week 11.

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.