Merry Christmas

It's really quite frightening to think that Christmas is only a stones throw away.  I am already ridiculously excited about a visit from Santa, lots of time with family and friends, plenty of food and of course presents!  Once I get through this final week of exams I will be so thrilled to welcome the holidays!  However, I do have to endure the daunting process of waiting to see if I have been accepted into Vet Science!  

I have been proactive this year and have booked lots of little trips ahead of time to make the most of the 3 month break.  Possibly on of the most exciting things is going to see Coldplay at the Suncorp Stadium in a couple of weeks.  Then we will have a massive family christmas with plenty of water-skiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing and boardgames!  Then I'm off to stay in a beautiful mansion in Byron Bay with 22 others for a week over New Years.  

While I dream about all of those fabulous activities it is distracting me from the mountain of study I have staring at me, so I had better get back to it.

It has been a pleasure!

Lily xxx

Feisty Ferret

I found this amusing...

http://www.news.com.au/world/ferret-mauled-me-on-my-scooter/story-fndir2ev-1226512833880

Lily xx

Melbourne Cup

One of my favourite days of the year....well except for this year because I was stuck at work serving drinks to happy punters at The Regatta.  By the end of the day I wasn't too disappointed that I wasn't frocked up because the race was a bit of a let down!  Not only did I lose $20, none of my family won any money (which means I don't get a share).  I have yet to check my $100m lotto ticket yet, though.  There could be some money waiting for me there!  My pick for best dressed yesterday would have to be Jennifer Hawkins.

Lily x

Obama Vs Romney

I'm not particularly interested in US politics but I haven't been able to escape it lately.  To be honest, I have been ignorant and uneducated about US politics, I've never really understood it.  It might seem basic, and you all might already know this but tonight I did some research so I would understand it all better.  I found out the differences between republicans and democrats, I also found out what each candidate is campaigning for and I now know that if I was a US citizen, Obama would have my vote!  Only a few days until the verdict is handed down.

Lily xxx

The Walking Dead

If there is one thing I would recommend you start watching it would have to be The Walking Dead.  I never understood those people who desperately downloaded series', until a friend of mine practically forced me to watch the first episode. WELL, I was completely addicted and I can't get enough...I'm one of those tragic people who wait for the next episode to be released in the USA and download it everyday.  Here's a teaser to entice you...

Lily xxx

Lecture 12 - Investigative Journalism

Ross Coulthart said "isn't all journalism meant to involve questioning investigation of facts and opinions presented to us?"  

The in's of investigative journalism:

Investigative
Intelligent - should be well thought out.  Weigh it up intelligently.
Informed - need to be briefed on the fact.  If you're informed, you'll be able to inform.  Be well    researched.
Intuitive - be able to sniff the air to know that something is going on.  Sharpen your intuition skills.  Can't be taught but it comes naturally to some.  Combination of nature & nurture.
Inside (intimate) - try to get inside.  Finding out what is going on.  Infiltrate people's heads and lives be careful not to exploit them.
Invest - an investment of time (research), money, relationships.

Two major examples spring to mind when thinking about investigative journalism are the Watergate scandal and WikiLeaks.  A successful piece of investigative journalism aims to uncover new and fresh information to deliver to the public.  Investigative journalists are considered 'the voice of the voiceless'.  

Citizen journalism is becoming more popular and with mediums like YouTube Investigate, more people can present stories of their own.  It will be interesting to see how much need there is for professional investigative journalists when most people think they can do it themselves.

Lily xxx

Week 11 - Agenda Settings

Explained simply, agenda setting is about how much importance the media places on specific parts of a story in order to have it written then they way they would like it to be.  It correlates with news values but it is related mainly with broadcast media, that is, what the journalist believes is the most important part of the story rather that presenting the story purely using the facts.  The first agenda is the public agenda.  This suggests that the media will present the story in a way they think the public perceive it to be important.  The second agenda is the policy agenda, that is, issues that decision makers think are salient, for example legislators.  Thirdly, corporate agenda is are issues that big business and corporations consider important.  Finally, the media agenda are issues that are discussed in the media.  These agendas are not discreet and in their own little world.  They are interrelated and are happening all the time.  

The media outlets have all the control over what they put on the front page of the paper or the online bulletin.  They can misconstrue court cases, make famous people's dinner dates seem more important than the upcoming election and even tell us that Harper Beckham's wardrobe costs 5000 pounds (why do I know that!?)  With the technology advancing faster than ever, media outlets follow the masses to pump out stories that are being written 24 hours a day.  If we want to stay on top of it, we need to make sure we consume a variety of different trusted media sources to ensure we're privy to the whole picture.

Lily xx