OJ420 – Flow Chart
I have created a Flow Chart of the OJ420 site, to help us gain a better understanding of the site and its content.
I think it will help us get a better understanding of what we would like to cover on our site.
OJ420 Flow Chart (PDF)
WK4: That Balance and the New World Information Order
That Balance and the New World Information Order
Jim Hall
Legislation and content on the Internet – looking at how the existing laws apply to web and the need for create a new framework of rules.
Legislation Issues relate to Privacy, Free Speech, Government censorship to trying to protect children from inappropriate content.
First time that legislation must look at being global. Currently laws are separate from country to country, state to state. How can something be published in one country and viewed in another where its content would be considered illegal.
Where does the responsibility lie? ISP’s, publishers, writers, governments?
Censorship
The internet has made it easier to get around censorship laws that are imposed by some totalitarian states. Journalist can simply publish the article on a site (server) in another country.
Governments can block sites and try to control their users but the internet has been designed so the flow of information will never break.
Privacy & Surveillance
Internet is a powerful tool for corporations. Government and corporations can gather information, watch behaviour of citizens, employers and consumers.
Copyright
Globalisation and the nature of the internet is challenging Copyright and Intellectual Property issues. Although there are laws in place from country to country they don’t cover the vast spectrum of problems that globalization has caused.
1 Hyperlinks – sourcing someone else’s material and linking to it on its server.
2. Framing content to look like it is part of the site but it is actually being directly sourced from another.
WK 4: Online Writing Styles
Online Writing Styles
Richard Craig
Online reporting is different to Old Style Reporting. Compared to online reporting the old style can be seen as stuffy, no-nonsense presenting facts without bias.
The internet has allowed a different style of reporting to emerge. It is more commentary driven, with online reporters enjoying the fact that they can depart from the traditional writing skills.
Even when it comes down the to traditional Journalist Pyramid, this style does not necessarily work for the web, but rather a layering style, where each hyperlink represents another layer to the story.
Where did this style originate? The foundations of this more relaxed opinionated commentary style of writing has developed from the early forms of communication that the internet offered. That is email and chat-room where communicating was a direct, opinion originated style.
What does this new medium mean for writing? How does it effect the consumer?
- The publishers really need to know their audience and the best way they can serve that audience
- News is instant, no longer dictated by deadlines, but rather a rolling deadline
- Constant reporting – updating as the story breaks
- Providing links to external sources (often written by different authors) so the consumer can at any stage change the narrative – to suit their own personal interest.
- Consideration of other media that will aid the story
- Change in economic constraints for publishers, effectively the web has allowed anyone to be a publisher/writer/journalist
The Question of Journalist Integrity
Is it a case of throw it out the window? Although online journalism is a distinctively different style to that of traditional journalism, it has become important to keep the foundations of fact checking and researching that traditional journalism was built on.
WK3 The Future of Public Broadcasting – Elizabeth Jacka
The Future of Public Broadcasting – Elizabeth Jacka
I found this reading really interesting. I must confess I am an ABC watcher, as I was bought up on the ABC children’s, dramas and news programs. There was certainly no Cosby Show watching at our house it was DR Who, Followed by the News and the 7.30 Report.
This reading outlines the original purpose of Public Service Broadcasters, and how it originated from the development of the BBC in Britain. It addressed the notion of who the ABC & SBS are servicing, what content they are presenting, and the role they are playing in the Broadcasting Industry.
Initially developed to broadcast the “finest aspects of culture” and to “play a role in informing the population, thus enhancing their ability to exercise citizenship in a variety of ways, including national elections”.
The ABC is associated with the “Highest Quality” broad ranging service available on a National level to all australians. SBS is associated with providing access to alternate multicultural programs availed to the minorities in our country.
The ABC does try to strive towards to universal appeal with a comprehensive service. It certainly does localise some of it show like Stateline and has certainly been concentrating on the Youth network JJJ. Especially seeing JTV has just come to life on our Television sets.
THe one thing the ABC has always offered is a hard hitting news service. Although financed by the commonwealth it has certainly been the source of many government scandals.
From this reading and my personal experience I believe that the role of the ABC in Australia has been to provide not just an “honest” news service, but innovative and experimental television. Many shows have seen their first run on the ABC and then gone onto bigger and more profitable networks. Such examples are, Good News Week & D Generation.
The reading explores the role of SBS and the ABC in our current broadcasting climate. I tend to agree with Elizabeth when she points out that the ABC TV is not providing such a broad range of programming, as a majority is from British television. Of course a huge factor in this would have to be the funding cut back that the channel has taken constantly every year since the 1990’s. It has seemed to lost its focus on educational programming. SBS on the other hand is certainly keeping to its goals, but one has to note that 20% of its funding does come from commercials. I also think that the ABC has more pressure placed on it to perform.
The future of Public Broadcasting – this reading points that the ABC is making some smart movies into the digital area, and has certainly utilise the other media to its advantage (the web). I personally think if the current political climate continues we will see more funding cuts, and a loss of independent broadcasting, and should i say “Australian made productions”. We are already seeing the ABC broadcast such American shows as “the west wing”. SBS – I think it will finds its way, it has certainly shown get fore sight in becoming the “soccer” channel and gaining more views in the process.
WK 3: The Future Of Journalism – Catharine Lumby
The Future Of Journalism – Catharine Lumby
An interesting article that tries to speculate on the future of journalism by looking at the history of Journalism in Australia.
Australian Journalism seems to have been built on ” Objectivity” reporting. Fiona says that “Journalist objectivity developed from them not just reporting the FACTs but weeding out the Bias.”
From this reading I came to understand that from around 1960’s 1970’s the popularity of tabloid reporting created a large shift in the “content” that Journalist reported. Although if you look back in history the “tabloid” reporting has been around forever. But it was it popularity that changed the way Journalist started reporting, now they were accused of “Sensationalizing” stories.
Certainly in the 80’s and 90’s this became very apparent in Australia with the success of the “A Current Affair” style programs. Where hidden camera and confrontational style reporting became acceptable on Australian Television. The only station to not fall to this was of course the ABC – which had and still does a reputation for hard news reporting.
Then in the 1990’s the rise of Infotainment news and lifestyle programs which brought up every day social issues and political issues in the same way as traditional Journalism (except for the Objectivity of course) but they used different techniques to deliverer this material. No longer one man behind a desk, but rather a cluster of presenters out and about delivering their segments from the “real world”. The issues were starting to be more social, rather than political.
With the rise of these programs of course the rating wars became more and more important to the networks and as a result we saw the ABC’s funding cut during the 90’s and an expectation for them to “compete” with the commercial networks.
More recently our news and events are being more centered around Celebraties, even as I write this, the head line story on every station is “Mark Waugh’s Wife in Hospital after recovering from an operation on her brain”, and second to that is of course the raging war in Lebanon. Interestingly the reading points out that this new rise in Celebrity news has been attacked as a “false distraction from the pressing political , economic, and social issues raised by life under global capitalism”.
The reading suggested that this new role that celebrates are taking in Australian Journalism, is essentially the same role as the shift to “life style” reporting. Saying that “Celebrities are a human screen on to which problems of individual and social importance can be projected and discussed.”
We just have to look at Kylie Minquoes breast cancer to see how the “breast cancer awareness” was increased. It was certainly reported that a huge number of 30 something women bombarded their local doctors for a check up. If it can happen to Kylie it can happen to anyone!
This reading does not really point out that the Future of Australian Journalism lies here and there, but rather makes the smart comment that:
“be open to the new possibilities which new media technologies and forms offer Australian journalism and to be ware that ethical challenges are associated with all media, highbrow or tabloid, new media or old.”
WK 3 New media new audiences – Fiona Martin
New media new audiences – Fiona Martin
I must admit I did get a bit lost in this reading – with regards to the poltical and legality aspects.
This reading talks about the relationship between, new technologies, the media industry and the audience. Fiona says that the introduction of mew media in australia has forced the old media industries to develop and evolve in order to compete of the audiences attention.
The evolution is how Interactivity is going to take a role in the way the new media is delivered.
What is new Media? The definition is very broad and basically seems to include “a suite of digital communication technologies that are variously mobile and/or multimedia and /or networked.
The big buzz word here is certainly INERACTIVITY – ” simple human-computer/computer-response interchanges” . Then there is the degree of interactivity, to what extent can user participate?? With this degree of interactivity, new behaviours are forming, like online lurking, flaming. I guess like anything that has been introduced into society the good always comes with some bad.
The writer goes on to speculate what will be the next best thing, and which technologies will incorporate other technologies to make them more interactive. She suggest the use off using mobile phone in conjunction with television to play games. We are seeing this in its initial stages at them moment I think, with the late night cash-give-away quiz shows. Then of course we are seeing an almost seamless convergence from television, the web to the mobile by such shows are Australian Idol and Big Brother.
She raised many issues in this reading, but one I found very interesting was the Creativity Control. Trying to control the copyright on material on the web and how that can effect that way your brand is seen. OF course there is a huge problem with peer-to-peer software and the sharing of music, and video. As companies struggle to try and save their “creative control” – THe BBC has opened up its digital archives for the use by British citizens, under a “creative commons” type licence. I guess they have seen how something like youtube.com or the simple act of having some footage etc spread across the web via email or posting will increase their brand awareness???
The BBC is the first to do this, but other seem to still want to hang on to that central control. The new step for interactivity seems to be going beyond, SMS voting for you favourite singer to editing, manipulating video, music and pics and publishing them on the web for all to enjoy!!! Interactivity is allowing more self expression on the web.
WK 3: Australian News Organisations and Convergence
Think i am missing chapters 6 & 7 in this reading.
The Media and Communications in Australia.
Chapter 15: The Internet,online and mobile Cultures – Gerald Coggin
This chapter is interesting as it covers the history of the Internet in relation to Australia. From outlining the first Permanent Australian Internet Connection to the development of commericalisation in relation to Internet Service Providers. Not to mention one of the most important things to effect the Internet Industry the 1997 to 2000 Boom and subsequent crash, were lots and lots of people lost money, jobs, their “fortune”, and faith in the technology that was dubbed as the “next best thing” and a growing part of the “new economy”.
This reading covers some interesting topic including Internet users. This section list a whole lot of statistics covering who is accessing the internet and from where. In an interesting point relating to this on the census form a new question has been added in order to get more information on how australians are using the internet.
Question is 59.
Can the Internet be accessed at this dwelling, include any internet service regardless of whether or not paid for by the house hold. Options listed are:
no internet connection
Yes broadband including ADSL, Cable, Wireless, Satellite
Yes Dial up including analog modem, and ISDN connections.
Other – include internet access through mobile phone.
The readings point out clearly that an understanding of Users and how and why people use the web is crutial to the media industry.
On other topics like, Broadband, Email and Web Industry the same point seems to be made, that audiences/users are using a range of different platforms in relation to accessing the internet (dial up, broadband, wireless etc), preferred email access & web site browsing (porthole sites). Hence the behaviour of the user is becoming an important part of the media strategy.
From looking at the history of users and the present it is hard to say how the future of the internet will develop. The transformation to broadband will effect users consumption. So far we have certainly seen a slow start to Broadband being taken up in Australia and I personally think this is because of the strangle hold certain telecommunication companies have on the industry. It has only been in the recent year that Broadband has become more affordable to the average household in City areas, but regional and rural access is still very expensive, if available at all..
But for those of us lucky enough to have broadband a new world of peer-to-peer programs has certainly provided another form of access to information and entertainment.
Then there is mobile phones – all these features. Watching TV, sending a video into the news, a pic to mate. I think more interesting is the way TV is incorporating the use of mobile technology with the SMS to vote for this person.
This reading makes a good point about how the predictions of what the Internet would bring to Australia were the death of paper, books, news etc, was VERY WRONG, but how it has and is constantly transforming the Australian communications and media industry.
From Photosetting to XML
From Photosetting to XML
Large news co-operations that provide a physical paper are starting to see the importance of an online service. Considering that there web presence may receive more traffic than the number of papers sold.
It also has opened up publication to smaller independent niche publications.
Consumers are using the internet as a first point of call for obtaining information and news corporations are seeing this and changing the way they operate.
The biggest thing that changes the from paper to the web is the hyperlink. The hyperlink allows immediate linkage from one document to another. This is the first and only way a user can control the narrative of the news and entertainment they are interested in.
Meaning and Implications of Convergence
Meaning and Implications of Convergence – Rich Gordon
Overview of Reading
Convergence Definition: “The flow of content across multiple media platforms”
Implication of Convergence: The Convergence of media holds many implications;
- Technology:
Which technology will the industry need to gear itself towards, will one become the dominant form. With so many different ways we can access information whether it be, new or entertainment it is hard to if not impossible to point out one technology that will be the key to the future. With the rapidly changing technology in TV, Mobile, MP3 Players, Computers etc the industry is not really a stable market to place all you eggs in the one basket.This issue is important to the Media Industries that are pushing their content across all avenues in the hope to expand and seize on any opportunity. - New Relationships:
New relationships are developing between the
a) Existing Technologies
b) Media industry
c) Current Markets
d) Genres
e) Audience - Consumers: One of the important implications of convergence is the impact it has on the way consumers access their news and entertainment.
