Lecture Week 6: Linking Jelly Beans to Today’s News Platforms

Today’s lecture focused on news, and the role of journalists, with regards to advances in internet technology. It was centred on three main subjects:

1.      Web Iterations

2.      Web 3.0

3.      Online News Issues

Web Iterations

“Old media (traditional media, heritage media, legacy media) are media platforms that were essentially derived from an industrial paradigm. Created and developed in the late 19th and first half of the 20th centuries, these platforms – newspapers, magazines, radio and television – are essentially instruments of mass communication targeting large aggregated audiences, albeit within their own specific markets.” So says John Harrison in this week’s reading, a chapter in “Case Studies of Communication Campaigns Using Web 2.0”. Dr Redman solidified this explanation of old media, and described the developments of web usage:

Web 1.0          In the very early stages of internet usage, it was mainly a platform for company advertising. Harrison called this “brochure ware”.

Web 2.0          This stage (which we are in currently) is focused on social networking sites such as twitter, Skype, YouTube, Wikipedia, Facebook and msn. Users of these sites have been named “prod-users” by Axel Bruns. He explains this term in the quote below, found on the lecture power point:

"Produsage can be roughly defined as modes of production which are led by users or at least crucially involve users as producers -in other words, the user acts as a hybrid user/producer, or produser, virtually throughout the production process. Produsage demonstrates the changed content production value chain model in collaborative online environments: in these environments, a strict producer/consumer dichotomy no longer applies -instead, users are almost always also able to be producers of content, and often necessarily so in the very act of using it.”

We then moved on to a discussion of Web 3.0.

Web 3.0

This stage of the internet was defined as sematic web. It has yet to become a fully fledged reality; however we are seeing the beginnings of this stage on websites such as amazon and Facebook. This localized form of acquiring information is enabled by smart phones. With meta-tagging finding answers to multi-layered questions, this “sematic web” is very convenient. Advertising agencies can also utilizing these advances, providing VERY relevant services. However, this hyper-localization begs the question: is the sharing of this information safe? Are we going too far? Are we going to become ignorant or lack general knowledge due?

Web News

Because we have had access to free online news for so long, we have acquired a sense of entitlement and therefore do not want to pay for future online news. However, if we don’t pay for newspapers, advertising space, especially in the classified section, will not be sold, news companies will not receive sufficient funding to pay their journalists. This is especially problematic in Queensland, as we rely heavily on investigative journalism to provide accountability in lieu of a House of Lords. The issue arises when news companies attempt to make the public pay for the news that they have had free of charge for so long. The graph below shows the public’s reluctance to purchase newspapers.

The invention of the “pay wall” is an attempt to remedy this issue; an attempt that the Brisbane’s Courier Mail is moving toward. A “value add” is when the public has access to basic services but must pay for extra news and offers.

This lecture was very informing and interesting!

Assesment Piece 1: Media Log

AIM:
The aim of this blog is to explore the logged information of my personal media use and analyze it to identify any patterns that may be found and to uncover the implications of this data.

INTRODUCTION:
Media can be defined as a means of communication that influences a great number of people. This includes websites, magazines and newspapers, television, instant messaging sites and music devices. As a journalist, it is important to be aware of the most popular (and unpopular) way that news travels in order to properly exploit these media. By logging the amount of time that I spend on individual mediums and investigating how this relates to the rest of the cohort, it is possible to uncover underlying trends and compare my media use to the rest of the cohort. Any differences or similarities can then be analyzed and explained. 

New media, such as internet news sites, Facebook, twitter, e-mail and television are popular for a number of reasons. As they make utilize several forms of communication simultaneously, such as animation, interactive programs, photographs, video and audio, these mediums have the potential to have a high impact on audiences. Also, as viewers can choose what they wish to be informed about, new media is extremely relevant. As well as this, technology has enabled instantaneous communication, which also provides extremely relevant information.

Newspapers, magazines and other publications are less relevant as they are issued only daily or weekly. However, the articles in such journals often delve deeper into the news or story at hand. Thus, they can be used to follow up a story seen on the internet to give more information on the subject.

Fiction books and music, while they do not regularly report on current news, appeal to audiences on a different level. Instead of reporting, they can imply messages, or simply be used for entertainment.

RESULTS

Raw Data:                                                                   My Media Usage

 

Information from JOUR1111 Survey

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS:

 

By exploring the information in graph: My Media Usage it is possible to investigate my relationship to journalism and communication. Also, by comparing my media usage to that of the cohort’s, judgments can be made regarding the normalcy of my usage. On average, I spent less than an hour a day on the internet (44 minutes per day).  According to the information supplied by surveymonkey.com, I am in the vast minority of the cohort in this matter. However, like others in the cohort, Facebook was my most used web site, and twitter was my least used. Also, my news, research and other sites are regularly used, as they are used by others (like most JOUR1111, I get my news from online sources). Spending an average of 36 minutes watching television per day, I am in the “less than an hour” category for this matter, which is common for JOUR1111 students. Another similarity between my media usage and that of the rest of the cohort’s was that it was common for students to have only one blog and twitter account, and have neither before starting this subject, as I did. I was also part of the majority of those who listens to music on an iPod (or iPhone). Although most students listen to less than one hour of radio per day, I listened to none. This was the second most common option. The information found in this survey displays that I, among the majority of JOUR1111 students, use new media more than other mediums. Internet was the most common medium in finding news and communicating.

I use new media to find breaking news, as well as to contact friends and for entertainment, which renders other mediums, such as television and newspapers, unnecessary. It is for this reason that my usage of printed magazines and newspapers is low, compared to the rest of JOUR1111. For reasons explained above, new media is particularly relevant and has the potential to have a high impact on audiences. It is because of this that it is so popular today. Facebook, which can be used as a communication device, as well as a source for breaking news, was my highest used website for these reasons. However, my internet usage, too, is low, compared to the rest of JOUR1111. Also, I enjoy listening to music, and do so whenever I am at my computer or travelling on public transport. This may account for my high usage of media.

In conclusion, my media usage differs to the rest of the JOUR1111 cohort, in that overall, I spend less time on the internet and reading printed media. However, common to the cohort, my most used form of media (apart from music) is the internet. This indicates the high usage of new media, especially in young adults and university students studying journalism. I think it would be interesting to interview people of different generations to myself, to see if they use more or less new media.

Lecture 5: Ethics in Journalism

This lecture on Ethics in the field of journalism was of particular interest to me. As an introductory excersise, we were asked to complete the form below, outlining our view on what is unethical, and what is dis-tasteful.

I felt a little lost at first, as I wasn’t completely sure of the definitions of, (and exact difference between) ‘unethical’ and ‘dis-tasteful’. Luckily, the internet knows all. According to Dictionary.com, ‘unethical’ means: lacking moral principles; unwilling to adhere to proper rules of conduct, while ‘dis-tasteful’ is defined as “unpleasant, offensive, or causing dislike”. With that cleared up, I can now discuss the lecture.

Firstly, however, I have to say that I found it very interesting and a little disturbing that a business can deliberately overstep the taste boundaries, in order to collect free publicity when the advert is not removed. This was the case with a Windsor Smith advert (which can be seen below), which received $4.3 million in free advertising.

The lecture focused on separating three ethical theories. The following points were of particular interest to me.

The First – A Deontological Approach

-        Based on rules, principles and duties

-        By following said rules, principles and duties, you will be doing the “ethically right” thing

-        All ethics codes are deontological

-        For journalists, these rules, principles and duties are set out in the AJA code of ethics (as seen below)

-        “Rights” as such, are not included

The Second – A Consequentialist Approach

-        Based on getting “the right outcome”

-        Idea of “never mind how we got there” is significant

-        The ends justify the means

-        The greatest good for the greatest amount of people

-        The use of this approach by the News of the World newspapers was noted

The Third – Virtue Ethics

-        “Goodness” (or happiness), comes from having good habits of character

-        These habits are “virtues” such as courage, justice, temperance, prudence or trust

-        These habits of character are the “golden mean” of behaviour

-        Developed as a result of experience

Musical Weekend

I spent the weekend volunteering at the Queensland Catholic Music Festival (or QCMF), which is a great event where catholic schools from all over Queensland – and they mean all over- come together for three days of amazing music at Villanova College in Coorparoo. Acts ranged from contemporary ensembles, jazz bands, choirs and symphony orchestras. The groups are awarded either a bronze, silver or gold certificate, but are not compared, rather they are judged by a panel of musical experts who have a preconceived idea of the standard which is asked by the certification. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the phenomenal talent displayed by young Queenslanders, as well as the community feel of the festival, where hundreds of volunteers helped to organise, feed and entertain the thousands who attended.  

The highlight, for me, was experiencing an amazing guitar ensemble that I have been following for a number of years. The ensemble, named Spatula, was made of a dozen high school seniors from two schools. Spatula (as pictured below) is conducted by the renowned Finnish musician and composer Paul Svoboda.

The level of commitment and talent possessed by these seventeen year olds was humbling. It really goes to show that this talk of generation Y being (as stated by Brian Patterson of the Sydney Morning Herald) “hip, smart-talking, brash and sometimes seeming to suffer from an overdose of self-esteem” as a massive generalisation. These students proved themselves to be dedicated, gifted and motivated, and are only a dozen of the thousands who participated in the festival. It was inspiring to see.

Also, the link to a performance by a Celtic Ensemble that caught my ear can be found below: another example of some great kids making great music... IN KILTS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuJg11EnLMI&feature=related

Lecture 4: Telling Factual Stories with Audio

Last Monday’s lecture was conducted online through podcast, which was fitting, as the session was titled: “Telling Factual Stories with Audio”. It was a very interesting lecture, featuring Richard Fidler and Steve Austin, who both present on ABC Radio.

As I’ve never really thought about radio as a form of media, I found several points, made throughout the lecture, quite interesting and thought provoking.

The first interesting point, was that hearing news or stories through audio media is completely different to watching pictures WITH audio. It compels the listener to think about what they are hearing and to process it internally. For this reason, radio content must be entertaining or gripping, enough so that the audience does not lose interest and tune out (silences and calms are particularly poignant on radio).  To achieve unique and stimulating interviews, it is important that the interviewee does not feel uncomfortable, and can tell the audience what he wants to tell them, while still being guided by the host.

I also found it curious that radio has remained a relevant form of media since it was first presented to the public, even while other media are constantly becoming “out-dated”. It was inferred that this could be attributed to the facts that (1) radio is relative inexpensive to the average western, and (2) radios can be portable and tuned into at any time.

Our lecturers made several suggestions to aspiring radio hosts:

First, the audience can easily lose interest, so it is important to talk about what they want to hear. Thus, you must sear for “human experience”. When interviewing, it is prudent and respectful to let the interviewee speak more.

To conclude, we were encouraged to keep up with world news, and to view it with an open mind; to keep interviews and monologues simple, as this is easier for the audience to respond to.

An entertaining and interesting lecture!

First Post: Lectures In Week Two and Three

Due to technological impedance (namely my own), I haven’t been able to post blogs for the first two weeks before this week, the third week. I’ve tried changing the date on my computer to trick it into showing the correct date for each week so that people don’t think I’m lazy, but it hasn’t worked, so I’m just shoving them all together,  I hope that’s ok!

As a form of introduction – I’m loving journalism, it’s great to learn about current affairs and how to talk or write about it, or capture it in a photograph. It’s definitely very rewarding, despite the judgement of my friends who think that having a blog and/or twitter account  is a bit silly (I mean absolutely no offence to those who have blogs and/or twitter accounts, I am finding out the wonder of these new media, and my friends are definitely missing out on some awesome breaking news).

The first lecture, after the introductory lecture, was informative to say the least. Rod Chester (of the Courier Mail) certainly knows his stuff; experiencing his obvious talent and experience in the field was inspiring, and a journalist’s idea of journalism was interesting and instructive. Although the “inverted pyramid” of news journalism will definitely prove useful in the coming years,  an anecdote wherein he described news writing as “boring as bat shit” was a little disheartening, especially when Chester went on to explain that we will all have to write news if we are to work for a newspaper. HOWEVER, I’m sure that having an honest description of a currently published journalist’s life is invaluable. Before writing an article, I’ll definitely refer back to the instructions given in this lecture.