The Real Port Hinchinbrook

Cardwell, gateway to Hinchinbrook Island and the World Heritage Wet Tropical Rainforest has had its fair share of issues ranging from environmental to the management of land in Australia's coastal zones.

The reality is a grim situations that speaks of a development that's been falling apart since many years before Cyclone Yasi.

From empty blocks, to countless houses for sale, to fallen trees and overgrown median strips, to weed spoiled bitumen, exposed electrical wires and irrigation hoses, bitumen that now resembles an unsealed or forestry road and streets that have been closed to the public in order to keep prying eyes out.

An agreement signed between the Williams Corporation and the government in the late 1990s binded the resort's owner to the continued maintenance of the sewerage system, roads, marina and other infrastructure at the resort.

In the past, there have been buyers interested in purchasing the resort and taking on the development. Most recently, Townsville businessman Tony Dotta expressed his interest in purchasing the site but was turned off from buying the resort after learning of the high maintenance costs.

Although he described purchasing the site as 'financial suicide' residents will remember Dotta for the removal of Villas from the Port's resort, which was just on the other side of this fence.

As the development is still private land the council and state government have no direct responsibility to maintain the infrastructure, despite parts of the development being available for public use such as the existing boat ramp that also provides direct access to the Hinchinbrook Channel.

Those crowds that often come from neighbouring regional centres such as Townsville and Cairns of a weekend, often pack the boat ramp out and are believed to be the main cause for the deteriorating resort roads.

Residents of the resort have a responsibility to pay both the resort's body corporate fees and council rates.

Prior to the development being proposed the Joh Bjelke-Peterson government had commissioned a feasibility study to determine the best placement for a port along the Northern Coast, between the Hinchinbrook Channel and Clump Point - at Mission Beach.

In the report, it outlined specifically that the site Oyster Point, which is the site Port Hinchinbrook has been developed on. In the report it said it should not be used, due to the high sedimentation and ongoing dredging costs.

Spokesperson Margaret Moorhouse from the Alliance to Save Hinchinbrook said it was clear the site should have never been developed as a port.

Workplace Policy - Hwer are we now

This lecture will be looking at the scope and significance of industrial relations in Australian politics & society. So the history and how did we get where we are now? Language, rhetoric and symbols of "IR".  This lecture focuses on the detail of the legislation and policy debate. Tension between efficiency & equity. How different are party policies from WorkChoices to Fair Work?

So what's in a name? (Industrial relations, employment relations, human resource management, workplace relations & resilience of "industrial relations") Important relations, industrial relations to some extent are all used interchangeably to cover the relationship between employers and employees. It includes the rules and conditions under which people are employed. It's a broad field that covers all aspects of work and employment.

Industrial Relations is most common in Australian History though in the 80s, industrials relations started to be defined as employment relations. As IR had complications of being in relation to trade unions. The term employment relations was supposed to include the institutional, trade unions and other larger bodies.

Human Resource management is now the preferred term to describe the relationship and study of employment matters. Workplace relations was later defined in the 80s which had a focus on the individual enterprise or the individual workplace - Because that's where the rules and conditions under which people work should be set - At the workplace people would agree on the rules and conditions under which they work.

Scope & Significance of IR - Political and Policy Contest is related to work central to income, status and identity. It is a wide-ranging policy connection involving the labour market, economy, welfare and social security. There are connections with Human rights, democracy and the aspect of people being given a 'fair go.'

Strikes - Represent something of a challenge to the status quo and to authority.

There is a Fundamental Transformation of workplace policy

• Change in Australian industrial relations since 1980s. 
• Liberal WRA (1996) important - but process began with Labor in the 1980s. Work Choices (2005-07) was the fundamental change. 

So how far did the Labor rollback go? 

Arbitration, Awards & Centralised Wage-Fixing - Federal power shared with the states (S.51.xxxv) Arbitration part of "settled policy" and awards and centralized wage fixing: 

• 1904 - Federal Conciliation of Arbitration Act
• The FCoAA was a central aspect of IR for most of the 20th century. Western Australia still has a state based Industrial Relations system. 
• State governments around Australia are pretty much compliant with the Federal IR act except WA which as mentioned above retains it's power. 

Labor in Power - 1983 - 1996 - Centralisation evident in wage indexation was a core aspect of the Accord. External economic crisis, awards & centralised wage fixing impeded productivity and competitiveness. 

• 1986 - Award Re-structuring. 
• 1993 - Enterprise Bargaining. 

Workplace Relations Act 1996

It was introduced as rhetoric, freedom of choice, flexibility and that no worker will be worse off. 

It reduced the role of unions, limited the role of status of arbitration and provided a new direction in individualisation - AWAs (no disadvantage test) - Also assaulted union power - the 1998 waterfront dispute. 

How big was the shift in IR from Labor to Coalition workplace relations reform. 

"A continuation of the existing trajectory of industrial relations reform" ? 

Labor reduced centrality of arbitration - but policy was based on collectivism & representation. 

The Coalition referred to individualisation and union exclusion - but residual elements of collectivism. 

Changing the Employment & IR resulted in polarisation of earnings, decline in industrial action, emergency of the "working poor", longer working hours and the work intensification and perceived job insecurity. 

There has been a tremendous change in the days lost as a result of industrial strikes. It was in the 1000s in the 70s and is now well below that figure. 

The shifts in industrial relations has shown a moved from centralised arbitration and industry awards to a decentralised "enterprise bargaining" system. Most workers union members - is approximately only 18% of the workforce. Wages driven by prices & fairness to where wages a re dependent on workplace change, productivity and a demand for labor. 

WorkChoices - Was introduced as a single national system - changed constitutional basis of Australian legislation. 

Australian Fair Pay and Conditions Standard (Work Choices) - was going to set a minimum on wages by AFPC, the maximum ordinary hours of work (38 hours) can be averaged or annualised. Individualisation extended, AWA facilitated no NDT, agreements must comply with AFPC Standard (may removal all other provisions by agreement), AWAs apply immedately upon lodgment (no approval, certification or 'cooling-off' process). 

WorkChoices limited the collective bargaining & union activities restricted (no requirement for negotiation or collective agreement even if majority of employees wanted one - it left it totally up to the employer) 

Cooper - "WorkChoices was a profoundly anti-union policy. It restricted unions’ ability to take industrial action and to enforce collective bargaining, it made organising non-union worksites much more difficult and it gave employers the capacity to marginalise unions and to avoid unionisation."

Work Choices shifted the power to employers and meant de-regulation in 1800 pages? AWAs used to remove penalty rates, overtime allowances & reduce pay - especially in the hospitality industry. 

The Coalition emphasised Language, Rhetoric & Symbols - Freedom, Choice, Flexibility & Fairness. 

Labor's Policy in 2007 was an election campaign that condemned WorkChoices, but rhetoric less extreme and diluted. The Forward with Fairness: "Fairness is about getting the balance right. The Howard Government's WorkChoices laws went too far in tilting all the rules in favour of one side." IR important factor in the election of 07. 

National Employment Standards involved Fair Work Australia which was renamed the Fair Work commission last year. The Fair Work Act replaced AIRC, Fair Pay Commission, Workplace Authority and Office of Workplace Services. It prevented unfair dismissal provisions for all employees. 

The Election 2013 Policy of the Coalition left out WorkChoices or any work place relations policy. They did however say if there were any changes they would be introduced after the next election. 

Basically the conclusion is more heat than light in IR debate. Continuities evident in policy, but Labor more collectivist, Coalition more individualist. Abbott Government may have other immediate priorities probably more the abolition of the Carbon Tax. 

Employment Policy in Australia

Employment policy in Australia is one of the biggest concerns of government in today's age. Social policy is generally linked to the labour party.

"Employment is the means of earning a living having an identity, acquiring social staus in society and participating in social activities. Employment constitutes the fundamental prerequisite for the rights of social citizenship. An unemployed person is condemned to an inferior status and is deprived of access to resources."

Policy Objectives of Employment Policy include: 

• Increasing human capital. 
• Social protection for individuals and groups. 
• Main focus: Level of employment, workforce skills availability of trained workers to meet industry demand and unemployed people who want to work can get a job. 

Unemployment in Australia is 5.8 % of the labour force. >5% 2006-2008, 4% February 2008, 5.9% June 2009, August 2012 it is currently around 5.1%.

An unemployment graph can be found at tradingeconomics.com.

What's the problem?

If unemployment is actually low compared to most of the world allot of people are saying, what's the problem?

"If the big problem since the early seventies has been finding jobs for people, the big problem with the new decade will be finding people for jobs." ~ Edwards 2004.

Unemployment in Australia is lower than most comparable countries.

"Highest unemployment represents the largest single policy failure of the last quarter century." Stephen Bell, 2004

What's the Problem??? Social cost is 5.8% = 712,400 people or 16.6% are youth (age 15-19), indigenous 16% (2011) and various regional differences. Economic and fiscal cost is unemployment benefits 2013-14 = $9.5 billion. Labour market programs cost $2 billion.

The Australian 2013-14 Budget includes more assistance for other groups within the community such as the aged, families, veterans and those with disabilities.

Further... What's the Problem??? At one level unemployment tracks lots of things such as those that have the Dole bludger syndrome (those that could get employment but take advantage of not needing to work by staying on welfare payments). The workforce has changed over the last 50 years - Incresaed employment of women has led to gender segregation of industry and occupation. There has been a decline in manufacturing employment and an increase in services employment.

The Workforce change... There has been an increase in part-time and casual jobs. Long hours of work for full-time employees - high levels of under employment for others. There's been a decline in full-time jobs with 'standard' hours. Increasing "own account" workers and independent contractors. Growing inequalities in income and work conditions.

Policy Components for Employment Policies - Market direction is relied upon for economic growth and labour price flexibility to better match the demand and supply. Government intervention includes industry policy, labour market programs: demand for labour and supply of labour. (workers)

Generally both parties have utilised both approaches by moving in the market direction. The coalition likely to favour the market (liberals) while labor are more sympathetic to intervention. 

Labour - Priority on skills education and training, connnection between labour force, productivity and social inclusion.

Coalition - Demand for labour = overall economic growth.

Economic Growth - The rate of growth shapes the level of employment. Australian economy needs to grow by 3% if unemployment is to remain stable. GDP forecast: 2013-14 = 2.5% and 2014-15 = 3%. The unemployment forecast is 6.25% on average, June 2014.

Wages - Neo-liberal argument is unemployment caused by lack of labour market flexibility. Lower wages = more employment, Wage increases = more unemployment. But too hard to lower wages - Employers will reduce labour costs by downsizing, casual or outsourced employment, which results in work intensification. Wage-fixing institutions and trade unions prevent a free market - attempts to minimise the role of arbitration and unions.

The Counter argument is no clear correlation between the level of wages and the level of unemployment. Some countries have higher wages than Australia and lower levels of unemployment. Some countries have lower wages than Australia but higher overall unemployment.

Intervention - Industry Policy - Government support needed to boost investment and jobs in target industries.

"If they really wnat ot bring an end to unemployment, governments will have to undertake more public investment and intervene direction to supply jobs."

Labor government (2012) - Some fiscal stimulus went to industry to keep Ford and General Motors in Australia. Assistance to vehicle manufacturing is 'for the good of the economy and the nation.'

Intervention - Labour market programs - Macro/general level is education and training systems & policy push for education to provide employment skills. Child care and parental leave. Micro/individual level is the active labour market programs such as employment services and individualised training.

Election 2013 Labor Launch focused on jobs and training with a 'rapid response' to newly unemployed. Federal construction projects to employ minimum numbers of apprenticies and trainees. Commitment to future of TAFE funding and federal takeover if states don't maintain funding. Jobs and Training boards in 42 regions.

While the Coalition promised one million new jobs over the next five years (1.7% a year) and two million new jobs over the next decade (1.6% increase per year).

"Create Jobs by Boosting Productivity" - Download the Policy

"Unemployment can have a corrosive impact on individuals, families and society at large. In addition to the economic costs, unemployment can be particularly debilitating particularly if for long periods of time. Allowing people who could readily work to stay out of the workforce for long periods is cruelty, not compassion."

Both parties committed to indigenous employment plans, neither party committed to increase the newstart allowance however they both were concerned about international education.

Measuring Unemployment

Concepts include labour force, employed, unemployed, long-term unemployed, very long-term unemployed, participation rate, youth unemployment, part-time work, casual employment, underemployment & underutilisation, hidden unemployment.

Unemployment is measured independently of looking at hte Australian Government social welfare system and is measured by the ABS.

Households selected for the labour force survey are from a selection of 26,000 household, c. 60,0000 people.

Concepts - Employed worked for a least one hour a week or normally worked but on leave etc. Unemployed meant you didn't work for more than an hour and are actively looked for work in the preceding 4 weeks and were available to start work. Unemployment rate is the % of labour force which is employed. 

ABS labour force survey, August 2013 - The Labour Force = 12,360,700 people 54 % males and femals are 46%. The tred over the last 4-5 years has steadily declined since June 2009 but crept back up in 2011 to it's current position, just below 6%.

Long-term unemployed is (0ver 52 weeks). In the 1970s this was around 5% while in 1989 it was around 22% today in August 2012 it was 18.7% and in August 2013 it was 19.6%.

Very Long-term unemployed - over 104 weeks is 9.5%.

Youth unemployment (15-19) is another category - August 2010 (17.3%) and in August 2013 (16.4%) (132,600). Unemployed youth that are looking for full-time work is 26.4%. 

The life of a Strava Athlete

Dressed in tight fitting lycra and swathed in sweat, I travel as far as I can go along a road heading up into the hills of Townsville, knowing my challenge has not yet been met. When there's time for a break, I take a swig of my favourite orange flavoured electrolytes drink, and continue on.
What sets myself apart from other young fitness warriors is the drive to accomplish new heights of achievement, both on foot and on bicycle. Achievements often gained through inadequate experience and training, but achievements nonetheless. It’s a game that has become a new way of life.

I strive to meet challenges that the average health addict, runner or cyclist would take months—years to achieve with normal levels of regular training. I'm driven by the ability to quantify the work I've put in by comparing numbers with other like-minded people through the 'Facebook' of the fitness world, Strava.

It's a Wednesday morning; I wake at 3am and prepare for my morning ritual of a black coffee and a sweet biscuit before I suit up, head-out and start spinning circles. As I head out, I notice that a Strava user I follow has just beaten my personal best (PB) for a segment of road known as "3 Lions." It's not a very popular segment but it's one that I know I can handle — a 1.4km all-out sprint. My friend's results earned him the King of the Mountain (KOM) by completing the segment in 2 minutes and 21 seconds, with an average speed of 36.1km/h. To beat this, I knew I would have to warm-up extensively.

I plan a nice slow warm-up by riding about 30km before attempting the 3 Lions. I determine the best option was to spin into town and head-up Castle Hill, followed by a nice recovery ride along the strand before attempting the 3 Lions.
As I approach the 3 Lions, I gear down and start pushing the pedals hard, transferring power into the cranks and then into the wheels. My speed climbs from 27km/h to 39km/h, a speed I would have to maintain for at least the next 2 minutes. When it's all over just two minutes and 18 seconds later I realise I've won the KOM and will now appear at the top of the Strava’s leader board, with an average of 36.9km/h.

After mentally giving myself a pat on the back, I realised my ride wasn't over yet. You see, I'm taking part in a cycling mileage challenge and need to maintain my position on the leader board. This particular challenge I've joined on Strava requires that I ride 963km in 23 days — an average distance of 41km a day. However, my mindset is to complete the required distance as fast as possible so I can get back to cross training in my other fitness area of running. 

At the top of Mount Stuart in Townsville the destination of one of my recent Strava rides.

You see, last the week before the Strava cycling challenge, I was not a cyclist but a champion long-distance runner, with an average pace of 6 minutes a kilometre. Though my speed may not be up to that of world-renowned marathon runners, I accomplished running 80 miles, a distance of 128km in 10 days, an average of about 12 km per day. What makes this even more astonishing, I suppose, is that prior to this I had only run 20km in the week before.

It begs the question, when do you stop? When do you step back and decide you need to take a break, rather than risk over training? The 80-mile running challenge pushed me over the limit. I self-diagnosed shin splints about 6 days into the challenge, which was probably due to using incorrect running techniques and attempting a half-marathon with a distance of 21km. However despite my injury, the next day I ran a further 8km, just at a slower than usual pace. At the end of the challenge I took a few days rest and then got straight back into cycling, to give my shins some much needed recovery time.

As I looked back at my achievements in these challenges, I discovered I had lost 1kg in weight, improved on my 5km pace and achieved a new 10km PB. Which can otherwise take weeks to improve with 'normal training.'

With new social fitness devices being released just about every 6 months and applications springing up everywhere on smartphones, there's no doubt about the fact that people love quantifying their fitness in numbers. Perhaps it’s because, once we have numbers and data to represent the activities we take part in, we can no-longer lie to our friends or ourselves about our fitness.

If competing in group challenges isn't your thing, perhaps setting a personal challenge like walking or running a certain amount of kilometres is. Walker Alastair Tse who is a member of Quantified Self, a group of people fascinated by taking an interest in self knowledge through self-tracking, has set a goal to walk all of Manhattan. While others such as Matthew Ames transformed himself through the use of various quantified fitness tools like Nike+ and MyFitnessPal in a bid to lose 40lbs of weight in a year.

As for myself, right now I am happy simply completing challenges and getting my name on the first page of leader boards for certain challenges and segments. If I can achieve a KOM it's a bonus. Tracking my fitness has turned my health into a game that's as easy or as hard as I want to make it. I can even inspire my friends to have knowledge through self-tracking their own fitness. I hope that they too can get meaning out of their personal data.

Later this month in San Francisco the global conference, Quantified Self 2013 will allow self-trackers and tool-makers to meet and inspire each other and learn from each other's self-tracking projects and achievements.

Australia - The Envy of the World

IMAGINE a country of about 25m people, democratic, tolerant, welcoming to immigrants, socially harmonious, politically stable and economically successful; good beaches too. It sounds like California 30 years ago, but it is not: it is Australia today. Yet Australia could become a sort of California—and perhaps a still more successful version of the Golden State…

Read the full article at The Economist... 

Economic Growth is measured in the changed in GDP. 

Australia's Economic grwoth between 1998 and 2007 grew by 3.6%. 

Currently it's at about 3.3%. The lowest point in Australia's GDP was in 09 when the effects of the Global Recession were felt. 

What does Australia's debt look like? 2011-12 = 9.6% GDP, 2012-13 = 11.4%. 

While comparing to nations around the world in 2013: 

• Australia 9.4%
• Canada 33.4%

View a full list of Countries by public debt at Wikipedia.

View a list of Countries by tax revenue as percentage of GDP.

Econoimc policy dominates public policy.
Has changed significantly in structural reform, 1983 - present.
Australia has a good story in econoimc policy.
But can't afford to relax. Economic policy is difficult and faces significant challenges.

Party Promises

Both parties promised growth, jobs, low interest rates and fiscal responsibility.

Both major parties blame each other for the problems within Australia.

Some promises made by the Coalition include:

• 4.3 Billion parental leave scheme.
• Axe carbon pricing and mining tax.
• $18 Billion infrastructure over 5 years.
• Savings of $43 billion, including: 
  • foreign aid $4.5 billion.
  • 12,000 fewer public servants $5.2 billion.
  • 'Stopping the boats': $1 billion.
• Fiscal position better off by 6.3 billion over 4 years:
  • Deficits still projected for? years.
  • Tony Abbott: a 'situational Keynesian'
• Policies on asylum seekers, broadband, climate change not submitted to PBO (Parliamentary Budget Office) 

Commissions of Audit - A big part of the challenge for whoever takes on the Commission of Audit will be finding areas to extract sizeable savings outside designated ‘frontline’ areas that have been quarantined that include public-facing staff at Medicare, Centrelink, the Australian Federal Police, Defence and Customs.

Politics of Policy 

Hartcher 2011 assessment of both political parties: 

Government is the critical element in good policy, and good policy is the critical element in economic outcomes.

If the electorate will not reward good performace, why bother performing?.. It's much easier to deal in cheap populism than good policy, to run fear campaigns than reform agendas, to demonise the rival party than to propose better alternatives.  

What is a News Feature

What are features?

Features could be described as non-fiction short stories, quotation filled, descriptive, informative and entertaining stories (reading week 1)

A new features; Tells the COMPLETE story! It explores an issue going BEYOND a single event, Provides solid research and planning.

News Features allow for expansion of a news story. It's a good way to profile a person...

Key elements include; Humanize, humanize, humanize which adds colour to a news event, educate the audience, illuminate about a complex series of events and is able to entertain your readers.

Longer in length than straight news stories.

The Process of writing a feature:

• Come up with a story or idea and get a clear idea of your angle and of the topic.
• Research your idea/topic.
• Create on clear concise statement that sums up the story you want to tell. 
• Outline the logical steps.
• Use Visual support!

The Outline of your feature should include a brainstorm of your ideas... 

Your angle should be as unique as possible and allow you to remember your focus is what your pitch's first sentence is.

If this process is followed the reader should be able to stay focused throughout...


Before the body of your feature, write the lead and the conclusion then the body.

The structure of a Feature: the lead

A lead: a block of one or two paragraphs, used to arouse the readers, sets the mood and the scene and invites the readers into the feature.

THE NUT GRAPH - In straight news writing the nut is the first thing that will be provided in your story, in a feature the nut graph will come later on. It answers the question, 'so what?' It explains the reason why the story is being written.

THE BODY - It's main aim is to educate the reader. The body provides vital informaiton for the audience, informs about the event/topic discussed and, well done, it emotionally ties an audience to the subject.

Strong story telling skills required.

Use Background information as well.

RISKS: don't loose the reader's attention... 

Dialogue, can be used to keep the story moving (However, dialogue must be very accurate in news features)

THE CONCLUSION - The ending of a feature wraps up the story and COMES BACK to the lead. If you don't tie the ending to the beginning there is a risk your story will just fade away, it could read like a story that lacks purpose. 

Writing features doesn't involve the use of the INVERTED PYRAMID.

It's very common to note use the pyramid in features. The style is more narrative. News can be written escaping the inverted structure and still appear as a front page. Once you escape the pyramid the rules apply in other ways.

THE THREE ACT Structure in Plain English - Youtube it!

News features must include; rich descriptions, characters, interviews and can also include; anecdotes that are observed (not only spoken. E.g. impressions, feelings, facial expressions, mannerism, etc.)

Polishing the feature - Re-read your story before submitting it at least 3 times, check your tenses flow throughout the story, the fairness of the statements and facts. Only one idea per paragraph. First person should be reduced as much as possible.

Style is about many thing, it's your personality, it's your voice, what voice will you use in your feature... Style is about the use of techniques, the ability to blend factual details with rich descriptions.

The Australian Settlement

Values shaping the Settlement, Pillars & Policies, Demolition of the Settlement, A bit of History, 'Criticisms of the Australian Settlement'.

Paul Kelley's book, The End of Certainty (1992) looks through the 1980s which he says is an attempt to restructure the Australian political tradition. Moving into the 20th century consensus major policy directions  & themes - i.e. 'settle policy'. Certainty of established policies replaced by uncertainties of economic re-structure. Moved from an area of certainty to uncertainty.

Kelly's main points on the Settlement of Australia...

Australia was founded on; faith in government authority, belief in egalitarianism, judicial determination of wages, protection of industry and jobs, dependence upon a great power for security and finance & hostility to geographical location.

"This framework... is undergoing an irresistible demolition." ~ Paul Kelley 

There are values that exist alongside settlement that people should be aware of; that is a belief in the role of government, belief in fairness and equality, xenophobia.

Pillars of the Australian Settlement in terms of Public Policy:

• White Australia (restrictive immigration policy (very first law by Commonwealth Parliament - Immigration Restriction Act 1901), Immigration policy to ensure harmony and unity. 

"The unity of Australia is nothing, if that does not imply a united race. A united race not only means that its members can intermix, intermarry and associate without degradation on either side, but implies one inspired by the same ideas..." (Deakin, Commonwealth Parliamentary Debates, 12 September 1901, p.4807)Alfred Deakin

• Industry Protection - Tariffs on imported goods, Import substitution - not export-oriented policy. Tariffs protected Australian jobs and 'fair' wages, 1950s - 1970s - Australia and New Zealand had the highest manufacturing tariffs in the developed world. 
• Wage Arbitration - Judicial setting of wages and working conditions, system based on needs of the worker, wages adjusted to cost of living.   
• State Paternalism - Belief in government action (tradition of government owned enterprise), early social security measures (1950s - 1970s lagged behind Europe). 
• Imperial Benevolence - Geographical location required close security and trade ties with Britain (Basis of defence policy + trade and foreign investment policy), Empire changed in World War II from Britain to the United States (but subservience remained). 

Demolition of the Settlement - Fundamental political divide not Labor vs Liberal as they were both heading in same policy direction. The new divide is those who know the Australian Settlement is unsustainable vs those who fight to retain it. 

More history... 

Protection of Industry & Jobs - Arbitration, immigration controls, expansive system of tariff protection. Australian was a laboratory of social reform and democracy. 

Throughout the 1980s the market was turned into Liberalism, forced by international economic forces. 

Australia's traditional pattern of public policy shifted in the 1980s. Economic change included: End of industry protection, major tariff cuts, impact Tabo on social policy. 

Criticisms of the Aust. Settlement; Argument anticipated by others. 

Policies were not fixed - Chronologically misleading, White Australia was buried in the 1970s. Foreign policy subservience persists. 

Australian Policy = Search for balance between egalitarianism/equity and freedom/efficiency. 

1901 - 1983 - nation building. 

1983 - 2007 - efficiency, repairing the economy. 

2007 - 12 - Swing back to equity? 

Cf. Polanyi's 'double movement' theory: policy oscillates from free-market principles & economic re-structuring and mobilisation as a reaction to the excesses of market-driven policy. 

Open to criticism - But useful conceptual tool, explains the context in which Aust politics has evolved. Describes the dominant values of Aust public policy, and how they have changed. 

Onsight Studio Logo Design

For the second practical for NM1402 Design for Media Communication we were given the task of replicating a logo for the fictional business, Onsight Studio.

The design is featured below.

Onsight Studio - Logo from Practical

Walking Wounded

The Four Corners episode that aired on August 5, 2013 showed the tragic IED explosion that changed the life of war photographer Giles Duley forever.

The episode aired on four corners in a structure that's not frequently used. For example normally Four Corners starts with Kerry O'Brien introducing the story, rather this episode first started with shocking scenes from the Afghanistan war in 2011 just prior to the explosion.

The documentary began showing chronologically the incident that unfolded. Dramatic footage of Giles Duley was shown while he spoke in first-person describing the pain he was going through as Army officers placed him into a chopper for an Med Evac. The story then goes on to describe what his reconstruction surgeons faced when carrying out complex medical procedures to ensure his survival.

The documentary changes direction midway through when Duley announced his return to Afghanistan. After this point, the journalist along with Duley visits Afghan nationals in emergency hospitals who have experienced explosions by simply carrying out everyday tasks such as walking to school, driving or sitting on their doorstep.

As the story progresses patients suffering from different injuries are shown. Some look to be beyond talking while others are at an advanced stage of their rehabilitation and can talk to Duley and the journalist.

Considering the main reason for Duley's return to Afghanistan was to finish the job he started, document the Afghan War there are points where Duley's images are shown. Him images make an impact especially when the producers show video captured and then show Duley taking an image with his camera, the next clip is then of what you would imagine his camera is focused on.

As expected the documentary re-communicates Afghanistan's lack of medical facilities. It explains how Afghan's are second in-line for emergency treatment as soldiers receive treatment first at NATO hospitals. It also highlights that their is a fear after coalition forces withdraw conditions may worsen. 

What is Public Policy

Public is the people as a whole. Policy is political wisdom; a course of actions; prudent procedure.

Public Policy is government laws, rules and programs that guide the decisions by government and its agents to act or not act in specific areas.

Public Policy is the purpose, substance and effect.

Purpose why the government has acted and what is achieved; Substance actual content of government action, what the policy is; the effect or the impact of that policy on the public.

Public Policy Practice =  the decisions of government.

Public Policy includes interest groups, corporations, media, "public opinions", other arms of state.

Analysing public policy is more than describing government a actions; Must understand influences on decision-makers - and the values involved.

Madison & Dennis - Two categories of definition - Authoritative choice, policy is government making decisions. Policy making is rational & ordered.

Preferred - "Public Policy is the interaction of values, interest and resources, guided through institutions and mediated by politics."

All policies underline values and interests. Interests are often confused as values (who stands to benefit), values are fundamental beliefs or principles.

Elements of Public Policy - Resources, Institutions & Politics.

Spann & Cunrow's types of policy analysis: decision making, policy content and techniques to evaluate and improve the policy.

Parking: "Analysts of public policy try to disentangle these elements of the process, in order to obtain a better understanding of how the whole governmental system operates and perhaps to provide insight into how the process might be improved.

Thomas Dye was a guru of Public Policy - Argued that political science should not be silent or impotent . In the face of political crises and that political scientists have a moral obligation to advance specific policies.

Glyn Davis - "Pointing out the errors of current practice is fun, but it avoids the more risky business of suggesting viable alternative."

In some PP literature politics don't exist. They focus on procedure, techniques, rational, 'scientific ' processes.

Weller - Best politics may be bad politics. Good politics may mean mediocre policy.

Policy as Window dressing or Spin - Spin is the professional selling of the political message. "... Policy making is nine-tenths press release and one-tenth substance."

Community Consultation and engagement is the response of government to public disconnect.

Good policy studies attempt to hold power to account - John Wanna.

Lecture 1

Why study Digital Media Communication.

Ever heard of socialnomics.

We are apart of the communication revolution.

The way business communicates with us has changed.

There are several models that represent ways of communicating.

The linear model, Shannon Weaver Model of Communication, Interactive model of communication and transactional model.

Is traditional advertising and marketing communication still meaningful with people today?

THE GOAL OF MARKETING is to connect an entity with others.

Communication dictionary definition is - A letter of message containing such information or news.

Communication Design is about informing, educating and delighting people.

Design is problem finding, not just problem solving - Bryan Lawson.

Technology is a catalyst for change.

Any tool that enhances communication affects how we learn.

Photojournalism Lecture

"Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected." ~ Robert Frank.

Horizontal layout is acceptable for Assignment 4. Think creatively, reporting...

What you can't photograph - Defence installations wihtout permission, commerciall in some national parks and other areas, i.e. Cairns Esplanade, Sydney harbour. Other areas port facilities, shopping centres etc.

A property owner may use reasonable force but not threaten you with violence (assault), seize your camera/card/film or force you to delete your footage.

Private Property - Is private land and is governed by Common Law.

Police can and will arrest you if you are breaking the law (if they think you are breaking the law).

Consent to Publish

Only commercial use requires a consent to publish a photograph.

Snapping Children - Generally speaking it is okay in places like the waterpark at the Strand to take images, however not of children that may be involved in legal matters.

Always get a release if you plan to use an image commercially.

Using a model release for each of your clients grants you permission to use their images on your website, blog or any other promotional materials. It is also a great idea to keep a model release with you at all times, in case you happen to grab a picture somewhere and you think you may want to use it for your promo materials. Simply have your subject fill it out to protect your business - Free Model Release Form.

Links of Interest:

• 1985, Frank Fournier, World Press Photo of the Year, World Press Photo of the Year - World Press Photo.
• Kevin Carter: The Consequences of Photojournalism. 
• All photography Pulitzer Prizes - View the website with translate.google.com.
• Magnum Photos
• jamesnachtwey.com
• PeterTurnley.com

PR Photography is hard but use available light, use flash as secondary light-source, look at things from a different angle (good composition), think of the ways you can get the most from the light available.

Important to Experiment with all the fields of photography available.

Photographers should write more... Writing takes effor. It's hard work. It sucks.

Assignment 3

Strong Picture Sequences, Tell the story, 2 interview Guests, PTC, Clean and balanced audio, Safety.

Television not radio... collection of shots from different locations.

UGC - Happy to see if relevant or keeps you safe from going to a questionable location for filming.

The key is the story, issue or event, no complicated language and scripted as if the person was in the room.

VOX Pop is okay to use but two guests is a minimun to be interviewed.

Must have a piece to camera, walking on the frame is okay if meaningful for parts of the story.

Think about providing different ideas in each piece to camera rather than the other group members.

Technique - More than one piece to camera and a trick is to include a sign-off incase you decide to use the piece-to-camera at the end of the story.

If all participate you'll have a much higher change of success as the load is shared.

Watch out for each other

Interviews

Basics:

Make sure you have the right talent / person to be interviewed.
Don't be apart of the pack, get your own stories.
An acceptable method is door stopping if it's the only way you'll get the interview.
1-on-1 interviews are better as you should get better answers than those given to a bunch of reporters.
Shot size is determined by the surrounds.
Research is very important - You need to know enough to be able to challenge the views or the interviewee when required. Know when to not give to the user's agenda and to push the question that you need an answer to.
Using the public - There are occasions when vox pops are required for a story.
Reporter Involvement - Be apart of the story with a piece to camera.

"For the assignment piece to camera needs to be about 20 seconds."
"Rehearse and think about what your going to say."

Lecture 2

The News Package is picture driven and incorporates excellent sound, lighting and sequences. 

Interviewing - There a rules in news gathering... don't cross the line, the 180 degree rule. Protect the integrity of the story, pick the clip or part of the interview that ties in well with the story being produced. 

Shot Sizes - Changing the shot sizes if the circumstances change. 

Take advantage of lights and shadows.

If there is emotional person, ie. a PTSD sufferer take advantage of using close-ups. 

Writing Skills - In a TV package you've only got about 330 words for a 2:30 piece. Working on allowing your writing to add value to the shots. When VO talk normally don't put on an unnatural voice. 

Balance - With the clips you have you should have a good balance within the story. Aim for equal time on air for each of the parties involved in the story. The story is the interest, not your view. 

If you cannot get hold of the other parties view you can highlight it by specifically mentioning the other parties view. 

James Robbins reports on an issue in Syria - Syrian regime 'used sarin' - France.

GVs Cutaways UGC - A cutaway is a shot of the hands etc. UGC - User Generated Content. Be careful with using UGC for events that may mean footage is broadcast before others in contact with the subject of the story become aware. Click here for more definitions of types of cutaways. 

Wallpaper shots - like a wide shot, setting-up shot.

Produce a pitch on the story idea you have. 

The News Package

Topics being looked at...

• Picture Driven (best shots first)
• Excellent Sound
• Lighting
• Sequences (building blocks of the news report,  people's movement ... B-Roll) 
• Interviews
• Writing Skills
• Balance (accurate, true, story telling) 
• GVs Cutaways UGC. 

Picture's drive the story... Picture's without sound = failure. Vital to record and put into a sequence which enables the sound to work well with the pictures.

Sound - Split track or audio needs to be nicely balanced.

Lighting - Make it look as best as possible, but if you know how to use light use it.

Sequences - Visually sequences that are genuinely happening are good but you normally only get one angle, unless you ask for them to do the same movement again.

Exam Revision for JN2310 - 2013 Study Period One

Background on Courts - State Courts are known as inferior courts. They are at the bottom of the court structure, also referred to as the hierarchy. District Courts have a wide jurisdiction and can hear most criminal matters excluding murders and treason. Supreme Courts are the highest court within any state and deal with any criminal mater within it's state. An important aspect of Supreme courts is their ability to hear appeals from the state or district courts. Appeals from the Supreme Courts go to the Federal Court System or the High Court of Australia.

There are several Federal Courts such as the Family Court or Federal Court of Australia. The Family Court is in all states and territories and deals with family matters such as divorces, marriage and custody cases. While Federal Courts deal with legislation and bankruptcy matters.

Also part of Australia's system is the Quasi-Judaical body which is a tribunal or commission setup to look into a particular matter. 

Today, Dispute Resolution has become a favoured way to solve matters as it's faster and allows decisions to be made in private between the parties involved.

The legal system in Australia consists of three parts - The Judicial, The Legislative and Executive.

• Judicial - Is the courts. 
• Legislative - The Parliaments and the laws implemented. 
• The Executive - Are Public service that enforce laws such as Police. 
• Common Law in Australia is built upon the principal of precedence.  Doctrine of Precedence requires courts to look to courts superior to them for decisions on similar cases when deciding the decision for the case on hand. 

Quote on Open Justice - "Where there is no publicity there is no justice... Publicity is the very soul of justice."

 
Suppression Orders are sometimes issued by judges to limit the release of information related to a case. Failure to follow a supression order results in contempt of court, more specifically disobedience contempt.

Contempt of Court is concerned with ensuring the media do not become a de-factor criminal investigative body by solving crimes that may affect the official investigation.

The Media's role in covering court cases is to ensure there is no breach of powers between the legislative, judicial and executive.

 When covering cases it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the what can be discussed at what points. The Journalist's Guide to Media Law by Mark Pearson and Mark Polden discusses a Crime Reporting Timezone.

1. Before court or any suspect has been charged or arrested there is no risk in coverage. 
2. After an arrest - You may only discuss the bare facts and not disclose any information on the identity of the accused. Also need to be concerned with defamation against the accused who has been formally trialed. 
3. After charging - Court appearances or committal hearings should only be discussed if they are a matter of public interest. 
4. During the Trial - Reporting with care as too much can influence jurors and be seen as revealing deliberations of sub-judice contempt. 
5. After appeals and acquittal - There is no risk of sub-judice contempt. 

There are five types of Contempt remembered by the acronym SSRCD.

• Sub-judice contempt - Preventing the court of a fair trial.
• Scandalising the court - Making a mockery of the justice system.
• Revealing Deliberations - Revealing information to jurors or speaking with jurors. 
• Contempt of Court - Improper behavior within a court room. 
• Disobedience Contempt - Not following court orders such as suppression orders etc.

There are three requirements for defamation to occur: 

• Publication
• Implication
• Identification

The above three points must be proved by the plaintiff. 

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Cases to Review...

Doe v. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. (Page 21)

Jane Doe was raped by her husband. When the sentence was announced in court ABC radio broadcasted the stories but identified the real name of the husband. The Judicial Proceedings Report Act 1958 makes it an offence to publish information identifying the victim of a sexual offence.

This case was the first time a journalist had been sued for journalists should also be weary to not reveal details that may be useable in identifying the victim, i.e. street names, suburbs, workplaces etc.

ASIC v. Rich (Page 66)

The NSW Supreme court dealt with the mdea and released documents that should of only been released under exceptional circumstances. The court allowed access to almost all the documents, leaving out just a few. A second application was lodged to access documents however this application was denied.

The lesson in this situation is documents released in open court are easier to access. Journalists should note that they have every right ot request information from a court and should expect access to transcripts from open courts. Access is rarely granted for charge sheets, pre-sentence reports and child protection reports.

Attorney-General v. Times Newspapers Ltd (Page 89)

The Sunday Times in London ran a series of articles about a drug company that's drug affected the development of baby's in the womb. The stories ran were related to public interest. Though the appeal process lead to the court suggesting the media shouldn't pre-judge a case if issues of public interest are relevant in deciding if a story is in contempt. This case concluded justice is better served after courts considered the matter.

E Hulton & Co v. Jones - Case

A newspaper published a story with a fictional character though the name actually belonged to a lawyer, Artemus Jones. The case was successful in proving the newspaper had defamed Mr Jones.

As the case meet the three points required for defamation - publication, imputation and identification.

The man was imputated in the matter, and was identified by name with witnesses who identified the man in the article as being the lawyer, the story was also published.

AFL & anor v.The Age & Ors (Page 294)

The AFL had recently tested a few players under the Anti-Doping code which found 3 players to be subject to taking illicit drugs. The names were to be kept confidential however despite injunctions preventing the release media published the story with the players' names. 

The lesson here is it breached a court order. The case also concluded that just because it's a crime doesn't make it public interest. Public Interest is not excusable if it reveals a crime affecting only one person.

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FOI - Freedom of Information...

Freedom of Information is to do with the public's interest in the administrative decisions of government bodies. 

Although FOI is good there were several problems that meant FOI requests were denied.

• The request unreasonably re-directed agency's resources. 
• Time delays were common. 
• The cost of the application is a factor.
• Too many exemptions are included in the act. 

In Queensland the FOI act is known as the Right to Information Act 2009. 

Keeping Confidences...

Privacy Acts are concerned with breached of Confidence. Confidences can be implied in circumstances. When interviewing a person it should be discussed what is information is on record, on background or off the record.


Breach in Confidence - Implied in circumstances when discussed is is to do with the unauthroied release or use of information.

Ethics & The Law of Copyright - There are moral issues relating to what extent you can borrow someone else's work.

When reproducing the works of others the copyright period should be looked at. If Copyright still applies seek written permission from the license holder.

More on Defamation...

Defamation is a civil law but criminal defamation does exist.

The difference is criminal defamation is the deliberate publishing of information when the accused knows the information to be false.

Defamation needs; imputation which reasonably referrs to the plantiff as the person discussed. It needs to be published to at least one other person other than the two parties involved.

Lee's case 1934 is an example of where a newspaper referred to the plantiff as a different person by using the incorrect salutation. A paper used the title Detective instead of the officer's real title Constable. In actual fact there ended up being two Detective Lee's that wern't actually involved in the story but where implicated as a result of a journalist not checking the officer's correct title. 

Values that a Journalist should hold close... Honesty, Fairness, Independence & Respect for the rights of Others. 

Common Law is also referred to as judge made law.

The High Court of Australia is the highest court of appeal and can change the outcome of a case by re-interpreting laws to suit a changing society.

Common Law - Case Law and Precedent are one in the same! Common Laws are laws that have come about or have been enacted based on court rulings. These laws are developed based on rulings that have been given in older court cases.

Exam Revision Cheats

Preparation for Final Exam; The first section is 10 questions about 100 words for each, Section B is approximately 800 words, six choices answer one questions.

Cases to review: pages 21, 66, 94, 109, 197, 294.

General feedback on assignment 2 - Great to show you've read the material and have used references, need to incorporate your reflection, critical thinking, justification of the issues. Better to show you understand the knowledge and to show how it can be applied to different cases.

Review Ethics and Law... Ethics is not covered as well as Law.

Can refer to cases as part of an argument, when it's about ethics it's about privacy, law and ethics.

Can refer to a case, don't need to quote directly... 

Ethics in Indigenous Reporting

Ethics vary from one community to another. Ethics change according to the time or era. Becoming a custom to the ethics and what's expected in the community or place you at can often be learned through communicators or other local journalists who have experience in that area.

Read a report into the Report on Indigenous Voices in mainstream media.

Portrayal of indigenous people are divided into noble and savage according to Frances Peters-Little, an Aboriginal film-maker who has observed the TV portrayals of indigenous people.

Read Wikipedia's information on Media portrayals of Indigenous Australians. 

Guidelines and Things to know for indigenous reporting

• Labels such as half caste, quarter caste, full blood are usually offensive. So is questions the amount of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander blood an indigenous person has is not welcome.

Regional terms used by Aboriginal people to describe each other according to their home country, such as Nyoogar, Murri, Nungah, etc are preferable for accuracy and also helps to not cause any offence. 

Grammar - Do not use acronyms to refer to Indigenous people (e.g. TSI or Abl.) Most aboriginals prefer not to be called Aborigine. 

Most Aboriginal people use the word Indigenous with a capital letter. This applies only to Australian Indigenous people. Pronounciation should also be checked for accuracy. Subtitles should be checked for accuracy of translation. Accurate spelling as well. 

Conduct - Speak in a manner that can easily be understood, as English can often be a second language of the people your interviewing. Do not mimic Aboriginal speech patters if you are using words of the local language. Be sensitive to non-verbal communication. Keep technical words to a minimun (avoid jargon that could make your source feel uncomfortable).

Cross-check with the indigenous people if your story is in-line with what they meant during the interview (integrity and authenticity).

Basic questions to ask during the research phase; Is there a Local Aboriginal Land Council in the area, who are the people in the area, how do they wish to be referred to, Who can I approach to get permission to film or record, Is there anything sensitive or confidential in light of the information you'll be receiving.

Silence - Silence from an interviewee may not mean they don't have a question, it's a sign of listening, reflecting. Don't rush the source or repeat four times, give them time to answer your questions.

Aboriginals: Notion of silence, listening, waiting for support of the community.
Fiji: Silence is not a good thing

Culture in Burma (Mayanmar) may affect a way a journalist is to practice if they haven't previously studied the culture. Their main cultural difference with European nations include changes to dress, speech and manners. 

Their dress is similar to that of India, though in businesses' it's acceptable to wear collared shirts etc. The main difference is in the way you refer to someone. The Burmese people use very age-oriented honorifics. For instance young males are addressed different with Ko while older senior men are addressed differently with U. A speaking vocabulary also exists for speaking to Buddhist Monks.

Burmese society also use a characteristic of feeling that has no English equivalent. It is characterized by hesitation, reluctance or avoidance, to perform an action based on the fear that it will offend someone or cause someone to lose face, or become embarrassed. There is also a concept of power, "hpon," which is the explanation of varying degrees of ethnic socioeconomic, gender differences between those in the society. 

Be careful with your conversations as there are secret police, you are only endangering them by initiating a sensitive conversation, and undercover police abound – do not take any chances.

South-Pacific: Chiefly status, customary channels (New Caledonia), Curtailing of information (ethics imposed by customs), Sua (Samoa), Honorifics.

The importance of news radio in Australian contemporary society

News radio is an essential medium in our contemporary society. Radio has only been around for a little over a century and has shown itself to be the preferred medium for people to turn to for up-to-date information. Although radio may be a century old it has adapted to suit the various multimedia platforms available today. Australian radio, although influenced by other countries has been an early adopter of current trends in the industry. News radio is also one of the fastest ways for news to be broadcast to audiences. News on the airwaves is a necessary item that should be included in all radio programming.

When radio first became mainstream during the mid-1900s an American announcer known as Orson Welles became famous for his news alert prank that played on listeners fears of, “ferocious Martians.” This broadcast prompted thousands of people to call radio stations and police to confirm the news. (Rosenberg) The prank by Orson shows that the power of radio and broadcast news is unquestionable. Since Australia’s adoption of radio in the 1900s it has been used to communicate emergency messages about potentials invasions during wars. (Australian Government) Likewise, in Australia today we find the government still recommending Australian’s keep in their emergency kit a radio, should a disaster strike. (Department of Community Safety) In 2012, Commercial Radio Australia released a survey that showed the effectiveness of radio’s ability to reach audiences:

“On average Australians spend nearly 16 hours listening to commercial radio each week. […]The amount of time spent listening means radio is the perfect medium for key messages to be heard and to be heard more often.” (Commercial Radio Australia 1)

As the results show Australian’s definitely do spend time listing to the radio. Key findings from a national survey on the current state of news consumption found that 53 per cent of people still regard the radio as being a first point of contact for hearing their news. (Nguyen, Ferrier and Western 18) Despite Australian’s preferring the radio for news a trend in commercial radio has been, “journalist-shredding.” The practice first seen in the 1990s after changes to the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 allowed for commercial radio stations to broadcast, “public interest considerations in a way that does not impose unnecessary financial and administrative burdens on the providers of broadcasting services.” (Australian Government) This clause acted as a catalyst which prompted restructures throughout many radio stations. Looking further radio networks started forming which caused concern for radio journalists of the time, however it has now formed what is known as the, “Contemporary FM Radio Journalist.” (Raward and Johnston 65)

As analysed by Raward and Johnston as of December 2007, just 13 radio networks operated 80 per cent of Australia’s commercial radio stations. This although scary actually works remarkably well. In North Queensland the two largest networks; Prime Media Group and Southern Cross Austereo operate using the contemporary form of news radio. The Prime Media Group produces news bulletins for their stations across Australia from a central location on the Sunshine coast for each of the various locations they operate stations. (Prime Media Group) While Southern Cross Austereo takes a different approach, by having a journalist located at each of their stations. (Southern Cross Austereo) This journalist is then responsible for picking and choosing the appropriate stories for their audience. The contemporary approach to FM radio news has started a new revelation in radio allowing for it to be featured across other multimedia platforms.

Since the evolution of the web and the increasing availability of high-speed internet connections radio has found a place in emerging multimedia platforms. Almost all commercial and non-commercial radio stations offer streaming through the internet which enables people to listen to radio stations on their computers or smartphones. (1Radio) Streaming has also been complemented by text-based stories and podcasts. Andy Bull’s guide on multimedia journalism describes how audio clips can be used to enhance a text-based story:

“Your audio report might be just a very basically edited addition to your text report. […] just as footage from a CCTV camera might offer a powerful visual addition to the story […], a dramatic sound clip might add a powerful audio element.” (Bull 104) 

The inclusion of radio news stories and other multimedia in online news websites is commonly practiced by the Australian news websites. A story by ABC journalist Josh Bavas looked at fears of asbestos particles in artillery drills; his story included a text story, images and audio. (Bavas) The audio report featured artillery gunshots during the introduction of the story which creates the dramatic effect that Bull described. Many radio stations also offer podcasts of their radio news bulletins. The ABC along with other radio networks offer podcasts of their radio programs. The benefit of podcasts is the listeners of the usual radio program can listen at a later date. (The University of Sydney)

News radio has also followed advancements in broadcast technologies. From the introduction of AM frequencies, to FM radio and now today’s digital radio revolution. Digital radio is the new frequency that enables those listening to see live-updates that are displayed at the bottom of their players screen. (videobus) This onscreen information can include messages about songs that are being played or the latest news headlines. (ABC) Advancements such as podcasts and digital radio have acted as a catalyst with the radio newsroom. Despite the advantages, journalists remain aware that their news reports need to reflect reporting styles that are appropriate for working within the radio industry. News reports on Australian radio stations are produced in accordance with both journalistic and government codes of practices. There are two main codes that set the ‘best practices’ for journalists that may be working in radio; The MEAA’s Code of Practice and the Commercial Broadcast Code of Practice.

The MEAA is the union of Australian journalists that provides 12 ‘best practices’ to ensure journalists recognize their public responsibilities. The MEAA’s eigth point should be of importance to a radio journalist:

“Use fair, responsible and honest means to obtain material. Identify yourself and your employer before obtaining any interview for publication or broadcast. Never exploit a person's vulnerability or ignorance of media practice.” (Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance)

The second, Commercial Broadcast Code of Practice outlines the responsibilities radio stations have in airing news and current affairs. Code of Practice 2 outlines the purpose of the code is, “to ensure radio stations promote accuracy and fairness in news and current affairs programs.” (Commercial Radio Australia) The consequences of breaching a code of practice can result in the journalist (or anyone involved in the story) losing their job. The ABC’s Media Watch program aired a story in April 2010 of a cameraman that repeatedly ignored the requests of two Islamic men leaving court to stop filming. The cameraman’s actions lead to a confrontation that was later aired on TV. The confrontation lead to his dismissal and in the words of Grace Morgan the lawyer of the men, “has the capacity to further erode the Islamic community's confidence in the media.” (Media Watch) The codes of practices are best followed if journalists are to be seen as ethical and moral members of the press giving a voice to the voiceless.

News radio is still of importance in today’s multimedia society. Radio can be adapted to suit; multimedia productions, it can be tied in with websites as a podcast or even be used as a voiceover for a series of images. Multimedia journalists are of great value to a contemporary society that demands forms of news mediums to connect in the world. Journalist’s that strive for producing ethical radio content gain the respect of their listeners and co-workers.

The TV News Story: Story Formats

A TV news story is referred to as a packaged in the industry. 

• A TV packages generally runs between 75 and 120 seconds long. 
• Pictures are referred to as B-Roll and are used as overlaw throughout the story. 
• The reporter voiceovers the the footage or pictures later (usually back in the studio). 
• Grabs and interviews are commonly referred to as vox pops e.g. witnesses, politicians. 

Natural sound can be used throughout to add effect and to enhance your images.

In TV packages Piece to Camera generaly comes in midway through or at the end. The reporter sign off is at the end (Nicholas O'Sullivan, My Suburban News). There's also live crosses which is usually to the reporter first and then to their package or photos.

Terms: RVO (Reader voice over) or RVO+SOT, reader voice over with sound on tape.

Images or B-roll can follow the formula of anticipation, action and reaction.

Storyboards are helpful for making sure you get all the shots you need for your story, a good camera guy often has suggestions on improving those shots. It also helps with communicating ideas to a production team. 

Unethical Reporting Justified

A Dutchman also a journalist was on holiday in Bali when he was pulled over by a police officer for riding a motorbike without a helmet. The officer than preceded to fine the man but in-turn offered a bribe, in turning allowing the journalist not to receive a fine and no court summons.

The jouranlist submitted a story and helped to expose the corruption with the Balinese police force. 

Is this practice in journalism justified? The man didn't identify himself as being a jouranlist at the time and submitted a story afterwards? Is it justified by the public interest. 

The incident has shone a light on the ugly side of corruption among public officials in Indonesia. A great many tourists and Westerners in Bali can tell you how they paid a bribe to a traffic cop to get out of trouble. It's generally about $20 but it adds up when you consider how many people they stop and "fine" in a shift.

Read more here: News.com.au.

Defamation requires ~ Publication, Defamatory imputation and Identification - First, the grounding of the action on the imputation or imputations pleaded and alleged to flow from the publication of the defamatory matter. Secondly, the question whether or not the falsity of the imputation ought to be an essential ingredient of the plaintiff’s cause of action. Thirdly the plaintiff needs to be identifiable either directly or indirectly.

What about this story, is this unethical? Today Tonight: refugees from journalistic decency.

Journalists who face ethical dilemmas are reminded to ask themselves … 

What should we do in cases like this?Who will be hurt and who will be helped?Is there a better alternative?Can I justify this to other people or to the public?What principles or values can I apply?

Ethics & Moral Reasoning

Ignorance to journalism ethics or the law is unacceptable... 

Plagiarism is not an acceptable attribute of a journalist - Turning in someone else's work as your own. It is also considered plagiarism if you only change just a few words from a press release.

Fabrication is to make up a story for the purpose of deception (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) Speculating on what may of happened is also fabrication.

Jayson Blair is an example of a journalist who had good skills but left his work after producing work that was plagiarised on more than one occasion. Watch a video of Jayson Blair admitting his error here.

Jayson was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder later in 2003.

The most important ethical issues in journalism are the human ones. 

The most difficult thing for journalists is dealing with your name going on the story, but one thing to think before you publish the story is what harm can it do? 

Journalism Ethics: A Short Video Lesson

Journalism Ethics and Rules

The importance of Server Documentation

Today we’re going to talk about server documentation. It’s something that should always be done, yet there are those that never create the documentation for their servers as it’s just not a high enough priority.

It’s great if you have a server backup configured but have you got any documentation regarding how to restore your backups? What’s the point of having a backup if it can’t be restored quickly?

You may say but Sam in the IT department knows it all! Stop this is the worst thing to say, what would happen if he was to get into a car accident and suddenly become a vegetable, you would be lost and would be faced with the hurdles of finding out just how much Sam had stored in his brain.

The benefits of having this documentation can help with accountability, governance and 
compliance and troubleshooting just to name a few. It’s therefore the utmost importance for you to maintain good and up-to-date documentation.

I’m not going to give you instructions but I’ll mention a few points that you should have documented.

Documentation from General to the Specific – This type of documenation should cover content such as your point of presence (internet gateway) to devices on the network and servers. It should also cover  your router configurations and any special configurations you may have for DHCP reservations or IP forwarding.

The following sections in our documentation lists processes for managing our virtual server. At the very least it includes our backup and recovery process.

Update Documentation – Once you’ve established your documentation it’s worthwhile to keep it up-to-date otherwise there’s not really much point to having any and all your hard work will have gone to waist!

System and Software Configuration – This section should cover any special configurations there are in the applications you use. For instance in our documentation for AuTechNet.com we’ve documented configurations for our phone system, we’ve also documented where an up-to-date backup of that system is. For your system’s configuration we find a copy of Belarac Advisor’s PC audit is enough for us.

Secure your Documentation – Currently our documentation is stored on our server, however once we’ve completed it the first edition we will encrypt it’s content using an encryption application.

Why would we need to do this? By encrypting your documentation you can limit who has access to seeing all the information about your servers and network configuration.  This ensures only those that need to know, know, better still it means you have the ability to grant access. It’s every server admin’s worst nightmare to wake up one morning and find all your systems are documented and available over the internet.

Download a copy of our example server documentation here as a PDF or Doc.

Also published at: http://home.autechnet.com/2013/05/the-importance-of-keeping-server-documentation/

Server Documentation