Assignment: Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

McNair, B. (2011) ‘Journalists in Film: Heroes and Villains’, Australian Journalism Review, v.33, no.1, PP. 133-138. 

The author, Brian McNair, is a Professor of Journalism, Media and Communications in the Creative Industries faculty at the Queensland University of Technology. In his book, ‘Journalists in Film’ (McNair 2010), he analyses the varying portrayals of journalists in film. McNair questions why journalism has been a source of inspiration for filmmakers and why portrayals of journalists are both ‘heroic’ and ‘villainous’. McNair explores the cultural duality of societies’ love and hate relationship with journalists.  He sees heroic journalism as maintaining the role of journalists in a liberal democracy; to scrutinise, tell truth to power and make authority accountable. McNair looks at film as a Fifth Estate or watchdog to hold the fourth estate accountable. He cites the confrontation that occurs between truth and authority, as seen most recently in the Wikileaks affair, as the theme that captures film maker’s attention. Cited below are three pieces of media coverage on Julian Assange and Wikileaks. Coverage of Julian Assange looks at whether he is an advocate of truth telling and holding authority accountable or if his whistleblowing is reckless and fame-seeking. They each vary in their portrayal of Assange as a hero or villain according to popular media.

Milne S, (2012) ‘Don't lose sight of why the US is out to get Julian Assange’, The Guardian: Tuesday 21 August 2012

 

In this article Seamus Milne follows developments in the charges against Julian Assange, his asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy and the motives behind Sweden and the US’s attempts to extradite him. The Guardian is a British national daily newspaper that identifies with Social Liberalism but is widely regarded as unbiased and trustworthy by its readers. However much of British media coverage of Assange, including coverage by The Guardian, is hostile and consistently negative with much of the British press claiming Assange is a bail jumper and an exhibitionist (Milne 2012). However this article differs as it indirectly supports Assange through highlighting the ulterior motives of The US and Sweden.  Consequently this article sustains the opinion that The Guardian presents considered and balanced coverage of news events and strays from popular journalism that is buys in to the ‘hero’ or ‘villain’ spin. The Guardian differs from other British newspapers, for example The Sun who support the British press’ attempt to smear Assange on the basis of sexual assault allegations rather than reporting on any other agendas. In this article The Guardian acts as a mirror to the British press, government, and public to highlight their villainizing of Assange and to hold them accountable, therefore upholding the role of the fourth estate.  

ABC Radio National: Breakfast, Presented by Fran Kelly (2012), ‘Interview with Julian Assange’s US lawyer, Michael Ratner’: Monday 20 August

Fran Kelly for ABC Radio National interviewed Michael Ratner, Julian Assange’s US Lawyer, following Assange’s speech from the Ecuadorian Embassy.  The ABC is a public media outlet and does not represent agendas from outside power players. During this interview the presenter informs the audience of recent developments in the Assange case and quotes verbatim the speech given by Assange. Radio National identify themselves as playing a vital role in developing the relationship between Australians and the media, therefore this interview does not conform to an agenda of celebrating or discrediting Assange, and rather reports on Assange’s current situation involving the other major players; that being the UK, the US and Sweden. This interview differs from the piece in The Guardian as the ABC does not challenge the views of their government but focuses on their ideal to enable national conversations centred on knowledge and accurate information.  This interview showed no reflection of a culturally determined idea of the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ journalist Assange is painted to be, which is a result of the ABC being part of the Public media opposed to Commercial media that follows that popular social trend. 

Wilkinson M (2012), ‘Above the law, Assange emerges at last...on embassy balcony’ The Sun: Sunday September 30^th

The author of this piece, Matt Wilkinson, maintains the characteristics of tabloid journalism, which is the style of the British tabloid, The Sun. This article, as suggested by the title 'Above the law, Assange emerges at last', sensationalises the negative view of Assange in the British press. The article is written with a tone of sarcasm that delivers the anecdotes that their audience looks for in a tabloid. The Sun has taken part in the 'villainizing' of the journalist by painting Assange as a dangerous media force who does not uphold the 'heroic' values of journalism. This is ironic considering The Sun has a bad track record for upholding ethics or presenting fair and accurate coverage, as seen during the investigations into corruption at The Sun; a paper owned by Rupert Murdoch (Gallagher, I. 2012). The focus put on Assange as the 'villain' fulfills expectations that The Sun propagates the most dramatized and thrilling spin of a story, even if the values that are questioned, are not values upheld by this tabloid. This correlates with the public scrutiny of journalism's capacity to "manufacture reality,  to manipulate and mould events for the purpose not of enlightening or informing citizens, but to sell newspapers, without regard to the interests of the people involved" (McNair 2011).  

Word Count: 805                                                                       Lauren Binns s43011478

References

McNair, I. (2011) ‘Journalists in Film: Heroes and Villains’, Australian Journalism Review, Volume 33: Issue 1, PP 133-138

Milne S, (2012) ‘Don't lose sight of why the US is out to get Julian Assange’, The Guardian: Tuesday August 21th

Fran Kelly (2012), ‘Interview with Julian Assange’s US lawyer Michael Ratner’, ABC Radio National – Breakfast: Monday August 20^th

Wilkinson M (2012), ‘Above the law, Assange emerges at last...on embassy balcony’ The Sun: Sunday September 30^th

Gallagher, I. (2012),’ Rebekah Brooks' deputy editor, The Sun's Head of News and crime editor arrested by phone-hacking police over corrupt payments’, Mail Online: Sunday January 29^th

Radio National, ‘About Radio National’, www.abc.net.au/radionational

River Fire!

Celebrating Brisbane with my first

RIVER FIRE!

I have extremely fond memories of growing up in England and having our annual celebration with light, fire and explosions on the 5th of November; Guy Fawkes Night. The children would all have sparklers at hand, Dad's would be hammering Katherine Wheels to the fence and Mothers watched on with caution as the glow and crackle of bonfires, or backyard fireworks captivated the children who perhaps new not the dangers, or the tale behind Guy Fawkes.

From backyard firework shows, to the mother of all light shows, I watched Sydney Harbor light up on New Year's Eve, 2006, and was blown (almost literally) out of the water at the magnitude and extravagance of this firework display.  

However, my first few months living in Brisbane have out done all these experiences, as I have never seen such collaboration between state, buildings and the public that resulted in the truly breathtaking scenes in the month leading up to River Fire.

Throughout the Brisbane Festival, a central hub for activities for families and people of all ages is South Bank. The organizers of the festival light up the night with a delicate lantern display that creates a whimsical and ever so romantic atmosphere beside the river. 

I strolled freely through the displays, milling among the rest of the crowds, and soaking up the atmosphere. The lanterns were a perfect back drop for the Pièce de résistance of the festival in South Bank, which was the stunningly beautiful 'Santos GLNG City of Lights', a laser, water and music show orchestrated from a raft on the river. I have never before witnessed something so innovated and intricate with the water reflecting the lasers to form shapes and move in coordination to the music of Bjork, Hans Zimmer and Peter Gabriel to name a few. What I loved most about this light show most though, was that as a part of truly honouring our beautiful city, it did not overly abuse the environment with fireworks but rather harnessed our location and used the river and community to illuminate Brisbane.

And on the final night, at the closing ceremony, the Brisbane community gathered riverside, under the bridges and above them, to watch the sky explode for River Fire. I was lucky enough to see the show at 27 stories high and was almost parallel to the bursts of colour in front of the Story Bridge.

All in all the Brisbane Festival made for one colourful month and an extremely starry-eyed night! 

Lecture Reflections: Lecture 10 (Week 11)

Agenda Setting

Within news values we have looked at models that dictate what news is in the public interest. Now we look at the model that decides how the news agenda is set and how this somewhat manages public perception of topics and events. 

Agenda setting is a theory that alludes to how the media constructs and mediates reality. In other words, our social perception of what is important and relevant in the world today is likely a perception that has been moulded according to the agenda mass media has set.

There are four main agendas within the agenda setting theory, and they are as follows:

1.       Public Agenda - Topics that the public perceive as important.

2.       Policy Agenda: Issues that the decision makers think are salient. 

3.       Corporate agenda: Issues that big business and corporations consider important (linked to advertising).

4.       Media Agenda: Issues discussed in the media as important.

And these agendas are all interrelated. 

This theory in itself is fairly obvious and many of us are aware of different agendas shown through the news with events that receive more coverage than others. This is often a characteristic remarked upon when looking at the difference in coverage on commercial media programs and public media programs; it shows what each form of media considers important. 

Some people often criticise this model suggesting that it narrows public perception or that it is a powerful tool that can be used the wrong way. It is true that the mass media not only reflect and report reality, but also filter and shape it. This can be put down to the necessity that not every event can be reported, or covered thoroughly at least, therefore the news must be culled and filtered to fit public interest. 

So why can this be a powerful or dangerous tool? The origins of the Agenda Setting theory stem from the Hypodermic Needle Model, also known as the magic bullet theory, created by Harold Lasswell in 1920.  This model proposes that “the mass media ‘injects’ direct influence into the audience” by way of reporting a topic from a preconceived standpoint.

This suggests that the notion of free thinking is not as ‘free’ as assumed by many and when used to its most controlled and conditioned potential, this model makes for very influential propaganda. 

  

A forward thinker of his time and theorist Walter Lippmann suggested that the mass media joins us all together in our thinking through creating pictures in our minds. He theorises that depending on the news value a story uses, for example terrorism, we have a consequential picture painted for us, perhaps one of violence and danger, which draws a linear type of thinking from the public. 

To counteract this conditioned thinking, Lippmann came up with the concept of

 regaining an innocent eye

whereby the audience keeps an open mind and heart, questions the perceptions we are fed and critically thinks rather than relying on the pictures and thoughts created for us.

Media agenda setting influences almost every kind of interaction society has with elite or higher powers. Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw proved this when interviewing 100 undecided voters during the 1968 Presidential Campaign in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. McCombs and Shaw questioned voters on the key issues of the campaign and compared that to what the mass media had been giving prominence to in the news. The research showed that the issues the news media had considered news worthy and important, were the issues that the voters considered of high importance, therefore affecting the policy and campaign of the Presidential candidates. This shows the direct influence the media can have on the public agenda. 

There are two primary types of agenda setting. The first level of agenda setting dictates that: 

The media suggests what the public should focus on through coverage. Study of this level looks at the emphasis of the major issues and the transfer of salience of those issues. 

The second level of agenda setting theory states that:

The media suggests HOW a person should think about an issue and looks at how the media does this by focusing on attributes of an issue. 

  

When looking at what agenda setting does, we can see it at work within the social realms but also within media realms as well. On the societal level, agenda setting transfers issues of salience from the news media to the public. It also transfers issues of salience of other objects and people, for example political figures. When at work in the media, particularly in relation to the fall of print media, elite media organisations set the agenda for issues in other media. An example is the Media Reporting in action at the New York Times that is documented in the film Page One: Inside The New York Times (Andrew Rossi 2010).   

McCombs acknowledges in his work that often times agenda setting is not always a “diabolical plan to control the minds of the public” and rather the by-product of having too much news to report. Bernard Coen somewhat concurs with McCombs that the media may not always be successful in telling the public how to think but “they are stunningly successful at telling the public what to think about.” 

However a reoccurring issue in my learning about how the media interacts with the public is that we are not victims or even innocent bystanders, rather we play a rather large role in directing the news ourselves by where our computer mouse chooses to click.

Within this theory there is an agenda setting family that works to clarify the dynamics of agenda setting.

 The Agenda Setting Family:

  

1.       Media Gatekeeping:

Looks at how individuals control the flow of messages through a communication channel. This involves the way an issues is covered, and what the media chooses to reveal. 

2.       Media Advocacy: 

The purposive promotion of an important message, for example a message about health that is advocated for through the media.

3.       Agenda Cutting: 

Looks at how most of the truth or reality that is going on in the world, is not represented in the daily news, because it doesn’t rate on the public agenda as important or entertaining. 

4.       Agenda Surfing  (also known as the Bandwagon effect)

This looks at how the media follows crowd trends, where opinion on a topic may start in the public discussion media and then get picked up by other media groups as important. 

5.       The diffusion of News: 

The diffusion of news is how an important event is communicated to the public. It looks at how, when and where news is released.

6.       Portrayal of an Issue:

This looks at how an issue is portrayed in the media and states that the way an issue is portrayed, can influence how the public thinks about it. 

A point to note within the notion of different portrayals of an issue is that images can be used in a very powerful way to evoke different responses from the public, according to how they relate to the image. An example could be the Australian public opinion towards asylum seekers and, when influenced by media agenda and political agenda, how a positive or negative perception is spread through the public.

A family who have sought Asylum in Australia

A group of 'boat people' seeking asylum in Australia

Powers and strengths of the agenda setting theory: 

1.     Explanatory power

2.     Predictive power

3.     Organizing power

4.     Can be proven false ( like any good theory)

5.     Lays the ground work for other research

Weaknesses of agenda setting: 

1.     People who are well informed cannot be as easily swayed

2.     News cannot create and conceal problems

3.     People are not always ideally interested in what the news Is reporting and take a more casual approach to their perception of issues

Agenda setting is now changing dramatically because of the change in how we take in our media and our news. With the implementation of 24 hour news cycles, the media now have to ability to report on more events, however agenda setting is still in place in relation to what receives the most coverage.  It is also being transformed with the revolution of new journalists who use a smaller team of people and are more versatile and able to report news fast.