taking over the fashion world with their alternative insight into style and thousands upon thousands of devoted followers. There is no doubt that many of these bloggers have intelligent insight, experience, style and thoughtful, smart writing. They fill in the void that mainstream fashion publications can't give to the public such as unbiased commentary and a different viewpoint on style without the interference of advertisers.

But the real question is: How much credibility do they have and wear should they sit in the fashion heirarchy?

Many people questioned whether Tavi, a 13-year-old American girl, should have been sitting in the front row of Dior, when a more experienced writer or editor from a major publication could be sitting there. They argue that Tavi, and many other young bloggers (it seems that a lot of these fashion bloggers are quite young, in their teens and twenties) don't have the experience that writers and editors have.

While that may be true, that doesn't mean take their insight any less worthy. Bloggers are invited to fashion shows for several reasons; fashion houses are hoping that the bloggers will write favourable reviews of the shows resulting in readers buying their products; they are also starting to realize that the Internet is a powerful tool to bring in new customers and influential style bloggers can bring in those customers that mainstream publications can't. But I think the divide between bloggers and the mainstream is starting to close, whether Condé Nast likes it or not.

Blogging is not just a fad; in fact social media is just really starting to pick up steam. Fashion houses are only just starting to use Twitter and Facebook to draw in people to watch their shows live and buy their products. In the end, it's very smart for businesses to use bloggers to help promote their product. And in that respect, bloggers are kind of like magazines and newspapers; they help to sell fashion brands.

Fortunately, bloggers aren't dependent on businesses to survive. They can say anything they want to and not lose readers or advertisers.

But back to this whole credibility issue: Sure, Tavi was barely alive when Marc Jacobs first started at Louis Vuitton, but many established writers weren't around when Monsieur Dior was alive, and they seem to get by just fine. I think that intelligence and a unique point of view are more important than experience. And the fact that these bloggers are honest with their readers, that gives them enough credibility to be able to cover the same events and interview the same people as the mainstream fashion elite.

So future fashion weeks, be prepared to install a bigger press room; the bloggers need their space too."

Chloe Tejada, 'Fashion Journalist in the City'

Social Media Revolution

Wilde words

Oscar Wilde

"The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything. Except what is worth knowing. Journalism, conscious of this, and having tradesman-like habits, supplies their demands."

"Its failings notwithstanding, there is much to be said in favor of journalism in that by giving us the opinion of the uneducated, it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community."

Oscar Wilde

Lecture Eight

Tacky or tasteful?

Ethical or unethical?

This week, we were required to provide answers to these questions regarding several advertisements from different mediums. The most interactive lecture as of yet, we were instructed to independently plot on a scale what we believed the ethics of a certain advertisement to be. I quite quickly became aware that it is difficult to determine good and bad, ethical or unethical and right from wrong. And then, how do we work out what the difference is between the bad, the wrong and the simply tacky? What is the distinguishing feature?

For example, I considered this ad for voodoo designer hosiery to be in good taste and, while not being outstandingly ethical, I didn't consider it to be unethical either. Maybe it's my innate feminist tendencies drummed into me from an early age which shapes this view, however as we were told following the evaluation, this ad received multiple complaints from the public.


On the other hand the second ad for Air Asia, which insinuates profanities, received no complaints at all. While I have no complaints about this advertisement either - in fact I consider it quite a clever play on words - in comparison with the above ad for hosiery, I can't see how it can be considered less offensive in nature. It is evident, therefore, that one person's perception may vary wildly from another's and ethics is a rather ambiguous field.

Over time, there have been ethical theories developed so as to aid this determinative process. The first of these is known as 'deontology'. This paradigm can be defined as "the normative ethical position that judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to a rule or rules." (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy) Quite a black and white perspective of ethics, the word deontology comes from the Greek roots 'deon', which means duty, and 'logos', which means science. Thus, deontology is the 'science of duty'. Rules, principles and duties-driven, this theory provides the basis for all 'codes' of ethics. It essentially says that by adopting, employing and adhering to the rules embedded within our society, you will be doing the 'right' thing.

The second theory is that of 'consequentialism' (teleology). Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgement about the rightness of that conduct. Thus, from a consequentialist standpoint, a morally right act is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence. People and processes are deemed unimportant and there is an undeniable emphasis on the 'greatest good for the greatest number'.

The third framework is known as 'virtue ethics'. Virtue ethics describes the character of a moral agent as a driving force for ethical behaviour rather than rules, outcomes or social context. It sees one's actions as very telling of their character, and 'goodness' comes from good character. Virtue ethics champions attributes such as courage, justice, temperance and prudence as habits. It also introduces what is called the 'golden mean' of behaviour - courage is the mean between rashness and cowardice; justice is the mean between the injustice of overzealous and excessive law and the injustice of lawlessness. It is the desirable midpoint between two extremes - one of balance and harmony.

Towards the end of the lecture, we went over certain 'codes' of ethics which exist in professions such as the MEAA code of ethics for the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance. Journalism the practice and professional communication is deontological in structure. It is governed by codes and rules. Our lecturer deemed deontology and consequentialism as extrinsic paradigms. He went on to say that he much prefers the intrinsic theory of virtue ethics as providing a foundation for the practice. I have to completely agree with him here. I strongly believe that character prevails over codes.

What most struck a cord with me was his closing remark:
"We are drowing in ethics codes. What we are not drowning in, however, is good character."

Trust Me, I'm a Journalist!

This paper, "Trust ME, I'm A Journalist": Ethics and Journalism Education by Ian Richards, a professor at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, gives great insight into the interwoven concepts of journalism and ethics in the sense of teaching and learning. Personally, I believe ethics should form the innate foundational set of values from which a journalist works.

The paper stems from the somewhat forgotten fact that education is an ethical enterprise. Every decision regarding what to include or exclude from every course is value-laden, and as such has ethical implications. This thinking applies as much to journalism education as any other field but, within journalism education, perhaps more to journalism ethics that any other area.



"It is no secret that journalism today is in a state of crisis, and that popular perceptions of ethical standards of the media in general and journalists in particular are an important contributor to this situation. In any serious consideration of contemporary journalism, journalism ethics is centre stage and, for this reason, ethics is also central to journalism education. Yet, while there has been extensive debate and reflection with regard to journalism education generally, there has been surprisingly little serious examination of what journalism students are taught about ethics. This paper argues that a fundamental re-examination of the whole project of teaching journalism ethics is necessary if journalism educators are to meet what Stuart Adam has described as their primary responsibility to build, through scholarship and reflection, the language 'that captures and expresses the experience of making, knowing and judging journalistic work and reflects a sense of responsibility and stewardship for its quality and standards' (Adam, 2001:318)"

- Ian Richards