HAM433 Blog Response (Week 5): Social Media

It is amazing how rapidly the media is changing. In relation to spreading of information, social media is the best thing since the printing press. It is something anyone can get involved with, unlike TV and radio.

I do believe that it is important for people to become more aware of how the media works. They also need to gain skills in analysing what they read. This is because traditional media outlets have processes in place. In general, these processes ensure that the news is factually correct. Most journalists also follow a code of ethics and are bound by regulations. In contrast, social media does not follow the same rules. While having the positives of promoting freedom of expression, it also means that much that is written is actually opinion rather than fact. We all have to avoid the trap of taking everything at face value.

Unfortunately social media is not reaching everyone. For example, Facebook is banned in China. Facebook are currently in negotiations with the government to start a joint venture that will create an independent site just for China. Google also had a struggle with the Chinese government. Also, people in some developing nations are not able to afford the equipment needed. The infrastructure is also bad. This reminds me of when I had to learn about the digital divide in high school. The class had to look at the possibility of a future where people would be divided in to “have” and “have not”. Hopefully the laptop for every child initiatives will help.

Another group without access to social media would be the elderly. They are having difficulty adjusting. When my grandparents were children their house had no electricity and people were using horse and carts. This was in Western Europe! My Grandma will never own a computer.

Finally, I found Wikipedia’s social media aspect quite interesting. It would not normally be associated with Facebook and Twitter, but the articles are put there by anyone creates an account with them. One person might write the basics of an article, and then another person can add extra info. During the Japanese earthquakes earlier this year, there was already a page about the earthquake and it was constantly changing throughout the day. Even the “most deadly earthquakes” article was updated to reflect changes to the death toll. This makes Wikipedia a community based news service, using real people.

HAM433 Week Four Blog Response: Convergence and Regulation

This is a comment to the article written in The Australian about regulation needing to catch up with current technology. Other comments can be found here.

I think that the film and game classification system should be extended to the internet. There are currently filter programs available for parent that can block sites not safe for kids. Unfortunately this relies on the developer of the software maintaining a list of unsafe sites. All websites in Australia should have a rating embedded in the page that can be read by the web browser. This way any Australian site can be self-censoring.

Another issue with website regulation is that the Internet is international. Only the country that the website host resides can remove an offensive site. Something that is legal in one country can be seen in a country where that content is illegal. In Australia the law varies in each state as to what happens when people view illegal material. Victorian law considers a crime to be committed in the place where person is viewing the material. Other regions believe the crime is committed in the place where the website is hosted.

Week Three Response: Toothless Tiger

This post is a response to the question posted here. Other people's responses here.

The Question:

In the lecture during week 2, I suggested that while ACMA has regulatory powers over broadcaster is Australia, when it comes to ethical breaches in the news, they have proven, in some cases, to be a “toothless tiger”. See this Media Watch episode for a good example.

So, this week, I want you to consider regulation of broadcast news. Does the broadcast news media need to be more tightly regulated? If you think ‘yes’, what aspects of the broadcast news reporting might need better rules and regulations? If ‘no”, why not?

My Response:

When looking at regulation issues and privacy, we have to consider that the media is the fourth estate.

Firstly, the fourth estate is supposed to be watching the government and therefore the media should be able to uncover corruption. Unfortunately the lines have been blurred on what kind of surveillance is acceptable. I would think recording a financial transaction in order to reveal bribery would be acceptable, but filming someone carrying out their daily chores at home would be unacceptable. Despite this, the paparazzi are constantly taking photos of celebrities through the windows of their house. If I did this I would go to jail, but they do not. In this regard, I believe that tighter regulation is needed.

Secondly, as the term fourth estate implies, the media is a large organisation on par with the government. Just imagine what would happen if the government collapsed. I believe that the ending of large media organisation would have the same effect. That is why ACMA would not take away a broadcasting licence even though they can. It would create a void that would bring uncertainty in society.

It appears that there is much regulation but not much enforcement. I do not think removing licenses would be the answer but penalties do need to apply more.

HAM433 Week Two Blog Response: Broadcast and technology

This is the lead response to a HAM433 class activity which is based on the case study that can be found at http://www.newsu.org/. The case discusses the time when footage on KARE-TV of an ice boat sailing event that was sped up to make the boats look like they were travelling faster then they were. The ethics of manipulating images was raised.

The way that a video is edited definitely can alter the perceptions of the audience. Guide lines should be in place to ensure that the audience understands what has been altered.

Speeding up footage is something that would be associated with a slick television ad. Those spray and wipe type cleaners come to mind. The “before” and “after” photos of people in ads for some weight loss programs also bring up ethical issues.

The issue of slowing down footage was highlighted on the TV show “Chaser’s War on Everything”. The show is always critical of the techniques used by Today Tonight and Current Affair, a common user of criminals walking slowly. Once, the Chaser team slowed down footage of ordinary people walking so that they would look like criminals.

Another common practice is the use of stock or file footage during news reports. This is a useful tool but unfortunately I have noticed a trend over the past year. Footage is being placed into reports without mentioning that it is stock footage. It looks as it is part of the news story. This could mislead viewers into thinking that it is new footage. Some of the footage does not accurately represent the current situation but a generalisation of similar events.

The reality show Survivor had controversy a few years ago when it was revealed that many of the wide shots and aerial shots were made using hired extras instead of the contestants. This allowed the show to contain camera angles that were not possible during the original recording. The revelation put into doubt the reality of reality television.

The viewer needs to be told about the manipulations before and during a story if they are to trust the media. If the viewer finds out after the show through another source, they will definitely feel deceived or tricked.

There needs to be assessment of when it is the right time to use the techniques such as slow-motion, speeding up video, freeze frames and dissolves. Slow motion and speeding up definitely should not be used when the speed of an event or object is the issue. Speeding up of the boat footage might have made the activity look more risky or reckless then it is.

Speeding up footage can be useful in situations where it is important to show events uncut in short amount of time, such as showing a couple of minutes of security camera footage in a couple of seconds. Slowing down footage can reveal hidden actions that would not be noticed at normal speed.

With both the altering of film speed and use of stock footage, I strongly believe that it is important that, at the minimum, to display text at the top or bottom of the screen saying “file footage” or “footage speed increased”. They might make a statement at the beginning of the report. I can understand that making a statement during the report might disturb the flow.

Retro Half Hour with Kevin Tuyau

This one date only! My own radio show!

Listen on your computer at this page: http://3ssr.wordpress.com/shows/stream/

(IPhone and Android instructions at this page)

• Date: 1^st June 2011
• Time: 12:30pm to 1:00pm

The Retro Half Hour will take the audience back to the 1980’s. Playing hits from the 80’s plus interviewing people who were there at the time.

Featured Guests:

· Sylvio Hennequin: A former DJ from the Casablanca night club.

· Les Twentyman: A well-known youth worker who started the 20^th Man Foundation.

Follow me:

• Twitter: @kevintuyau
• Website: http://sites.google.com/site/myuniquestartpoint/

Review: Death by Buffet

I read the prologue and first three chapters of the book Lost in Transmission (2004, Jonathan Harley). The book is about the author’s time spent as the foreign correspondent in India for the ABC.

The author writes in a style that comes across to me as either a hint of sarcasm or an attitude. I see this as an attempt at keeping the story light hearted with a sense of irony, which I found the article to be as well.

In the prologue the author talks about how that during the war in Iraq, reports were invited to report from a place called “Coalition Central Command”, referred to as “CENTCOM”. It is supposed to be the place where the war effort is being controlled from and journalists can get updates directly from the military. The journalists are instead shown a room full of TVs showing various news channels while the officials lock themselves in a room. “More like CENTCON” a journalist says to the author. The title of the prologue comes from the author’s observation that the only chance of death at the control center was to eat at the buffet.

The first three chapters of the book go through how the author came to be in India and his first assignment. The author is honest in describing his feelings and takes us through a journey of his emotions. First he is excited at the opportunity of working overseas, even if it means leaving behind his girlfriend. As the reader progresses through the book a sense of cultural shock begins to emerge. He has trouble making friends with the staff. When he buys his driver a sink to wash in, the other staff get jealous and the tension increases. The staff keep being pleasant as required by their custom.

The author begins to resent the constant presence of the staff employed to attend to his needs. After his first assignment starts to goes wrong, an assistant comes into his room to provide assistance. The frustration of the situation causes him to yell abuse at the poor staff member. The author then describes to the reader the immense guilt he felt.

Review: Life in Mama’s House

I read chapter 6 of the book Holding the Key: My Year as a Guard at Sing Sing (2001, Ted Conover, Scribner). The book is about a journalist that went undercover as a prison guard.

The article is written from a first person perspective. The chapter’s title, Life in Mama’s House, comes from the focus on Mama Cradle; she is the Officer in Charge at the prison. The author shows a respect and admiration for her even though she is not liked by all staff. The author is constantly looking for Mama’s approval. Every time he does something he looks to see if Mama is pleased. Mama also has the respect from the prisoners who sometimes refuse to obey instructions if they do not come from Mama.

The events are mostly in chronological order but there are also looks into other people’s backgrounds. Chunks of conversations give a slice of prison life with reader being an observer, rather than just being told.

Racial and gang divisions take a large role in the life of the prisoners. The author also comments on the range of psychological issues that the prisoners have. The tension between prisoners and guards is hidden with banter and sly jokes.

• Further Reading: Guarding Sing Sing