Annotated Bibliography

Nielsen, M. (2007, June 16). Bias in the Media. Wentworth Institute of Technology. Retrieved from: myweb.wit.edu/nielsenm/Courses/Government/media%20bias.doc

Max Nielsen is a professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology, lecturing in Engineering and Sociology (Wentworth Institute of Technology, 2011). Nielsen does not work or associate himself with the media or communication and as such, his name does not bring legitimacy to the article. However, it is through the citations, examples and referencing that this article finds its credibility. Whilst he may be no media expert, Nielsen supports all claims with relevant citations, and provides examples to back up concepts.  These references show research on the topic, providing evidence to suggest these claims are formed from wider reading, rather than the author’s opinion. It is this that makes this source credible. The article deals with bias in the media and reporting suggesting that “the media can influence public opinion” (Nielsen, 2007). Nielson suggests reasons for this bias as well, claiming that things such as targeting a specific audience, reaching a wider market and the editing of news can create bias and a one-sided report. The general public must be aware of such bias in the media, in order to prevent audiences viewing the media as fact. News reports, despite being based on fact, can display aspects of bias. The following three texts, reporting on the custody battle of the four Italian sisters, demonstrate how it becomes evident. Even when the audience believe they are being delivered unbiased news, an agenda and opinion can be present (Nielsen, 2007).

Calligeros, M. (2012, May 17). Overseas benefactors helping hide children, says mother. Brisbanetimes.com.au. Retrieved from: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/overseas-benefactor-helping-hide-children-says-mother-20120516-1yr0q.html

Brisbanetimes.com.au reported on the sisters in the early days of the custody battle. It relays information about the girls, and the situation between their parents. In an attempt to do this, there are quotes from interviews from the girls’ mother and the judge presiding over the case. The report attempts to relay facts to the reader, stating what has happened and what the current status of the case is. However, these facts are corrupted by the lack of opposing point of view of the case. With extensive quotes from the mother, portraying her point of view, there is no representation of the father in this article; with the only reference to him is concerning his demand to have his children deported from Australia. The lack of any rebuttal shows the bias present in the report and despite relaying facts. The omission of this perspective of the issue leaves audiences with no reason to question the content, and thus believe this perspective to be true, demonstrating that in a powerful way, “media can influence public opinion” (Nielsen, 2007). This source’s bias is different to that of the others, seeming to be in favour of the mother. However, despite this bias, Brisbanetimes.com.au has a reputable name in the South-East Queensland area and thus, brings legitimacy to this article. The author of the article, Melissa Calligeros, being a regular reporter for court cases, brings experience and knowledge of such issues to the article, further increasing the credibility to the text. Being an online text, the article refers readers to other articles on the story. By allowing readers to check facts, and continue reading, it means that the claims and statements in this particular text must be correct, and coincide with that of the other articles. Furthermore, corroboration of this text with that of 9 News Broadcast (2012) supports the credibility of the article, suggesting this article does in fact relay correct information.

Guest, A. (2012, May 16). Judge censures mother over custody orders. The World Today. Retrieved from: http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2012/s3503990.htm

Annie Guest reports over ABC radio, updating listeners on the custody battle on the program The World Today. Reporting live from the Family Court in Brisbane, Guest relays the latest news regarding the four sisters.  The World Today, as part of the ABC News broadcast, creates a sense of legitimacy to its name. Despite having a niche market, the broadcast show is considered in high regard to its followers, especially with the main personality Eleanor Hall having extensive experience in current affair reporting (ABC, 2012). The combination of a reputable broadcast, reliable author and experienced broadcaster, overall suggest this source is credible, holding influence upon its listeners. However, it is from this influence that this bias becomes a specific problem. Bias in this text becomes evident through the intentions of the report. The World Today prides itself on current affair reporting, with the aim to “interpret and encourage debate on events and issues of interest and importance to all Australians.” This point of attempting to “encourage debate” influences how the report is delivered. One part of the text states “one of the children who had said that she wanted to return home,” (Guest, 2012). However, this statement does not corroborate with other sources researched. From this it can be concluded that this fact comes from the publication’s intentions to encourage debate among listeners and thus highlights the bias in this text and to an extent brings into question the overall legitimacy of the text. The agenda of a text plays a major role in the bias of the text, and this report highlights the need for readers/listeners to be able to detect bias as suggested by Nielson (2007). Because this program is held in high regard to its listeners, this bias has an even greater influence on its listeners. The credibility of this source enhances the effect of the bias, and the power it has and thus can easily shape and change opinions of audiences.

9 News Broadcast. (2012, May 22). Hideaway sisters to stay in Aust for now. Ninemsn News. Retrieved from: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8471293/mother-tearfully-urges-daughters-to-stay-strong

Channel Nine News Broadcast reports on the latest information regarding the sisters’ custody battle in their nightly broadcast. It brings to light general knowledge on the issue, as well as updates, including the released statement from the sisters’ father. The channel 9 news broadcast associates credibility with its name, as do the broadcasts of the four major Brisbane channels. Furthermore, within the broadcast there are 3 reporters contributing to the story. This collaboration of material increases the credibility and legitimacy of the claims put forth in the text. This cross check of material suggests that extensive research went into the making of the report, and as such an accurate representation of the story is portrayed. This research also decreases the bias present in the text. Through wide research, all perspectives of the story can be covered, and unlike in the other two texts, the father of the sisters is present. As this broadcast occurs at the end of the day, they are able to gather as much information that occurs throughout the day, and present it to their audience. This allows them to decrease the bias, and present a much more accurate portrayal of the story. The other two sources however is a live cross in the afternoon, and an online update posted in the morning. Due to this, they are just posting the most recent information, thus meaning there is little importance in creating a leveled perspective article. 

This however does not say this source is unbiased; there is a definite emphasis on placing the sisters’ father in a positive light. The language used describing him, using emotive language to relay his situation, in lines such as, “with the father doing whatever he can to see his daughters again,” and presenting him as the victim of the custody, there is a definite slant towards this perspective in the text. This is a different situation from the two other texts, with one focusing on the mother, and the other focusing on the children. These differing biases have a positive effect in the wider context. Standing alone, these texts can influence the audience to believe a certain point of view, however, when read all together it allows viewers/readers to see a balanced story. Through reading multiple reports, audiences are able to reduce the effect of bias and create their own opinion on stories and issues in the media (Nielsen, 2007).

Twitter + Theatre = Addiction;

When you think of theatre, the last thing that would come to mind is the social networking site Twitter, yet somehow Small Crown Productions has found a way to bring the online performance of The Three Tweetle Pigs to a twitter feed near you.

Based on the classic story of The Three Little Pigs, this performance fills in the background of the three pigs and the wolf. Told through a series of tweets from various accounts, characters would tweet another and slowly drop hints about activities, events and places that allowed the show to advance. Also, followers had the chance to interact with the characters and involve themselves with the plot line. Over the ten days of the show's run, the 5 performers totalled an impressive 1700 tweets between them. With each tweet slowly giving clues to the story, followers of the accounts attempted to piece together what really happened between the pigs and wolf. Why did the wolf huff and puff? Why did the pigs go to the market? Why are the pigs such a close family? All these questions are answered in one of the most engaging and addictive performances you'll find.

The concept of an online performance is hard to understand at first, and even harder to believe it can work but as soon as the show started, it's hard to believe this hasn't happened sooner. Theatre run entirely on Twitter does not sound possible, but with characters constantly tweeting through all hours of the day, followers cannot help but get attached and addicted to keeping up to date. The interaction of characters is the highlight of the show. Unique to this medium of performance, followers can talk to characters, and even involve themselves in the story. This opens a whole new door for performance, creating an experience that just can't happen in other styles of performance. This interaction with the audience could be a focus for future shows and might cause a greater audience size and production success.

The show does however cause audience members to be dedicated followers of the production. Constantly checking Twitter, reading past tweets and keeping up to date is essential to being able to follow the plot line developments. An afternoon missed, and audience members could miss a vital part in the story. This was where the show fell down a bit, if Small Crown Productions was to find a way to make provide daily updates, or a site where the tweets of the day were uploaded, so followers could quickly check what they've missed, this would make the show a lot easier to follow.

This is the second Twitter show from Small Crown Productions, but there is a bright future a head for them. They have pioneered an entirely new concept in performance and despite only being new to it themselves; they know how to make it work. With very minor problems with following the performance, the show was fast paced, entertaining, and downright addictive. There were no boring moments in the show, with characters constantly tweeting, even at moments where there was little action, the banter between characters and random tweets from characters were laugh-out-loud funny, and thoroughly entertaining.

This type of performance needs to continue and get more of a following, such a creative and entertaining form of performance that has not received the attention it deserves. Small Crown Productions need your following, check out this performance and follow them in the future, this is only just the beginning for Small Crown, there is no doubt they will go far.

Twitter accounts for the show:

https://twitter.com/#!/Wolf_Detective
https://twitter.com/#!/Barker_Cerdo
https://twitter.com/#!/Haley_Cerdo
https://twitter.com/#!/Lola_Cerdo
https://twitter.com/#!/JackieAlanaWolf

And the Betweet the Scenes project:
http://betweetthescenes.com.au/

A Not So Safe Place;

There is nothing safe about this haven.

In a dark, dusty old basement four gothically insane characters come out for their shadows to tell their story. Fixate Productions introduce audiences to Haven. A dark world where no one wants to end up, yet unfortunately four people have.

The smoke of a cigarette wafts through the basement as a bassist plucks the strings of his guitar. Audiences are greeted with mysterious shadows and audiences instantly become fearful of what is to follow. Characters are introduced one by one and their stories soon follow. They sing, they scream and the scare their way through this performance in an audience capturing performance.

The ensemble cast of Haven is something extraordinary. Each actors has an exceptional portrayal and conviction of such insane characters and it during the climatic moments during the production where these skills are highlighted. With character quirks, and distinct personality traits, the actors have nailed these to the tee, with such dedication.

However, despite the skill and potential within this production, I couldn’t help but feel an overall sense of an anti-climax. With performance time only running for about thirty minutes, I left the theatre space in disappointment. Even the audience was expecting more, with about one minute of awkward silence before applause with one audience member even saying “was that it?”

It was a real disappointment to see such a fantastic work, with so little development. It had all the elements required to be an outstanding production, but with this short running time, and awkward ending, I felt that Haven was robbed of its potential.

If this was developed and extended, there is no doubt that it will be a stand out show. There were some extraordinary moments in this show that made the audience hold their breath, but more is just needed.

Love Poetry Without the Cliché ;

A tiny little record shop in Brisbane’s West End bears the setting to a most passionate and honest love story. Belles of Hell presents a spoken word poetry show She Stole My Every Rock and Roll exploring the love and loss of estranged lovers and despite all being about love, there is no cliché here.

Two women meet, and fall in love. It seems simple enough, but using only their words and a few gestures, these two women guide audience through every moment of their relationship. From their very first encounter, to their first date, first kiss; nothing is left untouched in a brutally honest insight to the thoughts of both women. There are no scenes, no acting, nothing but the poems of the performers to create such vivid and fluid images into the heads of the audience.

These two women are beautiful writers. There is no better way to describe it. The command they have over their words and their ability to create vivid images and emotions in the minds of the audience is something that many writers crave. The whole show had audience members smiling all the way through and was a genuine delight to watch. Spoken word poetry is always a risk, but this show is a perfect example of when a risk pays off. This show was an exceptionally emotive and creative way to present a love story that touched every audience member.

With that being said, the delivery of the poems is just as vital as the writing of it and at moments during the performance it lacked. There were moments in the performance where the performers would speak very quickly and the poems became jumbled. There were even moments where the performers intentionally spoke over one another stopping any coherent word coming through; it became confusing and impossible to follow. If the poets slowed down at times, and fixed these issues in delivery, this show has a lot of potential.

These women have a very beautiful talent, and this show is a testament to their ability. I may not know much about spoken word poetry but I know they’re good and would definitely recommend this show. 

Down by the River;

The Oxford Girl Theatre Project takes you to a tranquil place, with the soft trickle of a creek and the mellow sounds of the cello and turns this peace into a story of murder. Lit with candles and a lingering smell of incense, The Oxford Girl is set down by the creek in Woolcock Park and is the perfect staging for such a powerful production.

The show starts with a recital of the story entitled ‘The Cruel Miller’, a murder story from the 1600’s that has many variations. The recital sets the scene for an emotive performance of a new interpretation, using a type of physical theatre to tell their story. The Oxford Girl Project attempts to highlight the notion that it’s hard to tell a true story, as facts are slowly altered with each telling, a Chinese Whispers over time. The four performers climb, claw and weave their way through the bank of the creek as the present their own intensely focused interpretation of the story.

The Oxford Girl was a powerful production that held the audience’s attention from start to end with no fail. The production utilized music in form of a live cellist playing deep, eerie music that not only created the perfect mood before the show, but also carried it throughout. The use of the creek for staging was the best decision made by the project members. The interaction of performers and set added so much to the performance itself, creating an extra element to the production that makes it such a success. The performers themselves were very talented, with an extreme focus that did not break the entire show they delivered a polished an impressive performance by the actors left audiences with their ‘wow-faces’ on.

At a few moments in the performance one character would begin to break into song. He was a very good singing, and hit the notes flawlessly however; I felt these musical moments were not necessary in the performance. Though it didn’t detract from the overall performance, I felt that they stuck out, and did not flow with the overall performance and essentially left me asking “why are you singing?” Just something performers should consider for future performances.

This show is a highlight of the Anywhere Theatre Festival, and had some very intense and poignant moments throughout. With some changes made, and more scenes included, this show has a lot of potential to go far. I see a future in this project, and these performers; a very good one.

The Fate of Kansas City is in your Hands;

This is Kansas City brings together both audience and performance together as Sandra Carluccio creates a whole new interactive theatre experience driven by mobile phones and imagination.

Participants are briefed with minimal information as they are warned of a character known only as ‘The Monster’. It stands on trial, but its innocence is unclear; that’s where you come in. Gifted a mobile phone at the start of the production, participants receive a series of calls guiding them around the Cultural Centre precinct of Southbank. Directed to specific locations of Southbank, participants become intimate with the story hearing details about the crimes ‘The Monster’ has committed. However, as the experience progresses participants discover more about ‘The Monster’ making them doubt the original claims; maybe it isn’t as evil as you first thought?

This production is an experimental work, combining mobile technology and performance to create an intimate theatre experience. Involving the audience personally with the story, allowing participants to get amid the fantasy and feel a part of the plot, Carluccio has delivered an experience to be remembered. This is Kansas City, juxtaposes the hustle and bustle of city life, with the eeriness of Kansas City and invites participants to look at the city of Brisbane in a whole new way. The story was extremely enjoyable and compelling and at no point was it boring or tedious. To partake in the performance and to be involved with the outcome of is an exciting change from the usual experiences of theatre.

I was worried that this production would be a flop and a chaotic experience. Mobile phones are notorious for losing reception at times where you need it the most, but this was no issue at all through the experience. It was a pleasant surprise to see that any issue that may have gone wrong was prevented. Even providing participants with ‘The Kansas City Helpline’ number, but such a service was not needed with a problem free performance.

After the performance participants were asked to fill in a feedback form, a question asked “What didn’t work?” and I can safely say nothing. Despite being experimental, this performance flowed seamlessly and was effortless to follow.

The only downfall of this production was that all participants went on the same journey, so if you weren’t first, you would know exactly where you would be going, which to an extent hindered the experience, but it was enjoyable none the less.

I was disappointed only in the limitations of the production; I would love to see a similar work on a larger scale, for a longer time and Carluccio definitely has the skill and creativity to do so. I am looking forward to seeing more of her work in the future.

Privacy is dead – get over it!

Sign your privacy away as you enter one of the most confronting, personal theatre experiences of your life. The University of Queensland Drama Department in collaboration with Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre brings a new type of theatre to the Anywhere Festival with Unspeakable Acts of Privacy.

This is not a performance, it is more than that; this is an experience. Unspeakable Acts of Privacy combines physical theatre, intimate one-on-one confrontations, iPhone applications and audience’s personal information to reflect a world where privacy is dead. This production exploits the audience’s privacy as it pushes and shoves them through awkward, confronting and downright violating experiences. But that’s essentially what this production is; violation at its very best.

I sit here, attempting to write what happened throughout the show, but that is impossible to do. No one will experience the same thing in this production, and that’s the best part. Every audience member went through an entirely different set of shared moments with the cast, all being as equally powerful and confronting. The intimate nature that drives this production is the only way such a message can be conveyed, disturbing the audience in the just right amount.

The actors skillfully portray such unhinged characters; with very professional and realistic acting. The production really jelled together nicely, adeptly utilizing various conventions of theatre and the way in which the campus was transformed into a performance area was as creative as it was impressive.

However, there is a lot of walking in the show, and at times it distracted from the purpose of the performance. It would be in the director’s best interest to add more to these transitions, to make it part of the show, rather than just a relocation.

This is a type of show I’ve never experienced before and I highly recommend being part of it while you can. Whilst it may not be for the easily offended; this show is well worth the risk; you’ll be surprised how much you’ll enjoy it. 

Breathtaking;

Welcome! Would you like a coffee? Take a seat, pull up a blanket. As I entered the performance space for the Medley Theatre Company’s When They Could Not Breathe, I was greeted with smiles, had a laugh, and shared a chat among fellow audience members.However, as soon as the eerie double bass began to play - accompanied by a chilling guitar riff - this happy atmosphere was replaced with a chilling mood that captivated the audience from the first words to the ending applause.

When They Could Not Breathe takes the audience through a journey of a house, as well as the mind. Two nameless characters are introduced, only one bearing a voice and only one thing on her mind, love. But be fooled, this is not your classic love story; this is not some rom-com where characters laugh and cry and overall become better people, this is about demise. A demise of love, of mind and of the soul.

Starting with a hauntingly beautiful song, the audience fell dead silent as the hairs on the back of my neck stood still. The performer’s voice perfectly suited the mood of the production; was very impressive and was a great way to start the production. This eerie and chilling mood created from first moments of the production was the essential the play’s success.  

From the fluent command over her voice, to the use of the space, the main spoken role was able to enforce this eerie and to an extent fearful atmosphere. Performances with such a nature have a risk of crossing the line and essentially just scare the audience. However, at no point was this a concern as a perfect balance of this mood was found; highlighting the high skill of the performers.  

The production utilized various different aspects of conventions of theatre; from music, to dance, and multimedia instillations, what sounds like a very disjointed performance was in fact very fluid with little interruption of flow. Even with the location changes of the audience, everything had purpose and served scene changes well.

This production is not something you come across often, but makes you wish you could. It is a deep, thought provoking production that encapsulates so much emotion in so little time.

The only issues with the performance were the viewing restrictions with the small audience areas in some of the stations, but overall it did not detract, but may be worth reviewing for future performances.

This production is head deep in meaning, so pay attention, you’ll be glad you did. 

Performance seen 15th May 2012

Am I worthy enough?

*Lecture 9

What makes a good story? That's what this lecture taught me. But there are so many factors that make a good story. This is probably one of the most useful lectures we have been taught this semester, because it is something that every journalist must know. When coming up with story ideas and such, we need to know what the readers want to read, or else there's not point writing the story. There were many news values and factors of news worthiness suggested in the lecture, but they all pretty much reiterated each other's points. 

The best list provided of these new values, I thought, were:

1. The Power Elite

2. Celebrity

3. Entertainment

4. Suprise

5. Bad News

6. Good News

7. Magnitude

8. Relevance

9. Follow-Up

10. Newspaper Agenda

I think that is the best summation of what makes a good article, because this is what I like to read in an article. That's what I try to do when writing stories, and when coming up with ideas for assignments in both JOUR1111 and JOUR1112. I ask myself "Would I want to read this?" If the answer is yes, and I can argue why it's good, then I can write it. But it turns out, my reasons why it would be good always fell under one of the aforementioned news values. But what this lecture has taught me, is that now I have a guide and a path in which to look for stories, rather than thinking of one, then see if it's any good. Furthermore, a story that combines these news values has greater worthiness in the news room. This means that when looking for stories, the top story is one that combines or crosses over these categories of news values.

Harvey Norman hit by aggressive competition.

I went to brisbanetimes.com.au and found the top story on the site. If you read the story, it comes evident that this story falls under, The Power of Elite, Magnitude and Relevance. This shows the cross over of news values, and because of this combination, it finds itself being the top story at the time. Where as a story like Boyband blasts Britney for being demanding diva finds itself burried in the site as it only falls under one of the news values categories. This demonstrates the ideals discussed in the lecture and how news worthiness dictates what makes a good story and whether a story should be written.

pathETHICS

*Lecture 8

This lecture took me back to my high school days. I went into this lecture expecting a lesson on what to do and what not to do in Journalism, but I came out being reminded of my year 12 Study of Religion classes. I spent an entire semester dealing with ethics and morality, so the concepts dealt with this lecture was nothing new to me. 

Deontology, Consequentialism and Virtue are pretty much what was drilled into my skull for 5 periods a week for 6 months last year, but this lecture was able to put these terms into a new context for me. A brief and boring explanation of what was meant by these terms,

Deontology - rules dictate ethics.
Consequentialism - the outcomes vs. the means. and,
Virtue - Goodness comes from good habits.

was then followed by a contextualised version of them,

Deontology - rules of Journalism tell what is an ethical and unethical story, and means of getting the story.

Consequentialism - does not matter the means in which you get the story, as long as you get the story.

Virtue - the good nature of a Journalist. This is the ethical code in which what is considered a good Journalist.

This is what I liked about a lecture, it was clear that ethics is very important within Journalism. When I, and I believe many other people, think of journalists; I think of some brown nosing annoying men and women in business clothes, shoving a microphone into the face of some person, taking things out of context and making drastic exaggerations in order to create a story out of nothing.......or as they like to call it "A Current Affair". BOOM!

I was always worried that I was going to be thrown into a dog eat dog world, where I must get the story at any cost, but coming out from this lecture, this picture in my head was shattered. What must've been a gross stereotype on my behalf has lead me to believe the wrong this, which brings a sigh of relief. To know that ethics do play a role in the industry, and to have good habits and good virtue when writing a story is how one becomes known as a good journalist.

The News International phone hacking scandal is a good example of how far journalists are willing to push ethical boundaries to get a story. Tapping into phones, bribing police officers and exerting pressure onto sources were just some of the things that News International were accused of. However, despite showing the unethical practices of some journalists, it also shows how harsh of a crack down is willing to happen when such a break of ethics occurs in the world of reporting. It's good to see that unethical behaviour is not being swept under the blanket, but dealt with and slammed.

A good journalist, is an ethical one.