‘Page One, Inside the New York Times’

‘Page One, Inside the New York Times’ – an insightful documentary directed by Andrew Rossi (2011), depicting the life of a story and the transformation of the media industry. The perspectives of journalists Tim Arrango and David Carr, as employees of The New York Times were analysed as we [the audience] travelled on the journey of a developing story. The film showed the impact that The New York Times has on the media industry as a top news source – “other news organisations use stories of The New York Times to write their own”. The popularity drop in has a detrimental effect on The New York Times as a media source, as technological advances and the rise of online news become a major threat to print media. I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary and would recommend it to anyone interested in the fast paced life of a New York Times journalist.

Investigative Journalism

Investigative journalism is described as what – every journalist should be. Journalists should envelop critical and thorough journalism, be a custodian of conscience, provide a voice for those without one and to hold the powerful to account and, take the place of a watchdog (fourth estate – fourth branch of Government). Journalists must cut through the AGENDA. Journalists must ASSUME NOTHING and always check your facts.

Types of Investigative Interaction – interviews, observations, documents, briefings, leaks, trespassing and, theft.

Triangulation: Do what you were told, what you saw and what was recorded line up?

Threats to investigative Journalism – online news and PR.

The future of investigative journalism lies in the hands of PAYWALLS in order to make investigative journalism a more viable pursuit.

News Values

In continuation from ‘Agenda Setting’ (week nine), news values depicts the value that is put on news and how we value different types of news stories. News values indicate the ‘degree of prominence a media outlet gives to a story and the reciprocal attention that the audience pays to the media piece’.

The 12 factors of news worthiness –

1. Negativity

2. Closeness to home

3. Recent

4. Current

5. Continuity

6. Unique

7. Simplicity

8. Personality

9. Predictability

10. Elite nations or people

11. Exclusivity

12. Size

News values are determined through 1) Impact, 2) Audience Identification, 3) Pragmatics, and 4) source influence.

Three Hypothesis’ by Galtung and Ruge

1. Additively: the factors the event satisfies the higher the probability it becomes news.

2. Complementarity: factors will tend to include each other.

3. Exclusion: opposite of additively.

Threats to news worthiness

- Journalism and commercialisation of media

- Journalism and PR

- Journalism ideals and Journalism reality

ANY story with destruction or death will be the headliner in the news, whether it is print or electronic. Following death and destruction – “If it’s LOCAL, it leads”.

Agenda Setting

Agenda Setting – How the media constructs the audience’s reality. It can be assumed that the mass media filter, shape, reflect and, report reality.

Types of agenda setting:
- First Level: Media look at what the public should focus on.
- Second level: How the public should think about these issues.

What does agenda setting do?

•Transfer of issue salience from the news media to the public
•Transfer of issue salience for both issues and other objects such as political figures
•Elite media often set the agenda for issues in other media

The Hypodermic Needle model: The mass media articulates each piece to affect a certain percentage of people who will be interested in a specific topic.

Agenda family:
1. Media gatekeeping
2. Media Advocacy
3. Agenda Cutting
4. Agenda surfing
5. The diffusion of news
6. Portrayal of an issue
7. Media dependence

·         Public agenda: Set of topis that members of the public perceive as important. 

·         Policy Agenda: Legislators

·         Corporate Agenda: Issues that businesses think are important 

·         Media Agenda: Issues discussed in the media 

Annotated Bibliography

Kaufhold, K., Valenzuela, S., de Zúñiga, HG. (2010). Citizen Journalism and Democracy: How User-Generated News Use Relates to Political Knowledge and Participation. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 87(3/4), 510-529.

Kaufhold, Valenzuela and de Zúñiga collectively compiled a comparative analysis of the contribution of professional journalism to democratic citizenship and whether or not citizen journalism plays a role in the proliferation of online user-generated news. The authors, from the beginning of the piece, question and discuss trust in user-generated news and the amplification of the link between citizen journalism and online participation. In relation to political involvement, both types of journalism seem to have a positive impact on society as a whole. Consuming news through each of the two types of information sources led people to better understand politics and participate in political aspects. Whether the journalist be a paid, trained professional or a writer formerly known as the audience, the authors attribute and anneal the link that both professional journalism and user-generated news shapes and mould into the cultural mainstream to which political journalists belong, and to whom their piece will ultimately appeal to. The substantial use of citations and research methodology throughout the text adds credibility to the hypothesis proposed by the authors. The ideas presented outline and investigate the role of professional and amateur journalistic traits within a society and how consumers absorb the full propensity of speech through each medium.

Sample, I. (2011, October 20). Global warming study finds no grounds for climate skeptics’ concerns. The Guardian. Retrieved from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment /2011/oct/20/ global-warming-study-climate-sceptics

Ian Sample, the author of this piece, brings scientific experience to the topic of climate change, being the science correspondent for The Guardian. Sample investigates the Berkeley Earth Project with an intention to challenge the sceptics of global climate change. Sample uses with great effect the scientific opinion of multiple experts in the fields which will be impacted by the outcome of the Berkeley Earth Project. Disproving the beliefs of sceptics, Sample addresses the issues of the meticulous collection of data since the 1800s and its inability to be ‘tweaked by hand’. Beginning with an overview of the Berkeley Earth Project, Sample initiates the input of several credible sources (NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Met Offices Hadley Centre- UK-) in support of his argument.  Sample concludes with the potential for this research to expand and, with the comments of distinguished, committed individuals within the climate change debate, thoroughly adheres to belief among sceptics regarding tampering with data to prove a point. Sample presents an array of facts and data that, in comparison to Dwyer (below), seems irrelevant if the general consensus (public) are cynic to the beliefs of climate change as a whole.

Dwyer, B. (2011, October 21). Losing Control of the Climate Change Story. ABC – The Drum. Retrieved from: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/35816 70.html

Brigitte Dwyers political approach to the development of humanity and its causation of climate change as ‘the majority’ see it is somewhat ethical and forthright in relation to the contestants between Green and Labour ideology. Dwyer presents fundamental aspects of the initiation of climate change through the use of Henry David Thoreau and his bid to lead a ‘simple life’ free of trade. It is through trade that Thoreau saw the evolution of climate change and discrepancies between countries alike. Historical and contemporary citations and theories envelop the wide bases that the author is striving to capsulate. The author exhibits a dominant scope on her perspective of micro versus macro story telling in order to create a climate change consensus. Dwyer sees the consensus battle as ‘fighting the political world as Australians want to see it, an intelligent proposal to providing a cleaner world’. It seems that in the case of Brigitte Dwyer, advocates of climate change need to reconsider their attempts to create a consensus among populations. In comparison to Bachelards piece below, Dwyers piece focuses on a different sort of belief; where Dwyer portrays the population’s belief in political regime, Bachelard expresses the need to conform excess members of society, outside of Dwyers ‘majority’, into the vast realm of climate change.

Bachelard, M. (2011, October 23). Witches, God, climate change ... it's a matter of belief. The Age. Retrieved from: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/ climate-change/witches-god-climate-change--its-a-matter-of-belief-20111022-1mdpq.html

Having produced numerous other climate change and national interest pieces; Michael Bachelard presents an experienced and innovative perspective to the matter of climate change. Following the string of longwinded articles regarding climate change, Bachelard has adopted an altered perspective to the matter in order to challenge readers and their position of interest. The author expresses his personal objection to the argument on an ideological basis in order to demonstrate that an individual’s ability to have personal belief creates severe challenges for a ‘fruitful scientific debate’ on climate change. The author, unlike previous notable and scientific arguments, elaborates his topic on a basis of superstition and belief, quoting the story of Rohan Johns who believes that ‘people who don’t believe in the carbon tax and climate change are insignificant and counter scientific arguments with irrelevant tangents’. In mentioning Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, the author intensifies the global dispute suggests that regardless of scientific evolvement in the climate change arena, the beliefs of people are not going to alter just because ‘a scientist’ says they should. The substantial use of citations and research methodology throughout the text adds credibility to the hypothesis proposed by Bachelard. Bachelard concludes with comments from various personnel (CSIRO, University of Queensland, Authors on Evolution, Psychologists and Behavioural Scientists) all retaining that it is the loss of trust in institutions of climate change that have led to the disapproval of this overwhelming scheme; it is that trust that needs to be rebuilt in order to successfully incorporate the era of climate change that is on ‘our’ doorstep. In contrast to Sample’s piece regarding sceptic concerns for the future and current debate of climate change, Bachelard expresses a convoluted paradigm of belief and superstition.

Factual Storytelling: Exploration through the boundary of change.

When considering the question of process for metalsmiths one immediately considers the physical techniques involved in producing a piece of jewellery or an object. But without the creative process – the psychological, emotional, and cognitive processes necessary to develop an idea – there would be no physical outcome. Buderim artist and metalsmith Christine Oreilly creates jewellery and small objects, wearable and non-wearable, experiencing intimately the developing nature of those around her.

Born in 1958, raised in a rural surrounding, with both parents working on the farm; Christine has experienced an element of nature and the ‘organic life’ which has influenced her pieces dramatically. Christine has trodden down many a path venturing for success. Initially a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at the University of Queensland held her interest for seven years before beginning an art based career. Christine discovered metalsmithing following her enrolment in a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Queensland College of Art. Christine had intended to pursue painting and drawing as her chosen fields of artistic expression however, “when I walked into the Jewellery and Small Objects department on the first day I was totally taken by my feeling of ease and comfort in the environment and the process of working with metal, that I chose to pursue this”.

The inspiration for her works is based on observations of her natural surroundings combined with a keen interest in the process of change. “My family and the environment around me are my base inspirations”. Through watching nature evolve each season, and each member of her family grow and change over time, Christine observes ample sources to establish the dynamics behind her processes and thus, the motivation for her work.

Christine has developed her standing within the artistic world, expressing her talent through many exhibitions. Her first involvement in a major exhibition took the form of a Travelling Scholarship in 2008 – “my first involvement in a major exhibition allowed me to push the boundaries of my work and address a given concept”.  In 2009, Christine developed her first solo exhibition, Portal, through which she was able to delve into her artistic thoughts and express that she was and what her work resembled, the way she wanted it. The body of work produced for Portal included wearable and non-wearable item of jewellery in silver, copper, and a touch of gold. While also working with Aluminium, Christine carries out her exploratory works in copper and Aluminium prior to converting to silver. The rationale for the exhibition expressed her inner most thoughts regarding her conceptual basis for producing her pieces – “the boundary between interior and exterior is neither the inside nor the outside, but partakes of both, and it is that from which something begins. The interior is a site for transformations arising from the intimacies and intricacies of inclusion and exclusion. It is the point of transition”. “The works in Portal were a response to continued explorations into the process of personal change, the boundary between what we internalize and what we externalize, and the sense of ongoing development necessary to evolve - a concept I have been addressing for some time now.  It explores the interior as a site for transformations arising from the intimacies and intricacies of inclusion and exclusion, a space of closeness and intimacy which speaks of the self, and the exterior as a surface reflecting evidence of engagement with the interior. Both outside and inside are volatile conditions which emanate from the boundary, and our awareness of the boundary between our interior and exterior self is contingent upon the attention we bring to it and our ability to alter its shape and position.”

“The conceptual basis of the works is realized in attention to the processes of surface manipulation in the form of folding, etching, and repeated layers of imprinting, explorations into colour and oxidization utilizing the application of heat, and producing the final overall body of works in series.”

Self-curated, Point, is her latest exhibition, opening on the fourth of November, 2011. Point, will examine the motivation for the practice of metalsmithing by several regional metalsmiths, displaying their works in the Noosa Regional Gallery. “It is a vehicle to promote connectedness and support on a regional basis, bringing together metalsmiths with varying educational, professional, and artistic backgrounds, to present a body of work reflecting concepts intrinsic to themselves as individuals, which define their practice, yet speak as one, as a regional body of metalsmiths”.

Christine stated, in 2009, “doing a solo exhibition has been one of my goals post University; very challenging and a little nerve racking to say the least!” Professional influences include Marian Hosking and Nicky Hepburn, two contemporary Australian metalsmiths.

It is evident that she is well on her way to succeeding in her goal of integration within her community and becoming an artist who expresses her niche the way she wants it. “I owe my persistence and tenacity to my first teacher in art, Peter Livingstone, who, when I was faced with my own self-doubt said ‘you didn’t think this was going to be easy did you?’ It is my motivation to work through my frustrations and to continue to seek and learn”.

-   Sarah Oreilly

-   Christines works are on display in the Noosa Regional Gallery, Queensland, annually -

Portal Cuff No. 1.  2009. Sterling Silver, oxidized.  Photographer Ben Stone.

Portal Cuff No. 2.  2009.  Sterling Silver, oxidized.  Photographer Ben Stone.

LECTURE NINE

AGENDA SETTING – How the media CONSTRUCTS ‘REALITY’

→     An individual’s conception of reality is socially constructed through a process of communication using shared language. Reality is mediated through social life and the experiences each individual goes through. Media play a large role in ‘constructing’ or ‘mediating’ the social world as we understand it.

→     Through PUBLIC, POLICY, CORPORATE and MEDIA agendas individuals within the community associate and categorise topics or issues that relate to them and the way upon which they structure their lives.

→     As stated by Coleman, McCombs, Shaw and Weaver (2008) - “Agenda setting is the process of the mass media presenting certain issues frequently and prominently with the result that a large segment 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.”

→        ASSUMPTION (1) The mass media do not merely reflect and report reality, they FILTER and SHAPE it.

→        ASSUMPTION (2) Media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to perceive those issues as more important than other issues.

→     The mass media creates ‘IMAGES OF EVENTS IN OUR MINDS’.

→     WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

o   “Propaganda is used as a tool to help shape images in the minds of human beings in support of an enterprise, idea or group. Propaganda can be used to substitute one social pattern for another.”

o   As stated by LIPPMANN  - people rely on the images in their minds in formulating judgments rather than by critically thinking.

→          

→     Elite media often set the agenda for issues in other media

→     The AGENDA SETTING FAMILY

1.    Media Gatekeeping

2.    Media Advocacy

3.    Agenda Cutting

4.    Agenda Surfing

5.    The diffusion of News

6.    Portrayal of an Issue

7.    Media Dependence