LAST LECTURE EVER!

Can you believe it, the last lecture has come and gone, and what a fun and hilarious class it was! We had a guest speaker come in and explain about his life and how he works online writing pieces, blogging, twittering and so on. His writings are beginning to become recognised by thousands of people around the world and his articles have even been published in large news sites. He was extremely funny and passionate about what he does, he really connected with the audience and made me contemplate about what I wanted to do with myself in the future.

When I was very young, I had always wanted to become a vet, to look after sick animals all the time and feed and love them. Of course, this dream was short lived during my Junior school days and I soon started to write stories. I have a compilation of short stories, mini novels, poems, columns, news articles and more that I had written over the years. I also entered hundreds of public speaking competitions, oratory competitions, news reading competitions and continued to do so since I was in Grade 6. Writing and speaking was and is to this day, my passion. I loved English and have always known that I would do something in Journalism in the future. 

This passion of mine began when I was very young, probably around the age of ten or eleven, and my Grandma gave me my first copy of my Grandpa's published book, Children of the Eagle. It was a fictional story  based around the history of Zimbabwe. My grandma told me that she knew I would follow in his footsteps and do something with my writing and speaking ability. From that day, I couldn't stop writing. I finally realised what my talent was and kept at it until it was time to make the big decision of what to study at University. I had also studied Legal Studies during my time in Grade 12 and was extremely interested in pursuing something to do with law. However, I eventually realised that my passion was and will always be writing and speaking, Journalism was my calling.

When listening to the guest speaker during the lecture, it made me realise that I should never doubt what I have chosen to study and that there are so many possibilities for me in the future with the degree I'm doing. Journalism opens up a world of opportunities for me and I know that one day I will work out my niche within the subject and will work in something that truly makes me happy. Below is a picture of my Grandpa's book, Children of the Eagle.

The Young Designer's Markets

Hey hey everyone! Hope you had a very sunny and relaxing weekend, can't believe we are coming to the end of this course, it's rather sad! I wanted to talk to you all about my experience that I had visiting the Young Designer's Markets last month and how amazing it was. There were so many beautiful items, I was broke by the end of the day! What these markets taught me was that Brisbane is culturally diverse in its products and events, the Young Designer's Markets being a perfect example.

According to Brisbane City Council, “Brisbane is on the cusp of an economic transformation which is bringing unprecedented opportunities to the city.” In recent years, the council has been supporting the new and upcoming festivals and cultural events in an attempt to enrich the city’s cultural background. Such events include; Brisbane Festival, Brisbane International Film Festival, Italian Week and various markets. These markets range from food and farmers markets, to fashion markets and to arts and crafts markets. The Young Designers Markets is the new and upcoming design market. The Young Designers Markets was founded in 2007 and the careers of many aspiring designers have been launched through the opportunities that markets have provided. 

The markets are situated in the heart of city at Little Stanley Street, Southbank. They occur once a month and are open from 10am-4pm. The markets cover a variety of areas such as; fashion, fashion accessories, art, jewellery, home-wares and stationery. One of the conditions of having a stall at the YDM is that all products must be made by the stall owner. It is one of the only markets in Brisbane that allows for up-coming designers to sell their creations in an up-market and successful manner. Brisbane has become the cultural hub of Queensland, with numerous opportunities for the creative persons to showcase their skills to the general public. The support for markets has grown considerably over the years, as they cater for a variety of needs with affordable prices. Below are a few pictures of the products sold at the markets.

Lecture 11 - Investigate Journalism

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      Welcome to the second last lecture EVER! Quite a sad time it is.. in the lecture this week we learnt about the “Ins” of investigative journalism. These included five main elements: Intelligent, Informed, Intuitive, Inside and Invest. The next part that I found very interesting was the deeper definitions and purpose of investigative journalism. Words were defined and a key idea was given for each. These included four main points: 

·     1. Critical and thorough journalism:

·     Critical = the journalist is an active participant

·     Active intervention – the key idea

·     Thorough – journalist makes a substantial effort

·     2. Custodians of conscience:

·     Investigation takes society’s morals and norms and holds breaches up to public scrutiny: in other words, what they call “civic vice” is exposed for society to respond

·     3. To provide a voice for those without one and to hold the powerful to account

·     Social justice – power to the powerless, voice to the voiceless

·     Public Interest – Key idea

·     4. Fourth estate/fourth branch of government/watchdog

·     Fourth estate – journalists represent the interest of those without power to balance the power government

·     Fourth branch of government - Journalists ensure free flows of information necessary for the functioning of democracy by interrogating the judiciary executive and legislature

·    Watchdog – Journalists make accountable public personalities and institutions whose functions Journalists make accountable public personalities and institutions whose functions impact social and political life

·         
      We were then told what shoe leather journalism was, basically it is putting in the hard yards to achieve a story or piece. When it comes to gathering the facts and information for a particular newsworthy story, there are key concepts to understand such as standing back, looking at the big picture, taking nothing for granted and being skeptical not cynical. Some historical trailblazers were then looked at and these included  Edward Hall Smith (The Sydney Monitor 1826) who campaigned against the use of convict labourers, W.T. Stead who was one of the first investigative journalists and was involved with the maiden tribute of modern Babylon campaign 1885. He also raised the age of consent from 12 to 16. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (1872-74) were involved with Watergate. Chris Masters, Phil Dickie and Shaun Hoyt created The Moonlight State which was a 4 corners episode. Finally, there was Julian Assange, the creator of Wikileaks.

·     Each of these trailblazers have something in common, they all changed the world in one way or another.


      Local investigative journalism includes shows and media such as Crikey and Australian Story. We were told within the lecture to always check your facts and assume nothing, to expect whistleblowers to go crazy after they have told a story or facts. There are many types of investigation interaction and these include interviews, observations, documents, briefings, leaks, trespass and theft. In regards to interviewing, there are a numerous interviews conducted with on-the-record sources as well as, in some instances, interviews with anonymous sources for example, whistleblowers. With observing, this is the investigation of technical issues, scrutiny of government and business practices and their effects. There are many types of documents that can be analysed to gain information for a story, some of these are law suits, legal documents, tax records, corporate financials and FOI (Freedom of Information) material. Triangulation was then defined as "do what you were told" and to make sure that what you saw lined up/matched up with what was recorded.
   
      Finally, the threats to investigative journalism was outlined. A very clever formula was given about online news that basically, less money = less journalists + less time = less investigative journalism. The issue of Journalism vs PR was brought up and how PR was propaganda by truth, that PR used a selective use of facts to present a persuasive case to the public. On the other hand, Journalism was about verifying the ‘facts’ in ‘the public interest’. Basically, if there is a growth in PR, there is a shrinkage in journalism. The differences between PR and Journalism are quite large as PR involves resistance to exposure, dodging questions, massaging talent and cleaning up stories whilst Journalism focuses more on no intervention, no show leather, lack of depth and formulating reporting.

Relay For Life Experience

*yawns loudly* Hello everyone, I hope you are having a lovely weekend and relaxing Sunday, I know I haven't! Yesterday, my friends and I participated in the Relay For Life walk at Toowoomba to fund raise for cancer. It was a tiring 18 hour walk with breaks in between, the walk began at 3pm and ended at 9am the next day. The reason I decided to take part in this event with my friends and form a team was because of my best friend's brother, who is battling with cancer. His name is Connor and he was chosen as the face of Relay For Life for his outstanding courage and bravery throughout everything. He is truly an inspiration to all.

We began the long walk with high spirits and lots of energy, there were many others at the same camp site as us at Toowoomba who had dressed up for the occasion. Each team had a theme and uniquely designed camp site and team name. I remember bumping into people dressed up as polar bears, tigers, fairies, mice, clowns and that was just the beginning! As the day progressed, there were more activities that unfolded such as lighting a candle for everyone who has or had suffered cancer. Live music was played throughout the walking and there were many games to try out whilst trying not to fall over from lack of sleep! 

Night time came along and it was FREEZING, I have never been so cold in my life! Each of us took turns walking around the circuit during the night whilst the others slept for a few hours. It was such a challenge to continue walking around the track at 4am in the morning at -4 degrees celsius, but it made me realise that this type of struggle was nothing compared to those who have gone through cancer. We may complain about the little things in life such as having a fight with a friend, not having the latest phone or losing something, but in the end, it can be a lot worse. 

The entire event was a huge success, with all the teams combined raising over $100,000 for cancer research. Even though I am basically twitching at the moment with tiredness and lack of sleep, it was completely worth it. Relay For Life makes me realise how precious life really is, we take it for granted so much! All these people who were at the event, who had gone through having cancer, still had such a positive attitude towards life, even after everything. I will never forget that day and how inspiring Connor was, hopefully more money can be raised in the future to once and for all, rid this world of cancer.

     

Annotated Bibliography Assignment

“Journalists have been shaping the language, thoughts and politics of the world at large” (Niblock, S., 1996).  Through communicating messages and information to the public, journalists and reporters are able to mould the perceptions and views on certain issues globally. This report will focus on the recent news story of President Barack Obama supporting gay marriage and will be analysed through the news sites of: The Sydney Morning Herald, CNN Politics and ABC Radio National. The mediums that have been chosen are: a news article, a television report and a radio interview. Each media forum provided similar perspectives on the situation yet presented the findings in contrasting ways to gain audience interest and provide a sense of credibility for each news station. Along with the three texts covering the news story, an academic book on the subject of Professional Communication and Journalism will also be critically evaluated.

Niblock, S. (1996). Inside journalism. London: Blueprint.

Sarah Niblock, the author of Inside Journalism, is a journalist and writer whose scholarly research covers the discourses associated with journalism studies, media and cultural studies, visual culture and communication technologies. Her extended studies in Liverpool, including freelancing news for the national press and writing regular features for Cosmopolitan and Company magazines, prove her credibility in regards to the literature world (Brunel University, 2011). The book exposes the internal workings of the field of journalism and how the industry operates through covering traditional press and magazines to radio and television shows. Niblock also focuses on future technological changes that journalists must deal with in order to continue to communicate effectively to the public whilst maintaining an understanding of these transformations (Niblock, 1996). The book is dissected into the concepts that a journalist must acquire in order to become successful in achieving the most newsworthy story. Niblock discusses the intricacies surrounding what makes a good story and the entertainment value involved with each event that is presented to the public. However, not all emphasis is placed on just the news story projected but the preparation that the journalist must go through in order to completely understand the story and how it will be received by the audience (Niblock, 1996). Multiple diagrams and examples are provided throughout the book to add credibility to the piece along with bolded headings for easier reading. The ideas and cases provided in Niblock’s book addresses the key factors of successful journalism and what has to be done in order to obtain a newsworthy story.      

“Evolved” Obama backs gay marriage. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/world/evolved-obama-backs-gay-marriage-20120510-1ydsj.html

The Sydney Morning Herald released a comprehensive news article on the recent support president Barack Obama declared in regards to the controversial issue of gay marriage, marking an end to the prolonged dispute (“Evolved” Obama backs gay marriage, 2012). The article delves into the reasons behind Obama’s decision and how the new position realigns himself with the growing number of Democratic officials who have embraced full marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples. Opinions and responses to this announcement were also included to provide an overall understanding of the impact that Obama has created not only to Americans, but to people around the globe (“Evolved” Obama backs gay marriage, 2012). The number of timelines, images, statistics and quotes that are provided throughout the article prove the extensive research that has taken place for the news piece to be created, hence verifying its credibility. When comparing the Sydney Morning Herald’s pieces with the style and approach of CNN, the contrasts are extreme. Due to CNN being globally recognised and widespread with its information and coverage of world news, it is a more commercial medium compared to the localised Sydney newspaper (Gast, 2012). As CNN broadcasts to over 212 countries, the news broadcasted is trusted by the public as a reliable news source and therefore, more people would be inclined to watch the report than read the local newspaper.            

Gast, P. (Writer). (2012, May 9). Obama: Gay marriage “should be legal” [Television broadcast].  Washington, D.C.: CNN    

The CNN Politics television report provided the speech that Barack Obama recently gave to ABC about his beliefs on equality for gays and lesbians and the reasoning behind his initial hesitation to support gay marriage (Gast, 2012). He further explains the importance that is put upon the word “marriage” for all communities around the world and that people still feel constrained within their own rights to marry who they please. He ends with the line: “For me, I believe same-sex couples should be able to marry” affirming his previous outlook on the matter and solidifying the views he supports for the future (Gast, 2012). In terms of credibility, due to CNN utilising the coverage of the Obama interview from ABC, another reliable and widely known news station, the report is proven to be trustworthy and impartial. The footage is maintained in the exact same format and presented in a formal and professional manner. CNN and ABC are similar in their news broadcasting styles due to their global representations that must be upheld to gain public interest and importance (Kelly, 2012).  Both stations have a commercial edge to their broadcasting. In this circumstance, the fact that ABC reported this new report first, proves that ABC was more up to date and current than CNN.               

Kelly, F. (Writer). (2012). Obama supports same-sex marriage [Radio program]. Washington, D.C.: ABC Radio National 

ABC Radio National publicly announces that Barack Obama is the first US president to openly support same-sex marriage. It is explained that he finally made his position clear a day after voters in North Carolina approved a state constitutional amendment forbidding gay marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships (Kelly, 2012). An interview is also conducted with David Mark, a Senior White House writer with politico.com and he speaks from Washington DC on why he believes Obama has chosen now to announce his support for gay marriages. The interview provides an insight into the dealings with marriage and what effect Obama’s declaration will have for Americans and people around the world (Kelly, 2012). The previous interview from Obama that was recorded by ABC was played at the beginning of the radio show followed by the interview from David Mark. This order of events displays the credibility of ABC Radio National as the speech from the president is supported and explained by a credible politician afterwards. The interview proves further research and clarifications of the reasoning behind Obama’s decision. The comparisons between ABC and The Sydney Morning Herald are quite extensive as once again, ABC are a widely known and global form of news whilst the SMH relies purely on local opinion and audiences (“Evolved” Obama backs gay marriage, 2012). With ABC broadcasting around the world, it proves to be a more reliable and trusted source. The locally reported news usually gathers information and statistics from national news programs such as the ABC, in order to present trustworthy material.            

It is observed through the three separate mediums of a news article, television report and radio show, that the event of Barack Obama announcing his support for gay marriage can be presented differently. Although each source may have its own expression upon the matter and report in a slightly altered manner, The Sydney Morning Herald, CNN and ABC all uphold their credibility as reliable and trustworthy news forums. Although two of the news stations may be recognised internationally and the other directed at local audiences, all news sources follow the practices of good journalism (as outlined by Sarah Niblock’s book) and provide a newsworthy piece.  

Lecture 10 Agenda Setting – How the media constructs reality

·       
    Hey hey hey! It's been a while since the last lecture and now we are onto lecture 10! Can you believe how fast this semester has gone? Anyway, the topic that was discussed in the lecture yesterday was agenda settings and where it came from, what it is and the strengths and weaknesses associated with it. This particular lecture was packed with information and sometimes proved overwhelming! In the beginning we learnt that an individual’s conception of reality is socially constructed through a process of communication using shared language. Reality exists but the way we come to know it, talk about it, understand it, is mediated through social life. The media play a large role in ‘constructing’ or ‘mediating’ the social world as we understand it. The next part that was discussed really interested me, it was about how agendas are classed into four main categories. These were:
  

·         1) Public Agenda - the set of topis that members of the public perceive as important.

·         2) Policy Agenda - issues that decision makers think are salient. (i.e. legislators)

·         3) Corporate Agenda - issues that big business & corporations consider important.

·         4) Media Agenda - issues discussed in the media.

·  

·    The lecture then continued onto the subject of agenda settings and what exactly it was and what it consisted of. Agenda setting is defined as 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. In relation to the mass media, we learnt that it does not merely reflect and report reality, they filter and shape it and also that media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to perceive those issues as more important than other issues.


     The origin of agenda settings and the influence of mass media was then examined. Harold Lasswell (1920) developed a theory called the hypodermic needles model. Basically, it states that the mass media injects direct influence into the audience. There were also limitations to this model, such as how it was all one way, large lack of thinking and finally biological uniformity of reactions. Then there was Walter Lippman (1922), another theorist, who stated that the mass media creates images of events in our minds, the pictures in our heads. A quick explanation of what propaganda was and how it was used was discussed, which then led into the topic of Maxwell McCombs and Donald Show's experiment. Maxwell and Donald surveyed 100 undecided voters on the key issues and measured that against media content. Their hypothesis was that the mass media set the agenda by emphasising specific topics.


      There are two main types of agenda setting theories, as the class learnt, which consisted of first level agenda setting theory and second level agenda setting theory. First level agenda setting theory is for the most part studied by researchers and emphasises the major issues and "the transfer of the salience of those issues." At this level the media suggest what the public should focus on through coverage. On the other hand, second level agenda setting theory is essentially, how the media focuses on the attributes of the issues. The media suggests how people should think about an issue. The basic process of agenda setting is firstly, the transfer of issue salience from the news media to the public, then the transfer of issue salience for both issues and other objects such as political figures and then the elite media often set the agenda for issues in other media.


     Within agenda setting, there is an "agenda setting family" as such which consists of seven main parts. These were explained in detail in the lecture and it was extremely interesting to learn these family member parts. Firstly there's media gatekeeping which is the exposure of an issue and what the media chooses to reveal to the public. Secondly, media advocacy, the promotion of a message (e.g. health) through the media. Next, agenda cutting, which is when most of the truth or reality that is going on in the world isn't represented. Then, agenda surfing (“bandwagon effect”), this is where the media follows the crowd and trend, the media surfs on the wave of topics originally mentioned in the opinion-leading media, hence the name. Bandwagon effects are how existing public opinion influences others towards that opinion. After that there's the diffusion of news, the process through which an important event is communicated to the public, how where, when, news is released, who decides etc. Next was the portrayal of an issue, the way an issue is portrayed will often influence how it is perceived by the public. Different media outlets with different portrayals can cause the public the public to formulate their own perception. Finally, media dependence was defined as: the more dependent a person is on the media for information, the more susceptible that person is to media agenda setting.The most common media dependency is Facebook /Twitter. It has become a way of life as people are constantly feeling the need to check Facebook or Twitter every couple of minutes.


      The strengths of the agenda setting theory were then discussed and it was seen that there were six main strengths that the agenda setting theory has. Listed below are these particular strengths:

•       It has explanatory power because it explains why most people prioritize the same issues as important.
•      It has predictive power because it predicts that if people are exposed to the same media, they will feel the same issues are important.
•      It has organising power because it helps organise existing knowledge of media effects.
•      It can be proven false. If people aren't exposed to the same media, they won’t feel the same issues are important.
•      Its meta-theoretical assumptions are balanced on the scientific side.
•      It lays groundwork for further research.

      The subsequent weaknesses were then laid out for the agenda setting theory. These included that media users may not be as ideal as the theory assumes. People may not be well-informed, deeply engaged in public affairs, thoughtful and skeptical. Instead, they pay casual and intermittent attention to public affairs, often ignorant of the details. For people who have made up their minds, the effect is weakened. News cannot create and conceal problems. The effect can merely alter the awareness, priorities and salience people attach to a set of problems.

    

j     Towards the end of the lecture, the 24 hour news cycle was analysed and how there is an increase for demand in stories for the news. The 24-hour news cycle arrived with the advent of cable channels, and brought about a much faster pace of news production with increased demand for stories that can be presented as news, as opposed to the day-by-day pace of the news cycle of printed daily newspapers^. A high premium on faster reporting would see a further increase with the advent of online news. A complete news cycle consists of the media reporting on some event, followed by the media reporting on public and other reactions to the earlier reports. The advent of 24-hour cable news channels and, in more recent times, news sources on the WWW have considerably shortened this process. Finally, an overall question of how climate change could play a major part in the future for agenda settings was explained.

Putting Meaning Into Life

Good afternoon people! Hope you all had a lovely weekend and enjoying your Monday :) Today, I wanted to delve into an interesting topic about the whole concept of what life means to each of us and how we should be living every day. Every person has a different opinion on what life is to them, whether it is full of risks, meaningful life lessons, beauty, richness, serenity etc. But in the end, isn't it the meaning we ourselves put into life, the true meaning of life? Bit of a mind bender I know but I thought I would share some quotes on the matter itself to understand the different perspectives that individuals have on the matter.

  “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”

― Albert Camus

“Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.” 
― Mark Haddon

“There is not one big cosmic meaning for all; there is only the meaning we each give to our life, an individual meaning, an individual plot, like an individual novel, a book for each person.” 
― Anaïs Nin

“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.” 
― Joseph Campbell

“When have you been aware that language was an 'ideological struggle for meaning?”

Good afternoon everyone, hope you've all had a wonderful labour day and relaxed today! I thought today I would share a response that I did for a homework question not long ago for one of my subjects and found answering it extremely thought-provoking. Language is a powerful tool and when combined with culture, it becomes extremely interesting conversing with others. Volosinov further explains this concept and how we have all had experiences with communicative devices with people everyday.  

Volosinov, a fundamental figure in the development of constitutive approaches to language, once said that “language never exists in a vacuum”. In other words, our language has many cultural and political contexts so it can never be neutral or objective. Volosinov also suggested that language is an “ideological struggle for meaning”, that when we speak with one another, we are constantly trying to find meaning and connect with them on some level or another. Even though our backgrounds and understandings differ, we are continually trying to get on the same page as the other person. Through this communication process, we in turn develop an agenda. This is the struggle aspect that Volosinov mentioned previously as each of us have a preferred vision or perception of ourselves and the world, therefore we must negotiate with others who may or may not agree to understand our point of view. Many different factors influence a person’s understanding of the message communicated by the other person and we are sometimes limited in expanding our own opinions and views by language. (Below is an image Volosinov)

A particular moment when I was aware that language was an ideological struggle for meaning was when I had a discussion about gay marriage with a very religious friend of mine. On one hand, I had grown up believing that everyone was equal and had a right to love and marry whoever they want. This viewpoint was developed through the many morals and concepts my family taught me when I was younger. However, my friend had grown up in a strict catholic background and therefore believed that marriage between two people of the same sex was wrong and a sin, her family’s religious beliefs controlled her understandings. When this particular topic came up, there was a clash of two very different opinions and viewpoints due to our different upbringings and even cultural contexts. It was very hard for me to understand her views and try to connect to what she was saying about gay marriage due to my strong agenda already set in place. However, in the end we both decided that each person is entitled to their own opinion and left the topic of gay marriage aside. That scenario definitely made me aware that language was an ideological struggle for meaning but that each person will have their own agenda and understanding due to their differing background and we must respect their views in order to communicate successfully.    

Fact of the day #3

Hello my fellow bloggers/blog lovers! It's now time for another fact of the day, this time the topic revolves around my love for romantic movies and how without a doubt, every time, I will cry at the end of them. Maybe this is because I'm an emotional 18 year old girl who craves a romantic story depicted in the movie or the story line is a genuinely sad one. My favourite romantic movies of all time would have to be: Love Actually, One Day, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember and Titanic. Most of these are the classic epic love movies and I'm sure most of you are rolling your eyes at me but come on, the emotion that is evoked from these movies really make you sob! Not to mention I usually eat a packet of Tim Tams or a tub of chocolate ice-cream after the movie is finished to try to make myself feel better (somehow!) Each of these movies are beautifully crafted and I believe a movie isn't truly great unless there is a reaction from the audience, in my case it's sobbing until a river starts to flow through my house! Basically, the fact for today is that I am quite the emotional wreck when it comes to romantic movies and I can't help it. I recommend every single one of you watch at least one or all of these movies because they are truly amazing and I guarantee at least one tear shall be shed.