Visuals are powerful

Over the past week I have been thinking a lot about the media and how reading or listening to the news is completely different to watching it. Whilst newspapers provide us with detailed descriptions of hard and soft news stories and often feature photographs of any major incidents, somehow I don’t feel that it is as powerful as visually watching something happening on the TV.

I was talking to some friends about the September 11 attacks the other day, as they were curious to find out whether it was considered a big deal in Australia. This caused me to think back to how I felt when I heard about the incident. I do remember my teacher telling the class that two planes had crashed into the twin towers. My first thought was that it must have been an accident and I don’t think that I really considered that it had happened for any particular reason, nor did I think that it would have any effect on me. It wasn’t until we turned the TV on and found that the attacks were being covered on every station, that we realized it was serious. Actually watching the footage of the two planes heading straight for the buildings was completely overwhelming, as it became clear that this was no accident. I did not really believe what I had heard until I was able to see it with my own eyes, which was so much more powerful. I’m not even sure whether it would be possible to describe the series of attacks in words, as it has to be seen to be believed. Everything changed the moment that the first plane hit the building and I think that video footage was the only platform that could really capture this realization.

This is also true for stories about people. Last week in class, we watched a detailed documentary on a murder case that was drawn out for over 20 years. This made me think about how differently I would have felt if I had just read about the trials in a newspaper. I don’t think it would have caused me to feel subjective towards the defendant and the possibility that he might be innocent. However, to see still images of him on the screen and to watch him in the courtroom and to hear him speak, I was automatically drawn into the story and it became more and more clear that he was telling the truth; that he was innocent.

I also feel that with the upcoming election and the race between the two Democrats, Obama and Clinton, it is great to be able to watch their speeches on YouTube to get a feel not only for their political stance but who they are as a person. It is important for individuals to be able to develop their own opinions, rather than simply follow the opinions of others by what they have read or heard. I think that video footage allows us to do exactly this and this is why it is such a powerful medium.

The New York Times and Fact Checking

This reading reinforced how important it is for a journalist to research and check facts very carefully before writing and publishing any news stories. It is indicated that the reporter falsely referred to someone as the Port Director of Castro, but in fact he is a security guard. This then diminishes the legitimacy of the story completely because the reporter was obviously under the impression that he was given valid information by an authoritative figure, when in fact he wasn’t. Whilst this particular reporter has been criticized for plagiarism in the past, The New York Times claims that the security guard lied about his position. The Times then had to respond to the criticism made by CounterPoint Strategies and account for all of the false information in the article.

It surprises me that such a reputable newspaper would have problems with incorrect facts and bad reporting and that the journalist himself didn’t know better than to investigate the information that was given to him to make sure that it was correct. Whether or not the reporter was told by the source that he was the Port Director, it is the responsibility of the reporter to validate this.

John Carroll’s Speech at the University of Kentucky

John Carroll’s speech at the University of Kentucky was inspiring because he focused on how journalism has changed over the years and how we can make this change work to ensure that reporters continue to produce quality journalism. Whilst Carroll commented that the new focus on money has contributed to the suffering of thriving newspapers, he indicated that the digital age has opened so many doors to journalists that must be embraced. It was great to see that an old editor of a reputable Kentucky newspaper was able to look at the opportunities that the digital age provides reporters. One in particular is the ability of reporters to reach a global audience within minutes of reporting a breaking news story. Carroll commented that the future of journalism, like it is now, will be available to us in so many different ways, which will be much more accessible to the general community. He even suggested that with the combination of old journalism and new, we could be entering into a golden age of journalism.

I am inclined to agree with Carroll as I feel that all of the changes we are experiencing with digital media are relatively new and we are still getting used to people blogging and podcasting and posting videos on YouTube. But in time, it is possible that journalists will make use of this technology and the great opportunities they have to offer and reporters will maintain their credibility.

Going Green

I decided to join the ‘going green’ group because it is a prevalent topic and so I thought that it was important for me to find out more about global warming and the envrionment. 

Our group met on Tuesday night and we sorted through all of the important issues that we should cover.  We are planning to present our final assignment on a blog and include some videos or podcasts of different people and their views about going green.  By next week we are aiming to have spoken to a couple of different people so that we know which direction this project will take.