His novel ‘Lost in Transmission’ is about being a foreign correspondent for the ABC from 1998 to 2002 and during this time, he would have reported on many stories where the focus would have been on the fact not his experience. In this very chapter, he talks about trying to get information about the impending war to relay the story back to Australian. The newsworthy element of this story is not so much the currency of events, as it is now 6 years on but the experiences of an Australian journalist during that time. Therefore it is important to hear Harley’s voice throughout the piece.

Harley uses his observations to tell the story by describing his location, his companions and the environment in great detail. The actual narrative is quite simple as it follows his experiences from leaving Australia to arriving in India but it s the way that Harley paints the picture for his readers that draws you into the story and makes you want to continue reading.

His sense of humour and his personality which infused in his writing gives the story more depth than a straight forward recollection of events. Historically the book is also interesting as Harley was right in the middle of some very interesting stories during his time in South East Asia.

Sean Gardiner’s article about the NYPD’s inaction over a missing black woman is based on a police investigation, well the lack there of a police investigation and the proposed ‘Romona’s Law’. The article is really emotive and builds the story nicely from the mini profile of Ramona at the start which builds her as a real person before going through the story in a chronological order. The story is also told greatly through Romona’s mother Elle Carmicheal’s eyes as she describes the events – waiting for her daughter to return, her frustration with the police for their inaction and the pain that she went through.

Although it is very clear who’s side Gardiner is on, he builds the story fairly methodically, recreating what happened in each step that goes along and telling the story with loads of detail, including the more gruesome facts about Romona’s murder. The story is largely based on interviews – the interview with Elle Carmichael is what the story is structured around. Detective Wayne Carey did not respond to calls for an interview but there are quotes from him when he testified.

The most shocking part of the story for me was the ending, I have obviously watched too many TV shows as I was expecting a nicer conclusion – maybe the Detective was punished for his inaction or at the very least ‘Romona’s Law’ would now be in affect helping out hundred of other families with missing people. But the ending was as bad as the story before, the Detective got a promotion and Romona’s Law was dismissed after one hearing.

‘Pearls Before Breakfast’ is a feature based around a stunt by Washington Post when they got one of the greatest classical musicians in the world Joshua Bell to play his violin in the DC metro posing as just another busker to see if the commuters would recognise the beauty and skill or whether they would just walk on by.

The idea of this article is a really interesting one and uses some great descriptive writing to tell the story. It’s an interesting technique that the writer uses where it isn’t until the third page that the reader actually finds out who the world renowned musician is. And this revelation comes via an interview with an expert in classical music and their back and forth conversation is documented word for word. I think the author has used this to build the drama of the story, to the average reader the name ‘Joshua Bell’ would probably not be quite as shocking as to a classical music expert so the author cleverly uses the reaction to draw readers into the story to find out more about Joshua Bell (unless they are aware of him, then they are probably just as intrigued!).

I really liked this article, the imagery the journalist used and the fact that he was able to set up this elaborate stunt to generate a unique story. I loved the little stories within the larger piece- the descriptions of Bell gives the reader a clear picture of what he looks like and an insight into his personality, the little story about taking the taxi three blocks which leads to the fascinating history behind his violin (and the amazing price) and the lovely part about every child who went past Joshua Bell wanted to stop before being whisked away by their parent.

The final article ‘We have still not lived long enough’, was published during the 2009 Bushfires based on the currency of the news event. The opening line of the article is a really strong introduction that immediately drew me in to read the article. Short and succinct sentences open the story and the powerful language continues throughout the article to build a strong story.

In Feburary 2009, the Victorian bushfires where a story that consumed the news and everyone couldn’t get enough information. This story builds on that desire for more from the readers by talking about and comparing the two biggest fires 1939 and 2009. The journalist has used his investigations of the past to draw comparisons and talk about the next steps for Victoria towns.

But it is when you ask her about her favourite TV show that her eyes really light up.

In 2007, the first Underbelly was screened on TV and from then Karli was hooked. She was instantly drawn to the characters and their way of life. For Karli, the Underbelly series was not just a good story but a whole new lifestyle with everyday ‘heroes’ for her to aspire too.

Karli is the kind of girl who dreams of being rich and powerful. Quite simply she loves money and therefore the idea of an ‘Underbelly lifestyle’ really appeals to her.

And Karli is not alone in her fascination with Australia’s underworld, Underbelly is a ratings success with the third series currently screening on Channel Nine and the franchise is showing no signs of slowing down.

But does all this media interest glamourise crime in Australia and turn our criminals into celebrities rather than exposing them as criminals who belong in jail rather than in the social pages of the newspaper?

Plan of Attack

The day of this assignment coincided with the day of Carl Williams death. After the news was released, one of my old work colleagues updated her facebook status to read  “OMG NOOOO Carl Williams is reportedly dead!!!!” This and the following conversation between her and her friends about why she was sad that he had died (“It has nothing to do with the tv show. You know how much I love money. Silly silly Josh josh!’) reminded me of her fascination and love for the characters in the underworld. As well as being a fan of the television show, she is fascinatated by the real life characters and has a desire to be part of that world. I remember she once told me that she would love to be Roberta Williams.

This gave me an idea to look at this story from the perspective of an Underbelly fan and to use this as the theme through the story. I would like to start by speaking to Karli (not her real name!)  and formally interview her to find out why she admires the real life character of Australia’s underworld and how the show has affected her.

Interviews & Research

- Speak to ‘Karli’ to formally interview her on her love of Underbelly and the real character

- Find an Academic to speak to on the glamorisation of crime in the media

- Get full interview from Supreme Court judge James Wood & follow up with further questions if necessary

- Speak to a Channel Nine representative or production team from Underbelly about their on screen interpretation of the Underbelly stories

-  Speak to one of the Melbourne writers (John Silvester and Andrew Rule)

The descriptive writing style of the characters and her sense of humour draws you into the story and makes you want to read more. Most of all I think the story leaves you wanting more, how long did she last? What happens next?

In 2006, Rachita came to Australia from Southern India to visit her brother Jigenesh and to see Melbourne before joining him permanently.

Rachita completed a BA in Sociology in India before moving to Melbourne in 2008 to begin a Masters of Arts (Media and Communications) at Swinburne University.

Living in Australia has not always been easy. Initially Rachita struggled to find a place to live as on campus accommodation was too expensive and it was difficult to find a job.

At first even the simple task of printing was a bit overwhelming as the technology at Swinburne is complicated with wireless systems and exchanging of money, something that she had ‘never seen before in India’.

She has also had to adapt her study habits to fit in with the structure at Swinburne. In India, there is only 1 exam at the end of the year compared to lots of assignments and small tasks every week.

During her studies Rachita has been doing door to door marketing for AGL and always “finds different people behind the door”.

Mostly the people she visits are nice, and sometimes they can be too friendly! Recently she spent an hour talking with an elderly lady about her family which she found interesting but unfortunately didn’t result in a sale, something that is very important when you work on commission!

After almost two years, Rachita enjoys living in Melbourne and wishes to obtain permanent residency.

But none of her friends are interested in coming to visit Australia anytime soon. Instead they try to change her mind,  “They tell me to come back! And that they miss me!” Rachita says.

This is her final semester at university and once finishing her course, she hopes to get a job in the media industry and would love to work for one of the television channels.

I found the second article ‘Push to end under quoting as market stays hot’ much more engaging than the first. I am not a home owner and so whilst I am aware how rate rises affect others, it doesn’t mean a great deal to me. It is the kind of article I would read the title and maybe the first line before moving on. However the story about  underquoting was a more engaging story to read and I am not looking to buy a house any time soon so this lead me to look at what the journalist did to create a deeper and more engaging story. The first article, really only focused on one interview with an expert but the second article spoke to more sources to give a more rounded overall picture – Consumer Affairs Victoria, Real Estate Agent, and a potential buyer all had a voice within the story. I think the personal perspective helped to lift this story to a more engaging level .

Next came the soft news story about Vindaloo against Violence.  By using a softer news style, it gives this article and the writer a little more room to breathe. You can hear the journalist’s voice coming through and the article finishes with a conclusion in her opinion. Without using a bit of creative license, this story would be a very straight story about what Vindaoloo against Violence is and the pros and cons. The softer news style allows for some ‘discussion’ to be raised in the article and also gets the reader thinking about the issue by raising questions and bringing you different points of view.
I didn’t love her approach to the story and the introduction to the story didn’t grab me instantly, in fact I actually found the metaphor she used a bit confusing. I felt as though she was trying to be a bit clever and wanted her to get to the story quicker. So whilst I like the way a soft news story gives the journalist a little more freedom and creative licence, I was not a big fan of her approach to this story.

‘Flying in the face of Convention’ was a different style of soft news story, more of an interview/profile piece on the film director Francois Ozon. The newsworthy element of the story is that he is an interesting character who produces films which are unconventional. Therefore the article uses a lot of quotes from the interview to tell the story from his perspective and convey his personality.  A hard news style would not be appropriate in this instance as the story is in the detail not the facts.

The article is long in the length but it is a more niche topic, being about a french film director and his latest movie. It is not the kind of article that would suit a hard news style and appear on the front page of the paper. If you are interested in french films or have seen any of his films, then the article will be of interest to readers which means that the journalist can delay writing the most important facts straight away (details about the new films release) and focus on profiling the film director and his previous work before telling the audience about his latest film release.

The final article is a different form of soft news writing altogether, it is written in the first person and details her time at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival media launch lunch.  Although the writer uses less of the traditional news writing techniques as found in the previous articles, it is a very personal and relaxed writing style which takes the reader chronologically through the event.  It might not make it into a newspaper in it’s current form but the freedom of a blog allows the author to write in her own way and include numerous photos which are a great inclusion in this story

The driver, Darren Browne, 25, and his girlfriend Sally Weinstein, 24, were travelling near McDonalds on Wells Street when a bottle was thrown at their car by a group of men.

Browne turned the car around to confront the group when a rock was thrown through the windscreen rendering him unconscious and causing the crash, according to police.

Detective Senior Constable Craig Small and Detective Senior Constable Glenn Paxton witnessed the red Nissan Pulsar burst into flames while on patrol in their vehicle.

The detectives immediately attended the scene and dragged the driver and the front seat passenger through the broken front window.

“Once we had them out, I grabbed a fire extinguisher from our patrol car and put the flames out,” Detective Senior Constable Glenn Paxton said.

Browne was unconscious at the scene and has been taken to Alfred Hospital. The passenger was fully conscious and has provided police with a series of events that led to the crash.

Police wish to speak to four Caucasian men who were at the scene and are appealing to anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Australia’s leading consumer advocacy group has found that under current rules GM ingredients do not have to be listed on the label.

Breakfast cereals, breads, sauces, cooking oils and margarine are just a few items in supermarkets that may have ingredients which come from GM crops such as soy, corn, canola and cotton.

Australian GM labelling laws were put in place to provide consumers with information regarding the GM content of  food but currently products containing GM ingredients don’t have to be specifically labelled.

“You have the right to know if your food comes from GM crops or GM fed animals, directly or indirectly. The law should require full disclosure of any GM ingredients so that consumers have all the information they need to make a truly informed choice” says CHOICE Senior campaigner Clare Hughes.

The government is currently holding a review of food labelling in Australia. Consumers can write to the Food Labelling Review Panel to ask for better labelling of GM ingredients on food.

And just as all the numbers suggest, Paige Williams has lots of sources for her article including interviews with people living in poverty in Atlanta,  an Associate Professor in Georgia State University’s School of Social Work, Cindia Cameron, organising director of 9to5 (a national association for working women) and co-chair of the Georgia Living Wage Coalition , Census figures and more.

As this story is built around the sheer volume of information from her investigatvie research it is important that Paige Williams uses research from reputable sources.

The layout is a little confusing to read and my eyes tend to dart across the screen, attempting to read both columns at once. The facts are shocking but it is the second part of the article, the real life story that I find more interesting to read. By using real people – Vicky and Will and telling their story all the facts and figures begin to have meaning. I suppose in this way the article makes sense, as well as hitting you over the head with facts and figures Paige Williams then follows up with an emotive story to help qualify what these numbers mean.

“The Minister, the money and Ms Liu” would have required very careful and considered researching before the article was ready to print. In order to make sure all the facts were correct and to avoid any potential legal actions, the journalist must have undertaken a significant amount of research.

Sources include
- A collection of Liu’s personal letters ‘sourced by the age’ including letters from Liu to the bank (in China and Sydney)
- Defence Department Officials investigation?, Fitzgibbons confession
- Insider into the story to pass on information
- contact was made with Joel Fitzgibbons in regard to the accusations made based on evidence from Liu’s letters & documents
- Eric Fitzgibbon

I think for this article to be written the journalist must have had very strong connections/inside sources which gave them tips about where to start. What I would like to know is how did the Age obtain the letters and documents from Liu?

Reading this article, you can see how it may have started as a whole bunch of disconnected facts and perhaps a tip off by a source but slowly as the bits of information come together, the story emerges. Even though this article does not answer all the questions regarding the matter, it manages to present all the facts in a reasonable way whilst telling the story.