Blogs & the future of journalism

‘We need to train up journalism students in blogging and we need to see that as the future of our industry,” American journalist John Nichols told the Walkley foundation in Sydney.

(Speech shown on ABCNews 24 and here on the Monthly website)

One of the first readings we had to do first semester, first year was by Nichols, the Washington correspondent for The Nation, New York.

It was a perfect introduction to the realities of modern journalism told by someone who’s been there, seen it and written about it.

‘There is a battle today between journalism and big media, being fought in every country on the planet. We are fighting to determine whether the media will be defined by the quality of its journalism or by profit for profit’s sake,’ he wrote.

‘Big media, given a free rein, will always sacrifice truth for content, always choose the bottom line over the higher ground. Profit will always trump principle.’ - Team Tactics, John Nichols, Walkley Magazine, June 2005

It was a really good article, at the same time alarming and inspiring.

In his speech to the walkleys this year, he provided a similar mix of hope and despair as he looked at the worrying question: is journalism dead?

He spoke about 'truth speaking to power' being the traditional type of journalism, and how that’s been transformed today to 'power speaking to truth'.

He listed some sobering statistics to illustrate the state of PR-driven 21st century news.

· In 1984 there was one journalist to every one public relations employee

· Today it’s one journalist to four PR people

· In the US 140 newspapers closed last year, including major daily papers

· Newspaper employees have been cut at a rate of 1,500 a month for the last two years

So in many ways, as everyone in journalism is sick of hearing, the outlook’s not good.

But…

Nichols did stress the powerful message that there’ll always be a need for the ‘truth speaking to power’ – for journalists to empower the public with information.

His voice went up a notch during that part of the speech and you could see his passion as he recited the American saying that journalists’ role is to 'comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable'.

This core role of journalism, he argued, must be sustained and adapted into the future.

To see Nichols talk with such feeling about journalism’s role in underpinning democracy was a great reminder that journalism is too important to watch decline.

In practise…

Nichols was a little less certain of how journalism will continue to operate into the future, competing against business interests and the changing technological landscape, but he was certain the internet is no burden to journalism’s evolution.

In fact, he said the internet shouldn’t be blamed for the decline of newspaper business models because classified advertising had been decreasing long before the age of the net.

He was optimistic that blogs can be used to great effect and that they’re a key part of the future.

To make sure journalism that afflicts the comfortable and provides important news continues, Nichols said teaching of technical blog skills is crucial and inevitable to survive the online era.

It was refreshing to see someone passionate enough about journalism and determined to see it adapt and improve, rather than doomsaying and accepting the status quo.

50/50 Election

Dead heat. Hopefully of the four Independents two go one way, two the other. Imagine.

Keating whips media, Abbott

Paul Keating popped up for the first time during the election campaign in Melbourne.

Delivering a speech on media privacy at Melbourne Uni, Keating expressed a thinly veiled contempt for tabloid editors, saying there should be proper watchdogs to punish them.

He also advocated for a reform of privacy laws.

Picture: Lateline

His speech was titled 'The Privacy Imperative in the Information Age Free For All' which focused on the way privacy has become a secondary concern to ratings.

Brendan Fevola and Lara Bingle got a mention, as did Pauline Hanson and those fake nude photos.

After attacking the state of the media Keating took aim at Tony Abbott in a post-talk press conference.

He said if he were to campaign against Abbott he would target his economic record.

There were glimpses of the Keating of old but just as he was getting into gear he cut himself abruptly short, exercising his own privacy from the media.

I'm sure it's not the last we'll hear of him.

(Here's the news story for SYN's Below The Line election program.)

Unis gain from science funding boost

During the campaign, universities weren't a big focus for either side.

Science was one of the biggest winners, with Labor announcing $21 million for unis to invest in science infrastructure.

The Minister for Science and Research, Kim Carr announced the policy at RMIT as he opened a new microscopic facility.

Senator Carr giving the new microscope a whirl

Picture source: Peter Rummel, RMIT

Kim Carr said the new investment will fund further technology upgrades and boost scientific research and output.

But some uni professors have said there's still issues in getting that funding, and with increased competition it's going to be a long term problem.

Here's an interview with Kim Carr on the new science policy, citizens assembly, and the future of funding for unis.

The curious case of Benjamin Cousins

The biggest story of the week, the most talked about, the biggest most hyped, most drugs, most chicks, most footballers and drugs and footy and also drugs.

    

Pictures: Channel 7

Ben Cousins' Such Is Life doco has dominated media coverage.

Talkback radio has been solely dedicated to it for the past three days and every newspaper has run news stories and opinion pieces.

Google News lists 759 recent news articles about Cousins.

Opinions and verdicts have been mixed, but there's certainly been plenty of attention given to the show's morally ambiguous message.

Most news coverage rightly included the Australian Drug Foundation's concern that the footage of Cousins using illicit drugs could glamorise drug use in the eyes of young people "who look up to Ben for his sporting achievements".

........
Meanwhile in less prominent news, another young Aussie said yesterday, “I’m a living example of how drugs can destroy lives”.

He's not a footballer, but 24 year old Scott Rush has a story that is by far more powerful and more frightening.

As one of the 'Bali Nine', Rush is facing the death penalty for trying to smuggle 8kg of narcotics into Australia.

He has pleaded in court saying "my life is in your hands" and if his appeal is rejected his only other option of surviving is appealing for clemency to President Yudhoyono

In the past Yudhoyono has shown little mercy for drug criminals.

"I accept I am a criminal, not a celebrity," Rush said to the media yesterday.

Scott Rush and Ben Cousins are different, the severity and consequence of their stories are poles apart.

But as those in the media moan about Cousins' story not being a big enough detterent for drugs, they could do well to look beyond AFL and Australia, and discuss the impact drugs have had on someone like Scott Rush.

Greens last minute appeal to Melbourne

On the Wednesday before the election Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott were at the Brisbane Broncos club getting a grilling from angry voters.

Picture source: The Australian

In Melbourne, the country's third biggest party were having a Green celebration.

Greens leader Bob Brown was at RMIT's Storey Hall four days out from the election making a last minute appeal to local voters.

Picture source: Stefan Postles AAP

He said the Greens had put themselves in a good position in the campaign and in the seat of Melbourne Adam Bandt was on the verge of history.

At Storey Hall Bandt came on to rupturous applause and spoke about compassion, equality and sustainability.

"If we can win in Melbourne it's gonna change the way people in this country talk about politics," Bandt said.

He was coy about his role in possibly holding a balance of power but he indicated he would support progressive government.

As it turned out the next Monday he was the first of the non Labor/Coalition MPs to show his cards, saying he would back Gillard.

Here's part of the speeches plus an interview with Adam Bandt on his main priorities and how he would change youth allowance.

Great night to be a twit

Last night and this morning, twitter confirmed itself as the best platform for up to the minute, insider accounts of developing news.

The Labor leadership spill vindicated, in a sense, all the time I’d previously wasted on twitter.

"@brianna_travers having twitter is so worth it on a night like tonight #spill"

It’s clearly a useful news source, not just for breaking news, but for the context provided by piecing together different updates.

Here’s a quick timeline of the key breaking news and inside sources.

7PM-10PM
CUhlmann Kevin Rudd’s leadership is under siege tonight from some of the Labor Party’s most influential factional warlords. Watch ABC News. NOW!

lyndalcurtis AWU definitely switched to Gillard. Other unions expected to follow. #spill

abcnews Breaking news: ABC political editor @CUhlmann says Kevin Rudd likely to be dumped as Prime Minister

latikambourke ‘Definitely on. Arbib backing Gillard. #spill’

10PM
leighsales Rudd press conference at 10.10pm

KarenMMiddleton Press conference room absolutely chockers. no sign of PM or deputy yet. #spill

_leo_s rudd says he will stand, gillard will challenge #spill

10:30PM
(Labor Senator for ACT)
KateLundy: I will be voting for Julia Gillard in the l'ship ballot. She will be an inspiring PM!

1AM
David_Speers cabinet source: it's all over, Gillard-Swan ticket has the numbers locked in

3AM
latikambourke Source: Gillard will win 'with an overwhelming majority.'

8AM
samanthamaiden Labor Mp text: it's Julia no ballot #spill

9AM
774melbourne Julia Gillard is elected unopposed with Wayne Swan as deputy

David_Speers Congrats @samanthamaiden on awesome scoop

..and within seconds there were token tongue-in-cheek updates, this was probably my favourite:

"@scottdools It'd be dope if Gillard made maternity leave crazy long and then got pregnant."

Here’s hoping for the next leadership spill.

MTR bottom of ratings, quality

In today’s radio ratings report, MTR was confirmed as Melbourne’s least popular station.

Their average audience was 10,000 people, with a market share of 1.7 per cent.

Ratings leader 3AW lost 0.2 percentage points down to 14.8 per cent share of the market while 774 ABC remain second with 12.7 per cent.

MTR’s director Steve Price told the Sydney Morning Herald, ‘‘we’re going to take these figures and increase them... we’re not here for a short time, we’re here for a long time.’’ (the rest of that story here)

But this excerpt of an MTR interview from The Australian’s cut & paste last Friday gives some indication of why it's not very popular.

STEVE PRICE: Do you consider yourself a queue jumper?

WAKIL (winner of the auction to surf with Tony Abbott): No, I don't consider myself a queue jumper. Just tell me where the queue is?

ANDREW BOLT: The queue is the people in refugee camps who have put their name up, have been accepted as refugees, and are awaiting placement.

WAKIL: There are people, genuinely recognised by UNHCR, who spend nine years in Indonesia.

BOLT: Mate, you were there for one month in Indonesia.

PRICE: You know what? Tony Abbott ought to tell this bloke to go and get nicked. We've got a very funny email. It says: "Please ask the guy to make sure Tony Abbott teaches him about dropping in, ie, waiting your turn in the surf."

Powersource bands are the latest fad in footy and the media.

‘Fev wears one. So does Riewoldt, Damien Oliver, and Ronaldo...’ that was the front-page intro from yesterday’s Sunday Age.

The story was about the rise of Powersource wristbands in sport.

The bands, according to Powersource’s website, use “holographic technology” to send energy flowing through the body.

And a lot of sports stars are wearing them for extra power.

Adelaidenow did a really good feature on the wristbands back in April, asking perspectives from a range of players who’ve used them and doctors who’ve studied them.

The main points of the story were that:

•  Scientists deny any medical benefits other than a placebo effect
  
•  And that sports stars will gladly endorse them to make a quid

 It also had this amusing description:

“It is claimed the wonder band can increase an athlete's core strength and power by as much as 500 per cent.

Have a think about that. Does that mean a man who can bench press 100kg can all of a sudden lift 500kg?

Forget about tackling: there could soon be a day when a footballer is hurled over the grandstand by a charged-up opponent.”

There’s been a lot of news stories about Powersource already this year and there’ll be more. Especially if sporting codes decide to ban the wristbands as a performance enhancing device.

It’s fantastic publicity for the product.

But it seems a lot of the media are happy to provide an entirely free plug. The story in yesterday’s Age took up the entire front page, describing the wristbands as “a genius marketing strategy”. 

There’s clearly a bit of genius to it. As long as some important players use the wristbands and as long as there’s a bit of mystery – Powersource spokespeople avoid commenting on the science involved – it will capture media interest and create free exposure.

The media need to take a little more questioning and skepticism rather than just adding to its publicity.

And they also need to acknowledge Rainier Wolfcastle as the original champion of the Powersource/Powersauce brand.