Death by buffet (1st person narration)

I was somewhat challenged in maintaining focus when I first started reading the article . I can now see that the details at the beginning, which I thought seemed irrelevant, offered background and contrast to what the story was actually devoted to.

This first person narration was quite interesting to follow, because it engages the reader’s senses as the author tells the story through detailed description. There was also dialogue which added to the experience of the author in this particular setting. Jonathan Harley used his own voice to deliver the story as his observations were critical in telling it. He was open about his reactions and his language, relevant to the context of the story, and provided his own analysis and insight in relation to the issues he was faced with, personally and professionally.

His experience as a correspondent was a vital ingredient to the story, as it created context and perspective.

The reporting element in the article is not, however, diminished by the use of first person narration. He includes religious and political facts in the story to back up the narrative, and gives it the seriousness that is actually at the heart of the story.

My ‘mini feature’ (and pitch as a BIG feature)

The ‘first time’ happened to me four times in my life.

I count each of the four times I travelled by plane more than five hours away from home as a ‘first time’ because it was to a different place and through different eyes. I love to travel, but I absolutely hate flying. Although I don’t remember being an irate toddler, I certainly remember being a bored and restless eight-year-old on an eight hour flight to the Philippines. In my early twenties I caught that famous bug that was not uncommon amongst many young adults – the desire to escape all my comforts to be a stranger in a faraway place. As romantic and enticing this notion was, I still dreaded the plane ride.

Long haul travel, however, is no kind of deterrent for those with itchy feet, and this epidemic is only becoming more apparent of many young people today.

The call to travel is now more prevalent than ever all across the globe. It has become akin to a rite of passage, for many Australians and international youth.

Working holiday schemes and university exchanges provide the opportunity for young people to live, work and study in countries away from their home land. There is a global network of organisations like the IEP (International Exchange Program) and BUNAC (British Universities North America Club) who aim to promote educational and travel programs cross-continent. Companies like the STA travel agency and Student Flight Centre heavily promotes youth travel through the web and by having a branch present near a university campus.

The daughter of my former boss was only fourteen when she did her exchange. I was in awe of the seventeen-year-old American student who was telling me stories of the three months she lived and studied in Australia back in 2007. I was also amazed at how young and unafraid she was to have been so far from home at that age, and also to hear this young girl speak about things that some people my age would have no understanding.

Travelling has been a huge part of my education and maturity. Each time I have gone to live somewhere else I discover a whole new part of myself. My exposure to new cultures opened up my eyes to other ways of living and meeting people.

As a young adult, London and Amsterdam became my home for a short while, and the years over there were integral in the way that has shaped my career, my ambitions, my social and my personal life. This experience is not something that can be gained without getting on that dreaded plane. But it was all well worth it. Every single ‘first time’.

Underbelly: a glamorisation of crime?

An attractive, intelligent young woman turns to prostitution. Some of her main clients are from the police force. She has always wanted to work in law enforcement, but her predicament keeps her at a great distance from a career as a police officer. She gets caught up in an entanglement of politics and secrets, her life is threatened. This is only one of the stories.

How is it possible not to get hooked on a television series that depicts the complete elements of drama through crime? The Nine network’s program, Underbelly, has successfully captured a devoted audience using old school tools – attractive people, sex, violence, bad guys and action. This is not a secret recipe for entertainment. This formula has been used time and time again through the likes of Tarantino block busters.

There is always, however, a downside to any kind of success. Concern was voiced by chairman of the NSW Law Reform Commission, James Wood, particularly for the young audience, saying that “There is nothing honourable or admirable in relation to the people who are depicted in these programs.” He spoke strongly against the glamorisation of crime and the way it was portrayed in Underbelly. “For the impressionable kids out there watching these programs, they think it’s a lot of fun. It’s bloody well not a lot of fun. It’s harming a lot of people and carries huge risks. You’ve got a high chance of ending up in a prison for 20 or 30 years. These shows don’t show that.” In a show that depicts the criminals as the main characters, it is a concern shared by viewers as well.

Contrary to the idea that a show like Underbelly would be giving the “wrong impression” about the conduct of the characters, Channel Nine’s censor Richard Lyle was of the opinion that the series told a “very responsible tale”. Is there an actual lesson to be learnt here, when true stories are re-enacted? That if you go down the wrong path you could end up in jail, or even dead?

Portraying the unspeakable, the mysterious and the daring is the ultimate bait for an audience. A key attraction by the Underbelly viewership is the fact that the stories are based on real life events and real people. There needs to be an understanding between what entertainment value is and a responsibility to air a show that points to a particular reality based on past events in local cities. A documentary that will screen in May on the ABC, will aim to bring this balance of views. At the end of the day, the audience will always decide how to accept the drama that they see on television.

Feature articles: New York, Washington, Sth Oz

The three feature articles were distinctly different in the way the stories were told. The topic of the story was a determining factor of the style that the authors chose to adopt, as well as the reaction they wanted to achieve from their audience.

Romona Moore’s tragic murder case was very anecdotal, and was heavily tied to the point of view of her mother throughout the article. It was told in a chronological order, and invited the reader to be on the same track of the investigation, and named specific places, dates and times, as a huge emphasis of the article was the incredible delay and inaction in the whole investigation on the part of the authorities. The way it was written was very confronting, and visual details were embedded into the article to give the story life. Descriptions  like ‘a dilapidated, partically burned-out, two and half story building’ and Romona’s hands wer tied behind her back, and she had a chain around her neck’ gave a very bleak depiction of the whole situation to evoke shock from the reader.

The article titled ‘Pearls before breakfast’ also made use of anecdotes to tell the story. From telling Joshua Bell’s beginnings as a child prodigy to the history of the violin, the anecdotes were the building blocks of the whole story as it gave it context. In providing these explanations and extra detail, it gave weight to the experiement that was being written about – that there is often more than meets the eye, or ear in this case. The author uses several different perspectives to tell the story, which made it interesting to read. From Bell’s reaction, to the comments of the passerby’s and spectators, the different witness accounts, tied together, made up the whole story.

The Black Friday article was probably my least favourite of the three readings. It was written like a long, descriptive, hard news story. It used direct quotations and the way the story flowed was more linear than the other two. It read more like an essay, than a feature story I would be inclined to sit down and be immersed in.

Hard news vs Soft news

One advantage of presenting a story as hard news are that you can convey a story in a very direct manner and makes no allowance for interpretation. It is most suitable when facts and figures are being presented, and if there is a large amount of detail it can be broken down into a hierarchical structure that makes it easier for the reader to take in the most vital information first. Also if the subject of the story is quite dry but important (eg. interest rates) the crux of the story needn’t have more detail than is necessary.

Soft news can present a story with more background, and offer descriptions and observations of the writer. One limitation of presenting news in a soft writing style is the word limit – there is no room for too much description. Another is that depending on style of writing it can be biased to a certain point of view.

I think life interest stories would use soft news more effectively, as the article could accommodate more descriptions. Stories based on culture and hobbies, and reviews, would generally make for good soft news.

a way to look at Nickel and Dimed

Barbara Erenreich’s feature story, compared to Paige Williams’ reads more like a narrative, and is written in first person. Her research is actually carried out through her own experience, and makes it clear at the beginning of the chapter what she is setting out to achieve. In this light, she has made it much more personal than how Williams presented her story. Williams wrote as an observer whereas Erenriech has written her story as a participant.

The human interest factor is really heightened by the way Erenreich has written this piece because she tells the story with real life characters, and we get an insight into their lives and the difficulties they face. As a reader it gauges your sympathy and evokes shock, as you are invited to see from Erenreich’s perspective, who is only experiencing a simulated version of poverty whilst she is amongst a population who genuinely live below the poverty line.

The writing in this piece is very descriptive, as in p.30 where she describes “water logged toast crusts” and “film of ancient syrup spills”. It creates a 3-dimensional story for the reader. The way in which the news story is told in this writing flows easily in the narrative, as figures and statistics are worked into the narrative, where Erenriech highlights the wages and expenses on p.25 and 26. She also uses footnotes throughout her piece to illustrate the factual research to support her practical research.

Other situations or types of stories where Erenreich’s style of writing could also be adopted could perhaps be in stories to do with human illnesses and struggles, or an experiment or exploratory type of article. I once saw a documentary about a celebrity who accepted a challenge fit into a size 6 dress from being her normal size 8, in one month. The goal was to illustrate the great lengths that some women would endure to fit a certain image, at the expense of their health. The celebrity was also the reporter and her experience was documented over a number of weeks. As a viewer you follow her through her challenges, and health and fitness experts also feature in the documentary to provide their professional opinions.

I have a Visa and I’m not afraid to use it

What would one choose to buy at their leisure, with a credit card and access to the internet?

University student, Vanessa Chircop, recalls her very first online purchase being a book she needed for one of her subjects at school.

Chircop explains that she struggled to source the book from several libraries, and that local mainstream bookstores were more expensive than what she had seen online.

Despite the 3-week delivery time, Amazon.com was her choice vendor for ‘The Beauty Myth’ by Naomi Wolf, because of the price and for the delight of its availability.

“For international titles Amazon is a really good place to buy from. But if you’re looking for local titles you don’t have a choice but to go to local academic bookstores which tend to be quite expensive.”

Amazon.com has a strong global presence and a reputation for stocking a vast range of titles, as well as delivering orders within reasonable time frames.

Australia may be a smaller market than the US, Asia and Europe but there is definitely a niche that can be filled locally, in terms of supplying books online with the ease and variety that Amazon.com makes available in their local markets.

Since her first online purchase Chircop has purchased other books from Amazon.com for her general interest, including some second hand titles which can also be difficult to source locally.

Her opinion was that “most people would go to an academic bookstore to purchase their university books. Purchasing online is not as well known.”

Online book shopping is not a new concept to most Australians and there is an opportunity for local vendors to exploit, especially when there are first-time-credit-card-happy shoppers who wish to shop locally as a first resort.

Police rescue young couple from burning car

Two police officers saved a young couple from a burning car yesterday morning in Frankston.

Darren Brown, 25 and Sally Weinstein, 24, were in the car when it crashed into an embankment wall and burst into flames.

“You could see flames coming from the undercarriage of the car,” said Senior Constable Glenn Paxton, who was present at the scene. “Once we had them out I grabbed a fire extinguisher from our patrol car and put the flames out.”

Witnesses report that the car was struck by a glass bottle, thrown by a group of men who were at the McDonalds restaurant on Wells St in Frankston.

Brown reversed the car to confront the men, which provoked a further attack when the rock that was thrown through the windscreen injured Brown, resulting in the car crash.

Paxton and his colleague, Detective Senior Constable Craig Small were parked on a side street and tended to the injured passengers.

Weinstein sustained a broken arm, while Brown’s condition is still to be confirmed.

An investigation is currently underway and police wish to speak to four caucasian men who were at the scene, believed to be involved in the accident.

CHOICE media release

Genetically modified ingredients are not being disclosed on food labels, consumer advocacy group, CHOICE, reveals this week. The mandatory labeling of GM ingredients on  food products are not strictly enforced in Australia, and therefore consumers are unable to distinguish between  foods which have  and have not been genetically modified.

CHOICE Senior Campaigner, Clare Hughes, states “You have the right to know if your food comes from GM crops or GM fed animals, directly or indirectly. The law should require full disclosure of any GM ingredients so that consumers have all the information they need to make a truly informed choice.”

Foods which may contain genetically modified ingredients range anywhere from breakfast cereals and snack foods, to cooking oils and sauces. Meat and dairy products in Australia may also be derived from animals that have consumed GM feed, which does not need to be disclosed on the label.

There is no hard evidence to suggest that GM foods are harmful, however, CHOICE argues that the extent of research undertaken so far does not exclude them from being unsafe. Additionally there are environmental and ethical issues in regards to genetically modified foods, which may influence the buying decision of consumers.

CHOICE is urging consumers to demand better labelling of GM foods in Australia, and to bring this issue to the attention of the Food Labelling Review Panel.

one week of brain strain gave me 3 tiny ideas!

So I have racked my brain all week trying to think of potential stories and (most importantly, accessible!) interviewees for the short news story piece! I found it quite challenging at first but as the juices started to flow, I realised that there is a lot going on out there that could be of high interest and is of relevance to different target groups. The only thing I thought I should stick by was to find a story that I am personally interested in and have some amount of knowledge in already.

1. the proliferation of online shopping for cosmetics in Australia. eg. kitcosmetics.com, skincarestore.com.au… compared to retail purchasing. This trend has been an interest with online shopping experts as it has examined the changes in buying behaviour in consumers over recent years. It has been recognised that online shopping in Australia is still not at the same level in comparison to the US and UK, and it would be interesting to find out how soon it picks up, if it actually does. I found that I could relate to this, as I have had direct experience with this as an online consumer, and I think it would be great to know the real deal coming from the experts!

possible interview sources: L’Oreal Paris marketing manager, kit cosmetics online sales team

2. approach to children’s health issues and actions taken to promote healthy eating in 2010. I wanted to examine the different initiatives taken for the young Australian population in response to promote healthier eating habits. This idea came to me in light of Jamie Oliver’s recent visit to Australia, launching his Ministry of Food campaign to encourage healthy cooking in homes. Further, I wanted to look into governement initiatives like the ‘Kids – Go for your Life’ program, and what kind of social responsibility multinationals like Nestle and Walt Disney are committed to.

possible interviewees: Nestle representative, Walt Disney Co Food, Health, Beauty category manager, primary school principal who is part of the GFYL program, vegetarian cafe owner & mother of 11 year old

3. Melbourne’s ‘Marvelous March’ (thatsmelbourne.com.au) – why are so many great events crammed into March? LMFF, Food & Wine Fest, Comedy Fest, Grand Prix… Events don’t pick up again til Spring Fashion Week! It might be worth taking a look at what other event organisers are doing to fill the calendar, as there is a good 5 months where Melbournians will crave some quality activities and entertainment (weather dependent, of course!)

possible interviewees: Program co ordinator for the Melb Food & Wine festival, thatsmelbourne.com.au Marketing & Events team