Cows say moo, Journalists say Tweet!

(Week Twelve “New Media”)

This week, the final week of our journalism lectures, was the one and only lecture I have been unable to attend. Being in Australia for the first time for my cousin’s birthday, I prioritised build-a-bear and cake and don’t regret it as the lecture, when I listened to it on lectopia meant more to me than it would have had I attended the lecture myself.

This is because the lecture focused on the importance of new media in the availability of news and the easy access of information via the internet and I was accessing the lecture only days later and I was already able to see it online, both the lecture slides and the audio. The guest lecturer, a blogger, emphasised the importance of tweeting and new media, the type of media we, even as students, can access just like professionals. We are so privileged, in this generation of journalism to be able to present our journalism in the same medium as professionals and have a large audience assess our work. The opportunities blogging presents me with, the opportunities I have not yet taken, shame me on a good day.

This lecture has been an eye opener, and I am more motivated to work on my personal blog which I have been running since I lived in Hawai’i but have been neglecting in favour of my studies. This lecture on new media has reminded me that taking the time and working on my blog will actually help me in my studies as I will be building up my portfolio and trafficking a bigger audience.

PI or Journalism

(Week Eleven “Investigative Journalism”)
                PI: the word often comes to mind accompanied by the Pink Panther theme song, some sneaky movements and definitely some beady eyes. To investigate a story, one has got to become a detective based on the five “in’s” of investigation (much like the five w’s of lead writing). These are:

Intelligent: Research

Informed: Be Knowledgeable

Intuitive: Know what to do

Inside: Get involved, be trusted, be intimate

Invest: Take Risks

Instead of thinking, “That sounds like hard work,” I was confused. Should not all journalism then be investigative journalism? What sets it apart? According to the words of Ross Coulhart, there is not apparent distinction. He claims that “All good journalism should be investigative journalism,” and I must agree. With any story, although the need for in-depth research may be unnecessary, the five in’s must be observed to make sure that the story is being represented accurately. To leave any of these in’s out would be discrediting not only to the story but to the journalist telling the story too. The idea of Investigative journalism offers a critique on modern day media and commercial journalism as when I compare the articles on the depth and the interesting angles presented in investigative journalism like the Global Mail and compare that to the Age or another commercial media,  I am astounded at the remarkable difference where there really should be none.

Because They Can

(Week Ten "Agenda Setting")

As our lecturer quite aptly put, the media sets agendas "because they can" (Redman, 2012). Considering that the media influence not only what the audience is thinking about, on the first level of influence, but also how they should be thinking about it too, on a second level.
Concerning the media setting family, it is actually frightening the amount of control the media has over the minds of the audience. With media gate keeping, the choices of what the media chooses to expose, and with media cutting, the choices of what is not represented in the media, the media has the power to purposefully promote a message, otherwise known as media advocacy.
Which is basically another word for propaganda.
I'm noticing now that an awful lot of how the media is portrayed contributes to propaganda in some way or another. Not everything can be revealed in the media and not every thing hidden, so under what criteria is there a selection on what the audience need to know and what they don't as the power to make these decisions is the power to control the decisions consequently made by the audience.
As a journalist, or anybody responsible for media and communication, the necessity to remain neutral and not become propaganda is a responsibility that must be upheld for the liberal values in democracy to be expressed.
I still cannot see myself being able to make these decisions but for better or for worse, I will have to and hopefully I will make the right choice.
At least, most of the time.