So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu

    No I have not been watching The Sound of Music recently..... but here we are. The end of a semester and the end of JOUR1111.

I never thought much of blogging until I started this. Apart from fashion blogs which I actually find useful and interesting, I thought blogging was for a bunch of old crazies spilling out their guts on the internet. But I've actually found that when I'm blogging, I finish with a sense of clarity on the topic I was writing about. The process really gets everything out and afterwards I feel slightly empowered, a bit fresher and I always find that while blogging I'm learning more about the topic, getting a better understanding of it, or if I'm just venting, I realise what the true source of my concern was and I feel like I can and know how to resolve it. Phew. Deep breath.

Although some posts may take a lot more time than others, I don't mind writing them at all. It's enjoyable. I thought it would be a tedious task to just blog away, but it's kind of like a breather to me and once I start I have to keep going until I'm done.

Anyway I just wanted to wrap up this semester and this subject with a nice little farewell blog. So thanks Bruce, Carmen and to anyone who's reading this. It has been a pleasure.

Here's 'So Long, Farewell' from The Sound of Music. Watch it. It's awesome and definitely in HD.

I would also like to point out how similar Kurt from Glee and Kurt from The Sound of Music look. And they both have alarmingly high singing voices. Molto strano...

Cheerio!

By Johnny.

    I would like to introduce a brand that I have newly discovered and have absolutely fallen in love with! You may already know it but it's new to me so listen to what I have to say! The brand is called By Johnny and it is designed by the second runner-up of season three of Project Runway Australia, Johnny Schembri from New South Wales - not gonna lie, he was my favourite and totally should have won! Screw you Dylan. Screw. You.


Now, how did I come across this brand I hear you say? Well meine freunds, I was browsing on theiconic.com.au, as I frequently do these days in my endless procrastination periods, and I came upon an awesome dress that is, very unfortunately, way out of my budget. It comes in black and white (I must say I prefer it a lot more in black) and it retails for $499.95. WHYYYYY. Why do you people insist on doing this to me?! Ugh. What makes it worse is that my lovely boyfriend reminded me of a Scoopon deal for The Iconic that appeared in our inboxes early this year. A $200 voucher for $50. Why.

 Johnny's whole 2012 winter collection is quite awesome really - this dress being the most awesome of all in my opinion. Unlike his collection for the finale of Project Runway Australia, which was made up of a lot of pastel hues and embellishments, this collection is a lot more experimental in terms of silhouette and texture. There are a lot of watercolour and digital prints along with body-con, peplum and cut-out styles. This collection is a very strong representation of femininity. It is bold and highlights his versatility as a designer. You can check out the collection here. Can't wait to see what he does next!

Anyway, to finish off I would also like to point out how similar the grinch and Michael C. Hall from the Showtime series Dexter look. Coincidence? It's in the mouth. And kind of the eyes. But mainly in the mouth...

That's what she said. Ha ha ha.

Sixty years.

    So the Diamond Jubilee of the ever present Queen Elizabeth II has come and gone. The Diamond Jubilee marks the Queen's sixtieth year on the throne. And it is now that I would like to acknowledge how very sorry I feel for Prince Charles.

Poor, poor Prince Charles. Whenever the Queen is involved in conversation at home, it always turns to how bad we feel for him. How bad we feel that he is almost 64 and is still not the King. And then we go on to rant about how the Queen should just retire from being the Queen and just hand it over to Charles so he at least has a good few decade before he can pass it on to Prince William. Oh how it must suck. I mean come on old Lizzy, don't be greedy now. Not that I have anything against Queen Elizabeth. She seems like a lovely old lady. And man, can she deliver a speech! I mean, the lady is 86 and I would expect her voice to be all quivery and frail with lots of pauses but oh no. Perhaps it's one of the perks of being royal. I must say, her posh little accent is so cute. Here's a speech she gave this year at the State Opening of Parliament.

Anyway moving on. As per usual, Kate Middleton's fashion choices were followed greatly throughout the media. What did she wear? Who was she wearing? Gasp! Kate is known to mix high and low fashion and has become a great trendsetter with her use of colour and sense of style. And she always look so darn elegant! Sigh. Can't get enough of her. 

During the Queen's Diamond Jubilee she stepped out in an Alexander McQueen dress and he seems to be one of her favourite designers - she also wore an Alexander McQueen wedding dress (okay it was Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen but still). Since she is a great recycler of outfits (yay for those of us who are poor uni students!), it was nice to see her out and about in a new dress. Here is a picture of her looking lovely as always.

There was also a bit of 'scandal' as she stepped out in a dress that Kim Kardashian had worn previously. Most celebrities would turn their noses up at wearing an outfit that has already been seen on someone but Kate Middleton is not a typical celebrity. Again this dress was Alexander McQueen and she looked great. And it goes to prove, just because something is last season doesn't mean you can't wear it again. Here's a photo of the two girls in the dress. Kate has classed it up, adding in some sleeves and pairing it with nude heels (I'm a worshipper of nude heels), while Kim looks alright in it but I can't say much for those snakeskin heels. Shudder. 

What's in it for me?

   If someone introduced me as a blogger, I too would cringe, just like this week's guest lecturer, television and entertainment blogger, Steve 'Molks'.

Molks starts off by talking about how we brand ourselves. How we should start marketing ourselves now so future employers would want us. And this is exactly what he's done with his name 'Molks'. Instead of Molkington, he shortened it to Molks which suited his brand. We have to be invested and know how to write any kind of story any kind of way. But when he talks about branding I can't help but think of the Kardashians.

Don't judge me, but I love the Kardashian shows. I haven't been able to enjoy them as of late due to the fact that my dear mother cancelled Austar because I'm only home every now and then but still. Sigh. And although their whole 'famous for being famous' thing is kind of stupid, they are entertaining (to me at least) and are more than capable of branding and marketing themselves extremely well. If they really were so terrible then it is unlikely that they would be in the midst of filming their seventh season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians and have had three spin-off shows. It's also unlikely that Keeping Up With The Kardashians would be the highest rating television show (among men and women aged 18-34) on the E! network if they were unable to market and brand themselves successfully. Their DASH stores are also very successful as is the Kardashian Kollection - spelt with a K of course. You may not like them, but you know them. Anyway, I shall stop ranting about the Kardashians now.

This lecture summarised the very basis of this course for me. Molks let us know that journalism is not necessarily about about trying to claw your way up the career ladder, not caring about who you stomp on to get there. It's not a dying profession. It's just moving on and making way for the many new types of media. And nobody can deny that. Do we not compulsively check our iPhones every two minutes? Are we not addicted to Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram? And this relates back to branding, as Molks so rightly pointed out, "Brand management began the moment you signed up for Facebook or MySpace, so watch out!"

We've got to start building a readership now. We've got to be proactive and we've got to be passionate. Or else what's the point really? We've got to get out there and be a part of it all!

For example, old Snapey really threw himself into it all.

Annotated Bibliography

Altmeppen, K.D, Arnold, K & Kössler, T. (2012). Are the media capable of fair reporting? Remarks on the principle of fairness in professional journalism. Justice and Conflicts, 6(1), 329-343.

     The authors of this book are currently all professors at German universities working in the departments of journalism or communication. Together they make a knowledgeable and experienced team as they discuss the concept of fairness in journalism. They analyse the role that fairness plays in media ethics and journalistic professionalism because without fairness, an unbiased account of a story is not guaranteed and this may also lead to other negative impacts. They particularly address the notion that news reporting should always be about fact not fiction – something that every reporter should keep in mind. Altmeppen, Arnold and Kössler also argue that journalism cannot always be fair to both the audience and the sources at the same time because it is unable to cope with all the varying perspectives of a society so, ironically, in various circumstances “journalism can only be fair when it is unfair” (Altmeppen, Arnold & Kössler, 2012). They reflect on how independent journalism should be able to reflect the diverseness of the media whilst significantly using many citations throughout the chapter which adds much credibility to the writing of the authors. The ideologies that the authors bring to mind widely acknowledge and affectively address the values and ethics a journalist has or should have.

King, M. (2012, May 5). Questions add to pain for Gerard Baden-Clay over tragic and unsolved murder of wife Allison. The Courier Mail, p.9. Retrieved from: http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/questions-add-to-pain-for-gerard-baden-clay-over-tragic-and-unsolved-murder-of-wife-allison/story-e6frerdf-1226347438707

     Madonna King, the author of this piece, brings a great deal of experience and expertise to this story, being an award-winning journalist, commentator and author. Having a career in newspapers spanning more than 20 years with a focus on crime and politics, she gives this story an edge, painting the victim’s husband, Gerard Baden-Clay, in a guilty light. She opens with two questions that any person would immediately think of when questioning the actions of Gerard. These questions are crucial in developing King’s opinion as they encourage the reader to think the way she has when writing the story. She then goes on to describe what the victim’s family and friends have done and effectively relates this back to the lack of action and emotion of the husband. King clearly acknowledges that he does not have to answer to her, making her appear fairer and not as judgemental to the reader. But she strongly concludes that these questions must be answered when asked by his children in the future. The way she concludes the story makes the reader feel empathy for the children and, perhaps, dislike for the husband – successfully reinforcing her view on the topic.

Police seize evidence in search for missing woman. (2012, April 26). Channel 9 News. Retrieved from: http://au.video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A8tUwXBELrtPZGIAZXw25gt.;_ylu=X3oDMTBsZG9sa2NlBHBvcwMxMwRzbGsDcmVzBHNlYwNzcg--?n=35&ei=utf-8&fr=news_sb_hd&fr2=piv-news&tnr=35&c=12&p=allison+baden-clay&vid=da500d4d4cdd6d69c2562ad0528a5365&dt=1335429000&l=93&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts3.mm.bing.net%2Fvideos%2Fthumbnail.aspx%3Fq%3D5000862912544950%26id%3D005ebcec60c8f2e168e228934d88e8f3%26bid%3D72LGcI%252ftoWDpiw%26bn%3DThumb%26url%3Dhttp%253a%252f%252fvideo.au.msn.com%252fwatch%252fvideo%252fpolice-seize-evidence-in-search-for-missing-woman%252fxoix7a1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.au.msn.com%2Fwatch%2Fvideo%2Fpolice-seize-evidence-in-search-for-missing-woman%2Fxoix7a1&tit=Police+seize+evidence+in+search+for+missing+woman&sigr=12tjjam2a&newfp=1

     Channel 9 reporters present a detailed story about the murder and investigation of Allison Baden-Clay. It begins with reporter, Amelia Adams, who introduces the story and then passes onto crime reporter, Alyshia Gates. Gates, a journalist for 12 years, has spent most of her career working with police and as a court reporter with a continued focus on crime. She has covered several high profile stories, including the brutal triple murder in Toowoomba in 2005 and it appears that she uses her knowledge and experience in this area in covering this story. Gates begins the story by stating that evidence has been seized for the investigation. She then brings to attention the fact that a close female friend of the victim’s husband was questioned. Although she puts an emphasis on the friend being female, she does not linger on it therefore not fully insinuating that she was perhaps, a past lover and/or a current suspect. Gates keeps the audience well informed on what detectives and police have been doing while Adams asks relevant questions. Gates’ extensive experience in crime reporting ensured that she gave a solid update on the investigation while giving the audience the most current and relevant details without making obvious negative assumptions about the victim’s husband’s female friend.

Davies, L. (2012, May 5). Friend of murdered woman laments: “She told me things, I should have done more”. The Age. Retrieved from: http://www.theage.com.au/national/friend-of-murdered-woman-laments-she-told-me-things-i-should-have-done-more-20120504-1y489.html

     The author, Lisa Davies, brings a fair sided approach to this story. Rather than painting the husband in a guilty light as many other writers and television networks have done, she instead discusses this murder of Allison Baden-Clay in an informing, non-judgemental manner. Currently the crime editor for various newspapers at Fairfax Media, and previously being the Chief Court Reporter at The Daily Telegraph, it would be fair to say that she brings a significant amount of experience to her job and to her writing. Davies uses her crime writing and court reporting experience to write a fair, unbiased account of the murder and the events that ensued. Beginning by setting the scene and describing the victim, her family and lifestyle, Davies then integrates a quote from the victim’s husband that describes his current situation. She then accurately summarises the night of the murder and how and when the victim’s body was discovered and what detectives have been doing and stating to the public. Although Davies writes that the victim’s husband may be a suspect, she does so in a way that does not paint him guilty. Davies concludes the story with quotes from the victim’s parents and best friend and ends on an optimistic note, writing about the detectives’ efforts and their progress in the case and leaves the reader with a fair and informative perspective on the murder case. 

That wench!

   It has to be said. Deb from Masterchef is a complete and utter wench. And I don't mean it in a Game of Thrones type manner meaning a prostitute, I just like the word and in my opinion it encapsulates someone who is a shit of a person and sucks.

I cannot believe she just threw Mindy under the bus like that! In tonight's episode of Masterchef the contestants were faced with a yum-cha challenge in Sydney's Chinese Garden of Friendship. It was a team challenge and each team had to come up with and serve five different types of yum-cha.

Deb was the leader of the red team and since she lacked any skill necessary for this challenge she pretty much handed it all over to Mindy to choose the dishes and keep everything under control. Okay no, she didn't "pretty much" hand it over, she did. Like she actually said something along the lines of, "Mindy, you do what you need to do because I don't know anything because I suck." That end bit isn't entirely factual but whatever. I hate her guts.

Ultimately the red team lost and at the end when the judges were questioning the contestants on the challenge, Deb acknowledged that she was unfamiliar with the cuisine which is fair enough but then she goes on to completely stab poor Mindy in the back! So much for being a team. Deb stated, "It was quite challenging working with Mindy. To be honest I didn't feel supported." This is suuuucccchhhh a load of crap. Mindy, as always, was fair, exerted the right amount of control, was encouraging and guiding. If Mindy hadn't been on her team she would have been insanely screwed. While Deb was saying that, the camera cuts to Mindy and a few other team members and you can see the shock and surprise on their faces. They kept it in pretty well unlike me who was yelling abuse at the tv! But I thought that Mindy handled Deb's harsh words quite well. She went on to say that she did the best she could - I mean, what else are you meant to say when someone totally cuts you?

In my opinion I think that Mindy is going to go very far in this competition. She's a calm, cool and collected cook and she's a much better person than that wretched Deb!

To watch Deb screw over Mindy, click here and select Full Episodes, Week 3, Episode 16, Part 9/9.

Look at that evil face.

Investigative Journalism

    Investigative journalism. Apart from thinking about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I've always thought that most types of journalism are investigative because  don't most types of journalism require questioning facts and opinions, researching and finding out more to the story? My suspicions were proved correct by the quote from investigative journalist, Ross Coulthart - what a genius, I must say.

And Bruce, I freaking love acrostics! God this made the lecture so much better. So the "in's" of investigative journalism are:
Intelligent: you must have a plan and know what you're looking for and it has to be well thought out.
Informed: we've got to know the facts!
Intuitive: that gut feeling. Go with your instinct!
Inside: you need to get on the inside the story - you need to gain the person's trust.
Invest: invest your time, money, health, YOUR LIFE! Okay not so full on, but you get the idea. You've got to invest yourself. Going off track a little, whenever I hear the word invest, I immediately think of this scene from Moulin Rouge. One of the best movies ever! Oh my God it cracks me up.

But why do we need to be and know all these things?

Critical and thorough journalism: we ain't just messin' 'round 'ere. 'Tis serious stuff. Active intervention!

Custodians of conscience: testing people's ethics, morals and seeing what they think. Exposure!

Providing a voice to the voiceless: social justice - power to the people! Public interest, people. 

Fourth estate/branch of government/watchdog: ensuring the free flow of information necessary for the functioning of a democracy and being able to hold public personalities and institutions accountable.

So what are types of investigative interaction?

Interviews, observations, documents, briefings, leaks, trespass and theft - but thank God for technology. Instead of stealing things now we can just take pictures of them instead. Don't want to be going to hell now do we! And methods of investigation (quite obvious) are interviewing, observing and analysing documents. And believe it or not, there are other places to research other than Google (though I am yet to figure that out properly myself).

So I have, in fact, learnt a lot from this lecture. I quite liked it. My view on investigative journalism has changed quite a bit. It's not all sneaking around in dangerous places around dangerous people trying to solve a murder, there's a bit more to it than that. But one thing is for sure: always check your facts and assume nothing!

Here's the trailer to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo if you haven't, for some insane reason, read it or seen it.