WEEK 8- Chapter 8 ‘Small path, big story’

WEEK 8- Chapter 8 ‘Small path, big story’

1. Which type of story would you rather do and why: a) A ‘paper chase’ conducted entirely by computer and telephone that takes half the time it would have taken if you had left the office? B) A ‘paper chase’ involving visits to half a dozen government offices and in-person interviews that puts you under extreme deadline pressure?

I hate sitting on my ass, I have sat on my backside throughout uni so I’d prefer to take option B. Face to Face contact is an important part of journalism and how well you communicate. I also work better under pressure and there is the likely hood you would make more contacts/sources from option B. The story would also be more reliable and more satisfying to write.

2. Would you be willing to pursue a corruption investigation or an investigation into organised crime if it included many unpaid hours of extra work and personal risk?

Corruption and organised crime is always enticing. It is something I am personally interested in as long as it did not put my family at risk. I would be more inclined to do it as an investigative journalism piece. Also I would be more likely to pursue an investigation like this while I am young because it would be highly likely I would have fewer commitments in terms a family etc. Things such as the drug trade, underground-organised crime and the illegal prostitution trade are areas that I would definitely consider.

3. Would you be willing to act together as a unit with competing reporters at a media conference in an effort to get maximum information if it meant giving up your best question, which you had intended to ask privately after the conference?

I would be willing to work together with other reporters, as the most important thing is to inform the audience with the best possible story. If the chances of a more informative story for the public meant working with competitive reporters then I would not hesitate.

4. Who really owns government-held information: the government or the people? Why?

The government owns government-held information. But as a journalist you can obtain information through FOI, freedom of information act. If you undergo the right procedures for obtaining information through FOI then you should not have a problem, but just get your company to reimbursement you for expenses.

5. If you were assigned to report on the proceedings of a conference and you had to choose between attending different sessions being conducted at the same time, how would you decide which to attend?

I would research and evaluate which conference would be the most beneficial to attend before attending. If all the conferences had equal value in attending I would ask fellow colleagues to assist me in attending the other conferences for me. If not I would ask if I would be allowed to put a recorder in each conference room for reporting purposes.

Journalism Issues

The section in the chapter that I found most interesting was the topic of ‘Whistleblowers’. Whistleblowers are a valuable source for journalist as they generally contact the media when wrongdoing has occurred. However if not treated with care they could feel used and abused! A point that made me giggle was, ‘whistleblowers can become obsessed with their cause.’ A whistleblower reminds me a childish dobbing. However I am not undermining how valuable a whistleblower can be. http://www.whistleblowers.org.au/ The following website is Whistleblowers Australia. It even holds a conference and you become a member. If you look on the website under constitution there is an outline of the ACT that they fall under.