1,720,977 research outputs found
Berlin Wall in the news: mass media and the fall of the Eastern Bloc in Europe, 1989
No full text"Berlin Wall in the News" is the first-hand account of a media correspondent involved in one of the shock events in history, the fall of the Berlin Wall. Lee Duffield’s book is about the way that the news media of the world saw what was happening, but in the author's words "could not believe it themselves". It reviews news media of the time and matches that with what has been written since, in history books and reminiscences of some of the leading political figures, like Mikhail Gorbachev or Helmut Kohl. It comes to the conclusion that piece by piece, the media succeeded in getting that "unbelievable" story right, if you were able to keep up with all the news. Most importantly for its subject matter this book reports on interviews with thirty correspondents from the Western news media – from America, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom – who go back over their experience of the break-down of the communist system in Europe. We are constantly reminded of those events by television images of the Wall coming down, and the street celebrations that went on night after night. It can be a surprise then to realise that this year it will be twenty years since it all happened. "Berlin Wall in the News" devotes much space to telling the story of the massive crowds of people who followed the lead of a brave few, and stood up for their human rights. Their rolling demonstrations in Eastern Germany, Prague, Romania and elsewhere brought down the Wall and ended the Cold War. Lee Duffield as a member of the media "pack" was European Correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and today teaches Journalism at the Queensland University of Technology in his home country. \ud
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The 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, one of the shocks of history, heralded at the time the almost unimaginable fall of communism and end of the Cold War. The dramatic "Wall" events are replayed as landmarks in television histories today; a reminder that they were media events -- on a grand scale. This book tells the story of the collapse of the Eastern bloc from the perspective of the mass media; the journalists who reported and documented what they saw but could hardly themselves believe. The author was there as one of the international correspondents. His book records interviews with leading reporters and editors who took part; revisits the actual coverage from six major Western media organisations, and checks those accounts against histories being written ten years later. It considers also the perspectives of political leaders of the era, and especially the gigantic crowds in the streets demanding freedom. To understand those crowds, well tested theories of mass social movements, and their use of media, are consulted in the book; and in the end an argument is made, that in this new Century, history can be understood very accurately from the news media, just as it happens.\u
George Negus on Media and Culture: Interview by Lee Duffield
No full textThe interview was commissioned by M/C Dialogue online journal as one in a series with "cultural scholars". George Negus as a veteran reporter, presenter and commentator in Australian television current affairs, was questioned about responses of the journalistic profession to changes dveeloping in media at the start of this Century. He adopts a position that practitioners must adjust to the "opportunities" of new media, convergence or globalisation. In response to proliferation of media producers and outlets, he advocates a continuing role for professional journalists as centrally placed sense-makers. He says: "I hink what the information age will do is make analytical and opinion journalism even more important than it always has been, because the information being available to you, you’ll probably still require assistance in sifting it, assessing it, evaluating it … I think the great paradox will be that as information journalism becomes less important, because the information will be so freely available to any one of these gatekeepers, self styled journalists, the opinion journalism, and commentary and analysis will become more important – because most people don’t have time to do that; they’re too busy doing other things.
New edition leaves scope for "human factor" in research
No full textThe Media and Communications in Australia, edited by Stuart Cunningham and Graeme Turner (3rd edition). Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 2010, 362 pp. ISBN 978-1 74237-064-4; reviewed by Lee Duffield, Queensland University of Technology
Is Alexander Downer just a failed Aussie politician, or can he help achieve peace in Cyprus?
No full textThe patrician Australian Alexander Downer, a former foreign minister,\ud
will take to his high-level task as UN special envoy for Cyprus as if to the manner born – although he has had some stumbles along a privileged career path
EUAustralia Online : News & Information from the Capitals of Europe to Australia (www.euaustralia.com)
No full textExperimental / pilot online journalistic publication. EUAustralia Online (www.euaustralia.com) is a pilot niche publication identifying and demonstrating dynamics of online journalism. The editor, an experienced and senior journalist and academic, specialist in European studies, commenced publication on 28.8.06 during one year’s “industry immersion” -- with media accreditation to the European Commission, Brussels. Reporting now is from Australia and from Europe on field trip exercises. Student editors participate making it partly a training operation. EUAustralia demonstrates adaptation of conventional, universal, “Western” liberal journalistic practices. Its first premise is to fill a knowledge gap in Australia about the European Union -- institutions, functions and directions. The second premise is to test the communications capacity of the online format, where the publication sets a strong standard of journalistic credibility – hence its transparency with sourcing or signposting of “commentary” or ”opinion”. EUAustralia uses modified, enhanced weblog software allowing for future allocation of closed pages to subscribers. An early exemplar of its kind, with modest upload rate (2010-13 average, 16 postings monthly), esteemed, it commands over 180000 site visits p.a. (half as unique visitors; AWB Statistics); strongly rated by search engines, see page one Googlr placements for “EU Australia”. Comment by the ISP (SeventhVision, Broadbeach, Queensland): “The site has good search engine recognition because seen as credible; can be used to generate revenue”. This journalistic exercise has been analysed in theoretical context twice, in published refereed conference proceedings (Communication and Media Policy Forum, Sydney; 2007, 2009)
Graffiti on the wall: reading history through news media: the role of news media in historical crises, in the case of the collapse of the Eastern bloc in Europe 1989.
Full text linkThe thesis reviews the engagement of news media in the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989, most vividly represented by the opening of the Berlin Wall. It uses field observations of the author as a journalist of the time, extensive interviews with other news correspondents, a review of historical writing on the period, and an exhaustive review of the coverage given by six major news outlets. The work sees the change in Europe being driven by mass social movements, but also examines conventional, institutional politics at work, and describes the engagement of news media in the historical situation as it unfolds. It determines that the daily coverage by leading Western news media judged in terms of
accuracy and perspective was successful, validated by later evaluations. It is informed by theoretical writing on mass social movements and on journalistic news values. It concludes by suggesting that the approach followed, a review of history from the perspective of news media of the day, could be applied to many other situations
Media and Global Conflict: An International Crisis Group case study
Full text linkThe Pacific region is part of a larger world, far from being isolated from centres of global power as a glance at the map might imply, but instead caught up in a web of multilateral relations with binding effects on its future progress and prosperity. This article considers such connections, in regard to both governmental and non-governmental agencies, referring in particular to the proliferation of highly influential non-governmental organisations in the region, as in the world at large. It treats the European Union handling of the December 2006 Fijian coup d'etat and its aftermath as a case study in government-to-government relations, and it provides secondly a detailed case study of one outstanding example of a non-governmental organisation, the International Crisis Group
Journalists and online media: The engagement of journalists in creating new forms of media content, presentation and service to publics; a case study approach and reflection on practice
Full text linkThe paper examines the translation of journalism as it has been known into new media forms, principally its contribution to content-making for online services. It rests on the significance of content: what media are available to carry certain content; what content is being provided by certain media? The paper is in two parts: First, it reviews an explosion of activity in the online journalism field; it notes adaptation and innovation which this has produced, and considers future possibilities. Second, it provides a case study based on an online service launched by the author, in the context of findings made by the above review, illustrating aspects of it. A movement has taken hold among journalists internationally to exploit the possibilities of online publishing. News organisations have come forward to position themselves among leading providers of online services, and apart from that, practising journalists as individuals and in groups have taken up the new medium in novel ways. The article refers to work under way, on craft issues (developments in how to write, illustrate, represent using this medium); on economics and resources of online publishing; adaptation to different types of online media; and reporting practices. Content issues arise: Online media through making new markets generate more specialised and creative journalistic work, both in terms of what information appears and how that information is worked into the fabric of the presentation. In a case study the author recounts setting up an online service that provides specialised international news, as a reflection on practice. The case study traces conceptualisation of the service, funding, and construction of a website using modified "blog" software. It recounts the development of a journalistic modus operandi and style, experience of ten months\u27 operations, and accumulation of an audience. It will describe the project as being in various essentials, an example of independent journalistic exercises around the world. It will especially look at content issues _ surveillance, selection of material, writing, matters of presentation and illustration. Taking a segmented approach to proliferating new media, by looking at the contribution of journalism-in-place, narrows down the field of inquiry and makes it manageable. It may help with an understanding of certain central questions: what is the relationship between media formats and content; what familiar contents material is being accommodated; what new content is being induced by the nature of the media? It should add to understanding of new media in mass communication generally
Successes and stresses : A case study on relations between international higher degree students in Australia and their universities. \ud \ud
No full textThe paper examines the situation of postgraduate international students studying in Australia, mostly at doctoral level; a group widely seen as sought-after by Australian universities and employers, though also exposed to difficulties in aspects like learning culture, language and temporary employment. The investigation follows a novel path, as an exercise in practice-led research on issues involved in Higher Degree supervision. It is in fact an exercise within an advanced program of professional development for HD research supervisors. It begins by deploying a journalistic method, to obtain and present information. This has entailed the publishing of two feature articles about the lives of scholars for Subtropic, a campus based online magazine in Brisbane, www.subtropic.com.au. The next step is a review of a set of supervisions, citing issues raised in individual cases. Parallels can be seen between the two information-getting and analytical processes, with scope for contradictions. An exegetical statement deals with supervisory issues that have been exposed, and implications for learning, with recommendations for developing the quality of the experience of these students
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