So Long, Farewell JOUR1111...

Wow. 

I can't believe that I'm writing my final post after what has been an incredible semester. Whilst this may be the last time I write in this blog regarding JOUR1111 I plan on maintaining and updating quite often because I've discovered that it's something I rather enjoy doing.

I've learnt a lot about myself this semester. I've learnt that I need to take risks and step outside my comfort zone every so often, because the result could be life changing. It sounds dramatic but it's true! 

As I said in my first post, I never saw myself becoming an avid blogger because I thought blogs were just people rambling on about nonsense. But until you actually start writing one, you don't realise the positive effects they can have on you. 

Through dealing with harsh criticism, I felt like I toughened up a little bit having previously been quite timid.

I learnt to speak up and voice my opinions on topics that interest me.

I discovered my love of journalism and writing.

Transferring to UQ is the best decision I ever made. Through  Dr Bruce Redman and JOUR1111 my love of journalism has just grown and is now unstoppable. I plan on transferring to a Business/Journalism degree (from Bus/Arts) because I liked the course so much.

And I have a NOVA 106.9 internship to look forward to these holidays! YAY.

I plan on applying what I learn from the internship into my journalism subjects next semester. 

I don't know if anyone is actually reading this but if you are I just want to say thank you. 

I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you next semester :)

Investigating investigative journalism (Lecture 12)

Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

As journalists these are the most important questions to ask when covering a story. These questions will allow us 'discover the truth and to identify lapses from it in whatever media may be available' (Hugo De Burgh). 

With the heightened popularity of gossip magazines and celebrity blog sites, many journalists have come to believe that a fabricated, dramatised story is better than the real facts. And whilst their stories can sometimes be entertaining to read, I still think it's wrong. They are basically publishing lies which can sometimes be hurtful to the subject and his/her family and friends. I believe that journalists are entrusted with a job to report the news just as it is, to seek out the TRUTH of a story rather than make one up just to sell copies. 

There is enough drama in the world, there's no need to make more up. Real life is dramatic enough. 

That's why I believe investigative journalism is necessary. 

Dr Bruce Redman summed it up best during the lecture with his 3 tips:

1) Always check your facts 

2) Assume NOTHING!
and my favourite
3) Expect Whistleblowers to be / go crazy

With the next generation of journalists being very computer/internet-saavy, there is a threat of investigative journalism loosing its credibility. When asked to research something, most people from my generation head straight to wikipedia or google. But the real story lies out in the world, where it occurred. It's time to bring back one-on-one interviews, observation and analysing documents.

So what is the future of investigative journalism? Hold on, let me go see what google says...

The stellar Stella sisters

Feeling down? Need a pick-me-up? Is your day in need of some 'brightening'? 


Well then look no further because I've got the video for you!

Lennon and Maisy Stella, 12 and 8 year old hipster sisters, are this week's latest internet sensation with their a cappella cover of 'Call Your Girlfriend', originally by Swedish pop star Robyn. Armed with just two old margarine containers and a couple of microphones yet the result is simply amazing. The girls blend their sweet, astonishingly raw voices with big sister Lennon is the main vocalist, while little sister Maisy provides the harmonies. To put that into perspective: even adult singers struggle with harmonies, so the fact that an 8-year-old has mastered them is pretty impressive.


I discovered the video on Friday night, when it had a respectable 20 000 views. 2 days later and it's almost reached 2 million! THE POWER OF THE INTERNET. 


Whilst I am usually not fazed by all the different singers that post videos on youtube, these two girls really struck a chord in me. But it wasn't just their unique voices, their undeniable talent but their obvious enthusiasm and love for what they're doing. You can genuinely see that they love what they're doing, that they're just having a good time singing together and don't really mind if people watch or don't watch their videos. 


Naturally, as with many people discovered on the internet, thousands of users have petitioned Ellen Degeneres to have the duo on her show so they can showcase their talent further. 


Whilst i know that would be a huge opportunity for the girls, I just hope it isn't another Greyson Chance fiasco, where we saw another young kid with huge potential be discovered after singing Lady Gaga's Paparazzi at a school talent show, then kind of fade into oblivion after only weeks in the spotlight.

These girls have real potential and I'd love to see them go far :)

Assessment 3: Annotated Bibliography

‘It is true that sources are needed for breaking news but at the same time their privacy should also be respected and safeguarded and should not be taken for granted by the media’ (Weaver, D. H., 1998).  Nowadays, with the line so blurred between public journalism and simple epistemology most commentators believe the idea of a journalistic code of ethics is simply an oxymoron. The notion of how relevant ethics and objectivity are within journalism is a constant topic for discussion. This annotated bibliography will explore this issue through the use of recent news articles surrounding the News International phone-hacking scandal. The mediums analysed convey similar and contrasting opinions on the event which allows for credibility to be built and the audience to be critically engaged. 

Weaver, D. H. Journalists around the world: Commonalities and differences (1998). In D. H. Weaver (Ed.), The global journalist: News people around the world (pp. 1–22). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton.

Notable Profess

or David H. Weaver is currently a Roy W. Howard Research Professor at the Bloomington School of Journalism and calls upon more than 20 years of experience in his analysis of the Universal Theory. Weaver indicates the vast amount of universal traits which work as a verbalization of a ‘‘shared occupational ideology among newsworkers” (Weaver, 1998, 2) (i.e. to provide a public service, be impartial, objective and credible, and independent in their work; to have a sense of immediacy, actuality, and speed, sense of ethics, validity, and legitimacy). When investigating variations of professional practices of journalists, Weaver discloses a selection of concepts, such as journalistic culture, news culture and news production culture, which, he argues, are all widely implemented and serve various functions; they “capture the cultural diversity of journalistic values and practices, and suggest an all-encompassing consensus among journalists toward a common understanding and cultural identity of journalism” (Weaver, 1998, 2). Though Weaver’s approach does implement fairly diverse scholarly discourses whilst referencing an array of secondary sources to reiterate its arguments, it unsuccessfully outlines the concept of an overlap between codes of ethics in relation to the social function of journalism – particularly referring to the principle that ‘the greater good’ triumphs over objectivity; essentially, that the ethics of journalism isn’t a black and white concept. With the assertion of a ‘journalist group identity’, ‘essential shared values’, and ‘collective conscience for the profession’ Weaver’s analysis of the Universal Theory fails to tackle the conflicting ideas and values present during cross-culture inspections. However, Weaver’s basis of ‘Universal Theory’ does provide a general understanding of the principal role that ethics and objectivity play in journalism. 

Bunting, M. (2012, May 14). Phone-hacking scandal outrages human decency. The Guardian. Retrieved from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/14/phone-hacking-scandal-ethics 

Madeline Bunting, the author of this piece, brings an experienced perspective to the matter of human decency with respect to the News International phone-hacking scandal. Bunting begins by explaining how initially the scandal was a story about power and its abuse; but as more time has passed it has become increasingly clear that it is no longer “just a story about the rich and powerful, but a scandal of how news is gathered” by journalists. The author expresses that the story has come to interest so many because it is “no longer an abstract tale with little relevance” to the public’s lives but one where average families were “deprived of the privacy that would be regarded as sacrosanct by most people”. Beginning with an analysis of the scandal and the events that have led to the present-day trial, Bunting suggests that the hacking scandal has been subtly yet powerfully reframed; what was once a story about abuse of power is now about something even more fundamental: an outrage to human decency, which is ultimately a question of ethics. Bunting then uses, with great effect, past events such as the parliamentary expenses scandal of 2009 and the banking crisis of 2008 which have also seen the public questioning the standards by which others around them live. The author concludes with the potential implications that will arise as a result of the lack of trust people now have for journalists and how this has led to an intensifying cynicism. 

The Stationery Office (2012, February 16). The Future of Investigative Journalism. House of Lords: Select Committee on Communication, p.74. Retrieved from: http://books.google.com.au/books?id=tej2BZQ3yIUC&pg=PA78&dq=phone+hacking+scandal&hl=en&sa=X&ei=j3G7T5mzMvHJmQX46pWgCQ&ved=0CG0Q6AEwCg#v=onepage&q=phone%20hacking%20scandal&f=false 

The source is a report from the parliament of Great Britain’s House of Lords and allows for the phone-hacking scandal to be analysed from a political sense. The report is primarily focused on the idea of investigative journalism and the ethics behind it.  The source then draws upon the phone-hacking scandal as an example to illustrate what the likely future is for the trade. The report expresses a biased opinion which indicates an overall positive mentality about the idea of investigative journalism and claims is it ‘vital for a healthy democracy’. The source proposes that it ‘acts as a watchdog, holding those in positions of authority to account by exposing wrong doings, standing up for public interest and where, where appropriate, campaigning for reform . The report then mentions that the phone-hacking scandal has caused friction within the journalism community and now questions are being rasied about the unlawful methods of gathering and intercepting information. As the source is a parliamentary legal document, it promises that the scandal will be investigated thoroughly by the relevant judge-led inquiry. The report identifies the urgent questions being raised regarding how, in a changing media landscape, it may be possible for journalists to harness the power of new technologies in order to complement traditional media. The author refers to this as a ‘healthy journalistic culture’ and cites the Freedom of Information Act. The report concludes by inviting the public to offer their views on the issues of the changing media landscape, the role of investigative journalism and the value of investigative journalism. 

Rogers, T. (2012, May 16). Phone-hacking scandal stirs debate in Britain: Is journalism a profession? About.com. Retrieved from: http://journalism.about.com/od/ethicsprofessionalism/a/Phone-Hacking-Scandal-Stirs-Debate-In-Britain-Is-Journalism-A-Profession.htm 

The author is noted for his 25 years in the journalism industry, having previously worked as a reporter, editor and journalism professor. His vast experience lends credibility to his analysis of the current debate regarding the ethics and values of journalism. Rogers approach to the issue is to evaluate the current journalistic climate in America and Britain whereby comparing the different values journalists of each nation uphold. Beginning with an overview of the current state of the phone-hacking scandal, Rogers quotes The Daily Telegraph’s Toby Harden and The Financial Times’ Robert Shrimsley who both agree that British journalism is in another league compared to American journalism. Rogers agrees with his US counterparts, saying that British journalism is full of ‘grubby, disreputable misfits and awkward malcontents who delight in upsetting people’. The author continues by mentioning the general consensus amongst American journalists who believe that they are ‘more accurate, more comprehensive and more serious’ than their British peers.  Though Rogers admits that journalistic misdeeds have also occurred in America, referring to the Jayson Blair plagiarism scandal, the author concludes by condemning British journalists for their refusal to adopt the kinds of standards found in other professions. A continuous refusal to do so will, in the authors opinion, lead to the industry becoming completely corrupt and criminal. 

Constructing Reality for Dummies (Lecture 11)

As Dr Bruce Redman, my JOUR1111 lecturer, said 'Agenda Setting is a theory, but like all good, solid theories is all a bit obvious really!'

 

Media has progressed rapidly over the past few decades. Gone are the days when there was 1 newspaper, 1 radio show and 1 evening news tv program. Nowadays, news stories can be posted online within seconds of an event occurring, radio shows are recorded then released as podcasts and there are various news programs on television which cater to different groups in society.  

Due to the progression of media and the heightened access different portals have into our lives many people believe that our privacy is at risk and we are essentially 'controlled' by the media. 

A common belief is that the media plays with our mind to make us think that a certain person is who we want to be. Through this, they play with our thoughts and influences us. The perfect example is teenagers. Teenagers are easily influenced and the media knows this. Therefore, by targeting a product or story at teenagers, the media can guarantee huge coverage. 

It is thought that we underestimate how much the media really affects us. The way we talk, dress, act, and think is all affected by the media.  The media constantly portray a certain kind of person: althetic, wealthy and good-looking. Because of this, people then spend and spend in the hope that they will live this 'perfect' life portrayed by the media.

Its interesting to note media outlets also own other media companies. Time Warner, for example, is a great franchise in the media industry, it owns several newspapers and magazines, so it can portray the same ideology without people even realising they are buying products from the same organisation.

How many people have ever turned on the news and found that each news program is presenting the same stories? Its because  of agenda setting.  Agenda setting is 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.



The media is well aware of the extensive power it has over consumers. However, I just hope they know that with great power comes great responsibility. 

News Values (Lecture 9)

News values are one of the most opaque structures of meaning in modern society ... Journalists speak of “the news” as if events select themselves ... Yet of the millions of events which occur daily in the world, only a tiny proportion ever become visible as “potential news stories”: and of this proportion, only a small fraction are actually produced as the day’s news  - Stuart Hall

or in simpler terms

News is what a chap who doesn't care much about anything wants to read. And it's only news until he's read it. After

that it's dead - Evelyn Waugh 

The lecture this week was all about News Values: what they are, 

what they do and why they're important. 

There are four common elements of News Values which are: 

1. IMPACT - A news story that can shock the reader
2. AUDIENCE IDENTIFICATION - New stories that can relate to the current world events

3. PRAGMATICS - ethics - facticity - practice/practical - current affairs - everyday

4. SOURCE INFLUENCE - Public relations

As we've learned over this past semester we, as journalists, will often have to deal with the concept of 'newsworthiness'. There is a list of five factors which are considered when deciding if a story is newsworthy. They are: timing, significance, proximity, prominence and the ever important human interest. The news survives on readership and viewership, so in order for news stories to be considered successful they must sustain an audience. 

Whilst news values vary across different news services and different countries/cultures, they can best be described with the help of the following image:

News Values - at work

So what role do we, as journalists, play in the preservation of news values? Some quotes to help explain:

Journalists do not adhere to formal codes of newsworthiness that can be identified or promulgated ... instead, the informal code of what constitutes a good story is part of newsroom initiation and socialisation - Judy McGregor

Journalists rely on instinct rather than logic” when it comes to the defining a sense of news values - John Sergeant  

A sense of news values” is the first quality of editors – they are the “human sieves of the torrent of news”, even more important even than an ability to write or a command of language - Harold Evans 

So what is the future of news values? Will the values of today differ to the values of tomorrow? And will the standards that adhere to newsworthiness decline or rise?

As the future of journalism I guess it's up to us to decide! 

Factual Storytelling Exercise

Family Affairs 

On Saturday the 24th of March, 2012, John-Paul Langbroek had quite a cause for celebration. His political party, the Liberal-National Party, had just defeated Anna Bligh and her Labor government at the state election, winning a record majority of 78 out of 89 seats. John-Paul himself even snared the most voter support of all the candidates, with 72.93% of the votes in his Surfers Paradise seat. This was quite an incredible feat for a relative newcomer to state politics and for a man who 51 years earlier had begun life in the small Dutch town of Assen, 15 000 kilometres away from what would later become his electorate.

John-Paul was less than a year old when his parents decided that in order for their family to attain the best possible life, they would have to leave the Netherlands and migrate to another country. Both John-Paul and his mother found it very difficult to adjust to the harsh Dutch winter so they chose Australia, a country with a much warmer climate. Joined by hundreds of others, John-Paul and his parents began the long journey from Rotterdam to Brisbane, trapped inside a ship that promised a brighter future when they finally stepped off 6 weeks later.  

John-Paul’s early childhood is a blur of relocating from country to country, from America to Papua New Guinea and then back to Australia, due to his father’s profession as a teacher and both his parents’ roles as missionaries in the religion of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. John-Paul’s parents had met at bible college and continued practicing the faith once they were married. They then chose to raise John-Paul and his younger sister, Kate, by its autocratic principles. Growing up, John-Paul never questioned the religion and the values it upheld. However, like most teenagers during adolescence he began to question whether some of the teachings that had been instilled within him from childhood were really as absolute as he had once believed.  

These concerns only continued to increase as John-Paul completed high school and began his university education, studying to become a dentist. It was at the University of Queensland School of Dentistry where he would meet Stacey Smith, the woman who would later become his wife and mother of his 3 children. The two had met in 1982 when she was paired with him for training purposes. She was the (slightly) older, quick-witted dental assistant and he was the (slightly) nerdy, determined dentist. Although she was in a relationship at the time of their initial meeting, some months later they realised that they belonged together. 

However, their relationship was not without its challenges. The guidelines of the religion meant that John-Paul was supposed to marry from within the church of Jehovah’s Witnesses. When it became clear that John-Paul was going to have to deny his love for Stacey he made a decision that was undoubtedly going to change his life forever. At 22 years old, John-Paul and his parents boarded a plane from Brisbane that was going to take them to the Jehovah’s Witness headquarters in New York. John-Paul had recently graduated from the University of Queensland with an honours degree in Dental Science and had told his parents that the move to New York was so that he could begin his life as a missionary for the religion. However, in the lobby of the headquarters, John-Paul informed his parents that he was abandoning the religion and moving to London to live and work as a dentist. Leaving his stunned parents in New York and flying half way across the world to London to begin life as an independent 22-year-old was the biggest decision John-Paul ever made; and it changed his life forever.  

Six months later, Stacey joined John-Paul in England and the two lived happily in a townhouse with another couple. Whilst their weekends were often disrupted by the knocking of Jehovah’s Witness missionaries, sent on behalf of John-Paul’s parents, the couple managed to live a simple and happy life. All was forgiven within the Langbroek family by the time of John-Paul and Stacey’s wedding on January 3rd, 1986. For 20 years afterwards John-Paul practiced as a dentist and worked in a small but successful Surfers Paradise practice, which he owned and operated with Stacey.  

In 1999, on the advice of a friend at a cocktail party John-Paul joined the Queensland Liberal Party and the love affair with politics began. Though John-Paul ran and lost in the 2001 Surfers Paradise by-election, by 2004 he had accumulated mass support. Throughout the campaign, John Paul worked tirelessly to prove to the people of the electorate that he would represent them better than their current member, one-term independent MP Lex Bell. Luckily, all the hard work paid off. John-Paul won the seat of Surfers Paradise and started his life over again – this time in a political sense.  

John-Paul Langbroek is the Member for Surfers Paradise.  

John-Paul Langbroek is the Minister for Education, Training and Employment.  

John-Paul Langbroek is my father.  

To me, he is the epitome of strength, courage and resilience. His story is one that displays each of these characteristics in their best sense and that is why I feel that it is a story worth sharing.