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.