Classmate Profile: Matthew Kearins.
Aggregated News Post 1: The Rise of Citizen Journalism.
Aggregated News Post 2: A rise in student numbers, a decline in jobs. What does this mean for the future of Journalism students?
Original News Story: Women in Journalism; Erin, Ciara, Georgia & Amy.
Matthew Kearins, 18, B/Communications and Media Studies.
After completing high school in 2013, Matt chose to pursue a Bachelor of Communications and Media studies at Wollongong University. With hopes to become a news reporter, specifically for ABC or SBS he delves into how music has played a rather large role in his life.
“I decided to move to Wollongong the day we came here for a school trip, I loved the campus and Wollongong as a place. I also thought look, why not?”
18 years old and fresh out of high school, Matt decided to make the big move. One thing that has helped over the course of the semester, adjusting to such a big change is definitely music for Matt.
“Moving straight from high school to university was interesting. There have been some things that have thrown me. I’ve had to adjust to so many new things; if it gets a bit too much I’ll listen to music to put things into perspective.”
Music has been a big part of his life, it is clear how powerful music is to him and it is definitely evident from the way he speaks about its effect in his life.
“The effect that music can have on your general mood is amazing.. If I’m in a shit mood, I can listen to a great song and completely destroy that mood and continue on with my day.”
He firmly believes that music has the power to get you through the toughest of times. With many memories attached to particular songs he explained that sometimes these memories could be not as uplifting, and rather bring back emotional times.
“I remember my ex girlfriends favourite song, I avoided it for a while. One day I happened to walk through a shop where it was playing and yeah, it definitely got to me a little but it is amazing the power a song can hold in your mind.”
The connections formed with particular songs/bands play a role in the different aspects of your life. He went on to explain how a Daft Punk song can make you feel like you can tackle the world, in contrast to a Jack Johnson song which can completely slow life down, and make you just stop and listen.
“Music inspires me, it really does. I can listen to the soundtrack of ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ and get the immediate inspiration to go travelling, it just sparks something inside of you that was probably always there, it just needed something to encourage it.”
For such a busy time in Matts life, its important to him have that one thing that can bring you back down to earth, and help you to think clearly in amongst all the hustle and bustle of university life.
Citizen journalism is where private individuals do essentially what professional reporters do, report information. The current world we live in is all about producing, sharing and consuming. We live in a digital age where information can be shared to the world in a matter of seconds. Citizen journalism is incredibly popular. No degree required or fees to pay unlike qualified journalists, and no filter or direct risk. Citizen journalism is the absence of authority, an open process with no closure.
The arrival of the Internet with blogs, podcasts, YouTube and other Web-related innovations is what has made citizen journalism possible. In 2012, there were about 59.4 million WordPress sites across the world. Blogs and social media have taken away the feature of ‘gatekeepers’ (publishers, editors, content controllers) allowing individuals to post what they want, free from control.
As social media allows for immediate uploads, it is quickly becoming the host to report news before any other form of media.
However, one problem it poses is that Citizen Journalism has been marred by inaccurate reporting; such as reports during Superstorm Sandy that the New York Stock Exchange had been flooded.
With the majority of citizen journalists not being paid for their work, it seems unrealistic to expect them to have the same commitment to their work as paid professionals would, this being a problem that doesn’t seem likely to disappear any time soon.
Nevertheless, Citizen journalism allows for instant access and immediate information for people all around the world.
Although the information we are fed may not always be completely accurate or obtained from viable sources such as traditional medias, this is not to say the use of this information in conjunction with traditional sources is not valuable. Collective intelligence redistributes power to the numbers and upholds the value that the individuals knowledge and understanding combined with another, makes for a collective understanding of the human experience.
We just have to be careful as to what we take as fact and fiction..
One step ahead.
Take a look around at any journalism lecture in Australia, and chances are you’ll find that female students tend to dominate in numbers. For my Journalism lecture theatre, that statement is true. I chose four ladies from JRNL101 to interview about their aspirations and expectations in journalism as a career, and in return I was given a diverse collection of responses.
“What area of Journalism? Oh travel definitely travel!” Erin King, a student of Communications and Media Studies responded immediately with a bright smile on her face. There was no hesitation in her answer, alongside a clear, keen sense of adventure.
Ciara Garvin, another Media student expressed interested in the avenue of radio. However again, like Erin, I did not need to wait, or prompt a response. “I really love the idea of radio. I spend most of my time in the car driving, so the radio is very important in keeping me sane. I love listening to interesting bits of news as I drive, especially when there is a connection between the hosts and they can bounce off of each other.”
Georgia Cuming, without hesitation responded, “I would love to get into travel journalism, I have loved travelling from a very young age. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel quite a bit. I enjoy experiencing different cultures, and learning new things in different countries – I also love writing so I feel like it would be a good path to go down.
Amy Thompson, pausing for a moment to decide between two choices of career, however deciding to respond with both, “Anything international relations would be amazing. Something that can tie in photography would also be wonderful.”
I interviewed these ladies together, in a group discussion, and what tied each of these four very diverse individuals together for me was their passion to succeed. After spending time with each of these ladies- Erin, Ciara, Georgia and Amy, it became very clear just how driven they are to succeed in what they are passionate about.
Now, take a look around at any journalism lecture in Australia, and chances are you’ll find that female students tend to dominate in numbers. However, in many countries, the majority of high profile journalists and editors tend to be male. Although there have been considerable changes in the prospects for women working in the media in the past few decades, women are still noticeably in the minority in the top journalistic roles, despite making up the majority of journalism students. I posed the question of gender roles within journalism to these women, and whether they thought being a female would affect their career.
“Definitely. As unfortunate as it is, there is still prejudice towards female sports presenters, female interviewers, just that line of work in general. Women are seen as not being able to handle the serious and uglier side of journalism. Some interviewees don’t take them as seriously, either.” Ciara commented, the concern in her voice present. Over the past decade, areas such as conflict reporting and economic journalism have seen far more women take prominent roles.
“There is the fear that you won’t make it, that people will trash whatever you report on, just that you will be rejected by the industry purely for being a woman.” Ciara went on to explain. Erin adding, “You would hope that this day-in-age it wouldn’t, but if we’re going to be realistic, the chances of faces sexism in Journalism are probably pretty high”.
The reality women face in roles of power, specifically in Journalism are still challenged by sexism in the workplace. Newsrooms have typically been a man’s world, and while women are occupying roles as journalists, editors, producers and presenters more than ever before, it’s clear that sexism remains a problem in the industry. Women remained silent for years, fearing a loss of job and/or career if they spoke out about misogyny experienced working in media. Now however, they are finally beginning to speak out, buoyed by the courage and righteous anger of their female colleagues.
The journey ahead for every Journalist, regardless of context, is never going to be easy. It’s how we approach the challenge that matters. Erin, Ciara, Georgia and Amy expressed their keen determination to succeed in their career; the challenges that lay ahead in the competitive path that is Journalism are merely a hurdle to overcome.
Every University graduate, regardless of degree, has the same fear: Will I get a job? For Journalism graduates, this is a genuine concern. With the media culling jobs, but universities filling up their numbers of journalism students, the future for current students is both competitive and worrying.
John Henningham, founder of Brisbane’s J-school quotes- “The terrible consequence of having too many graduates studying journalism is that we see the skills of journalism used against journalism.”
In 2012, a large portion of jobs within Journalism were made redundant, and more than 1200 journalists lost their jobs. In 2013, Australia saw a drop of 16% in jobs for journalists. Aspiring students throughout Australia’s universities are all faced with the same fear of not being able to find work. With a decline in job opportunities, and an increase in journalism students, the competition is high and fierce.
However, there is still yet hope for media students of Australia. Ross Hawkes, senior lecturer in journalism at Staffordshire University quotes: “One of the great things about the digital evolution of journalism is that it has opened up niche and specialist publishing.” Aspiring Journalists entering this highly competitive field can still achieve success if they are willing to work for it. With the rise of the Internet, traditional journalism is no longer the only avenue to pursue.
In this ever-evolving world we need to move past old divisions, and focus clearly on what matters in journalism as it has been practiced, and how to preserve and progress reporting of reliability and integrity. This involves an acceptance that journalism has progressed to many places that are not traditional media organisations.
Nevertheless, there is still hope for young, aspiring journalists.
For this weeks post, I have explored the topics of social media, the online persona, micro-celebrities and the concept of non-humans and Twitter in the form of a podcast. I apologise sincerely for the rambling however I tend to travel off into stories unknowingly.. Exploring Soundcloud as someone that uploads rather than just listens was interesting for me, however not as interesting as the cringe fest when having to listen to my own voice played back over and over..
Please have a listen and I hope you enjoy!
References
Bosker, B 2013, ‘Twitter Bots Have No Trouble Fooling You, Getting More Influence Than Oprah’,The Huffington Post: Tech, 08/07/13, <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/08/twitter-bots-influence_n_3542561.html>
McMillan, R 2012, ‘A Twitter bot so convincing that people sympathise with “her”‘, Wired UK, 26 June 2012 <http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-06/26/twitter-bot-people-like>
Kessler, S 2014, ‘How Twitter Bots Fool You Into Thinking They Are Real People’, Fast Company,June 10 2014 <http://www.fastcompany.com/3031500/how-twitter-bots-fool-you-into-thinking-they-are-real-people>
Stop motion animation is a cinematic process, or technique that allows still objects to appear as if they are moving. It is commonly used in claymation and puppet-based animation. The objects are brought to ‘life’ by breaking up the figure’s motion into increments. A photograph is taken for each movement, and when the photographs are stitched together in a continuous sequence the illusion of movement is created.
Stop motion animation is something that takes me right back to my childhood. ABC kids programs in the late 90’s/early 2000’s would frequently use stop animation such as the ever so creepy ‘Gogs’. I remember watching it every afternoon, freaked out but so entertained; mesmerised by the incredible claymation.
When I think of stop animation, I think of being a wee little Emily watching ABC Kids, so I had a crack at creating my own stop animation called ‘Bay Day for Babushka’. Don’t be too harsh on me.. Enjoy!
Citizen journalism is when private individuals do essentially what professional reporters do, report information.
The current world we live in is all about producing, sharing and consuming. Citizen journalism is incredibly popular. No degree required or fees to pay unlike qualified journalists, and no filter or direct risk. Citizen journalism is the absence of authority, an open process with no closure. The arrival of the Internet with blogs, podcasts, YouTube and other Web-related innovations is what has made citizen journalism possible. Blogs and social media have taken away the feature of ‘gatekeepers’ (publishers, editors, content controllers) allowing individuals to post what they want, free from control.
As social media allows for immediate uploads, it is quickly becoming the host to report news before any other form of media.
However, one problem it poses is that Citizen Journalism has been marred by inaccurate reporting; such as reports during Superstorm Sandy that the New York Stock Exchange had been flooded.
With the majority of citizen journalists not being paid for their work, it seems unrealistic to expect them to have the same commitment to their work as paid professionals would, this being a problem that doesn’t seem likely to disappear any time soon.
Nevertheless, Citizen journalism allows for instant access and immediate information for people all around the world, we just have to be careful as to what we take as fact and fiction..
To wrap this up, a video that most likely expresses how qualified Journalists feel about Citizen Journalists..
Henry Jenkins describes Transmedia storytelling as representing “a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience.”
Transmedia is not about repurposing (telling the same story over and over) but rather about creating fictional worlds in which different elements of the story can be explored across multiple platforms. The movie, the game, the mobile phone app, the comic book etc. each look at the story from a different perspective exploring areas in the main narrative that would never have been explored if the narrative was ‘multimedia’ rather than ‘transmedia’.
Now in light of those two words which can be easily confused, ‘Multimedia’ is telling a single story over multiple platforms. Transmedia is telling multiple stories over multiple platforms. To give you an example of transmedia, ‘The Matrix’ released in 1999. Within 5 years of its release, it had spanned across numerous platforms, including 2 sequels, 9 animations, 3 video games, 4 printed books, 2 printed comics and 3 web comics. Safe to say, it was incredibly successful.
Transmedia is meant to allow for more consumers and generate more interest across the multiple platforms. This has enabled countless companies, movies, books etc. to expand the narrative to a wider audience.
J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter is another key example of transmedia. Pottermore is an online realm of Harry Potter that focuses on the unexplored nuances of the Harry Potter series. Featuring unpublished pages from the novels, Rowlings thoughts on different aspects of the series and fan stories of their own, the site generated so much internet traffic, that there was a period of time when if you registered for Pottermore, you were put onto a ‘waiting list’..
“Transmedia refers to a set of choices made about the best approach to a particular story to a particular audience in a particular context depending on the particular resources available to a particular producers. The more we expand the definition, the richer the range of options available to us can be.” – Henry Jenkins.
There is no doubt that Transmedia is an incredibly powerful tool, you only need to take a look at the world of Harry Potter and The Matrix to see that. One thing I know for sure is if I came up with a book or movie good enough to be taken into the world of Transmedia, I’d be a wealthy, happy lass.
One more thing, creating memes is way too much fun..
References:
Jenkins, H 2007, ‘Transmedia Storytelling 101‘, viewed on 25 April 2015, <http://henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html>
Transmedia Storyteller, n.d., ‘Transmedia Storytelling‘, viewed on 25 April 2015, <http://www.tstoryteller.com/transmedia-storytelling>
Rutledge, P 2015, ‘What is Transmedia Storytelling?’, A Think Lab, viewed on 25 April 2015, <http://athinklab.com/transmedia-storytelling/what-is-transmedia-storytelling/>
Remixing is defined as the act of rearranging, uniting, editorialising, and adding originals to create something entirely new, it is said that we live in the age of the remix. The question is though, what is original, and does it even matter? A remix will take the original form and by remixing, completely change the content and/or context of the original piece. If I head out for the usual Wednesday uni night, I can guarantee I will not dance to one original piece of music, I’ll be dancing to a continuous stream of remixes.
This article published by the ABC highlights how our current copyright laws are not keeping up with digital era and the age of the remix.
http://www.abc.net.au/catapult/indepth/s1645533.htm
Driving this ‘remix culture’ is the growth of new digital technologies and of course the Internet, which has made it increasingly easy to re-use and remix existing content, producing a new age of creativity. The challenge for creativity and the economy of digital content production is the level to which mash up and remix artists should be entitled to borrow from the past to create the future?
Would you be happy if someone were to take a song you created, and remix it to claim as his or her own?
emilykeyes,smilingpolitely 