Week 7.

1. I believe that the education level of readers that newspapers should be aiming at depends on what publication it is, as all have different target audiences.
For example, The Maitland Mercury writes for a community which are predominately tradesmen, whereas The Australian readers are commonly business persons.
This has resulted in each publication targeting different readers with different education levels. For example, The Maitland Mercury is written using a quite different language style (eg,the use of smaller, less comprehensive sentences with less descriptive adjectives), in comparison to The Australian.
To support this opinion, I have gained two excerpts.
In the article, "Ashtonfield teacher in Idol tussle" (Swain, 2007), it states, "He's been touted the Novocatrian set to give this yrs Australian Idol contestants a win for their money" (p.3).
However, on The Australian website within the article: "Business groups reject IR changes" (Maley, 2007), a sentence reads, "The Australian Industry Group also lamented the demise of statutory agreements, but noted the transitional arrangements..."
The differences are clear.
I also believe that newspapers do not only aim at education levels of readers through their use of language, but the stories they cover. Eg) The Mercury will usually cover stories that are central to the area, ie) local council stories, reports on the Newcastle Knights etc, whereas The Australian focuses on politics and business matters. This clearly demonstrates newspaper's targeting different education levels of readers.
Thus, I personally believe that the education level of readers that newspapers aim at differs between publications as it is based on who their target audiences are.

In addition, I believe the main metropolitan newspaper here, The Newcastle Herald is hitting the mark because it uses sentences which are not complex along with simple language to allow it to be easy reading for residents of the Hunter who are predominately working class.
It also provides stories that are in common interest to people with these education levels, as you do not come across as many in depth stories about politics within it in comparison to The Australian.

2.
Personally, I don’t believe that reporters should be able to inject their own thoughts into news stories because their role is to inform the public with news in an objective way which allows them to form their own opinion of issues. Also, The Daily Miracle, (2006), stresses the importance of Journalists ensuring fairness and balance within their articles and I do not believe that this can be achieved if they inject their own thoughts into news stories.

3. I thought that this suggestion was brilliant! A global language would be outstandingly helpful, as it would generate a lot more communication between persons of different languages because it would be easier.
Also, apart from breaking down the language barrier, imagine typing within Word and not having to correct the auto-spelling of Americanisms back to our versions of the words. It would be bliss.
Personally, I don’t think that it really matters that our language is being tainted with Americanisms and US spellings because ultimately, the words mean exactly the same thing! They are both English. It’s something that has always annoyed me. Why don’t we just decide on one spelling of certain words, such as colour and make it standard within America and Australia/England.
You can see why I am all for a global language.

4. Based on my own reading of newspapers, I find it hard to determine whether they have a serious commitment to accuracy because I have never noticed a correction published within papers that I read. Does this suggests that they have an outstanding commitment to accuracy as they do not make mistakes? Or, do they just never correct themselves? I think that the first suggestion is the most likely, thus meaning that they do commit to presenting accurate details.

5. If I wrote a serious mistake in a story but no-one wrote in to complain, I would still publish an apology because what I said was wrong. My job is to inform the public and I gave them false information. You never know, someone may have read it and complained straight to the APC so in a few months, I could be faced with a defamation case. Better to cover myself than be naieve and think no-one will ever notice.

Journalism Issue: Accuracy.
Within this chapter, I found it interesting that in journalism, "The worth of a word is not based on it's style or beauty. It centres on whether it is factual" (Conley and Lamble, 2006, p.156).
Coming straight from school where I studied Advanced English and Extension english and was quiet skilled at both, (if I may say so myself haha), I am used to writing in a very 'wordy,' style with alot of adjectives, as this is how we were encouraged to write.
However, now I am at university studying journalism, I am being forced to cut down my sentences, not use words such as 'exclaimed,' as they are too descriptive, and to replace them with the most basic words you can think of, for example, said. It kills me.
However, I do see where my teachers are coming from, as people read newspapers to be informed about an issue and they want this information quickly. They don't want to read "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog." They simply want to know the fact that the fox jumped over the dog.
Therefore, the point I just raised, that people read newspapers to be informed leads me to my next issue, that there is a need for accuracy within journalism.
The public needs to be CORRECTLY informed and Conley and Lamble (2006) stress this, as they state that not only is innaccurate journalism ineffective journalism, it is dangerous. This is because journalists may be faced with defamation cases if they wrongly present information within their stories that negatively affects someone's reputation who is in actual fact, innocent.
This chapter also gave me great advice: "When in doubt, leave it out" (Conley and Lamble, 2006, p. 150).

Reference List.

Conley, D., & Lamble, C. (2006). A word's worth. In Conley, D., & Lamble, S.,(Eds.),The Daily Miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed). Victoria: Oxford. (pp.140-162).

Maley, P. (2007, August 28). Business groups reject IR changes, The Australian. Retrieved: August 28, 2007, from http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22321874-11949,00.html

Swain, E. (2007, August 27). Ashtonfield teacher in Idol tussle, The Maitland Mercury. (p.3).

Week 6.

Discussion Questions.
1. In a perfect world I would say no as it is unethical. Yet in a world where I choose to take a chance, I say yes. I would include the balancing comment. I would only do this however, if it could not be proved that it was false, because proper balance reduces the odds of defamation. If the reader insists that this is what they want recorded, and you have exhausted every other witness available to prove it to be false, yet failed, what do you have to loose?

2. No, I would not withhold this story which I have worked hard on. I would simply state within my story that a source was not able to be reached for a comment. This makes it clear that they were given the opportunity to make a balancing statement, while also making it obvious to readers that an effort was made in good faith to be fair and balance the story.
My decision would not change if I knew that an opposing newspaper was planning to run a similar story, reducing the value of my effort because this means that readers of my publication would not be informed of this event, unless of course they read the other paper aswell.
This may have a negative effect on the reputation of my publication, as it may be perceived as missing a important news event and readers may believe that they are not being informed of alot of other issues within society aswell.
Personally, I believe it would be better to run my story which I have done my best on than none at all.

3.Firstly, dangers I would look out for are threats to myself, such as the flames (obviously), falling debri and smoke. I would also be aware of those around me and ensure they do not put themselves at risk either. I would interview witnesses of the fire, as according to Conley and Lamble (2006), they add weight and credibility to the story. I would however, be sure to confirm their statements later, as they may be embellished from the excitement they are exeriencing.
I would also interview police, fire fighters; particularly the Chief, along with medical officers at the scene. This is because according to Conley and Lamble (2006), they would be valuable in giving authorative comments on injuries, the fire's trail, structural damage and suspected causes.
In addition to these people I would interview the owners of the building, its tenants; particularly those who where in the building when the fire started, a council building inspector to get an idea of the damage and finally, owners of adjoining businesses.

4. From my reading of news stories, I believe that the inverted pyramid remains the most effective method of structuring material.
Although writing in a narrative style may be useful to entice an individual into reading a story and keep them captivated, I believe that the inverted pyramid is more effective in immediately informing them with pressing issues.
This is because it always ensures that the most important facts of a news story are rightfully addressed at the beginning of the story.
According to Conley and Lamble (2006), other forms of writing may produce irritating articles which never get to the point.
This therefore persuades me that the inverted pyramid is the way to go.

Journalism Issue.
Alternatives to inverted pyramid reporting.
I was amazed by the attitude the information under the sub-heading " Alternatives to inverted pyramid reporting," expressed towards the inverted pyramid.
It was astounding to see that there was only about a paragraph suggesting that it should be used, while the rest of the information positively portrayed other modes of writing such as the use of narrative, point of view and radical clarity.
It suggested that "sometimes using the inverted pyramid model means that the further one reads into a news story, the more boring it gets" (Conley & Lamble, 2006, p. 136). This is because each paragraph is less important than the one before it.
It was particulary interesting to read that the American Society of Newspaper Editors, (ASNE) conducted research which showed that effective writing was not always associated with the inverted pyramid format. (ASNE cited in Conley & Lamble 2006).
The research project involved using the four modes of reporting to report the same story in the St Petersburg Times.
The study revealed that the narrative version tended to be more favourable than the others, as it was simply better to read as it apparently communicated information better.
The report thus suggested that compared to a narrative style of writing, the inverted pyramid encourages 'newspaper skimming,' but deters reading. (ASNE cited in Conley & Lamble 2006).
I think that this point is valid, however a narrative style forces you to read the whole story because you are not presented with the facts immediately.
ASNE (as cited in Conley & Lamble 2006), notes that most alternative modes including narratives, do not attempt to explain the story to the reader at the start, but lead them several paragraphs into an article before attempting to deal with news values.
Personally, I think this is manipulative and would make reading the story tiresome and frustrating. I would rather be informed straight away with who and what the story is about, along with when it occured, followed by the pleasure of finding out in more detail how and why the incident happened further in the story.
So, from a readers point of view, I would rather read stories that are written in the inverted pyramid style, however as a writer, I sometimes find this style very restrictive.

Reference: Conley, D., & Lamble, S.(2006). Upside-down pyramids. In Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (Eds.), The Daily Miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed). (pp.124-140). Victoria: Oxford.

Week 5.

1) When reading the newspaper, I used to read the entertainment and fashion section first because I am interested in celebrities' lives. I also did this because not only does it give me an insight into the world of glitz and glamour that I one day DREAM to be a part of, I am able to look at the lastest fashion trends which I enjoy analysing.
After beginning this course however, I now tend to read the main headlines first. I am also starting to take more of an interest in world news aswell.
I think this is great, as I am beginning to be able to actually contribute to conversations about what is happening in the world rather than what Paris did.

2)There are some days I do not read the paper at all, I simply watch television. In fact, I watch televsion alot. On average I watch it for about 4 hours a day.

3)I would not write a trick intro. The reason for this decision is that under the sub-heading "shock-horror guide to intros" Conley and Lamble (2006), it says "the intro should never promise more than it delivers. The reader will seek justification for the way the story is represented in the intro, and it is important that they do not feel hoodwinked"(p.118).
Therefore I am presented to believe that although you may instantly grab the attention of the reader, the overall result is that they will feel cheated. This makes me belive that ultimately, it is not worth using the trick intro.

4)By 'basis' I presume this question means that I haven't written the story yet.
If so, I would consider the three or four central news values that I would focus on within my story. I would then contemplate about what issues would have the most impact on readers. Conley and Lamble (2006) note that this is difficult, as "Finding the chief news point within an information jungle can be journalism's biggest challenge" (p.109).
Doin this would then give me an idea of what I to stress the most in my article and consequently provide me with an angle. I would then try and describe this information in a few words and this would guide me to what I should include in my introduction.

5). I would be very mad if this happened to me! Firstly, I would go to the sub-editor and discuss what has happened. I would then contact the sources and see how offended they were. I would also ask if they would like a correction and apology to be published within the paper. I would do this to not only prevent a defamation case, but because personally, I would have sympathy for the sources.

Journalism Issue.
The issue that I found the most interesting within this chapter was the process of formulating an intro. This was because I tend to have trouble writing intros, as I find it hard to distingush what the most important news value is.
I therefore learnt alot from this chapter, as it taught me that sometimes it helps to list the three or four main news values, or points of interest and then select the one you believe will have the most impact on a large audience.
Conley and Lamble (2006), then suggest that if you try to crystallise the most important facts of this issue into a few words, it should be a great starting point for formulating a successful intro.
They also provide a number of questions that will be helpful to me when writing an intro. These include:
"What is the big picture?
What are the implications of what has been said or done?
Why and how did it happen?
How does it affect the public?
What is unusual or different about what has occured?
What news values, or angles, did the chief- of- staff, or you have in mind when the story was assigned? How do they measure up with the information gained?
Simply, what is the most interesting thing of the story?" (Conley and Lamble, 2006, p. 309).
Finally, what I found the most interesting about this process, was that intros should create a sense of intrigue, daring the reader to continue. This is expressed by Conley and Lamble(2006), as they state, "it should send the message, 'continue at your own risk'" (p. 109).
This adds a whole new perspective to writing intros for me, as I learnt that they should not simply state the most impressive/important news value, but they should also express some flair in order to captiavate an audience.

Reference: Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (2006). The lead: Will the reader follow? In Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (Eds.), The Daily Miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed).(pp.104-123). Victoria: Oxford University Press.

Chapter 4 - A 'know' for news.

Question 1.
According to Conley and Lamble (2006), "Proximity is concerned with the 'where' element" (p. 91).
Australian news outlets gave proximity to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in many ways. The most common way they did this was by stressing how close the islands that were affected were to Australia. I remember alot of televised news reports saying "Just off the coast of Australia."
They also localised this disaster by placing emphasis on Australian's who were affected by the tsunami, either loosing their lives or loved ones.
A final way I remember Australian news outlets giving proximity to this event was by placing prominence on the aid provided by the Australian government to the nations affected.

Question 2.
I believe that this is a type of question where the obvious answer is not correct.
For example, it is an unusual story so one would assume that a reporter would focus on this news value. However, if I was covering this story, I would focus firstly on impact.
Although it does not state that this incident impacted anyone except this woman, in actual fact it did, as it suggests that there is not enough knowledge about mental illness within Austraian society. Consequently, this impacts a large number of ill people and their families.
I would then focus on proximity, as it is a terrible event which occured in our nation.
Finally, the third news value I would focus on would be the unusual aspect of this story.

Question 3.
As a reporter I would feature more prominently on the comment by Prince Charles. This is because this statement has the ability to cause conflict within society, as he is suggesting that the inner-city crime problems may have been caused by building regulations formulated by the city council.
Also, this incident holds the news value of proximity, as Prince Charles is in Australia and commenting about Australia.
In addition, he is obviously a member of the royal family. This means he is highly recognisable on a local, state, national and international basis. Consequently, the news value of prominence is present.
Although option 'a' may tend to convey the news value of impact and will therefore affect alot of people within society, it is clear that the Prince's statement encompasses more values, thus causing me to focus on it.

Question 4.
News : coverage of a recent issue/event that has the ability to captivate an audience through its informative or entertainment qualities.

Question 5.
Kipling's six men should be assigned equal value when writing a news article because according to Conley and Lamble (2006), "The five Ws and the Hs can appear in multiple combinations and in a
different order of importance in any particular story" (p.83). Thus, all men should be assigned equal value, however some may have their values presented before others in a news article. For example, What Who and When should be written before Why and How.


Journalism Issue.
An issue of journalism that caught my attention throughout this chapter regarded reporting stories that are unusual.
Conley and Lamble(2006), state that the unusual is something that is out of the ordinary. They also insist that when writing stories about the unusual, you must ensure accurate detail, as the unusual can stretch credibility.
Conley and Lamble (2006) also suggest that readers have the right to question if the information they are being presented with is true and I fully understand this, as there are many gossip magazines today which write stories that end up being proven false.
In order to lower the chances of readers questioning the reliability of you unusual stories, the authors of this book suggest that you include authoritative sources or credible witnesses (2006).
Personally, I believe this is a good idea as when I am reading a story in a newspaper, if a witness or authoritative person such as a police officer or doctor is quoted, I tend to have more trust in the information that is being presented.
On the other hand however, in magazines, the authors tend to quote a 'friend' of the subject. Although this follows the guidelines discussed by Conley and Lamble(2006), it does not enhance credibility for me as the author may have easily made the quote up or, the 'friend,' may be giving false information.
I don't know whether I am naieve in trusting quotes from authoritative figues, or I am honestly entrusting the right people. What do you think?

References: Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (2006). A 'know' for the news. In Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (Eds.), The Daily Miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed).(pp.77-103). Victoria: Oxford University Press.