A story with a positive agenda

 

All human beings have their own agendas.  Journalists are human, too, and their articles always display their agendas - whether this is consciously or unconsciously intended.  

Take an article published in The Townsville Bulletin on Tuesday, March 5, 2013, (p. 5) headed "Genetic test for babies is due". 

Written by Sue Dunlevy and Jane Armistead, this piece begins with the following paragraph: "Parents will be able to learn all their newborn baby's potential health risks from a genomic test conducted at birth within the next five years". Apart from the implication from the headline that the genetic test is awaited keenly, there is little so far to indicate in what direction the writers of the article are going to take us.

The agenda of this article begins to become evident, however, in the quoted views of an expectant Townsville first-time mother (26) who says she would welcome the chance to take advantage of genomic testing for her child.  The agenda is further developed via the reported prediction by "genetic expert" for the Royal College of Pathologists, Professor Graeme Suthers, that the sequencing of the six billion neucleoids of individual human beings will be available for under $1,000 within three to five years.

Further expansion of the agenda occurs in the statement that, with early awareness of gene mutations, patients will be not only fore-warned of their susceptibilities but will also be advised of appropriate preventative health measures to deal with them.  The article also cites the view of Garvan Institute chief, Professor John Mattick, that this information could be advantageously attached to individual e-health records - presumably for efficient access by other health professionals dealing with individual patients.

The important thing to note here is that, although there is mention of some concern on the part of the expectant mother that early knowledge could make parents unnecessarily anxious about their children's future, this article appears to be largely supportive of the merits of genomic testing.  This is evident in the highlighting of the advantages of this remarkable new technology: the ability to foretell potential future problems, the relatively low financial cost entailed in doing so, and the associated benefits for future health service provision via efficient preventative strategies and the inclusion of genomic information on e-health records.

This article does not, however, mention the counter arguments which have been raised by ethicists and others including the great risk of unwarranted invasion of confidential, sensitive, patient information by a vast array of people including: anyone using e-health records; insurance companies, prospective employers, and "enemies" who have a vested interest in knowing about possible future scenarios; and patients themselves who may experience very mixed feelings about facing negative information about a sometimes distant future.  These, and other, arguments provide a basis for an alternative, and equally legitimate, story.

In Praise of Brevity

For this writer, getting to the nub of things in a complex issue is a challenge. I need inspiration.  Perhaps I should pin the photos of two wise men above my computer. 

 Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill

In August 1940, when Britain was struggling through the Battle of Britain and was about to confront the Blitz, Churchill, the then Prime Minister, issued a memorandum to his War Cabinet in which he stressed the need for brevity.   He said:

To do our work, we all have to read a mass of papers. Nearly all of them are far too long. This wastes time, while energy has to be spent in looking for the essential points." - W.S.C.


William Shakespeare















Many years before (in 1599 to be precise), Shakespeare used Polonius, a normally garrulous character, to make the same point when speaking to the King and Queen about Hamlet's difficulties:

Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief.  Your noble son is mad.                  

Hamlet Act 2, scene 2

Enough said.

 

The Media Reforms - a news story powered by media values

A great cartoon by Bill Leak in The Weekend Australian 16/17 March, 2013

 

The escalation and decline of the recent, highly contentious, media reforms proposed by Senator Conroy in mid March, 2013, presented us with the lifespan of a classic “newsworthy” story.
 

In terms of Golding’s and Elliot’s News values (1979), the story gave us:

·         Drama (alarm that these "reforms" could destroy the freedom of the press and could drop the merger and acquisition limitations currently in place),

·         Visual attractiveness (think of the pictures of news Limited CEO Kim Wilkins being grilled in the Senate enquiry),

·         Entertainment (everyone likes a fight between powerful protagonists – in this case media empires and the Commonwealth Government),

·         Importance (no-one would deny that this story was of major importance to news businesses, the government and the public),

·         Size (the story was prominent in all news media for nearly two weeks),

·         Proximity (it had significance to everyone),

·         Negativity (the proposed reforms were presented as being unreservedly negative in their effects),

·         Brevity (although there were six bills proposed, the major import of the reforms was boiled down to unwelcome government regulation and potential control of the media - especially in a contentious matter - by a Public Interest Media Advocate),

·         Recency (there were multiple exclusives and scoops engineered by the various parties),

·         Elites (what could be more elite that the Commonwealth Government and powerful news interprises?), and

·         Personalities (especially various high profilte members of the Commonwealth Government, the Independents and the CEO’s of News Ltd., Seven West and Fairfax Media).

Of course, it would be naïve to think that the media have fought against the proposed legislation (and particularly the regulatory aspect) purely because of their concern for the public interest.  They have a strong vested interest in maintaining their independence which is quite separate from the democratic advantages their position may bring for the community generally.

 It has been argued by Ben Goldsmith (http://theconversation.com/why-new-media-reforms-are-bad-news-for-australian-content-12953) that the two pieces of legislation that were able to progress through the House of Representatives on Tuesday, 19^th March, were not entirely antithetical to the interests of the media barons.  Goldsmith notes, for example, that The Television Licence Fees Amendment Bill 2013 will actually reduce the amount that free-to-air stations need to pay for their licences, while The Broadcasting Legislation  Amendment (Convergence Review and Other Measures) Bill 2013 has the capacity to lessen,  rather than to increase, Australian content through the re-broadcasting of old Australian content and the broadcasting of new Australian material on the multi-media channels owned by individual media companies.

 
The demise of the media reforms story (for the time being anyway) is testament to the strength of the next major story to hit the media – the leadership tussle within the Parliamentary Labour Party.  The newer story (which has now, itself, been largely overtaken by subsequent events) wiped the story of the media reforms off the front pages of the newspapers and the headlines of the online news overnight - partially because the media reforms had run their course but largely because the Labour Party drama was  a powerful new force driven by the very same values as the preceding story.

 

A Critique of a Current News Story

The Weekend Australian, March 23-24, 2013, presents a short but evocative story about a young man, Christopher Drake, who was drowned in the sea off Sydney’s northern beaches earlier this week.

In terms of the “inverted pyramid” used by journalists, the creator of this article, Trent Dalton, creates maximum impact by writing in his initial paragraph:

Monstrous waves of ocean, crippling wave of emotion: the friends and family of Christopher Drake endured both this week as his lifeless body was pushed and pulled for four agonising days by a cruel sea off Sydney’s northern beaches. (The Nation, p. 3).

In his introduction, Dalton has used the six questions which will unlock any story – who, what, where, when, why and how. He has not given us the finer details (they come later) but he has certainly got us hooked and keen to read more. 

Later in the story, Trent Dalton further involves us by including an alleged report that Christopher Drake may have been attempting to help two girls trapped in the same violent rock pool as himself.  The use of an appealing “boy next door” image (see L.) and the loving comments of his parents and friends also engage our interest and our sympathy.   

This is not, however, an entirely adulatory article and balance is provided by the comments of the life savers who have revealed that the beach was closed on that particular day due to appalling conditions and that the swimmer may, himself, have been sky-larking and participating in a dangerous practice known as “chain surfing”.  These details help us to see that an intelligent, likeable young man may  have been instrumental in his own demise by participating in highly risky behavour.

If I have one criticism about this otherwise excellent article, it is the headline.  Surely, “Friends and family mourn a fit, smiling hero taken early by wild waves in his river of life” is too long and also, perhaps, not entirely honest given that the term “hero” implies proven, purely altruistic, motives.   I believe that a headline such as “Fit young man taken by wild waves” would be pithier - and perhaps fairer in view of the as yet unanswered questions contained in this tragic story. 

Convergence Culture - Should we Welcome or Fear It?

Think of the discovery of the properties of the wheel, the invention of the printing press, the coming of the Industrial Revolution.  Human history is marked by world altering events – all of them bringing enormous opportunities but also carrying with them distinct threats to the established order.

Media “convergence” belongs to this group of world altering events.  Just as the coming of the digital age not so very long ago threatened the old domination of newspapers, radio and television in the media world, so the “convergence” of a multitude of new media forms and platforms is  moving us, inexorably, to a world community which may well be almost unrecognizable to those of us grappling with the adjustments of the present.

The term “convergence” in other contexts conveys a seamless flowing together of different streams but the same word, when used in the media context, carries with it a quality of “clash” between old and new technologies and between old and new user environments. This is a reflection of the speed with which technological change (particularly in the world of communication) is happening and the difficulties it poses for those users of modern technology who are struggling to keep up.

While the new "convergence" world is doing much to open up communications within our world, not all about this new world is rosey. Perhaps most importantly, the economic and other advantages of the new “convergence” age are completely unknown to the very large proportion of the world’s population who live and die in abject poverty.  Secondly, a significant proportion of the privileged group who are actually exposed to this new multi-platform digital world are effectively dis-enfranchised by their inability to access it effectively. Thirdly, the quality of journalism per se may well be reduced by the profit motive increasingly driving the convergent media. 

Given that the media in all their forms make a very substantial contribution to the world in which we live, what will be the social effects of the phenomenon of convergence in the world of tomorrow?   Humanity in the past has come to grips with amazing new discoveries but the early twenty first century places us in a different situation because our times are presenting us with change at a rate that is both dizzyingly fast and extremely complex.  Whether humanity as a whole will rise to its new circumstances and survive its own creations with its social institutions intact remains a worrying but tantalizing question for the future. 

Meditations on the public/private media debate

It is generally accepted that the principal driver of the commercial media is profit whereas that of the public media is the public good. 

Have you ever been assaulted by the barrage of advertising falling out of our own Townsville Daily Bulletin or infuriated by the imposition of advertisements in the midst of a favourite commmercial T.V. program?  These experiences leave us in little doubt that the almighty dollar has a very important role in ensuring the viability of the commercial media while the standard of content comes a distant second.  But the ABC and SBS, which are largely publicly funded, are different.  One has only to listen to them and to watch their T.V. programs to realize that, on the whole, these are far more committed to the provision of high quality information, education and entertainment than their commercial siblings.

Certainly, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that commercial media are primarily businesses committed to making a profit whereas public media, which are not regarded as being beholden to particular special interests (eg. advertisers), contribute in a more meaningful and universal way to a diversified, robust, democracy.

But wait.  Are things really quite as simple as this? 

Can it not be argued that commercial media are controlled, ultimately, by their “consumers” who can (and do) determine the effectiveness of advertising campaigns by their decisions to buy newspapers, listen to commercial radio or remain switched on to commercial T.V. channels?  Or, put another way, commercial media must meet the perceived needs of their audience if they are to be attractive to prospective advertisers whose only interest is in selling their goods and services.  Commercial media audiences base their selections of preferred programmes entirely on their own interests and it is their democratic right to do so. 

And is there not also an argument that, while public media may be largely free of dependence on advertising, they not entirely free of influence from other quarters?  Perhaps the most significant of these is, ironically, the very body that sustains the media’s public sector in the first place – the Commonwealth Government.  It would be a brave government that would decide to suspend funding of public media entirely but the pressures of our cash strapped economy are inevitably affecting the public medias’ slice of the budget pie and these pressures, together with the targeted nature of the funds these days, must undoubtedly affect public programming priorities.

It can be seen, therefore, that it may not be entirely wise to take a simplistic approach to the merits and disadvantages of commercial and public media.  Perhaps a better conclusion may be that each type fulfils a specific role within our capitalist but democratic society.   

 

Windfall or Heist?

 

Jack Simpson’s story that he was pursued to his back yard on the 8^th March by a furious ogre seeking a bag of gold coins has met with widespread scepticism in the Dry Gully community.  This doubt has been further fanned by Mr Simpson’s statement that the ogre used an enormous beanstalk to make his entry to the property.

Mr Simpson maintains that he acquired the bag earlier when he climbed the beanstalk to the ogre’s castle and was presented with the cache of gold coins by the ogre’s wife.  He claims that this was a legitimate gift and not the proceedings of a theft.

 When asked to explain the lack of evidence of a beanstalk in the back yard of his mother’s home, Mr Simpson states that the ogre’s weight was such that he fell to the ground, killing himself and bringing the fragile vine with him.  Mr Simpson claims that he immediately fed the remains of the beanstalk into his mulcher.

A local bank manager, Mr Hercules Walker, has confirmed that Mr Simpson brought into his bank an extremely valuable collection of golden coins on the afternoon of 8^th March, 2013, but neighbours continue doubtful of the story of how it was acquired.  Mr Peter Zendow, a fellow resident of Dry Gully Creek, says that he is very doubtful that there ever was a beanstalk or, indeed, an ogre and that the golden coins were probably the proceeds of a brazen theft.

Mr Simpson is being held in the Townsville Watch House pending committal proceedings.  Police believe that the absence of a beanstalk in Mr Simpson's back yard creates a strong case for an as-yet-undiscovered robbery from a domestic safe or a bank.

One day - two polls.

On Saturday, 9^th March, a State election will be conducted in Western Australia while in Queensland four local government authorities will decide whether or not they will remain in amalgamated councils.  What will the outcomes be? To explore this further we shall briefly review the run-up to the W.A. election and the debate about de-amalgamation in Noosa on the Queensland Sunshine Coast.

In Western Australia, Liberal Premier, Colin Barnett, trumpets the economic credentials of his government and staunchly defends the spending of very substantial funds on rail infrastructure in Perth on the grounds that this is an essential development in a city undergoing rapid growth.  He refers proudly to W.A.’s position as the premier exporting state of the Commonwealth and he talks up the continuing solid performances of local commodities (especially iron ore) despite some recent fluctuations. (1)

In the face of Colin Barnett’s claims and in the light of associations inevitably drawn between the State Labour Party of W.A. and the beleagured Federal Government, it is not easy for Mark McGowan, the leader of W.A.’s Labour opposition, to establish his party’s own economic credentials.   Labour’s efforts to scare the community into avoiding a conservative government by focussing on the personal failings of the current Treasurer, Troy Buswell, seem at best flimsy and at worst misleading given that these short- comings have nothing to do with his economic management capabilities. (2)

Meanwhile, on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, the people of Noosa are poised to decide the future profile of their local government body.  Will it be the current Sunshine Coast Regional Council (which arose from the amalgamation, in 2008, of the Noosa, Maroochy and Caloundra Shire Councils) or will it be a reconstituted Noosa Shire Council?

It would seem, from a brief glimpse of the local newspapers, that the “no” case (against de-amalgamation) hinges largely on the stated economic advantages of maintaining the status quo and contining to participate in a strong regional authority.  In particular, it is claimed that a combined body representing a larger area is better able to lobby the State and Federal governments for funds and recognition than a small local government authority.  M.P. Peter Slipper, who has had many years of experience as a Federal Member in the Sunshine Coast area, is very much of this view. (3) 

The proponents of the “yes” case, however, take a very different view.  Noel Playford, a former Noosa mayor and head of the “yes” campaign, has said that a new Noosa Council would be much more responsive to its local community and would have several advantages - “local decision making, better representation, genuine community input into council decision making, maintaining the character of Noosa that supports our local economy, higher capital spending on infrastructure, and lower rates". (4)  It would certainly seem that, while he has not entirely ignored economic factors, he has been much more cognizant than his opposition of the importance of community engagement and participation.

So which sides will win?  In the case of the West Australia election, it seems highly probable to this writer that a Liberal led government will emerge victorious.  Not because the Labour opposition hasn't a great deal to offer but because electors in Western Australia are primarily concerned, at least this time around, with ensuring strong economic management at the State Government level.  In Noosa, however, the promise of closer links with, and direct participation in, local government may well trump the economic advantages of staying with the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and will probably ensure a victory for de-amalgamation.  

1.        http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/am-with-tim-palmer/4559870

2.       http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2013/s3709814.htm

3.       http://viewnews.com.au/sunshine-coast/2013/slipper-weighs-into-the-de-amalgamation-debate-456110/

4.       http://www.noosanews.com.au/news/vote-for-future-noosa-deamalgamation/1783035/

 

Will Fairfax Survive?

On Monday, 4^th March, 2013, two venerable Australian newspapers – The Melbourne Age (first published in 1854) and The Sydney Morning Herald (first published in 1831) - hit the streets in a new form.  As tabloids rather than broadsheets.

Shocking as this development has been for many rusted-on readers of these iconic Australian papers, there is nothing particularly new about this development.  In the U.K., The Independent ceased being a broadsheet in May, 2004, with the august Times and The Guardian following suit in 2005.  Here in Australia, most local newspapers (especially those in the News Limited stable) have taken the same path, driven largely by the economic imperative of maintaining their existence in a world increasingly dominated by electronic media. 

The problem for the Fairfax empire, which owns The Age and The S.M.H., has been the tension between its desire to maintain a respected intellectual presence within the Australian print media and its declining readerships and sliding advertising revenues.  Jonathon Holmes (“Media Watch”, ABC, Monday 4^th March, 2013) highlighted the problem when he revealed the 14.5% drop in weekday sales of The Age and The S.M.H. over the twelve months to December, 2012. 

Fairfax has certainly worked hard to sell its decision to a somewhat sceptical public.  The S.M.H. Editor-in-Chief, Sean Aylmer, has stated that the move to the “compact” format has been prompted by readers’ wishes for a more easily portable version of the newspaper and he has been quick to reassure the community that the standard of journalism in the new format will not change.  Whether this is a realistic prediction, however, remains to be seen.  The recent whole-sale sackings of hundreds of Fairfax staff, including many of its journalists, certainly leave room for doubt.

It has been argued that, irrespective of the fate of Fairfax's printed media (and some have predicted the demise of newspapers in general within five years), its presentation of news on other, less expensive, platforms will continue to earn the support and engagement of a public that is loyal and increasingly technologically savvy.  Time alone will tell if this argument is correct.  What is very clear, however, is that if good journalism is not maintained, neither the printed nor the electronic forms of the quality Fairfax news vehicles we know today will survive.

JCU nurtures future journalists.

JN1001 Class 27.2.2013

 Introduction.  For students dipping their toes into the mysteries of journalism, Wednesday, 27^th February, 2013, was a watershed day.  It marked their first exposure to the subject, “The Journalist in Society” (JN1001).

The two hour lecture period proved to be an engaging and informative time with signs of positive links between the lecturer, Marie M’Balla-Ndi, and her students becoming evident within minutes, and with the beginnings of a feeling of cohesion clearly developing within the class.  How was this achieved?

Ms Marie M'Balla-Ndi

Engagement and respect.  In her opening remarks, Marie introduced herself and her subject in a warm, inclusive way that soon engaged the class.  Infectiously enthusiastic, she shared some of her own story, describing something of her background, her experience as a foreign correspondent at home and overseas, and her studies in journalism at the University of Queensland.  Her openness, together with her technique of asking questions of the class members and listening carefully to their responses, clearly re-forced her statement that she regarded her students as junior colleagues whose input was valued and respected.     

Commitment.  Marie is obviously committed to the success of her course.  This was reflected in her careful preparation which helped to ensure that her students’ all-important first experience of JN1001 was manageable and enjoyable for them.   It was also indicated in her measured presentation of the course outline and her clear explanation of the mechanisms of student assessment which reinforced the information previously made available on the learn JCU website. 

Clear guidelines.  While Marie clearly made every effort to reduce, as much as possible, initial feelings of student anxiety, she set boundaries around her position as the lecturer and tutor which will not only preserve her from burn-out but will also encourage JN1001 students to take responsibility for their own learning.  By explaining, for example, the ground rules of participation in her subject she made it clear that students were expected to meet the requirements of the course and to consult her, if required, at times set aside for the purpose.  She also made it abundantly clear that non-attendance at tutorials would be noted.

Planned Structure and content.  The first hour was structured, varied and informative.  As an introduction, different perceptions of journalists and journalism were explored while a brief overview of the different types of journalistic approach - Industrial/Professional, Academic and Societal – gave a taste of the breadth of the profession.  Overhead projections of images of different types of journalists illustrated, with humour, the many shapes journalists can take, and a series of quotes from well-known journalists backed this point up even further.  The first hour finished with the involvement of the students in a brief survey about their use of media – an exercise which not only tapped into the students’ own experiences but which also carried a direct function within the context of the first assignment.

Opportunity for relevant practice.  After a welcome 10 minute break, the students returned for a second hour of exposure to JN001.  Probably no student in the class would have thought, when entering the lecture room at 8 a.m., that they would be capable of undertaking some direct practice in interviewing by 9 a.m. but such was the confidence they had gained that each was able to undertake a short three minute interview, to write it up, and to report on it to the class. 

Conclusion:    The clear interest and involvement of students in “The Journalist in Society” is a tribute to the elements of student inclusion and careful design built into the course by lecturer, Marie M’Balla-Ndi.  With her leadership, the course should provide an excellent springboard for students beginning to explore the meaning and practice of journalism.

Anne Atkinson 3rd March, 2013

The First Big Step

2nd March, 2013

 

“Procrastination is the thief of time.”  Who said that?  Someone plunging into the world of blogs for the first time, I suspect.  Well, there’s no point in dilly-dallying.  The time has come to pitch myself into the enticing, if slightly forbidding, waters of JN1001.

Perhaps a good place to start this adventure might be to tell you a bit about why I’m embarking on “The Journalist in Society.”  

Firstly, I’m interested!  For too long now I’ve grumbled about the media that I do access (newspapers, TV news, and the internet) without having much understanding of what underpins them.  And what is this discipline of journalism anyway?  How can I use it to enhance the quality of my own life and to progress the quality of life of others?

Secondly, I want to try and conquer some new skills.  I can’t watch my four year old grandson effortlessly migrating round his iPad any longer.  I’ve got to join the twenty first century!  It would be great to access diverse sources of information and opinion more effectively, to find out about (and use) social media, to write good articles and to make them interesting and intriguing for my readers. 

Thirdly, I want to try and stave off mental decline!  The current wisdom in the journals of gerontology – the study of old age – is that there is no sure way of preventing dementia at this time but there are several “protective strategies” that seem to strengthen the capacity of older people to avoid it.  Keeping socially involved, getting regular exercise, and developing new skills involving new path ways in the brain probably top the list.   JN1001 should fit the bill on all counts!

Fourthly, and perhaps most importantly, I think it might be fun!  How nice it will be to be getting to know a completely new group of people with different life experiences to mine, with different skill bases, with fresh ideas and with that openness to the new that youth often brings.  I hope I can contribute something positive to the mix by bringing to the class some of my past experience but, like everyone else, I guess I’ll need to earn my stripes.