J. Jonah Jameson Quote of the Week:
"I don't pay you to be a sensitive artist; I pay you because for some reason that psycho Spiderman will pose for you!"
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Which type of story would you rather do and why:
a. A 'paper chase' conducted entirely by computer and telephone that takes half the time it would have taken if you had left the office?
b. A 'paper chase' involving visits to half a dozen government offices and in-person interviews that put you under extreme deadline pressure?
I'd choose to take option b as many times as I could, as most of the time, traditional journalism 'field work' makes for better, more authentic and personal stories for the reader, not to mention an improved accuracy rate. I think it also gives the journalist a sense of personal satisfaction and ownership and pride over their work as they have actually gone out of their way and gathered their own information and compiled a story, all for the sake of their readers. However, whilst this would be my preferred option in most cases, I recognise that deadlines are usually very demanding on journalists, and they simply just don't have the time to undertake personal, investigative journalism. So, stuck in the office and glued to technological communication appears to be the cheaper, less time consuming alternative!
2. Would you be willing to pursue a corruption investigation or an investigation into organised crime if it included many unpaid hours of extra work and personal risk?
These 'ethical' questions always require a discussion of the many circumstances, which could be argued 'for' and 'against' the posed situation. For example, it would certainly be a rewarding process for the journalist to have exposed any major illegal activity, which may be occurring in a community, as it could prove to be a solid reputation builder, and earn the respect of many other journalists and media organisations. On the contrary, if the journalist had a family and was trying to make money to put food on the table it wouldn't be an ideal situation in working for many unpaid hours whilst putting his or herself at risk, plus any family members and/or relatives which may be connected. These are just two hypothetical scenarios, which have many problems and solutions. There is so much potential for further 'discussion'.
3. Would you be willing to act together as a unit with competing reporters at a media conference in an effort to get maximum information if it meant giving up your best question, which you had intended to ask privately after the conference?
No. I this case I would rather work independently as I am employed with one particular news organisation/media outlet, and whatever information I get on my own will be what sells the papers. If I worked with other reporters to try and get more info, what inclination would a reader have to buy one publication over another? It comes down to exclusives, the depth of information gathering and sources, as well as reporting style, and in this case I believe I have a duty to be true to my employer to avoid uniformity, and create a story, which will maximise profits!
4. Who really owns government-held information: the government or the people? Why?
Supposedly we the people own it, however the government goes to great lengths to ensure it is increasingly difficult for the general public, journalists and other media to access it, especially if it is critical of any particular political governing body or party. An example in The Daily Miracle details how The Courier Mail sought elusive 1994 ministerial briefing papers from the State Government under FoI. Ministers were so desperate to keep the information away from the media, and hence electors, that the documents were bundled up and flown from Brisbane to Mt. Isa so they could be 'presented' at a Cabinet meeting being held in that remote city (p. 179)
Seems like the old censorship days of a totalitarian government in WW2. But, Australia compares to other countries such as Sweden, the US and Canada as having much tougher rules and regulations when it comes to FoI. But I don't know why!
5. If you were assigned to report on the proceedings of a conference and you had to choose between attending different sessions being conducted at the same time, how would you decide which to attend?
I would use my journalistic instincts and determine which session would be more newsworthy for my particular publication's target audience. Because in the end, it is them who you are writing for!!!
THIS WEEK'S JOURNALISM ISSUE ENTRY:
It is obvious to me, from engaging with these readings, that the nature of journalism is rapidly changing in the 21st century. One would think that technology has helped in most cases, especially with communication, with its high speed sophisticated set-ups. But even with the most high tech-equipment and up to date systems, the technological revolution can be its own worst enemy. Now, this was one theme, which ran through my Extension English course in high school, all of the texts seemed to have a common theme of dissatisfaction and reluctance to the industrial revolution. Mary Shelley predicted it in her acclaimed novel "Frankenstein" and Fritz Lang's famous German Expressionist film "Metropolis" depicted the working class man falling victim to the capitalist machine! Now these are all pro-communist/union ideals, but with this 'quick fix' news mentality filtering into the media's psyche, are we, the audience of the paper for whom the journalist writes, destined for uniformity and mediocre standards from the printers, just because journalists are too 'flat out' to go out investigating and write a real, polished story based on facts which they have themselves gathered? I should certainly hope not!
Rage Against the Machine, one of the greatest musical advocates of justice and human rights of our time, hits the nail on the head when it comes to the society we live in, and the information we are fed by the media and government organisations...and they are right, we've got to "Take the Power Back!"
The present curriculum
I put my fist in 'em
Eurocentric every last one of 'em
See right through the red, white and blue disguise
With lecture I puncture the structure of lies
Installed in our minds and attempting
To hold us back
We've got to take it back
Holes in our spirit causin' tears and fears
One-sided stories for years and years and years
I'm inferior? Who's inferior?
Yeah, we need to check the interior
Of the system that cares about only one culture
And that is why
We gotta take the power back
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