Chapter 11.
1. According to Conley and Lamble (2006), a police reporter’s role includes “acting as a watchdog” of the police’s "unofficial actions"(p. 243). They also state that “official inquiries have proven some police are corrupt” (p.243).
This suggests that the victim’s allegations may be true and as a police reporter, it would be my duty to expose corruption within the force. Also, a journalist’s role includes ensuring public interest is best served which leads me to believe that I would report the alleged incident.
The threat made by the chief-of-staff to be removed from the round did not come into account during making this decision, because in a major newspaper there are 20 or more rounds so chances are I would still have a position of employment.
As for the police officer’s claim, that no-one will speak to me again regardless of who writes the story, Conley and Lamble (2006) state that if this occurs, a meeting can be initiated between the editor and senior police to resolve this issue.
Ultimately, I would choose to follow the wishes of my chief-of-staff over the threat from the police because that way, I would have done the right thing by the public and my employer. Also, the problem of not receiving further information from the police would lie in the hands of the editor of the paper, not me.
2. This is a tough situation. An issue to consider is noted by Conley and Lamble (2006); that if exceptions are made for cases, it is unfair to others. They note, “Newspapers accept the principle of the higher duty to inform the community of legal processes” (p. 253). Further, if exceptions are made the Editor may receive complaints from the general public and requests for equal treatment. This defeats the purpose of court coverage.
For these reasons, the hypothetical newspaper referred to in the question has a policy of publishing all cases.
With these points aside, the issue presented; a woman stealing a pair of stockings, does not seem exceptionally newsworthy but we are not presented with enough facts to actually determine this.
Conley and Lamble (2006) note that "Sometimes defendants who say their lives and reputations will be ruined by publications of their names will make applications to the court" (p.150). Consequently, I would first tell the woman to lodge an application however, if this was denied I would not withhold this information from the chief-of-staff as it would harm my credibility because it is bound to be revealed by other court-reporters. I would discuss the matter with them and decide whether it is worth publishing the story or not.
If the case was of a more serious nature and the same threat applied, there would be no deliberations over whether to report the story.
3. This question is very simple to answer. Of course I would report the story because regardless of who you are, if you commit a crime as serious as this you will be reported about. I would not take the bribes because obviously, it would be unethical and against the MEAA Code of Ethics. Also, the scenario claims that I am the only journalist in the court room. Of course I would report the story, as I have a scoop!
4. According to Conley and Lamble (2006), the deliberations made by a jury cannot be reported during a trial, only after or during the appeal period. In NSW, reporters cannot approach a juror for information and they must not be identified without them giving permission for you to do so.
A positive aspect of this scenario is that a juror has approached me. This means that after the verdict has been reached and the defendant has been acquitted or charged, I would construct a story. I would ensure however, that I did not identify any of the jurors nor approach them for information. I would also inform the police headquarters of the allegations being made towards their force members and give them an opportunity to comment on the situation.
Journalism Issue.
Police reporting: A tiresome job.Within this chapter I was very disappointed to read about the level of corruption that is identified within the police force in regards to the reporting of stories. I was also made aware of the challenges of police rounds.
Conley and Lamble (2006) identify a journalist’s role as monitoring and reporting on both the official and unofficial actions of police. They state that new police reporters will often spend a shift in a police car to gain an understanding of police roles and how they operate. Nicholls, (as cited in Conley and Lamble 2006) notes that Jack Darmody, a former police reporter in Melbourne and Sydney said crime reporters once maintained close professional and personal contacts with police. These points suggest that there once was, and still is a slight relationship that exists between some police reporters and police.
Although these relationships are not as close today as Nicholls (as cited in Conley and Lamble, 2006) notes that police no longer think that it is healthy to have a great relationship with the media, this chapter still made me realise how difficult it must be to report corruption within the force you are used to associating with on a daily basis.
Furthermore, I did not realise that politicians place pressure on the police to quietly resolve crime-related problems affecting them which can result in the police attempting to silence the media or their sources. Conley and Lamble (2006) state that “given the results of various police inquires, who can say that an individual police officer will not use unreported media knowledge to victimise an honest whistleblower?” (p. 243). I find this suggestion horrifying, as police are meant to be the protectors of our society. The thought of them targeting innocent individuals is very threatening.
At least this chapter provides an answer to combat police enquires for media information with. This is “Sorry, everything we know or can talk about has been published” (Conley and Lamble, 2006, p.243).
Although interesting, this issue gave me an unwanted insight into the real world of police reporting.
References:
Conley, D. & Lamble, S. (2006). Reporting for duty. In Conley, D & Lamble, S. (Eds.), The daily miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed). (pp. 233-260). Victoria: Oxford.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
week 10
Chapter 10.
1) According to Conley and Lamble (2006) "If there is little to recommend, the editor might interrogate the chief-of-staff about slow news days... The effect will be multiplied if the editor learns through other media that the story has been missed" (p. 223). Therefore, in this case I would tell the chief-of-staff even if it meant writing the article in one day for a number of reasons.
Firstly, if they found out that I knew about the story and did not inform them which resulted in them receiving criticisms from the editor they would not be very impressed. Also, if another media outlet covered it first I would not be very well regarded by both the editor and chief-of-staff. I think that my reputation of loyalty to the staff of my publication should outweigh that to the confidential source who only 'preferred' that I wait a day to write it.
2) Hypothetically, if I had received a tip about the filth in the kitchen of a major resort which had caused guests and staff to become ill this would be a major concern for the general public. Even if I received a phone call from a PR practitioner saying that bad publicity would result in the resort closing, I would still report this issue as the public would have the right to know about it.
Chris Mitchell, editor-in-chief of The Australian states that “Public relations officers…are paid large sums of money to hide the truth from the public.” (Sparks cited in Conley and Lamble, 2006, p.213-214). Although this is their job, to me it seems unethical because the public’s health is at risk. How can covering this up be considered as ok?
There is one problem. I would have to consider the fact that the insider source is one of the people that could become out of work. In order to protect this source I would ask them if they would like to remain anonymous. This means that when the story is published they will not be victimised for 'whistle blowing'. I would not tell them about the possible consequences of my story which were outlined by the PR practitioner however, as this may make them take back their statement.
Although it would be unfortunate for innocent employees of the resort to lose their jobs, the resort is posing threat to the publics health and this is the pressing matter. Those responsible for this problem deserve to be out of jobs.
3) According to Conley and Lamble (2006) if it is late, the editor, chief-of-staff and journalists are uncontactable and a sub-editor detects a fault with a news story, the sub-editor has a number of choices. These can include “replacing the story with something else..removing or altering the questionable section of story” (p.225), giving the story to a late-shift journalist to be checked and finally, letting it run as written.
Firstly, in this particular situation I would take into account that the solicitor sounds drunk. Even though alarm bells would be ringing in my head as I detect foul play, is printing the name of the defendant worth the consequences if this phone call turns out to be legitimate? According to Conley and Lamble (2006), consequences can range from abusive phone calls to a complaint to the APC which requires you to publish an apology, or at the very worst a defamation wit.
In this situation, I would chose not the publish the name just to be sure as Conley and Lamble (2006), suggest that as sub-editor, you can “remove or alter the questionable section of the story” (p. 225). This simple step, although it may lessen the effect of my story may save my career.
4) In this situation I would write my story to the angle desired by the editor.
I would do this for a number of reasons, one being that I am only a junior journalist and I am certain that the editor has more knowledge on writing news stories, so I would follow their lead. For all I know, the police rounds reporter may be trying to persuade me from not writing to my desired angle because I am uncovering mistakes the police made within their investigations.
Conley and Lamble (2006) also note that the legal responsibility for what a newspaper prints falls with the editor and that they also deal with public complaints. To sum it up, they are responsible for explaining the actions of the paper. This reinforces my faith in the editor’s wishes, as they would not ask me to do something that may cause them implications.
Also, Baker (as cited in Conley and Lamble, 2006) refers to the editor as the “terminal gate-keeper” of a newspaper who has the “authority to spike, approve, and alter…stories written for the news pages” (pp 136-7). After reading this I question the point in writing a story that is not parallel with the editor’s desires, as I would either be told to alter it, lose the story to another journalist or simply not have it approved for publication. It would be a waste of my time.
Journalism Issue.
Photography within newspapers,(pp 229-232.)
A picture paints a thousand words…
This cliché comes to mind when reading this chapter as Hepting (as cited in Conley and Lamble, 2006) states that one picture is “worth ten thousand words” (p. 229). This clever statement was made by US advertising genius Fred Barnard in 1927 in an advertisement for baking power. (Conley and Lamble, 2006).
I believe this phrase’s validity is amplified by recent world events. Sure, a picture of baking powder might have enticed potential customers in 1927 however, think about the images we were presented with through the press after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre. Or what about the photos of the Indian Ocean tsunami on Boxing Day 2004? No words could have expressed the devastation of loved ones, nor the extent of physical mass destruction that occurred on these days more than the images themselves.
This is reinforced by Conley and Lamble (2006) as they state that “more than a story, a photograph can confirm the importance of a person, place, thing or event.” (p.229).
One point I disagree with under the subheading “Photographers/artists” is that within newspapers, requests for photographs to be included displaying 50th wedding anniversaries are often fulfilled before cheque presentation images. According to Conley and Lamble (2006), this is because they are “dull, depicting two or more people starring at the camera with jaw-locked smiles” (p. 229). This shocks me as where are the news values within this picture? What’s more newsworthy? Mary-Jane and Bobby- Jim’s wedding anniversary or the Cancer Council being presented with a cheque for $100 thousand to fund research that will help save lives? The answer is obvious.
Therefore, although “Photography enchants the public” (Conley and Lamble, 2006, p. 229,) I believe that new values should outweigh how aesthetically pleasing an image is. This brings me back to my bible of the Gilmore Girls (2005-2006), where in the episode “You’ve been gilmored,” Rory states, “ I don’t care how funny a picture is of the professor with pie on his face is, if it’s not newsworthy, I would not publish the photo. Simple. However, if someone had pushed the pie into his face as a political statement, then that is definitely worth publishing.”
References.
Conley, D. & Lamble, S. (2006). The story factory. In Conley, D & Lamble, S. (Eds.), The daily miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed). (pp. 211-232). Victoria: Oxford.
Nardino, J. (2006). You’ve been gilmored. S. Clancy (Director). In Fass Palmer, P. (Producer), Gilmore Girls. California: Warner Bros Entertainment
1) According to Conley and Lamble (2006) "If there is little to recommend, the editor might interrogate the chief-of-staff about slow news days... The effect will be multiplied if the editor learns through other media that the story has been missed" (p. 223). Therefore, in this case I would tell the chief-of-staff even if it meant writing the article in one day for a number of reasons.
Firstly, if they found out that I knew about the story and did not inform them which resulted in them receiving criticisms from the editor they would not be very impressed. Also, if another media outlet covered it first I would not be very well regarded by both the editor and chief-of-staff. I think that my reputation of loyalty to the staff of my publication should outweigh that to the confidential source who only 'preferred' that I wait a day to write it.
2) Hypothetically, if I had received a tip about the filth in the kitchen of a major resort which had caused guests and staff to become ill this would be a major concern for the general public. Even if I received a phone call from a PR practitioner saying that bad publicity would result in the resort closing, I would still report this issue as the public would have the right to know about it.
Chris Mitchell, editor-in-chief of The Australian states that “Public relations officers…are paid large sums of money to hide the truth from the public.” (Sparks cited in Conley and Lamble, 2006, p.213-214). Although this is their job, to me it seems unethical because the public’s health is at risk. How can covering this up be considered as ok?
There is one problem. I would have to consider the fact that the insider source is one of the people that could become out of work. In order to protect this source I would ask them if they would like to remain anonymous. This means that when the story is published they will not be victimised for 'whistle blowing'. I would not tell them about the possible consequences of my story which were outlined by the PR practitioner however, as this may make them take back their statement.
Although it would be unfortunate for innocent employees of the resort to lose their jobs, the resort is posing threat to the publics health and this is the pressing matter. Those responsible for this problem deserve to be out of jobs.
3) According to Conley and Lamble (2006) if it is late, the editor, chief-of-staff and journalists are uncontactable and a sub-editor detects a fault with a news story, the sub-editor has a number of choices. These can include “replacing the story with something else..removing or altering the questionable section of story” (p.225), giving the story to a late-shift journalist to be checked and finally, letting it run as written.
Firstly, in this particular situation I would take into account that the solicitor sounds drunk. Even though alarm bells would be ringing in my head as I detect foul play, is printing the name of the defendant worth the consequences if this phone call turns out to be legitimate? According to Conley and Lamble (2006), consequences can range from abusive phone calls to a complaint to the APC which requires you to publish an apology, or at the very worst a defamation wit.
In this situation, I would chose not the publish the name just to be sure as Conley and Lamble (2006), suggest that as sub-editor, you can “remove or alter the questionable section of the story” (p. 225). This simple step, although it may lessen the effect of my story may save my career.
4) In this situation I would write my story to the angle desired by the editor.
I would do this for a number of reasons, one being that I am only a junior journalist and I am certain that the editor has more knowledge on writing news stories, so I would follow their lead. For all I know, the police rounds reporter may be trying to persuade me from not writing to my desired angle because I am uncovering mistakes the police made within their investigations.
Conley and Lamble (2006) also note that the legal responsibility for what a newspaper prints falls with the editor and that they also deal with public complaints. To sum it up, they are responsible for explaining the actions of the paper. This reinforces my faith in the editor’s wishes, as they would not ask me to do something that may cause them implications.
Also, Baker (as cited in Conley and Lamble, 2006) refers to the editor as the “terminal gate-keeper” of a newspaper who has the “authority to spike, approve, and alter…stories written for the news pages” (pp 136-7). After reading this I question the point in writing a story that is not parallel with the editor’s desires, as I would either be told to alter it, lose the story to another journalist or simply not have it approved for publication. It would be a waste of my time.
Journalism Issue.
Photography within newspapers,(pp 229-232.)
A picture paints a thousand words…
This cliché comes to mind when reading this chapter as Hepting (as cited in Conley and Lamble, 2006) states that one picture is “worth ten thousand words” (p. 229). This clever statement was made by US advertising genius Fred Barnard in 1927 in an advertisement for baking power. (Conley and Lamble, 2006).
I believe this phrase’s validity is amplified by recent world events. Sure, a picture of baking powder might have enticed potential customers in 1927 however, think about the images we were presented with through the press after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre. Or what about the photos of the Indian Ocean tsunami on Boxing Day 2004? No words could have expressed the devastation of loved ones, nor the extent of physical mass destruction that occurred on these days more than the images themselves.
This is reinforced by Conley and Lamble (2006) as they state that “more than a story, a photograph can confirm the importance of a person, place, thing or event.” (p.229).
One point I disagree with under the subheading “Photographers/artists” is that within newspapers, requests for photographs to be included displaying 50th wedding anniversaries are often fulfilled before cheque presentation images. According to Conley and Lamble (2006), this is because they are “dull, depicting two or more people starring at the camera with jaw-locked smiles” (p. 229). This shocks me as where are the news values within this picture? What’s more newsworthy? Mary-Jane and Bobby- Jim’s wedding anniversary or the Cancer Council being presented with a cheque for $100 thousand to fund research that will help save lives? The answer is obvious.
Therefore, although “Photography enchants the public” (Conley and Lamble, 2006, p. 229,) I believe that new values should outweigh how aesthetically pleasing an image is. This brings me back to my bible of the Gilmore Girls (2005-2006), where in the episode “You’ve been gilmored,” Rory states, “ I don’t care how funny a picture is of the professor with pie on his face is, if it’s not newsworthy, I would not publish the photo. Simple. However, if someone had pushed the pie into his face as a political statement, then that is definitely worth publishing.”
References.
Conley, D. & Lamble, S. (2006). The story factory. In Conley, D & Lamble, S. (Eds.), The daily miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed). (pp. 211-232). Victoria: Oxford.
Nardino, J. (2006). You’ve been gilmored. S. Clancy (Director). In Fass Palmer, P. (Producer), Gilmore Girls. California: Warner Bros Entertainment
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Week 9.
Chapter 9.
It depends on the situation as to whether I would use a direct quote that is accurate but embarrassing to the speaker or one that is inexact but benefits them.
If poor language within a direct quote establishes character or contributes to the tone and theme of the story I would include it. A current example of this is George Bush’s recent ‘OPEC meeting,’ blunder. In this situation I would definitely use this direct quote because it provides an accurate insight into how incompetent Bush is at addressing the public.
If however, a citizen has been caught off guard and has made a number of small grammatical errors, I would edit these, thus using a quote that is inexact but improves the image of the speaker.
According to News Limited’s Style: A guide for journalists , “It is acceptable to tidy up people’s minor grammatical faults” (2003, p. 137).
Thus, by doing this I would not be altering the basis of their quote, but simply tidying it up.
2. Yes it is justifiable for a journalist to intimidate a source with a threat of ‘public exposure’ to get important public information. This is stated by Mencher (1994) as he states that “ Some stories require pressing sources to the point of discomfort, or implying a threat should they fail to respond. Journalism often becomes the business of making people say what they would prefer to keep to themselves” (p.304).
3. Within the text book, Conley and Lamble (2006) suggest that personal chemistry based on physical appearance can affect an interview. They state that giving more credence or paying more attention to sources because they are perceived to be attractive is unprofessional.
This question however asks if it is a reasonable strategy to use personal chemistry to get information from sources when there is public interest at stake. I believe that it is a very good strategy, because according to the Conley and Lamble, studies indicate that people react differently to others depending on whether they find them attractive or not. (2006). This suggests that if your interviewee thinks you are attractive, they may be willing to give you more information than they would to someone who is unattractive. So, of course you are going to use your looks to entice the interviewee into giving you more information.
4. When a confidential source is concerned, there are a number of potential dangers that can come back to haunt a journalist who gets too close to the source. A journalist could end up in court facing charges of contempt if there is subsequent legal action from the story and they refuse to divulge the identity of the source. They can also face far more dire consequences from being too close to a source such as holding the source’s life, job, health and welfare in their hands. This is because in some cases, sources whose identities have been revealed by journalists have been murdered while others have lost jobs, families and their health. ( Conley and Lamble, 2006).
Therefore, there are a number of great responsibilities that a journalist must uphold when they get too close to a source and these may affect the lives of the source.
5. The most inarticulate, word-mangling public figure regularly in the news at present is George Bush. A current example of this is his recent blunder at the APEC summit when he called it the OPEC summit along with stating that John Howard had visited Austrian troops in Iraq. What he meant was Australian Troops. Coverage of this is available on the website: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/08/2027414.htm
I do not feel sorry for Bush at all and I would refuse to clean up his direct quotes because as President of the United States, it is his responsibility to know what he is talking about and as a result, accurately address the public. I believe that the public has a right to know about the ridiculous statements Bush uses in order to allow them to determine their own opinion towards him.
Chapter 14.
1. Seeing as I do not know what The Weekend Australian Magazine is, I analysed the cover story of last weekend’s edition of the Weekender. This story was written by my friend’s cousin, Ben Quinn and was about Tori Amos releasing her new album.
The introduction used within this article clearly fits into the summary style of intro. This is because it gives a brief overview of the main points that are covered within the article. It mentions not only her new album, but her struggle in fighting against the stereotyping of women’s gender associated roles within a male dominated society.
The intro sentence focuses solely on her journey for female justice within society as essentially, this forms the inspiration for her new album. The use of passionate, emotive language within this sentence such as “ a provocative advocate sympathetic to the so-called ‘place’ of women in a testosterone- fuelled society” (Quinn, 2007, p.12), captivates readers into reading the story.
The writing style of this article follows the focus structure. According to Conley and Lamble (2006), “The focus structure begins with an individual’s plight or circumstance, which is then carried forward through transition into the larger issue” (p. 341).
This article clearly follows this structure because it begins discussing her plight for women’s rights and then goes on to discuss her new album.
Obviously there is a justifier which promotes her new album and tour. The closer does refer back to the introduction, as it provides details of her upcoming performance in Newcastle to showcase her new album.
2. I do think that newspapers should give more prominence to feature articles as I believe promoting them is a way to increase newspaper sales.
Although persons aged 30 and up may be too busy to care about feature articles and are more concerned about reading the hard news facts out of a sense of duty, I know that myself and my peers read newspapers mainly for the feature articles.
Seeing as the younger generation are magazine worshipers rather than devout readers of newspapers, feature articles which consist of expressive language and flair tend to grasp the attention of this audience when it comes to newspapers.
Therefore, I believe that if newspapers gave more prominence to feature stories, they would appeal to a larger spectrum of readers and this would consequently increase sales.
3. Personally, I do believe that newspapers should be expected to limit cheap ‘imported’ features about Hollywood stars to make room for Australian writers and subjects.
Although staffing more Australian journalists will cost more money, I believe we should support our own nation rather than financing overseas and gaining trivial gossip in return.
Also, when you look at Australian magazines they are becoming covered with American stars and gossip. Do we really want our newspapers to turn out like this? We rely on newspapers to provide us with reliable information about what is occurring within our own nation and therefore, I think that it is important that we do not let market forces guide us and we try and keep our newspapers Australian orientated.
4. Yes I would like to be a full time feature article writer. I believe that I would enjoy working creatively with written language.
According to Conley and Lamble (2006) feature writing is enormously satisfying and involves researching, finding experts, interviewing and marshalling facts before the writing process starts. They also suggest it gives journalists space and freedom to work with language such as analogies, metaphors and sensory appeal compared to news reporting which is straight to the point.
For these reasons I believe I would enjoy writing feature articles more than news reports, as I have learnt throughout this course that sometimes I feel a little restricted by the constraints news articles demand.
5. Personally, after reading this chapter I believe that being a feature writer differs from a columnist in a number of ways.
This chapter explains that although feature writers build articles around news values, these values are expressed in a softer, broader and less obvious manner in comparison to news reports.
Conley and Lamble (2006) state that the best feature writer tells a story by showing, rather than telling, however news stories stress the importance of telling as they do not have the space to show. They also explain that feature writing relies more on how a story is written whereas news writing relies on why.
Conley and Lamble (2006) also suggest feature writers have more space and freedom to work with language such as analogies, metaphors and sensory appeal compared to news reporting which is straight to the point.
Keeble (1994) supports this, as he notes that feature articles “tend to contain more comment, analysis, colour, background and a greater diversity of sources than news stories and explore a large number of issues at a greater depth"(p.244).
Columnists however, usually write opinion pieces. Although they too are built around news values, they are much shorter than feature articles and therefore, tend to encompass only one major issue and be straight to the point. This means that unlike features, they tell rather than show.
Being a columnist is also quite different to being a feature writer because while feature writers have to be skilled in using colourful, descriptive language, columnists need to be persuasive and precise to get their intended message across skillfully.
Thus, there are major differences between the skills used by columnists and feature writers, the main one being that columnists tell and feature writers show.
Journalism issue for the week.
Within chapter nine, the information under the subheading ‘Appearances are not deceiving,’ stressed the importance of first impressions and therefore I found it very interesting.
Growing up we are all told to never judge a book by its cover and that it's what’s on the inside that counts. But deep down, we all knew that when it came to first impressions, attractive people were liked more than those who are less fortunate looking or those who didn’t have the right brands of clothes. Although unfair, it was and still is very true. Even though people who are not as fortunate usually turn out to be 100% more genuine and caring than those who are, in the world of journalism, success means you need to impress quickly.
Conley and Lamble (2006) state within this chapter that a journalist is expected to dress to suit the environment they are interviewing in, or likewise the person. An example they provide is a reporter who is proceeding to interview street kids wearing a suit and tie.
I believe that this would cause the street kids to be cautious or even resentful of the reporter, as he is dressed to resemble the life they desire. As a result, the reporter would not gain as accurate or in-depth information as he would like.
If however, he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt perhaps the children would see him as approachable and more of an equal, thus consequently causing them to provide him with valuable information.
Alternatively, you would not dress casually to attend a business convention, as this would result in you being considered as not only disrespectful, but incompetent.
I therefore learnt that appearance is important within journalism and seeing as I am interested in fashion, this issue appealed to me.
References:
Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (2006). Interviewing, a core skill. In Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (Eds.), The daily miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed). (pp. 182- 211). Victoria: Oxford.
Conley, D. & Lamble, S. (2006). Featuring writing. In Conley, D & Lamble, S. (Eds.), The daily miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed). (pp. 315-346). Victoria: Oxford.
Keeble, R. (1994). The newspapers handbook. London: Routledge.
Mencher, M. (1994). News reporting and writing. Dubuque: Brown & Benchmark.
News Limited (2003). Style: A guide for journalists. Sydney: Nationwide News Pty Ltd.
Quinn, B. (2007, September 8). I am women, Weekender, pp. 12-13.
It depends on the situation as to whether I would use a direct quote that is accurate but embarrassing to the speaker or one that is inexact but benefits them.
If poor language within a direct quote establishes character or contributes to the tone and theme of the story I would include it. A current example of this is George Bush’s recent ‘OPEC meeting,’ blunder. In this situation I would definitely use this direct quote because it provides an accurate insight into how incompetent Bush is at addressing the public.
If however, a citizen has been caught off guard and has made a number of small grammatical errors, I would edit these, thus using a quote that is inexact but improves the image of the speaker.
According to News Limited’s Style: A guide for journalists , “It is acceptable to tidy up people’s minor grammatical faults” (2003, p. 137).
Thus, by doing this I would not be altering the basis of their quote, but simply tidying it up.
2. Yes it is justifiable for a journalist to intimidate a source with a threat of ‘public exposure’ to get important public information. This is stated by Mencher (1994) as he states that “ Some stories require pressing sources to the point of discomfort, or implying a threat should they fail to respond. Journalism often becomes the business of making people say what they would prefer to keep to themselves” (p.304).
3. Within the text book, Conley and Lamble (2006) suggest that personal chemistry based on physical appearance can affect an interview. They state that giving more credence or paying more attention to sources because they are perceived to be attractive is unprofessional.
This question however asks if it is a reasonable strategy to use personal chemistry to get information from sources when there is public interest at stake. I believe that it is a very good strategy, because according to the Conley and Lamble, studies indicate that people react differently to others depending on whether they find them attractive or not. (2006). This suggests that if your interviewee thinks you are attractive, they may be willing to give you more information than they would to someone who is unattractive. So, of course you are going to use your looks to entice the interviewee into giving you more information.
4. When a confidential source is concerned, there are a number of potential dangers that can come back to haunt a journalist who gets too close to the source. A journalist could end up in court facing charges of contempt if there is subsequent legal action from the story and they refuse to divulge the identity of the source. They can also face far more dire consequences from being too close to a source such as holding the source’s life, job, health and welfare in their hands. This is because in some cases, sources whose identities have been revealed by journalists have been murdered while others have lost jobs, families and their health. ( Conley and Lamble, 2006).
Therefore, there are a number of great responsibilities that a journalist must uphold when they get too close to a source and these may affect the lives of the source.
5. The most inarticulate, word-mangling public figure regularly in the news at present is George Bush. A current example of this is his recent blunder at the APEC summit when he called it the OPEC summit along with stating that John Howard had visited Austrian troops in Iraq. What he meant was Australian Troops. Coverage of this is available on the website: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/08/2027414.htm
I do not feel sorry for Bush at all and I would refuse to clean up his direct quotes because as President of the United States, it is his responsibility to know what he is talking about and as a result, accurately address the public. I believe that the public has a right to know about the ridiculous statements Bush uses in order to allow them to determine their own opinion towards him.
Chapter 14.
1. Seeing as I do not know what The Weekend Australian Magazine is, I analysed the cover story of last weekend’s edition of the Weekender. This story was written by my friend’s cousin, Ben Quinn and was about Tori Amos releasing her new album.
The introduction used within this article clearly fits into the summary style of intro. This is because it gives a brief overview of the main points that are covered within the article. It mentions not only her new album, but her struggle in fighting against the stereotyping of women’s gender associated roles within a male dominated society.
The intro sentence focuses solely on her journey for female justice within society as essentially, this forms the inspiration for her new album. The use of passionate, emotive language within this sentence such as “ a provocative advocate sympathetic to the so-called ‘place’ of women in a testosterone- fuelled society” (Quinn, 2007, p.12), captivates readers into reading the story.
The writing style of this article follows the focus structure. According to Conley and Lamble (2006), “The focus structure begins with an individual’s plight or circumstance, which is then carried forward through transition into the larger issue” (p. 341).
This article clearly follows this structure because it begins discussing her plight for women’s rights and then goes on to discuss her new album.
Obviously there is a justifier which promotes her new album and tour. The closer does refer back to the introduction, as it provides details of her upcoming performance in Newcastle to showcase her new album.
2. I do think that newspapers should give more prominence to feature articles as I believe promoting them is a way to increase newspaper sales.
Although persons aged 30 and up may be too busy to care about feature articles and are more concerned about reading the hard news facts out of a sense of duty, I know that myself and my peers read newspapers mainly for the feature articles.
Seeing as the younger generation are magazine worshipers rather than devout readers of newspapers, feature articles which consist of expressive language and flair tend to grasp the attention of this audience when it comes to newspapers.
Therefore, I believe that if newspapers gave more prominence to feature stories, they would appeal to a larger spectrum of readers and this would consequently increase sales.
3. Personally, I do believe that newspapers should be expected to limit cheap ‘imported’ features about Hollywood stars to make room for Australian writers and subjects.
Although staffing more Australian journalists will cost more money, I believe we should support our own nation rather than financing overseas and gaining trivial gossip in return.
Also, when you look at Australian magazines they are becoming covered with American stars and gossip. Do we really want our newspapers to turn out like this? We rely on newspapers to provide us with reliable information about what is occurring within our own nation and therefore, I think that it is important that we do not let market forces guide us and we try and keep our newspapers Australian orientated.
4. Yes I would like to be a full time feature article writer. I believe that I would enjoy working creatively with written language.
According to Conley and Lamble (2006) feature writing is enormously satisfying and involves researching, finding experts, interviewing and marshalling facts before the writing process starts. They also suggest it gives journalists space and freedom to work with language such as analogies, metaphors and sensory appeal compared to news reporting which is straight to the point.
For these reasons I believe I would enjoy writing feature articles more than news reports, as I have learnt throughout this course that sometimes I feel a little restricted by the constraints news articles demand.
5. Personally, after reading this chapter I believe that being a feature writer differs from a columnist in a number of ways.
This chapter explains that although feature writers build articles around news values, these values are expressed in a softer, broader and less obvious manner in comparison to news reports.
Conley and Lamble (2006) state that the best feature writer tells a story by showing, rather than telling, however news stories stress the importance of telling as they do not have the space to show. They also explain that feature writing relies more on how a story is written whereas news writing relies on why.
Conley and Lamble (2006) also suggest feature writers have more space and freedom to work with language such as analogies, metaphors and sensory appeal compared to news reporting which is straight to the point.
Keeble (1994) supports this, as he notes that feature articles “tend to contain more comment, analysis, colour, background and a greater diversity of sources than news stories and explore a large number of issues at a greater depth"(p.244).
Columnists however, usually write opinion pieces. Although they too are built around news values, they are much shorter than feature articles and therefore, tend to encompass only one major issue and be straight to the point. This means that unlike features, they tell rather than show.
Being a columnist is also quite different to being a feature writer because while feature writers have to be skilled in using colourful, descriptive language, columnists need to be persuasive and precise to get their intended message across skillfully.
Thus, there are major differences between the skills used by columnists and feature writers, the main one being that columnists tell and feature writers show.
Journalism issue for the week.
Within chapter nine, the information under the subheading ‘Appearances are not deceiving,’ stressed the importance of first impressions and therefore I found it very interesting.
Growing up we are all told to never judge a book by its cover and that it's what’s on the inside that counts. But deep down, we all knew that when it came to first impressions, attractive people were liked more than those who are less fortunate looking or those who didn’t have the right brands of clothes. Although unfair, it was and still is very true. Even though people who are not as fortunate usually turn out to be 100% more genuine and caring than those who are, in the world of journalism, success means you need to impress quickly.
Conley and Lamble (2006) state within this chapter that a journalist is expected to dress to suit the environment they are interviewing in, or likewise the person. An example they provide is a reporter who is proceeding to interview street kids wearing a suit and tie.
I believe that this would cause the street kids to be cautious or even resentful of the reporter, as he is dressed to resemble the life they desire. As a result, the reporter would not gain as accurate or in-depth information as he would like.
If however, he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt perhaps the children would see him as approachable and more of an equal, thus consequently causing them to provide him with valuable information.
Alternatively, you would not dress casually to attend a business convention, as this would result in you being considered as not only disrespectful, but incompetent.
I therefore learnt that appearance is important within journalism and seeing as I am interested in fashion, this issue appealed to me.
References:
Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (2006). Interviewing, a core skill. In Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (Eds.), The daily miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed). (pp. 182- 211). Victoria: Oxford.
Conley, D. & Lamble, S. (2006). Featuring writing. In Conley, D & Lamble, S. (Eds.), The daily miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed). (pp. 315-346). Victoria: Oxford.
Keeble, R. (1994). The newspapers handbook. London: Routledge.
Mencher, M. (1994). News reporting and writing. Dubuque: Brown & Benchmark.
News Limited (2003). Style: A guide for journalists. Sydney: Nationwide News Pty Ltd.
Quinn, B. (2007, September 8). I am women, Weekender, pp. 12-13.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Week 8.
1) I would much rather do a ‘paper chase’ which is conducted entirely by computer and telephone that takes half the time it would have taken if I had left the office. I would chose this option because the other one says that I would be put under EXTREME deadline pressure and I can assure you, although my ability to work under pressure is reasonably good, I would much rather get the facts quickly over the phone. This is because the extra time would allow me to ensure that I have enough time to create a very well written article.
Also, I don’t see why I would spend more time by leaving the office to conduct in-person interviews when I can get the same answers over the phone.
2. Yes, I would be willing to pursue a corruption investigation or an investigation into organised crime if it included many unpaid hours of extra and personal risk.
I would do this because these are the stories I wish to do journalism for. I want to uncover crime and other important issues within society that as a result, will make a difference within the community. I believe personal sacrifice is only a small price to pay if the outcome is success or benefiting others.
3. No, I would not be willing to act together as a unit with competing reporters at a media conference in an effort to gain maximum information if it meant giving up a crucial question that I had intended on asking privately after the conference.
The reason I say this is because the chapter this week really opened my eyes to what it is like for journalists at news conferences. I always thought that they simply asked a question, got their answer and moved on. Never did I consider the possibility that by asking your question you run the risk of giving away the entire, unique angle of your own story.
I also did not realise the disadvantage journalists who work within the print media face in reporting news.
For example, Conley and Lamble (2006) state that “Print, and to a lesser extent, web journalists are at a disadvantage when attending press conferences with broadcast journalists” (p.173).
“If they ask tough, well researched questions, radio journalists will record the answers, which can be broadcast within minutes.
“The print journalist is left to find a new story angle for the morning’s paper.
“And, if print or web journalists try to speak with the person interviewed before the conference, they may find a microphone thrust over their shoulders.” (p.173).
For these reasons, I would not risk asking my question within a media conference. I would wait until my private interview commencing after this.
4.
After reading this chapter however, I believe that the government owns the information it withholds within Australia, simply because of our system of government.
When comparing the US republic which has a definite separation of powers between legislature, judiciary and public service to Australia’s Westminster-style system of government, it is demonstrated that government-held information is not owned by the people within Australia.
In the US, government-held information belongs to the people because the US republic has constitutional guarantees of free speech and freedom of the press.
This is not the case within Australia however, because there is no real separation between the leaders of the government ie) the Prime Minister and the public service. (Conley and Lamble, 2006).
Lamble (2003), states “Australian state and federal ministers can, and do, interfere in the workings of the public service” (p.51).
This means that public servants are encouraged by politicians and their associates to inform public relations practitioners in their minister’s office when difficult FoI applications are lodged by journalists, thus resulting in them using tactics to block the application. (Conley and Lamble, 2006).
As a result, this limits our access to government-held information, thus making me believe that due to our form of government, the people within Australia do not own this information as the governments power over it is far to extensive.
5. There was not a lot of information within this chapter to help me decide how I would address this situation. However, I think that I would decide which to attend by contacting the organisers of the conferences and requesting the agendas for their conferences. I would also ask for copies of the speeches that will be made, discussion papers and advice on key note addresses. This information would help me to decide on which conference session would be more beneficial in providing me with quality information for a story. I would then be able to make an informed decision on which conference to attend.
Journalism issue.
A point I found interesting within this chapter referred to covering protest rallies. As a result, I learnt a number of valuable points to remember when doing this.
Firstly, an obvious point raised by Conley and Lamble (2006) was that protest rallies are often one-sided and people participating are usually very passionate and emotional. Protest rallies are usually held because persons disagree with an organisation’s actions or political decisions, so when reporting a story on this, journalists need to ensure that they create balance.
Conley and Lamble (2006) suggest contacting those who are criticised after the event (if they are not present), to receive their points of view.
Recording crowd numbers is also an important point journalists need to cover, as according to Conley and Lamble (2006), it gives readers an idea of an event’s importance.
Police usually provide estimates of crown numbers, however at times so too will the protesters. A journalist then has a number of options. These include reporting both estimates and allowing the public to decide who is more credible (Personally, I would believe the estimate provided by the police, as they have no motive to give a false attendance count), or make their own estimate.
This is done by ‘head-counting’ which involves counting roughly how many people are in the front row and multiplying this by how many rows there are.
I also learnt that when covering rallies, a journalist must ensure their own safety by reporting away from the centre of the crowd, ie) from its edge. They must also have at least one clear escape route. This is primarily for safety reasons, however it is also so they can get away quickly when they need to write and file the story.
Therefore, this reading was beneficial to my knowledge of what being a journalist entails and as a result, made me very keen to begin my career, as it sounds quite exciting!
References:
Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (2006). Small path, big story. In Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (Eds.), The daily miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed). (pp. 163-182). Victoria: Oxford.
Lamble, S. (February 2003). United States FoI laws are a poor modle for stautes in other nations, Freedom of Information Review, no. 106 (pp. 5-9).
Also, I don’t see why I would spend more time by leaving the office to conduct in-person interviews when I can get the same answers over the phone.
2. Yes, I would be willing to pursue a corruption investigation or an investigation into organised crime if it included many unpaid hours of extra and personal risk.
I would do this because these are the stories I wish to do journalism for. I want to uncover crime and other important issues within society that as a result, will make a difference within the community. I believe personal sacrifice is only a small price to pay if the outcome is success or benefiting others.
3. No, I would not be willing to act together as a unit with competing reporters at a media conference in an effort to gain maximum information if it meant giving up a crucial question that I had intended on asking privately after the conference.
The reason I say this is because the chapter this week really opened my eyes to what it is like for journalists at news conferences. I always thought that they simply asked a question, got their answer and moved on. Never did I consider the possibility that by asking your question you run the risk of giving away the entire, unique angle of your own story.
I also did not realise the disadvantage journalists who work within the print media face in reporting news.
For example, Conley and Lamble (2006) state that “Print, and to a lesser extent, web journalists are at a disadvantage when attending press conferences with broadcast journalists” (p.173).
“If they ask tough, well researched questions, radio journalists will record the answers, which can be broadcast within minutes.
“The print journalist is left to find a new story angle for the morning’s paper.
“And, if print or web journalists try to speak with the person interviewed before the conference, they may find a microphone thrust over their shoulders.” (p.173).
For these reasons, I would not risk asking my question within a media conference. I would wait until my private interview commencing after this.
4.
After reading this chapter however, I believe that the government owns the information it withholds within Australia, simply because of our system of government.
When comparing the US republic which has a definite separation of powers between legislature, judiciary and public service to Australia’s Westminster-style system of government, it is demonstrated that government-held information is not owned by the people within Australia.
In the US, government-held information belongs to the people because the US republic has constitutional guarantees of free speech and freedom of the press.
This is not the case within Australia however, because there is no real separation between the leaders of the government ie) the Prime Minister and the public service. (Conley and Lamble, 2006).
Lamble (2003), states “Australian state and federal ministers can, and do, interfere in the workings of the public service” (p.51).
This means that public servants are encouraged by politicians and their associates to inform public relations practitioners in their minister’s office when difficult FoI applications are lodged by journalists, thus resulting in them using tactics to block the application. (Conley and Lamble, 2006).
As a result, this limits our access to government-held information, thus making me believe that due to our form of government, the people within Australia do not own this information as the governments power over it is far to extensive.
5. There was not a lot of information within this chapter to help me decide how I would address this situation. However, I think that I would decide which to attend by contacting the organisers of the conferences and requesting the agendas for their conferences. I would also ask for copies of the speeches that will be made, discussion papers and advice on key note addresses. This information would help me to decide on which conference session would be more beneficial in providing me with quality information for a story. I would then be able to make an informed decision on which conference to attend.
Journalism issue.
A point I found interesting within this chapter referred to covering protest rallies. As a result, I learnt a number of valuable points to remember when doing this.
Firstly, an obvious point raised by Conley and Lamble (2006) was that protest rallies are often one-sided and people participating are usually very passionate and emotional. Protest rallies are usually held because persons disagree with an organisation’s actions or political decisions, so when reporting a story on this, journalists need to ensure that they create balance.
Conley and Lamble (2006) suggest contacting those who are criticised after the event (if they are not present), to receive their points of view.
Recording crowd numbers is also an important point journalists need to cover, as according to Conley and Lamble (2006), it gives readers an idea of an event’s importance.
Police usually provide estimates of crown numbers, however at times so too will the protesters. A journalist then has a number of options. These include reporting both estimates and allowing the public to decide who is more credible (Personally, I would believe the estimate provided by the police, as they have no motive to give a false attendance count), or make their own estimate.
This is done by ‘head-counting’ which involves counting roughly how many people are in the front row and multiplying this by how many rows there are.
I also learnt that when covering rallies, a journalist must ensure their own safety by reporting away from the centre of the crowd, ie) from its edge. They must also have at least one clear escape route. This is primarily for safety reasons, however it is also so they can get away quickly when they need to write and file the story.
Therefore, this reading was beneficial to my knowledge of what being a journalist entails and as a result, made me very keen to begin my career, as it sounds quite exciting!
References:
Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (2006). Small path, big story. In Conley, D., & Lamble, S. (Eds.), The daily miracle: An introduction to journalism. (3rd ed). (pp. 163-182). Victoria: Oxford.
Lamble, S. (February 2003). United States FoI laws are a poor modle for stautes in other nations, Freedom of Information Review, no. 106 (pp. 5-9).
My thoughts on the coverage of Owen Wilson's suicide attempt after Hunter Institute of Mental Health visit and APC lecture!
An issue raging within the media at the moment is Owen Wilson's attempted suicide.
I found this coverage attracted my attention because it related well to our lectures from the Hunter Institute of Mental Health and APC.
One thing that was stressed within the Hunter Institute of Mental Health lecture was that when journalists report suicide (they are usually not covered unless it is of someone prominent within society or other specific circumstances), they must not go into detail of how it was done. This is because person's who are contemplating suicide will not be thinking rationally and reading about the method someone used to end their life may give them ideas and the determiniation to try themselves.
When looking at the coverage related to Wilson's attempt however, it's quite clear that some journalists did not completely abide by these guidelines which I found very surprising.
An example is from the Ninemsn website (2007): http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=289959
Within this article it states,
"Both of Owen's wrists were slashed superficially and Owen had taken an overdose of pills.
"Owen was found with a nearly empty bottle of pills next to him."
Did it need to be stated how he tried to commit suicide? Isn't the fact that he did newsworthy enough? Also, I believe the statement that the bottle of pills was nearly empty is way over the line. Saying he over-dosed was enough information.
To me, if I was someone who was contemplating suicide I would probably say.. "hmm well ok, that didn't work for him, so I better take more than a whole bottle of pills."
It's quite scary when you think about it. What you write will actually impact on peoples lives.
Reference: Owen Wilson hospitalised. (2007, August 27). Ninemsn. Retrieved: August 28, 2007, from http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=289959
I found this coverage attracted my attention because it related well to our lectures from the Hunter Institute of Mental Health and APC.
One thing that was stressed within the Hunter Institute of Mental Health lecture was that when journalists report suicide (they are usually not covered unless it is of someone prominent within society or other specific circumstances), they must not go into detail of how it was done. This is because person's who are contemplating suicide will not be thinking rationally and reading about the method someone used to end their life may give them ideas and the determiniation to try themselves.
When looking at the coverage related to Wilson's attempt however, it's quite clear that some journalists did not completely abide by these guidelines which I found very surprising.
An example is from the Ninemsn website (2007): http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=289959
Within this article it states,
"Both of Owen's wrists were slashed superficially and Owen had taken an overdose of pills.
"Owen was found with a nearly empty bottle of pills next to him."
Did it need to be stated how he tried to commit suicide? Isn't the fact that he did newsworthy enough? Also, I believe the statement that the bottle of pills was nearly empty is way over the line. Saying he over-dosed was enough information.
To me, if I was someone who was contemplating suicide I would probably say.. "hmm well ok, that didn't work for him, so I better take more than a whole bottle of pills."
It's quite scary when you think about it. What you write will actually impact on peoples lives.
Reference: Owen Wilson hospitalised. (2007, August 27). Ninemsn. Retrieved: August 28, 2007, from http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=289959
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