Butt shots. Really?

News.com is reporting a growing trend in America. Women are actually paying thousands for injections to 'make thir butt look like celebrities Kim K, Beyonce and Jlo.'

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/us-mum-spends-15k-on-injections-to-get-bootylicious-backside/story-fn9076o9-1226395624468

Clem Grehan LNP story- Written by Merryn McDonnell (myself)

Fight for South Brisbane Escalates

Liberal National Party (NLP) candidate for South Brisbane, Clem Grehan has labelled the new Labour (ALP) candidate for South Brisbane, Ms Jackie Trad, “a labour party hack.” Mr Grehan says the ALP’s Ms Trad was “part of a dictatorship for two years” regarding the infrequency of the ALP’s overall state meetings. “To me, when you cancel meetings like that you’re a dictator.” Mr Grehan expressed further distain when speaking about Labour’s previous premier, Anna Bligh. “(She’s) a hypocrite” who treated Queenslanders with “contempt, utter contempt.”

Mr Grehan will enter a bi-election for the seat this Saturday (28^th April 2012). Ms Bligh held the South Brisbane seat in the recent state election. However, she resigned the day after the polling.  Mr Grehan says he was “exhausted but not discouraged” when a bi-election was announced on Sunday, 25^th March (2012). “I knew it was going to be close. But we (the LNP) knew we were going to win overall.” ABC news reported that Mr Grehan lost the South Brisbane seat by only 132 votes. “Our guys (the LNP) didn’t think we’d go anywhere near that.”

However recent polls indicate Ms Trad has a 57.9 per cent lead on a two-party preferred basis. Professor Clive Bean from Queensland University of Technology says the polls are not a definitive guide. However, "the swing to the LNP has pretty much gone about as far as it can go, so any movement is likely to be back towards the ALP."

Mr Grehan maintains that he is the best candidate for the job, “I can listen to the people better than they (the ALP) can. I’m listening with both ears. Not a right side LNP brain or a left side ALP brain. I’m listening with both ears.”  

Ian Frazer profile- Written by Merryn McDonnell (myself)

A Hero of Millions

You might recognize Professor Ian Frazer as a previous Australian of the year. Perhaps you know him as one of the two creators of the first pre-cancer vaccine. You may have heard rumored reports about his next scientific venture - a vaccine for skin cancer. But few Australians Know more than this about Professor Frazer.

Prof Frazer is best known for his work on the Gardisil vaccine that was released in 2006. With his late colleague, Dr Jian Zhou, Prof Frazer led the team that developed the world’s first human papilloma virus (HPV) preventing vaccine. Gardasil has effectively saved millions of women, by providing almost 100 per cent protection from the infection of HPV. Prof Frazer says he feels “humbled” to be a part of the vaccine’s creation process. “It’s also very satisfying because we’ve seen it through to become a product. A product that is useful to many.”

Generating awareness for Gardasil in third world countries is a great challenge for the Prof and his team. However “mentoring my junior colleagues” is also a main concern for the Prof.

Prof Frazer made the move to Brisbane to teach at the University of Queensland in 1985. Since then his accomplishments have grown to include President of Cancer Council (Australia), Advisor to the World Health Organisation and Director of the Biotechnology Company, Coridon.

Reports regarding his quest for a skin cancer vaccine, however, are not completely accurate. “Vaccines that will help control some sorts of skin cancer are in trials at present” Prof Frazer says. Although this is promising news, Prof Frazer says “10 years” is the approximate time until a vaccine may be available.  

Gay Marriage rally in Brisbane - Written by Merryn McDonnell (myself)

Equal Love to Protest in Brisbane Streets.

A rally for equal marriage rights will be held at Brisbane’s Queens Park on Saturday, 12^th May 2012. The rally will be held by the Equal Love organization for their National day of action. Equal Love will be campaigning in all major Australian cities. Brisbane Organiser, Ms Jess Payne, says the event is for the broader community, “it’s an event for all who support equal rights.”

Public figures including ABC’s Andrew Denton and the cast of the Hungry Beast have pledged their support of the Equal Love campaign. Ms Payne says the majority of young people are also supporters of marriage equality, but the challenge for the campaign is “turning all passive support into active opposition.”

The Equal Love group created the National Day of Action “to publicly pressure the government,” Ms Payne says. The group is urging the government to remove the ban on gay marriage by amending the Marriage Act.

The Equal Love group is still confident that the campaign will be effective despite the protests of anti-gay marriage Christian groups lead by Mr Peter Madden. Mr Madden, a Democratic Party candidate, led a protest truck throughout parts of New South Wales and Queensland in March. “The protest truck was decorated with anti-ALP and anti-homosexual advertising,” says Ms Katherine Feeney of the BrisbaneTimes.com.

The Saturday, 12 May Equal Love event will not only include a march around the CBD with chanting, but “a range of speakers including religious figures and activists,” Ms Payne says.

Rally for Gay marriage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcDUb5kGfuI&feature=endscreen

An assignment for Reporting 1112. Brisbane Protested for Gay Marriage rights on May 12 2012.

Photography

This was for Visual Communication 1999.

Photography portfolio.

I chose to look at trees because they have so much love and meaning for me personally- and I tried to capture that in my photographs.

I didn't know what I was looking for, but I knew I should start looking. A metaphor for life maybe.

It was important to evoke emotion with light and viewpoint amongst other visual tools.

I really enjoyed it.

I think I want to pursue a career in photojournalism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeA_iglbQOE

GLEE!

MY FAVOURITE SHOW ON TV!!!!!

HERE ARE THE BEST PERFORMANCES!!

How Will I know
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkhT_W0CR6w

Rachel singing All coming back to me now. Sigh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik683CThV5o

We found love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7LITtVn0Rw

Some Mariah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqJSYjRERE8

Lecture 11- Agenda Setting

Agenda setting- the Social Construction of Reality

This lecture covered Agenda settings in mass media and journalism. Different concepts, theories and views were presented. However, listed below is the definition that made spoke most to me. 

Agenda Setting applies to:

PUBLIC AGENDA - the set of topics that members of the public perceive as important.

POLICY AGENDA - issues that decision makers think are salient. (i.e. legislators)

CORPORATE AGENDA - issues that big business & corporations consider important.

MEDIA AGENDA - issues discussed in the media.

(Miller K. 2007 Communication Theories: Perspectives, Processes, and Contexts) 

Agenda setting applies to 24 hour news, the current reporting of climate change and family values. It is the representation of stories. The spin or adjustment or development of a story. 

'A thesis on media agenda-setting and framing during the BP oil spill in order to determine whether newspaper coverage is a contributing factor in the delegation of oil spill claims:

The study utilized content analysis to examine newspaper coverage of the BP oil spill in the Mobile Press Register, the Sun Herald, and the Pensacola News Journal from April 20, 2010 to April 20, 2011. Results indicate that more media attention was focused on tourist areas of coastal Alabama, including Gulf Shores Beach and Orange Beach, and these areas did in fact receive the most compensation in claims from the Gulf Coast Claims Facility compared to other affected areas.'

(Stinchcomb, L.-K. S. 2011.The Deepwater Horizon: Agenda-setting in the media and its impact on claim distributions). 

This research shows that media influence can determine both public attention and public funds.

A Youtube Video explaining Agenda setting in the media!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbCYr-U7MAQ

The global media Journal's presentation of agenda setting in the media
http://www.aiou.edu.pk/gmj/artical4(b).asp

Lecture 9- News values

News stories are decided by impact and audience identification. 

IMPACT

‘News is anything that makes a reader say, “Gee Whiz!” - Arthur MacEwen, US Editor. 

AUDIENCE IDENTIFICATION

‘news is anything that's interesting, that relates to what's happening in the world, what's happening in areas of the culture that would be of interest to your audience.’ - Kurt Loder, US Journalist. 

News values relate to pragmatics and source influence. 

PRAGMATICS

ethics – facticity - practice / practical current affairs – everyday (24-7 news). 

SOURCE INFLUENCE

‘Journalism loves to hate PR ... whether for spinning, controlling access, approving copy, or protecting clients at the expense of the truth. Yet journalism has never needed public relations more, and PR has never done a better job for the media.’ - Julia Hobsbawm, UK PR executive.

Commercial media is known for using the 'if it bleeds, it leads!' However in recent campaigns channel 9 has used the 'If it happens in (local area of Brisbane) it's on 9'. This is a use of Hyperlocalisation. 

Newsworthiness

Golding and Elliot’s (1979) News Values

Drama, Visual attractiveness, Entertainment, Importance, Size, Proximity, Negativity, Brevity, Recency (exclusives, scoops), Elites and Personalities. 

'Data suggest a need for media professionals and suicide experts to work together to balance newsworthiness against the risk of copycat behavior' (Pirkis, J.; Burgess, P.; R Warwick B.; Francis, C. 2007. 

The Newsworthiness of Suicide. Suicide & Life - Threatening Behavior37). 

This statement shows the effect of the Media's reporting of important issues such as suicide. The research found that the media reported 1% of suicides within a year period. Suicides of particular gruesome circumstances, age and gender were both sidelined and reported. 

Lecture 8 - Ethics in the news

This lecture focused on ethics in media and advertising.

Media corporations present stories that do not always meet the publics 'ethical standard'. Just like advertisers are known to reach for a 'racy' or 'contriversial' ad campaign for a product. The goal of each business is the same- to generate awareness or 'hype'. The ultimate goal- access to views and consumers.

What is the golden rule? Well there isn't one. There are guidelines however. These were explored in the lecture. We can use these guidelines to decifer if a story/ad is good or bad, ethical or unethical, right or wrong and the difference between bad, wrong and 'tacky'. Ethical theories that guide the media and advertising include; deontology; consequentialism (theology); and virtue. Deontology, the theory that applies to professional journalism, includes rules, principals and duties. Essentially journalists and broadcasters will 'do the right thing' by following these rules or guidelines. All media ethical codes are deontology. Australia uses codes such as  MEAA CODE; PRIA CODE; AFA CODE; and the AANA CODE. MEAA principals relate to honest, fair activities, independence and respect. 

'Viewers' knowledge and motivations determine how and to what degree they use their knowledge and the information from the news' (Mitu, B.M. 2010. MEDIA CREDIBILITY AND ETHICS IN TELEVISION NEWS. Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice2). 

This statement proves that although Journalism and media must publish and broadcast under rules, viewers and consumers previous knowledge also plays a critical role in the receiving of news.