Journalism Blog- Week 11

Chapter 11- Reporting for duty

1. This is yet another moral dilemma I would have trouble dealing with if I was placed in this situation. I believe this is a form of blackmail on the part of the policeman who said that no one would speak to me if our newspaper ran the story. However, I would have to listen to the advice (or orders) given by the chief-of-staff, as he is most senior and I would want to do what was correct by his standards. Although, in saying this, I would want to express my views and facts to the chief on the conversation had by myself and the policeman and inform him of this blackmail. But ultimately, I would respond in whatever way my boss wanted me to, even thought I know the events of the situation are wrong and unjust.
2. I would keep the story to myself. I couldn't handle having something like that on my conscience if she had committed suicide. It would be like risking her life for the sake of a story. Since the crime wasn't too severe I can't see how it would affect public interest if I didn't notify my newspaper. If possible, I would try and offer the lady help and point her towards a professional counsellor.
3. I would write the story. Celebrity cases such as these are very common these days! Just think of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Ritchie. Ofcourse people will make a big deal about the case for a couple of days but I can't see a story such as this destroying a career. As fabulous as money and a free holiday sound, I wouldn't give in to bribery.
4. I would report on the story mentioned in the question. If a juror feels comfortable to confide something like this in me, then he/she will probably be seeking justice. I would report on corrupt officers and the jurors as although the police in this case are corrupt, the media are not. It would be my responsibility to act as the fourth estate and it is definately in the publics interest to be informed about this case. As the textbook says, “a major omission is that we don’t report and analyse our justice system very well.” (pg. 251)

I found these points should be mentioned-

• If journalists accept the responsibility of informing the public they must first accept the importance of being well informed themselves. They should develop both general and specific knowledge from a wide variety of sources.
  The contact book, more than any other single object, represents everything and everyone a journalist knows on a professional basis. It is known as the ‘journalist’s bible’. It is extremely important to have in order to receive information about potential stories or even to investigate current stories further.
• Journalist’s other ‘assets’ should include-
  · Computer skills that include an ability to touch type
  · Shorthand to a minimum of 120 words per min
  · Knowledge of newspaper’s often complex telephone system
  · Access to a personal filing cabinet for ready access to reports and files containing articles you have clipped from newspapers and magazines relating to your particular round
  · A small radio with an earpiece or headphones to monitor news bulletins
  · A portable computer
  
• Good journalists learn to be flexible and manage their time and tempers throughout the news-gathering and writing process. Strategies are-
  Politely ending an interview that has outlived its usefulness
  Using the telephone as much as possible when pushed for time, as opposed to in-person interviews.
• Avoiding too much reliance on sound recorders, which can involve time consuming transcriptions and hunting backwards and forwards through an interview for direct quotes
• Asking each source, at some time during and interview, where he or she will be in the next few hours in case further contact needs to be made.
  
  It is important to know all Contempt of Court laws!!! A new court reporter will need to learn the rules of evidence, court etiquette, and the law and policy on the availability of court documents. A good relationship with police and prosecutors is necessary.

Journalism Blog- Week 10

Chapter 10- The story factory

1. Journalism is a hard industry in terms of ethical decisions. Should a journalist’s loyalty reside in the person that is providing them with the information, their employer or the public? Certainly it should always be in their reader’s best interest. If it is more relevant to publish the article a day later in terms of the newsworthy value of time than I publish it a day later. If it was a source that is constantly being used or is someone like the Police than I would also publish it a day later, if however, it is information that needs to be published straight away than I would disregard their request.
2. It is important that the public is made aware of the situation. I would run the story as it is in the publics interest, however I would do a follow up story on the workers who could lose their jobs. It is a difficult situation but you must remember that as a journalist you need to report the news and not let personal emotions get in the way. It is not the public relations practitioners role to dictate what a journalist includes in a story, so while they are a valid source, I would not listen to them about bad publicity.
3. This is difficult. As sub-editor it is your responsibility for any misrepresentations made by the paper. The excuse 'he sounded drunk' is not plausible if you make the wrong decision. I am honestly not sure what I would do. You could pull the story out all together... but then what makes front page? If you pull it out every other media outlet might cover it except you. If you leave it in and the 'so called' solicitor was telling the truth, the legal consequences of including the name could be huge.
4. I would write from the angle the editor suggests. They are senior in this argument and I wouldn't risk losing my job over something like this. I do understand that the police rounds officer is very experienced and would know the situation better than the editor might, but the editor chooses what gets published.

Here are a few things I thought were worth mentioning from the text-

• News organisation’s are assigning print, audio, web and video journalists to a story to provide output for radio, television, print and online. More journalists every year are realising the importance of multi-skilling and advanced computer training.

The Four-point Conley-Lamble Axiom of News-Gathering says:

1. The difficulty factor in news-gathering is proportional to its value.
2. The difficulty factor in news-gathering is proportional to a source’s determination to hide something.
3. The absence of difficulty in news-gathering is a hint that someone is selling something or wants something.
4. There really is no such thing as a free lunch. People who offer incentives or make threats in a bid to have a story published, or not, never have the public interest at heart.

• Australian journalists are facing major challenges to maintain quality against a backdrop of declining resources and an increasingly sophisticated public relations industry (Dickie 1999, p.21).
• 86% of journalists reported very frequent contact with PR practitioners and 31% of news stories were based ‘wholly or partly’ on media releases (p.214 textbook- survey).

The news hierarchy-

1. managing editor, or editor-in-chief
2. editor
3. deputy editor or associate editor
4. news editor
5. chief-of-staff, chief sub-editor, chief photographer/photo editor
6. journalists, sub-editors, photographers/artists

• The chief-of-staff is like a gatekeeper. They control the information received from the public and decide what stories should be followed/given to reporters or journalists.

Journalism Blog- Week 9

Chapter 15- Computer Assisted Reporting

1. As a journalist fresh out of university, it would be important to get a job that is going to last a while. I would take the weekly newspaper job as job opportunities are very competitive and if the other job falls through there is no guarantee that I would automatically get a job! I wouldn't worry too much about the pay because the value of the experience gained in an environment such as the newspaper is priceless!
2. I would conduct the interview regardless as although an email interview is not ideal, any information from the main source is helpful! As the journalist it seems your hands are tied in this situation!
3. This is unacceptable. I would raise my concerns with the editor or sub editor. Situations such as these must never happen. Plagiarism is such a huge ethical issue in journalism and shouldn't be ignored.
4. This situation has the potential to be extremely dangerous. I would not go and meet the mystery person. The fact they are on the run alone is enough to suggest illegitimacy with very little credibility! I would question informing the police about the meeting place and give them the email address.
5. I would do as much research as I could. Are these sites reliable? I would look into the six different publishers and the people who conducted the interview. Sometimes it is easy to recognise a source that is not reliable or academic, such as wikipedia.

A few things that I thought were interesting from this chapter were:

• CAR has revolutionalised news-gathering since mid 1990s. It offers journalists access to databases and other online information sources which were previously either unavailable, or whose release depends on the whim of public servants, media minders or politicians.
• Basic CAR includes email, discussion lists and using simple search tools. Intermediare CAR involves precision use of search tools, bookmarks, and assembling simple spreadsheets. Investigative CAR includes creating and analysing databases and spreadsheets, merging databases.
• The most important skills to acquire in relation to CAR are learning to know where to look.how to look and to develop an ability to assess the legitimacy or otherwise of what is found.
• Verifying online information is essential. The need to protect yourself is a big part of Journalism due to new defamation legislation.
• Government websites are great sources of valuable info. From them you may find dites within sites which is refered to as the 'hidden web'.

Journalism Blog- Week 9

Chapter 9 - Interviewing, A core skill

1. Ideally I would use both: direct and indirect. However if the choice had to be made I would use the clear but inexact one as it is easier for the journalist to reword and use indirectly to make the audience understand what they are saying. Using the unclear one would reflect poorly on both the writer and the interviewee and I'm sure they wouldn't like to be projected in an embarrassing way.
2. I don't think it is ever justified to threaten anyone. It is unethical and against the Australian Journalists Code of Ethics. If you threaten anyone you can say goodbye to any future interviews and it certainly is not a good way to strengthen your contacts. I believe a journalist may try persuasion to get information but under no circumstances should they intimidate a source!
3. To a certain extent, yes it is a reasonable strategy. People are more likely to open up to a friendly person and someone they get along with. A comfortable social environment for an interview is very important and so having 'personal chemistry' on a professional level is beneficial. It is important however that journalists should never get too personally involved with a source or abuse the relationship established with their source. Crossing these professional boundaries to gain information is unacceptable and unethical.
4. Contempt. In some cases identities that have been revealed by the journalist have been murdered while others have lost jobs, families and their health. As reported by the Police lecture, the information the police reveal to the journalist serves the individuals involved for these reasons and the journalists usually cooperate with the police if they wish to keep their contact with the police.
5. The most inarticulate, word-mangling public figure regularly in the news at present is the president of the United States of America, George Bush. Although he is regularly seen making a blunder, a recent example and a more relevant example to Australians is his infamous blunders made when he was Australia for the APEC summit. A few of his blunders include referring to the APEC as OPEC, calling John Howard, Ron Howard and the Australian troops as Austrian troops. With the Australian efforts to become an ally to America, for the President of the Country to first not know what country he is in, what event he is attending and to recognise our efforts the question of his why we are trying so hard to prove ourselves to such an irresponsible and arrogant man of charge is questionable. I would not ‘clean up’ his quotes.

• Journalists must be able to interact well with people to get the information needed. Good interviewers ask the right questions at the right time, win the confidence of – and refuse to be intimidated by interviewees.
• Interviewing is the most common news – gathering tool but not necessarily the most trustworthy.
• Often people will under no obligation to provide information to the media. People lie, withhold the truth, provide misleading information, tell one POV.
• During an interview, journalists must:
  1) Take legible notes.
  2) Interpret comments.
  3) Think of the next question / series of questions.
  4) Be alert for a comment or follow – up question that might form the basis for an intro.
  5) Maintain some eye contact while also taking notes.
  6) Listen carefully for hints that there might be something much more to an interviewees knowledge than they are letting on, and also for inconsistencies which could indicate they are lying.
  7) Trust their intuition in developing perceptions about what is being said and the person saying it.
• I found it interesting that Mencher advises that ‘some stories require pressing sources to the point of discomfort or implying a threat should they fail to respond. Journalism often becomes the business of making people say what they would prefer to keep to themselves’ ( 1994, p304).
• A journalist has four ‘last resorts’ to a failure to respond:
  1) Try to reach the prospective interviewee via other telephones or e-mail: at home, at another work number or on a mobile phone.
  2) Try a third party. Sometimes it is necessary to avoid or give up on support staff and approach others – friends, family members, colleagues – who might recognise an interview’s importance and convey that to the prospective interviewee.
  3) Send an e-mail or facsimile noting the attempts made to secure an interview and state that the e-mail \ facsimile, will serve as proof of this.
  4) ‘Door stop’ the interviewee. This can mean waiting for hours outside for them. It often works because it is more difficult to avoid people in person.
• Record interviews to encourage exact quotations and for defence against allegations of misquotation. Must ask permission first. Also take notes! It is important to be aware of non – verbal cues and what they mean. At the end of an interview always ask a ‘safety net’ question such as: Is there anything else you would like to discuss? A journalist must remain calm, friendly, respectful and professional.
• While it is important not to get personally involved, an understanding, non – judgemental, and emphatic approach is required when interviewing.
• On the record-everything said and every document supplied can be used and attributed to the source who provided it.
• Off the record-the person supplying the info does not want to be quoted under any circumstances. It may also mean the source does not want the info used in any form. This must be clarified. It may be better just to say ‘a reliable source,’ if they will allow you to use the information.
• On background- this means no named individual can be quoted. The information can be used but only generally sourced.
• On deep background- the reporter may use the material but without any kind of attribution.
• Direct quotes- gives stories pace, character and variety. They should show action, reveal personality and demonstrate emotion. They can be corrected to avoid errors in grammar and word usage but that is all.

Journalism Blog- Week 8

Chapter 8

1. I would prefer to do story (b). I seem to work better under pressure, so regardless of deadline pressures I feel I could produce a well written story. I can see how visiting offices and doing in-person interviews can have many benefits for this story and for the future. I found this statement in The Daily Miracle extremely important, "“there is no substitute for being there, to see how something looks or someone performs, and in some instances to be seen and known by the newsmakers, in order to widen your contacts”. Being out and about could provide me with inspiration and an interesting angle. With doing interviews in person, it would give me a chance to strengthen my relationship with sources as well as pick up on body language, posture, tone, and other inuendos that I wouldn't be able to see or hear on the phone or by email.
2. To a certain extent I would. If the scoop is important enough and the public need to know about the situation than I would be prepared to put in alot of work. Sometimes investigative journalism can put a journalist in dangerous situations and if this happened to me I would not put myself at risk for the sake of a story.
3. I would be willing to give up my question, especially if it would mean gaining maximum information which would be valuable to my story! Chances are someone else will have a question just as good as yours and an angle you may not have thought of before. Ultimately, everyones goal is the same as yours: inform and educate the public. Even though competition is fierce between media outlets, all will end up with similar stories anyway.
4. I think the public should be able to have access to all information, especially if it will affect them. However the Government has the power to withold any information they choose. The Daily Miracle outlines Freedom of Information laws, and shows the government have no obligation to give out information if they don't want to.
5. Depending on the angle I was taking, I would assess both sessions and their agandas. Which one is most relevant to my angle? I would have to evaluate their news worthiness!

Here are a few things I thought were intersesting from the text this week-

• Information about dilemmas involving elected representatives is very important information for media to impart to the public because it allows them to make a judgement about who they will vote for (eg. white collar crime).
• Good investigative journalists follow money trials, build chronologies of events, dig around under the surface of society, follow hunches, foster knowledgeable contacts and are trusted by their sources.

Tiffen (1989, 31) 4 main channels of news-

1. 'Tip offs' from social agencies and the public about 'spot news' (eg. fires, accidents).
2. The promotional activities of sources.
3. Pre-scheduled public events (court, parliament etc).
4. Following up stories that have already appeared in other media, especially by gathering reactions through interviews.

Mencher- 3 layers of news stories-

1. Top layer- media releases, press conferences, speeches.
2. Middle layer- reportorial enterprise, verification of material.
3. Bottom layer- significance, impact, causes, consequences, analysis, interpretation.

• Good contacts are the best source of news. They are vital to securing exclusive stories. It is important to know how and where to find them. Know how to use libraries, gain access to databases, court records, company documents, rates records, electoral rolls, archival material and registrations. Understand Freedom of Information legislation, balance sheet, statistics and surveys.
• Public records can be the most useful. These include state and federal parliamentary handbooks, local councils (property searches, development proposals), annual local goverment directories, Bureau of Statistics reports, annual reports from government departments, registers of births/deaths/marriages, state archives (court records, immigration, companies, mining, hotel etc), Australian Securities and Investments Commission, state art galleries, publications, newspapers, telephone directories, public notices (classifieds), computer assisted reporting is also useful (www).