3rd Prize Sports Action Stories
Chris Detrick, USA, The Salt Lake Tribune
Monday, 29 August 2011
Photo of the Week
This photo is really all about the capture of that amazing moment. One of my friend's who loves photography showed it to me a few years ago and I still haven't forgotten it - I still have this conflicting urge to both marvel at it and tear my gaze away whenever I see it. It is one of the World Press photos from 2007 and reveals the dangers of some sports and why they ask you to trim your nails before you play.
"Choppergate" - Falsehoods in Journalism
As a result of a self-enforced academic cocoon I have been in this past weekend, I arrived to this scandal quite late and was reminded of this fact when I was the only one who hadn't heard of it in class yesterday. The scandal illustrates the premium our community puts on truth when it comes to journalism, as although most of us are aware of the illusions of broadcast TV, we do not expect outright lies or fabricated scenarios that masquerade as the truth. The case here is the deception by Nine News with respect to the helicopter claiming to be reporting from near Beerwah, when it was in fact hovering over the channel Nine helipad. Channel seven, it keeping with the known rivalry between the two networks, caught the nine news in their lie and filmed the event and exposed the lie to the country. The scandal has resulted in the sacking, and possibly destroyed careers, of several Nine News employees, including Melissa Mallet and Cameron Price. The video below reveals the faked footage and claims of the Channel Nine by Seven News
The question being asked is why would they bother to lie about their whereabouts in the first place when they could have simply said they were returning from the site or something more akin to the truth. Such a silly lie has caused a lot of damage to the network's credibility and to the lives of the employees who have became scapegoats for the scandal. It seems such a ridiculous thing to cause so much hype but the underlying concern here is the concern of truth and the trust we place in journalists to report it.
This reminds me of the Stephen Glass fiasco which was about a talented reported who falsified entire stories and backed them up with faked sources, websites and individuals in order to present them as truth. It demonstrates the tremendous amount of pressure journalists are under to deliver amazing stories and be ahead of the competition and it shows the no matter how wonderful or promising a career can be, one mistake can bring it all crashing down.
The question being asked is why would they bother to lie about their whereabouts in the first place when they could have simply said they were returning from the site or something more akin to the truth. Such a silly lie has caused a lot of damage to the network's credibility and to the lives of the employees who have became scapegoats for the scandal. It seems such a ridiculous thing to cause so much hype but the underlying concern here is the concern of truth and the trust we place in journalists to report it.
This reminds me of the Stephen Glass fiasco which was about a talented reported who falsified entire stories and backed them up with faked sources, websites and individuals in order to present them as truth. It demonstrates the tremendous amount of pressure journalists are under to deliver amazing stories and be ahead of the competition and it shows the no matter how wonderful or promising a career can be, one mistake can bring it all crashing down.
Sunday, 28 August 2011
Gaddafi may have fallen, but the Libyan state is far from recovered
The battle for the Libyan state was far from peaceful as the country is saturated with the stench of decomposing bodies and burning garbage. The city is far from stable, as gunfire still pierces the dead of the night and the citizens now have to deal with the manifold destruction from destroyed power and water facilities. Horrific acts of cruelty and brutality are surfacing as the bodies of 53 people were discovered in a warehouse in Tripoli who ere believed to have been opponents of Gaddafi who were executed in tandem with Gaddafi's fall. The whereabouts of Gaddafi are still unknown and the rebels believe that the war will not truly be over until the dictator is captured or killed.
The following images is of the charred skeletons discovered in the warehouse.
There is no denying that Libya is better off without the sadistic ruler, however the question of whether his replacement will be better needs to be considered. Anyone able to seize power within the fracture state must be extremely powerful and somewhat ruthless and only time will tell whether he will revive the nation or send it into another era of darkness and destruction.
The Bones belong to Daniel Morcombe
The answer to a seven year old mystery has been discovered as the bones excavated from the Sunshine Coast bushland have been scientifically identified as those of missing child, Daniel Morcombe. DNA testing confirmed the suspicions of many who were convoked following the discovery of the shoes the same brand as Daniel's last week. The parents of the Daniel have stated that it is "the expected shock we have all been waiting for" as they are finally given some closure concerning there son's disappearance and the chance for justice is on the horizon. The collection of forensic evidence is still underway as police have officially charged Cowan with the kidnapping and murder of Daniel Morcombe.
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Lecture on the Ethics of Journalism
Monday's lecture exploring the importance of ethics in journalism and the difficulties that can arise when different people hold varying opinions on what is ethical. An advertisement or an article can be undeniably in bad taste but can still be considered ethical and the same applies for respectable works that are actually unethical.
Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the concept of ethicality is really a matter of opinion, as we ask who is the rightful judge of what is good or bad, ethical or unethical, right from wrong, in good taste or simply tacky?
The example of advertising was used as the basis for discussion on the subject, as advertisers are notoriously known for crossing lines and causing controversy in an effort to sell their merchandise.
Code of Ethics exist in all professions, from medicine, law, education, science and advertising, providing a moral and ethical guideline for members of the profession to adhere to. With regards to advertising, certain advertisements can only be shown during certain time slots (to avoid exposing children to inappropriate or mature content) or at certain locations (banned from certain countries who disapprove of content).
I remember the controversy that the Mentos Ice Chewing Gum commercial caused, which depicted a man whose nipples hardened and extended after chewing some of the ice gum. He walked around shirtless and was able to operate the lift and throw a disk with his erect nipples.
Advertisements from beer companies are also often inappropriate and somewhat sexist as they cater to a masculine demographic that is concerned with drinking, mate hood and the objectification of women. Included below is a commercial for Heineken beer which exemplifies these qualities:
Controversy is a useful tool in advertising, especially if you believe that there is no such thing as bad publicity. An advert by windsor shoes that was was sexually orientated provided 43 million dollars of free publicity for the company when they refused to take it down, generating interest and consequently selling their product because of their lack of ethicality.
The three ethical theories pertaining to advertising concern DEONTOLOGY, CONSEQUENTIALISM and VIRTUE.
DEONTOLOGY
Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the concept of ethicality is really a matter of opinion, as we ask who is the rightful judge of what is good or bad, ethical or unethical, right from wrong, in good taste or simply tacky?
The example of advertising was used as the basis for discussion on the subject, as advertisers are notoriously known for crossing lines and causing controversy in an effort to sell their merchandise.
Code of Ethics exist in all professions, from medicine, law, education, science and advertising, providing a moral and ethical guideline for members of the profession to adhere to. With regards to advertising, certain advertisements can only be shown during certain time slots (to avoid exposing children to inappropriate or mature content) or at certain locations (banned from certain countries who disapprove of content).
I remember the controversy that the Mentos Ice Chewing Gum commercial caused, which depicted a man whose nipples hardened and extended after chewing some of the ice gum. He walked around shirtless and was able to operate the lift and throw a disk with his erect nipples.
Advertisements from beer companies are also often inappropriate and somewhat sexist as they cater to a masculine demographic that is concerned with drinking, mate hood and the objectification of women. Included below is a commercial for Heineken beer which exemplifies these qualities:
Controversy is a useful tool in advertising, especially if you believe that there is no such thing as bad publicity. An advert by windsor shoes that was was sexually orientated provided 43 million dollars of free publicity for the company when they refused to take it down, generating interest and consequently selling their product because of their lack of ethicality.
The three ethical theories pertaining to advertising concern DEONTOLOGY, CONSEQUENTIALISM and VIRTUE.
DEONTOLOGY
- All ethical codes are deontological
- The theory is concerned with rules, principles and duties
- It operates on the premise that you will do the right thing by following these rules
- Some duties of journalism include the duty to inform, report the truth, operate within the law, respect privacy, gather information with integrity and respect the right to reply by those being reported on
CONSEQUENTIALISM
- The belief that an action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favourable than unfavourable
- Consequences of some good should be a part of the outcome
- Never mind how we got there
- The end may justify the means
- The greatest good for the greatest number of people
- This theory is validating collateral damage as long as a greater goal is achieved and for this reason it is very problematic as I am sure those who are counted amongst the collateral hold very different opinions as to who is being benefitted
VIRTUE ETHICS
- Goodness comes from good habits of characters
- These habits are virtues such as courage, justice, temperance and prudence (virtues which hark back to the Greeks such as Aristotle)
- These habits of character are the golden mean of behaviour and which character should be measured against
- They entail trust, honesty and respect - which are good qualities for a journalist to have
- Such habits of character are developed only through experience and engagement with the world
- For example, courage is the mean between rashness and cowardice
Thursday, 25 August 2011
MY MEDIA JOURNAL
The range of technologies and media outlets available to us today have radically evolved and proliferated since the time of our parents’ adolescence, as new media forms are emerging that are easily accessible and preferable to traditional options. Phones, newspapers and broadcast television are no longer exclusive sources for communication, information and entertainment and are also not limited by their chief functions.
The internet provides a cheaper source of socialising through sites such as facebook, email, messenger and skype, with over 96% of the JOUR1111 class having their own facebook page and 88% using the internet primarily for the purpose of socialising. Over 70% of the JOUR1111 class also have smart phones, which have the capacity to serve as portals for internet browsing, emailing and social networking, extending beyond their designated function of sending and receiving calls and texts.
The internet provides a cheaper source of socialising through sites such as facebook, email, messenger and skype, with over 96% of the JOUR1111 class having their own facebook page and 88% using the internet primarily for the purpose of socialising. Over 70% of the JOUR1111 class also have smart phones, which have the capacity to serve as portals for internet browsing, emailing and social networking, extending beyond their designated function of sending and receiving calls and texts.
I have tabulated and graphed the results of my media use over a two week period from the 11th of August to the 24th of August. The tables calculate the amount of time in minutes I spent using each media outlet and the graphs demonstrate these results pictorially. The first graph shows all media forms, whereas the second categorises these forms into larger groupings.
DATE | INTERNET | PHONE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Youtube (mins) | Facebook (mins) | Email (mins) | TV (mins) | Research (mins) | Blog (mins) | News (mins) | Podcasts (mins) | Texts (mins) | Calls (mins) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11/08/11 | 40 | 5 | 20 | 300 | 70 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12/08/11 | 70 | 0 | 10 | 350 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13/08/11 | 50 | 0 | 10 | 210 | 20 | 60 | 20 | 0 | 45 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14/08/11 | 30 | 25 | 0 | 60 | 290 | 30 | 15 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15/08/11 | 20 | 0 | 8 | 20 | 30 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16/08/11 | 30 | 5 | 10 | 120 | 30 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17/08/11 | 120 | 5 | 20 | 120 | 60 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18/08/11 | 120 | 0 | 15 | 60 | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19/08/11 | 30 | 30 | 20 | 40 | 30 | 20 | 0 | 40 | 25 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20/08/11 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 60 | 30 | 0 | 30 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21/08/11 | 60 | 10 | 25 | 40 | 180 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 30 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22/08/11 | 40 | 10 | 25 | 100 | 120 | 80 | 30 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23/08/11 | 90 | 15 | 25 | 120 | 180 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 35 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24/08/11 | 30 | 0 | 12 | 60 | 20 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sub-Total | 750 | 125 | 200 | 1620 | 1140 | 270 | 215 | 60 | 286 | 37 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TOTAL | 4380 | 323 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The results of my two week investigation reveal that I utilize multiple types of media through a wide variety of forms. As a university student completing an overload of five subjects with a part-time job and friends who require attention, I prefer to access my media on my own schedule and as cheap and easily as possible. The miracle of internet enables me to do this, as I can watch my favourite television shows by online streaming or by downloading and storing them for later use. I do not have to interrupt study or work to flip on the television at a set time or have to endure hours of relentless commercials. The large amount of online television that I watch, approximately 1620 minutes over a fortnight, is also a testament to the wide variety of programs available online and if I am hooked on a series, I do not have to wait a week for the next episode (unless it is a new series screening from the U.S. or the U.K. and even then, I receive it a lot sooner than I would than waiting for it to air in Australia).  As a whole, the internet consumed approximately 4380 minutes of my time, with 1140 minutes dedicated to general research for university and work. I spent 480 more minutes watching online television, which shows that I may need to reevaluate my priorities. The majority of my lecturers post information and readings online and recommend sites for further investigation, demonstrating how the internet serves as a major tool for education, with no limit existing as to the amount of people who can access it at once.  I also preferred to receive my news online, with 90.6% of the JOUR1111 class agreeing with me, as I can access it at any time and can find pieces I am interested in quickly through keyword searches. The 175 minutes of televised news that my journal reflects is really a result of broadcasting patterns, with networks scheduling the news between 6pm and 7pm, when my family eats dinner.  I still prefer to socialize in person, but I use facebook, texting and email because I know that my friends are obsessed with such mediums, as evidenced by survey results for JOUR1111. I may not use such mediums as much but I can certainly acknowledge the value in them.  The main surprise from my media journal was that after the internet, music was the main form of media I consumed, as I spent 3200 minutes of my time listening to my music. This is because music is a media form that I can consume whilst performing other tasks. I listen to CD’s every morning when I drive to University and work, on my ipod when I go running, on my computer when I am researching, writing an assignment, reading a book, or hanging out with friends.  I spent 1005 minutes reading printed texts or works, which were assigned readings for particular subjects. However, I work in a bookstore where one of the prevalent fears is that online shops will gradually replace the need for bricks and mortar stores. With the development of kobos, e-readers and ipads, the printed word is becoming an endangered art, rendering novels, newspapers and magazines as useless media forms that are costly and cumbersome.  The e-revolution is threatening a lot of livelihoods as consumers are more inclined towards faster and cheaper sources of media, and all avenues seem to lead to the internet. Journalism is all about keeping up with current events and engagement with media platforms is now necessary to survive. |
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