Globalisation of Media

This week's issue was globalisation and homgenisation of media content, and whether or not this is a desirable future for the industry. The arguments in the presentation by Natasha and Rebecca centered around the way global media promotes a universal understanding of issues and spreads cultural values and ideals. On the other hand it reduces the prominence of local news and reduces people's access to information that directly affects them and their local area.

A major issue with globalised reporting is that nations and cultures can be misrepresented due to implicit bias on the part of the dominant media source. Their focus can often set an agenda which may be misleading with regards to events in question. "Mass media reporting of foreign affairs very often governs what kind of image of a country or a culture predominates. 7 Day-topical media concentrate on short-lived events relevant to a given circle of recipients making locally or ethnocentristically oriented news choices of events, publishable with minimum delay" (Kunczik, 2001).

A positive outcome of global media is that information can be disseminated more widely and quickly than ever before. Breaking news in London can be accessed instantly here in Australia through new media technologies and outlets such as online news. "Not only is traditional media being transformed, but the role of national media has completely changed," explains Associate Professor Volkmer. "With instant 24/7 digital communication, Australian media outlets are available worldwide, and a local newspaper can be accessed from around the world. This is not trivial as it has consequences for covering stories, particularly in times of crisis" (newsroom.melbourne.edu).

While global media has its benefits, it is integral to retain local news sources to keep regions informed about that which affects them most directly, as well as providing access to more global issues.

Sources

Kunczik, M (2001). "Globalization: News media, images of nations and the flow of international capital with special reference to the role of rating agencies", DEUTSCHES ÜBERSEE-INSTITUT, Paper presented at the IAMCR Conference, Singapure, July 17-July 20 2000.

The Melbourne Newsroom (2009), "Journalism conference to explore globalisation of media", http://newsroom.melbourne.edu/news/n-85

Combating the Death of the Newspaper

Today's presentation and class discussion was centered around an issue facing all aspiring journalists, the 'death of the newspaper' and sources of funding to keep the industry alive. The presentation addressed who pays for journalism and why. Eryn explained that regarding news and journalism, you get what you pay for, thus the place of the 'public trust' journalist must be protected in order to maintain an informed democratic society. Citizen journalists and bloggers were described as being 'all eyeballs and no insight', and that they are an unreliable source of news and cannot be relied upon in place of professional journalists. So with the issue of newpaper decline in a contemporary new media climate, where can print news expect to get funding in the future?

Advertising has always held an important role in funding print news, providing the backbone of their revenue stream. However many companies are moving more towards online advertising. This means there is a need to consider alternate methods of funding. Of these, Eryn discussed philanthropy and public funding. Philanthropy (donations) are rare, but do exist in some media institutions. The problem with this form of funding is that the money may come with a hidden agenda, and leads to cash for comment type situations where donations become more like sponsorship.

Online profiteering is another way media organisations are being funded with the increasing prominence of online news. Media moguls such as Rupert Murdoch are moving away from free online news, declaring that news is a commodity and as such should be paid for online as well as in print. The counter argument for this is that it doesn't cost anything for news organisations to provide online news, and that it should remain free. However, coming back to the 'getting what you pay for argument', media institutions believe that quality journalism comes at a price and should be appreciated and maintained to promote an informed democracy.

Let the Blogging Commence: Citizen Journalism

Welcome one and all to Sam's Spin, your direct link to the fascinating world of CMNS 3420. This week heralded the beginning of the presentation era, with group one presenting a thoroughly informative account of the citizen journalist phenomenon. The group highlighted key issues such as the increasing prominence of the citizen journalist, who, enabled by new media technologies and opportunities are fast becoming a recognised source of news. This fascinating new breed journalists included the bloggers, tweeters and Johnny on the spots with readily available resources to capture news on the ground as it happens. Discussion quickly turned to the nature of the citizen journalist as a legitimate news source, and whether the blogger uprising could ever hope to rival the established media heirachy. The Drudge Report and Twitter were cited as examples of the way new media is enabling the Average Joe to make his thoughts known to the world at large, and how these technologies enable the immediate spread of news as it happens through the conduit that is a citizen journalist. Indeed the Drudge Report (http://www.drudgereport.com/) is a fine example of the way one citizen journalist's voice was heard, and the ability of such a person to command a certain respect in the journalistic world. The website has grown into a fully blown news site, and Drudge himself earns $5000 in revenue through advertising on his popular site.

I suppose the key questions that arise from today's class is what is in fact the place of the citizen journalist in a constantly evolving media climate? Can a citizen journalist have the same authority as a professional? How do we define a citizen journalist? Are they just any person who witnesses an event, or do they have to create a conventional journalistic account of the event before they are pronounced as 'journalists'?

Essentially, the citizen journalist is fast becoming an important source of breaking news in contemporary media. However, while they may provide fast, concise and shallow representations of events, it is up to professional journalists to dig beneath the surface and develop these stories on a deeper, more accurate and more accessible format. Certainly citizen journalists are important, however it is unlikely that they recieve the same level of respect and trust from the public that they vest in established media sources. The citizen can in some instances transcend their status and attain the rank of 'journalist' in exceptional circumstances, when they are able to convey events in a journalistically appropriate manner through a recognised medium.

That's all for now, stay tuned for more enlightened views from your favourite cmns blogger, me.