Pacific Journalism Review (Pacific Media Centre, School of Communication Studies, Auckland University of Technology)
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Editorial: An investigative legacy
Get PDFIn April 2017, a one-day seminar was held at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) to celebrate more than 25 years of the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ). The ACIJ produced, researched and promoted discussion of journalism from 1991 until it was closed by UTS in early 2017. Although no clear explanation was given for the university’s decision, observers generally agreed that the closure reflected the contemporary pressure on independent public interest activities in Australian universities, which are increasingly driven by financial and corporate needs as a consequence of decades of underfunding
REVIEW: Noted: Powerful, unadulterated insight into West Papua
No full textThe Earth Cries Out, by Bonnie Etherington. Auckland: Vintage, 2017, 285 pages. ISBN 978-0-14-377065-7BONNIE ETHERINGTON'S debut novel, The Earth Cries Out, may be fiction, but it tells the true, powerful, story of West Papua, a nation separated from its Pacific brothers and sisters by Indonesian repression. The novel also serves as a useful background tool for journalists and provides them with an opportunity to learn of the human rights violations in West Papua.
'What are you waiting for, Diggers?' The ANZAC image in Commando comics
Get PDFFor generations of Australians and New Zealanders, Commando comics have provided a consistent image of their ancestors at war. The image is one of men, who are inevitably tall, bronzed, shirtless, contemptuous of authority and their ability, as warriors such—in memory at least—that their mere presence on the battlefield is enough to have the Germans crying ‘Donner und blitzen!’, and the Italians ‘Sapristi!’ or the Japanese ‘Aieee!’ But how accurate is this depiction of Australians and New Zealanders? How well does a Scottish comic—often employing artists from Argentina and other countries—portray the ANZACS? And how did a Scottish comic come to dominate the image of Australians and New Zealanders at war for so long
Pacific climate change adaptation: The use of participatory media to promote indigenous knowledge
Get PDFPacific Island communities are increasingly experiencing the impacts of climate change. Inaccessibility to relevant information about contemporary climate change adaptation strategies at the community level presents challenges. At the same time, indigenous strategies to adapt to climate changes have been overlooked in both local and global climate change debates. This article discusses a project undertaken with a community on Andra Island, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea. Climate change impacts and adaptation strategies were explored through photo essays developed by community members, engaging in approaches of visual participatory action research and indigenous research approaches. The collaboration with the Andra Island community created a space for reflective dialogue about challenges posed by climate change as well as how photo essays can be used to promote Indigenous Knowledge (IK) as a viable capital for community-based adaptation (CBA). Within this context, this article demonstrates how climate change is both a natural and cultural process of change which poses socio-economic challenges. These challenges can compel people to engage in unsustainable practices that might exacerbate natural climate change impacts. The article highlights that building community capacity in participatory media can be an important tool to forge collective synergy, dialogue and ownership in local climate change initiatives. In particular, the authors demonstrate how participatory media can be harnessed to integrate indigenous knowledge in community-based climate change adaptation
Defamatory meanings and the hazards of relying on the ‘ordinary, reasonable person’ fiction
Get PDFDefamation law offers a remedy when the plaintiff’s reputation is harmed by something the defendant publishes. At the heart of the action lies the question—what do the words complained about actually mean? The process of determining defamatory meaning depends heavily on what the court finds to be the imputations conveyed by the matter concerned to ‘ordinary, reasonable people’. The process relies on assumption and conjecture, rather than on evidence. This article examines how this process applied in the Hockey v Fairfax Media case brought by Australia’s former Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey against Fairfax Media, which presented a paradox—the court described the journalists’ articles concerned in glowing terms but still found for the plaintiff
The challenges of anonymous source stories: A case study of Solomon Islands daily newspapers
Get PDFThis article examines the use of anonymous sources in Solomon Star and Island Sun daily newspapers in Solomon Islands. It is aimed to explore why the two newspapers use anonymous sources in the news stories they publish. The two national newspapers face many challenges in maintaining a strong sense of ethics and accountability as most reporters are not qualified, and they compete in a small advertising market to generate revenue. Consequently, they also face challenges from politicians and other public figures over publishing anonymous sources in their papers. The challenges range from threats, intimidation, compensation demands to court battles. This study includes a content analysis of the daily papers and interviews with the editors of both papers and individuals who are affected by the issue
When is a journalist not a journalist? Negotiating a new form of advocacy journalism within the environmental movement
Get PDFCommentary: A New Zealand broadcast journalist of 25 years’ experience comes under fire from former colleagues after joining the environmental campaigning organisation Greenpeace. The ensuing criticism provides insight into how the mainstream media views itself and how sensitive it might be to any perceived threat to its credibility. It opens up an argument about what constitutes a ‘journalist’ in a contemporary context. A troubling epoch for journalists facing tight newsroom budgets, news trivialisation, fragmented media spheres and dwindling public confidence in the profession. This commentary examines the argument for new terminology to describe the kind of investigative journalism which might be practised within non-government organisations (NGOs) for a mainly digital audience. It also challenges views on objectivity and bias, positing whether advocacy journalism with strict ethical guidelines produced from within an organisation with a known agenda, may serve the public interest more ably than a fragmented mainstream journalism compromised by less obvious biases
REVIEW: An important book for young journalism academics
No full textWhat is Journalism? The Art and Politics of a rupture, by Chris Nash. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 2016. 247 pages. ISBN 978-1-137-39933-5CHRIS NASH wrestles with ideas with rare intensity. His new book What is Journalism takes something so familiar to us, journalism, and peels back layer after layer of assumptions about what makes it singular and distinctive and what gives it parity with the other academic disciplines. More importantly though this book is a how-to guide for best-practice journalists and journalism academics looking for a lexicon to describe journalism work in a methodological way
REVIEW: A thoughtful approach to teaching media
No full textReinventing the Media, by Graeme Turner. London: Routledge. 2015. 158 pages. ISBN 978-1-138-02070-2AS A member of a School of Communication Studies seeking to refresh its curricula, the publication of Graeme Turner’s book Re-Inventing the Media is very timely. According to the publishers, Turner ‘takes on the task of rethinking how media studies approaches the whole of the contemporary mediascape.’ This statement should not lead the reader to expect that Turner is arguing for a root and branch overturning of how we approach and teach the media. Instead. it can be argued that this is rather a sober ‘re-think’ that seeks to address both the elements of change and continuity in teaching communication or media studies today
REVIEW: Noted: Refreshed digital journalism education mission needed
No full textBr(e)aking the News: Journalism, Politics and New Media, edited by Janey Gordon, Paul Rowinski and Gavin Stewart. Berne, Switzerland: Peter Lang AC. 2013. 308 pages. ISBN 978-3-034-3090-4-2TWO DECADES ago, United States media ecologist Neil Postman posed critical questions about the ‘mission of education’ in his book The End of Education. Detailing the failings of American education faced with encroaching corporate and managerial strategies that did not tackle the real problem—an ‘identity crisis’—he ironically heralded the coming challenges over journalism education. It has outgrown the rationales of the past