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

Lecture 9 - News Values

News values relates to how important or valuable a news story is.  It is the degree of prominence a media outlet gives to a story and the attention that is paid by an audience as a result.  We select stories based on how popular they will be with the public.  Things like celebrities, local stories and follow ups are considered popular news.  Firstly, you want to make an impact.  You want to make a reader say 'gee whiz'!  Secondly, there is audience identification.  News is anything that's interesting, that relates to what's happening in the world, what's happening in areas of the culture that would be of interest to your audience.  Then there are pragmatics - ethics, facticity, current affairs etc.  Source influence comes next.  Journalism loves to hate PR...whether for spinning, controlling access, approving copy or protecting clients at the expense of the truth (Julia Hobsbawm).  

It is also important to point out that news values differ substantially across different news services and also across different cultures and countries.  People want to hear about news that affects them.  The people of Brisbane don't want to know if it's going to be a scorching hot weekend in Sydney, they want to know what the weather will be like where they live!  A good journalist will always keep news values at the forefront when writing a story to make sure they are engaging their target audience and providing relevant information.  People who want to find out about things going on in different parts of the world may just have to search a little bit harder that the 6pm bulletin to find what they're looking for.

Lily x

Lecture 8 - Ethics

This weeks guest lecturer, Donna Meiklejohn, looks at what is right and what is wrong and how we can analyse why.  How do we base our decisions?  Journalists have a reputation for not having a moral compass, being cold and not really caring about the emotions and feelings of others.  There is a very fine line between what should and should not be published and how something should be reported.  

There are three theories surrounding ethics in journalism,  Firstly, there is deontology.  This is where subscribers follow a set of rules, principles and duties.  In effect, you do the right thing ethically by following the rules.  All ethics codes are deontological.  The second theory, consequentialism, is all about outcomes.  It follows the principals of:  It doesn't matter how you got the end result.  The end may justify the means and the greatest good for the greatest number.  Finally, the ethics of virtue whereby the question is asked does it align with the person I want to be.  Goodness comes from morally good habits (or dispositions) of character.  It is based on virtues based by Aristotle.

I believe throughout a journalist's career they will have to call on all three of the ethical theories to make the right decisions.  Some people will have a more difficult time making these decisions where others won't even need to bat an eyelid.  

Lily xxx

Lecture 7 - Public Media

I previously blogged about commercial media so It seems fitting to follow up with a rant on public media.  

From the words of WGBH Educational Foundation Conference, Public media is media whose mission is to serve or engage a public...It may be for profit, so long as its ultimate purpose is to serve the public and not turn a profit.  In the Australian media landscape we're talking about ABC, SBS and their digital counterparts.  Public media is vast across the world.  There is lots in Europe, Africa and Canada.  Internationally, public media consists of Channel 4, BBC, NHK, PBS, NPR, ARTE, RTHK. Public media is in support of a democratic society.  According to the BBC: there is the idea of embedding a public service ethos, value for licence fee money, weighing public value against market impact and public consultation.  A lot of us that actually enjoy the ABC are so grateful that we can watch some really good quality television made here in Australia without being interrupted by irritating advertisements.  

One of the many advantages of public media is the lack of commercial advertising.  It is for this reason that public media doesn't have to rely on the revenue from advertising which in turn gives it a great advantage over commercial media to report unbiased news and events.  I will point out that it's impossible for them to be completely unbiased but compared with commercial media, there is a significant difference.  This is mainly because public media are not obliged in any way to format their opinion or angle of a news story to support an advertising endorsement or partner.  

In this day and age of social media, reality TV and money hungry companies, it's a relief to know you can switch over to the ABC or SBS and be able to watch an unbiased news broadcast (most of the time).

On a final note, I was recently introduced to a new show called 'A Moody Christmas' which debuted on the ABC this week.  Check it out!

Lily xxx

Fishing

I remember previously mentioning that this summer I want to learn to surf...well I haven't learnt just yet but this weekend I learnt to fish!  It was fabulously therapeutic.  I went down to the Gold Coast, found a perfect spot on a rock at Tallebudgera Creek and got casting.  I had to handle live worms (which was disgusting) but once I had threaded them onto the hook and got myself underway it was great fun!  At first I thought it was a tiny bit boring because I wasn't get any bites but then just as I was ready to throw in the towel, I caught a Whiting!  I was so excited, we packed up straight away and cooked it up for lunch!  Another summer skill under my belt.

Lily x

Week 11: Annotated Bibliography

“The Olympic games are among the most significant sporting events in contemporary world.  Olympic broadcasts and news media accordingly are followed by large audiences, which places sport momentarily at the centre of the worlds attention” (Markula, P., 2009).  Journalism is an integral part of the Olympics, delivering content to households all over the world.  This annotated bibliography will explore the present news stories surrounding the 2012 Olympics, paying particular focus on media’s representation of women during the games.  It will be examined through the viewpoints of ABC News Radio, the Daily Mail online, The Australian Women’s Weekly and Dr Pirkko Markula.  The contrasting mediums of radio, print and online will seek to give a broad array of opinions on the issue in order to build credibility and critically engage. 

Markula, P. (Eds). (2009).  Olympic Women and the Media: International Perspectives.  Hampshire, UK: Palgrace Macmillan

Pirkko Markula is Professor of socio-cultural Studies of Sport and Physical Activity at the University of Alberta.  Her research interests are vast and include ethnography and poststructuralist feminist analysis of dance.  She has gained her credibility and reputation from co-authoring several highly revered books and journals with her main focus on women in sport.  This book specifically focuses on Olympic women and how they are represented and covered by the media.  This book is a collection of articles written by female 13 female academics from around the world.  The articles range from broad discussions of sport media representation of women, to specific case studies of female Olympians being underrepresented in the media during their performance in comparison with their male counterparts.  There is also detailed analysis of specific female Olympians being represented as sex objects rather than professional athletes.  On the contrary, some case studies explore certain country’s female athletes being represented equally.  Markula links the pieces together to create a balanced book with concise arguments surrounding the issue of female representation by the media at the Olympics.  The book is well referenced and includes evidence of coverage using newspaper excerpts and specific television broadcast information.  The significant use of citations throughout the book adds credibility to the research being presented by the editor and the contributors.

Brown, R. (Presenter).  (2012, July 27).  Australia’s first female Olympic flag bearer in 20 years [Podcast radio program].  Sydney: ABC The World Today.  Retrieved October 20, 2012, from http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2012/s3554849.htm

This radio conversation was found on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) website.  The ABC is one of Australia’s few public media entities.  It provides television, radio, online and mobile services.  Although funded and owned by the government, the ABC remains editorially independent.  London based ABC journalist Rachael Brown conducted the interview.  She speaks to Nick Green, the Australian Olympic team boss who had just named Lauren Jackson as the team captain and the first female flag bearer in 20 years.  The article focuses on the positive as to why Lauren Jackson was chosen as the flag bearer.  Whilst the title of the interview insinuates the main focus will be about the first female in 20 years to carry the flag, the actual crux of the story is focused on whether Britain will beat Australia in the medal tally.  The ABC withholds a high level of credibility and its content is seen to be of a high standard.  However, this article doesn’t go into enough depth about the flag bearer for the 2012 Olympic games.  Rachael Brown chooses to keep the interview to a light conversation and avoids the real substance to the story.

Burke, E. (2012, July 19).  Olympics outrage: Female athletes fly economy, men fly business.  The Australian Women’s Weekly.  Retrieved from http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/news/newsstories/8501753/olympics-outrage-female-athletes-fly-economy-men-fly-business

This article from a popular magazine, the Australian Women’s Weekly, is a heated piece about female athletes being treated unfairly compared with male athletes.  As expected in a women’s magazine, Burke writes passionately about the inequalities that the Australian female athletes faced during the 2012 Olympics.  She focuses on the fact that Australian female basketball team flew economy to London, while the men were flew business class.  The article is short but fairly well balanced.  It includes a rebuttal from basketball Australia denying any sexism and claiming that the player’s average heights determine their seating arrangements.  Burke also makes mention to other countries who flew their female athletes in a lower class than the men.  This article has been shortened and appropriated for online consumption.  The Women’s Weekly is published by ACP Magazines which is a division of PBL Media and while seen as a credible source, the articles are more lifestyle and entertainment based as opposed to hard news.  However, seeing as this issue focuses on women and so does the magazine, it makes a fitting platform for this particular content delivery. 

‘The Olympics has destroyed womanhood’: Columnist provokes storm of criticism after attack on ‘chestless, manlike’ competitors.  (2012, August 8).  The Mail Online.  Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2185510/Newspaper-columnist-provokes-worldwide-outrage-saying-Olympic-Games-destroying-female-figure.html

This piece written by a Mail Online reporter is in reaction to another article that caused uproar and controversy all over the world.  The original opinion piece written by a Turkish columnist was describing how the Olympics have destroyed womanhood.  He wrote that the games was distorting women’s bodies and that extra points should be given to female athletes based on how feminine they looked.  In response, this online article describes the reaction from the rest of the world. On their website, the Mail Online do not publish the names of the journalists which lessens the credibility of the work.  The Mail Online journalist picks apart the original column and also includes images of the specific female athletes being scrutinized.  It also includes a comments section at the end of the story for people to voice their own opinion of the story.  The Mail Online is owned by Daily Mail and General Trust and is one of the largest media conglomerates in Europe.  Its popularity is a reflection of its credibility.  This article directly relates back to Markula’s research that shows the inequality and misrepresentation of women by the media during the Olympic games.

Watching the Wheels Go Round

It was a hot day at Sydney’s Oran Park.  The crowd had erupted as the first lap of the formula ford racing championship got underway.  The sound of his engine roaring had Charlie’s heart pounding, he was in good position so early in the race.  As turn one was fast approaching, there was a problem on the track.  A car up ahead had a minor collision and forced the marshals to wave a yellow flag to signal the remaining drivers to slow down until it was safe to resume the race.  Charlie neared the turn with excitement and adrenaline, not knowing the devastation that lay ahead.  The car in front slowed suddenly in response to the yellow flag and with no time to react, Charlie hit the car in front which sent his car spinning through the air several times before coming to a stop upside down several hundred metres away.  As hoards of people rushed to his aid, little did they know, the wreckage of the car was the least of their worries.

Growing up in a privileged Melbourne family, Charlie had his sights set on racing from a young age.  His face lights up when I mention it. 

“I would wake up thinking about it [racing] and I’d go to sleep thinking about”. 

Charlie travelled with his famous V8 supercar driver father to all the race meets and he was his enthusiastic right hand man.  His face lights up when he recalls the memories.

“I’d be attached to dad’s side the whole time…if he picked up a spanner, I’d find one too.  If he had a headset on, you’d be damn sure I’d have one on too.  Looking back, I’m pretty sure I would have annoyed the shit out of dad, but he never let me believe I did.”

I met Charlie four years ago when he was 19.  We met through a mutual friend at a group dinner one night and I had offered to drive.  The first words he arrogantly muttered to me were “Jesus, you’ve got a lead foot…why don’t you race cars with me?” 

We were instantly friends.  I was so drawn to his vibrant energy, sense of humour, love of life and cheeky attitude.  I have never met someone who talks quite as much as Charlie and sometimes it was exhausting.  We quickly learnt three vodkas was all it took to make him pass out, so that method was used frequently for some peace and quiet. 

The accident at Oran Park happened a few months after we met. 

“I really don’t remember much from that period in my life.  I was scared and really struggled to believe it when the doctors told me I would never walk again.”

Charlie spent months in rehabilitation after suffering irreparable spinal damage as a result of the accident.  He couldn’t eat or speak for four weeks.  His family communicated with him using a letter board.  

“I would blink and use my eyes until they got the letter I wanted.  I felt so frustrated and trapped.”

Sitting in his family’s beautiful home trapped in his wheelchair, the pain and suffering he endures everyday is etched into his face.  His once fit body is now slumped in a chair and looks tired, his eyes drained of the glow they once had. 

“I don’t want people to feel sorry for me, I’m actually doing ok.  Everyday I have mixed emotions, I’m devastated but I also know that this is the hand I’ve been dealt and I just have to get on with it.”

While it would seem to most of us that Charlie has been stripped of any happiness in life, not long after his accident, he manufactured his own dream and founded a motorsport team of his own to contest Australia’s most popular motor racing series, the V8 Supercar Championship. 

“I didn’t have to think twice about what I was going to do when I found out I wouldn’t be able to race anymore.  Of course I was going to run a race team.”

With a specially designed trailer to allow him to manage his team on the road and at race meets, Charlie is going from strength to strength.  Not only has he recruited some of the most promising young drivers, he has also landed impressive sponsorship. 

“I’m really looking forward to the upcoming racing seasons, I want to show the world what I can do.”

It’s then that I see his old cheeky grin creep onto his face and I can’t help but smile back.

This feature story is based on real events and people but the names have been changed to protect their privacy.

Lecture 6 - Commercial Media

Money money money!!!  Commercial media is everywhere and its main focus is churning up the big bucks to keep the top dogs driving Bentley's and cruising their yachts on the Riviera.  Commercial media is seen as a platform for advertisers to reach the biggest scope of users/viewers/listeners possible.  It is passionately argued that corporations such as FairFax, News Limited, Nine and APN sacrifice quality for profit when they whack a huge chunk of ads in between your favourite show.  For this reason, I hardly ever watch TV.  I can't stand ads!  I especially hate how the volume mysteriously turns itself up when it's time for an ad break.  I much prefer to watch my favourite show online.  That way, you only have to endure one or two ads.  

Success in commercial media is not measured by the quality or social importance of the content, but sadly on the amount of profit generated.  With commercial media ruling so much of what we see and hear, the issue is raised on the dumbing down of society.  In the future we can expect to have what we see and hear so tailored to our needs and interests that we could perhaps miss a lot of other relevant information.  This hyperlocalisation can have an alarming brainwash effect on the way people vote, believe, and form opinions.  

We then have the public media sphere which consists of ABC TV and radio and SBS.  These are government funded and therefore have a much higher regard to the interest and wellbeing of the public.  

We can only hope that the majority of society is educated enough to know what commercial media is all about.

Professor Michael Bromley sums it up perfectly.  "...One thing stands out above all others - the view that the very nature of the commercial equates to a corruption of the social.  In other words, as media become more commercial, they do so at the expense of their social function.  This is seen as a zero-sum game.  Profits come before quality."

Food for thought.

Lily x

The Sapphires

Possibly one of my favourite films this year, The Sapphires was effervescent, exciting and emotional.  Set in the 60's, three sisters and their cousin from outback Australia are desperate for fame.  Their chance comes when they enter a talent quest where they meet their future manager, Dave, a boozy irishman.  They come across a classified ad calling for wartime entertainers and in no time Dave has secured the girls an audition in Melbourne.  Before they know it they're performing for troops all over Vietnam.  Their tale of self discovery, triumph and success is heartwarming and powerful.  Not to mention the fabulous soul music.  The Sapphires will have you tapping your feet and humming to your favourite blues beats.

Lily x

Lecture 5 - Picture Stories

"A picture has no meaning at all if it can't tell a story." - Eetu Silanpaa

The idea of journalism without pictures is fairly bleak.  I don't think for a second I would be as interested in this field if it wasn't for the pictures.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy writing, but the visual aspect is very significant for me. 

Photos have an ability to move people, to evoke emotions and to really have an effect in a way that words don't quite have.  Technology has evolved at an astonishing pace and given us as citizens the ability to capture anything at anytime with our pocket sized cameras.  Not all photos tell a story though.  Framing (the rule of thirds), exposure, focus, angle, point of view and timing are all crucial elements that need to be considered when capturing that great shot.  A great photographer captures a moment with a story behind it.  

Throughout history, pictures have always been a vital communicative tool when people couldn't read of write.  From ancient Egypt to the bible, using photos to convey meaning and express emotion has been paramount.  

As our world has evolved, this concept is still very relevant.  In modern society a picture can literally 'tell a thousand words' and we can do all of this so easily at anytime of the day.  Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that all pictures are works of art...those gifted people out there who know what they're doing are the ones who hold the key.  We can only learn from them and hope we can emulate the brilliance they have been creating all this time.  

While I can't claim to be as good as these talented people, here's my attempt anyway.  My favourite subject in the world to capture...my dog.

Lily x

Summer goal

Whenever I tell people I grew up on the Gold Coast most people immediately assume I'm a pro surfer, a ripping skateboarder and generally just an all round beach babe.  Mmmm - couldn't be further from the truth.  So this summer I have a plan.  I am going to learn to surf and skate so I can live up to my prescribed stereotype!  There are plenty of people to teach me so there's really no excuse!  

Lily x

Mt Warning

Last Sunday I decided to do something different.  Instead of waking up with the usual hangover, I wanted to make the most of my day.  I recruited a friend and we woke up early to drive to Mt Warning in Northern NSW.  We're both fairly competitive and neither of us wanted to 'stroll' so we took on the climb with a fair bit of pace.  The return journey is predicted to take 4-5 hours but we smashed it in 2.5 hours.  Mind you, I'm aching now.  I highly recommend it to any adventure seekers out there.  It's a beautiful walk and when you're nearly at the top you have to climb a vertical rock wall (with a chain to help).  You're then rewarded with breathtaking views of NSW.  Don't forget your water bottle though...it's thirsty work!

Lily x

Sunday Funday

I've got a new addiction!  For the past few sundays, my friends and I have been heading down to Burleigh beach to enjoy the sunset and play around on skateboards and dabble with fire twirling.  Then last week, one of the guys brought down a slack line.  It's basically a really long, elastic line about 10cms wide and you tie it to two trees and walk across it.  Sounds easy right? That's what I thought.  Then I hopped on and fell straight back off!  It's like walking on a tight rope.  It's such a good ab workout and great for your balance!  We spend the afternoon trying to walk from one end to the other without falling off.  I'm a far cry from these guys, but check them out...

Lily x

Lecture 4 - Sound

Richard Fidler

Richard's 'telling stories with sound' radio show was very much focussed on how different the three main journalistic mediums are.  Television, radio and print are so unique in their own rights and he really emphasised the fact that the content isn't simply interchangeable.  He mentioned that you can't just get tv and stick it on radio, nor can you get radio and stick it on tv.  It just doesn't work.  In my view, radio is the most difficult of all three.  You only have your voice.  The listener doesn't have any visual stimulus to compliment the story so how you present successfully on radio can be a very niche skill to hone.  Enunciation is somewhat of a touchy topic for him.  He reiterated how crucial it was speak clearly and articulately in radio or the listeners won't engage with the content.  Richard also believes that audience participation and involvement is essential in engaging an audience.  This is why he breaks his show into three segments: talk back, entertainment and intimacy.  This ensures a diversity throughout his show which he has found successful in keeping his listeners entertained.
I found it so interesting how Richard 'fell into' radio.  He didn't have a degree, he didn't plan on being a radio presenter...it just happened.  Richard says that the most important components of a good radio story are being human and searching or exploring for the full gamut of human experience.

Lily x

Lecture 3 - Text

Hypertext - why isn't it being exploited?  

We all know that print is plain and simple...whether you're reading the paper of a morning with your usual cup of tea or cramped like a sardine on the train struggling to find a way to fold The Australian so it doesn't get in the way, text is linear.  In contrast, online news can offer a myriad of experiences and interactive ways to share news stories and to enhance them by combining other relevant material.  

Bolter described it well.  "Where printed genres are linear or hierarchical, hypertext is multiple and associative.  Where a printed text is static, a hypertext responds to the reader's touch" (2001).  Today's guest lecturer, Skye Doherty, believes that hypertext, multimedia and interactivity isn't being exploited like it should in online journalism.  She believes it significantly limits and restricts content to the same site, which results in lack of depth and limited views.  

I agree with Skye.  In such a digital age, why aren't we expanding our online journalism to contain a plethora of information rather than what can just be read in a traditional old newspaper?  Getting your news online is so convenient so it only makes sense to accompany a story with hypertexts, multimedia and tags, not only to increase the search engine optimisation but to enhance journalism and its readers.  

         

                    Vs

Lily x

Lecture 2 - New News

This week we went back to the beginning.  The evolution of the web.  What it used to be and what it has become.  

Back in the good old days, mass communication consisted of newspapers, television, radio and magazines.  This old or tradition media was created and developed in the late 19th century and targeted large aggregated audiences.  We have now moved into a technologically dominant world where New Media has been introduced.  Divided into three categories, new media consists of: 

Web 1.0 - Information web
The information web was a way companies could advertise and market themselves and their products to the masses.  Possibly the most straightfoward, it was structured in a way that there was a provider of information and an audience to receive it.

Web 2.0 - New media
The advent of social networking meant we were given an entirely new purpose.  Social networking sites gave us the opportunity to speak to the world and not let the world just speak to us.  Social groups were formed and the web became an entirely unique platform.  We have become 'produsers' where we, (the users) produce the content we use.


Web 3.0 - Semantic web
Is tailored to the individual.  It can be hyperlocalised so we can have news narrowed to specific categories and receive it specific to our location.  Advertising will be specific to our needs.  A downside of web 3.0 is that general information isn't delivered to the masses, so people might become ignorant to the wider world.

We then moved on to the paywall.  The simple fact that we might have to start paying for online news shocks most people.  For years we have been happy paying for newspapers and magazines but for some reason most of us think that if we access the same information online it should be free.  Everything is moving from paper to the web.  Gumtree and Ebay has suffocated the classified the same as free online news and entertainment is suffocating newspapers.  How do people expect the creators of the news are supposed to make any money?  Something to think about.  I wonder if a paywall is introduced, will people stop caring about the news because they simply don't want to pay for it online?

Lily x

Lecture 1 - Telling Factual Stories

After frantically searching for the lecture theatre for some time and stressing about being five minutes late, I was relieved to be greeted by a very enthusiastic and welcoming Dr Bruce Redman.  I knew straight away I would enjoy myself here.  I had just sat down when Bruce was discussing the essence of journalism.  This was when I heard Philip Graham's words, "Journalism is the first rough draft of history."  It struck a chord with me and left me wondering how vital our future as Journalist's is.  

Unlike in other subjects, I felt a really strong, interested and passionate vibe amongst my peers.  As I looked around the room, it seemed as though they were really keen to get stuck into it.  The lecture was an introduction to get our creative juices flowing and to meet Bruce.  He went through the assessment and my initial reaction wasn't so good.  When I heard we had to 'blog' I broke out in a cold sweat.  After severely procrastinating about it, I had a firm talking to myself in the mirror and here I am.  "Telling Factual Stories" was the essence of Bruce's lecture and it got me to thinking about my future role as an aspiring Journalist.  Hunting for the truth and stopping at nothing until I find it.  After all, "I am the Journalist".

Lily x

Media Use Diary

I'll be honest, when we were delegated this assignment, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what my media use would look like mapped out in a table or a graph.  I expected to use the internet a lot more than I should, clock a decent amount of hours in front of the TV and not read nearly enough as I should.  After scrupulously making sure I logged all my hours correctly, I was shocked to find that my initial assumption couldn’t have been more wrong!  
We were asked to log our media use over the course of 10 days.  I chose to focus on the five main mediums I use regularly.  Firstly, the use of my phone.  This includes texts, emails, web browsing, social networking, applications and music.  Secondly, using my laptop for web browsing, social networking, academic use and entertainment.  Followed by TV, print and radio. 

One of the first things I noticed was that I don't really consume/produce as much media as I originally thought.  As shown in figure 1, my computer usage is fairly standard, if not lower than average.  Maybe I'm not studying enough!  Comparatively, my television consumption was stock standard, if not a little lower than the majority of students. I think a reason for this could be the fact that I'm very social.  I don't enjoy sitting at home very much and I find any opportunity I can to hang out with my friends.  

My radio consumption, similar to my peers, was mainly from listening in my car and I noticed spikes in my consumption on days I drove to the Gold Coast to visit my family.  Surprisingly, in this current age, I do use a substantial amount of print media.  However, as much as I would like to say that I'm reading newspapers, it's actually time spent reading '50 Shades of Grey.'  Oops.

The hours I spent on my phone, however, was quite alarming!  Massive spikes in phone consumption occurred on Friday and Saturday (obviously).  If I was to get rid of my phone, I would have an extra 35 hours in a 10 day period.  Oh, the things I could achieve...then again, I'd probably need my phone to achieve them!  

I want to focus the attention now on the two main forms of media I consume.  Figure 2 shows that the bulk of what I do on my phone is production in the form of social networking (more commonly referred to as stalking).  Seriously though, in this regard I'm quite similar to the rest of my Journalism cohort because we all seem to have our phones glued to our hand at all times.  Something quite atypical of my data in comparison to the rest of the cohort is that I don't have an Instagram account.  I was shocked to see that a staggering 43% of the group have one.  SMS closely follows my social network production which indicates that I produce more than I consume.

Figure 3 shows what I spend my time doing on my computer.  As expected and similar to my peers, social networking takes the cake.  The group data showed that YouTube was the second biggest hit but I rarely use YouTube so again, I was atypical in that respect.  

The ten day period in which I collected data happened to be quite a social time in my life and I would say that during that time, my phone usage was above average while my tv/computer consumption was below average.  This took me by surprise, especially considering the olympics was on.  Having thought of it, I used the 'London 2012' app on my iPhone to get most of my olympic updates.

My media consumption is heavily weighted upon outside influences and my plans on any specific day.  Before I started this course, I didn't blog nor did I tweet.  After ripping off the bandaid I can honestly say that I quite enjoy blogging so I can only predict that my media production is going to skyrocket in the coming months.  Stay tuned.

Lily x

The awkward bit...

I'm not going to lie, I have been putting this off for a while now but it's finally time to break the ice. My name is Olivia Pollard but I'm better known as Lily.  I'm in my second year of applied science at UQ...so it might seem a little bit random that I'm taking a journalism course but let me explain.  I have always been fascinated by the media and once dreamed of being a tv presenter (cliche, I know)!  

I have a few passions and often wish I could live more than one life so I can follow through with them all.  Animals are my number one and I have applied to get into Veterinary Science starting in 2013.  The performing arts comes a very close second so If my Vet career falls through, NIDA here I come!

I love Channing Tatum, green tree frogs, my dog Chester and crunchy apples.

Until next time,

Lily x