So a few weeks have passed since I had time to do any blogging. I have just finished a non-stop seven week cycle of university, work, study and attempts at a social life and feel like I have come through relatively unharmed. In the future I will know that the end of a week in which I have an exam and over 3000 words to write, I ought to take a night off work so I don't hit a brick wall! Furthermore it would benefit my workmates also who have to deal with me dragging my feet and wanting to burn small animals..

Aside from that I feel like I put out some pretty good stuff this term. An online news article I wrote would have got a distinction (but didn't due to a small oversight) and though I failed it because of that, it only counts for 5% of my grade so I am not feeling too horrible about it. Having never failed an assignment or received less than a credit for most work I do though I didn't feel too great about it to start with though.

If I knew how to upload videos, too, I'd put up a news story I wrote whose visuals I'm pretty proud of. I chose to do my first TV news story of the year on the issue of the insertion of Indigenous/Torres Strait Islander experience into the proposed national curriculum and ended up feeling like it was more about self-determination than the curriculum. I interviewed Andrew Barr (an experience I grew to hate after watching the interview over and over while editing; also learned what I can do to make myself cringe endlessly), a UC Ed. student and Aunty Jude at the National Tent Embassy and the latter two talent had a lot to say on the issue, mostly relating to the failures of paternalism in closing the gap.

In doing a piece on Indigenous issues I felt a little (very) white and that I was treading the fine line between perpetuating white paternalism and providing a forum/platform for those who are not only in touch with their community but in positions to address government/bureaucracy in order to create positive change.

In the conversations I had with Adam and Aunty Jude though I came to question why I felt I was in any position to do such a piece and in doing so I came to realise a few things about myself and what I may like to do in the future. Ultimately, I came to realise that the issue of human rights is one I feel strongly about. What I've learned in my International Studies units combined with Journalism will put me in a great position to research, understand and then bring attention to issues that prevent the realisation of equality between all people.

An offshoot of that is my increasing disdain toward global, liberal market. I'm still developing ideas but the overwhelming feeling that money is the ultimate device of control within such a system is leading me to some big thinking about the nature of capitalist society. I'm not quite ready to go and join Socialist Alliance but it is something I'd like to take a bigger look into.

But the news story I wrote is one I'm proud of, mostly in the way I illustrated it and tied it into my script - obviously there's a few little cringe-worthy moments where I had to cut bits of interview to get the strongest points from Adam but largely I feel I created good visual juxtaposition of White and Indigenous histories with good transitions that tied into the script.


Today is the first day I've had off with absolutely nothing on in such a long time it feels biiiizaare! Don't know what I should do with it. But because I feel this blog has been a little staid til now I think the inclusion of some visuals should liven it up.

But by liven it up I mean simply 'illustrate' - the images I'm going to use are black and white.

Some of my favourite hip hop artists right now.   (Mos Def/Aesop Rock/A Tribe Called Quest)

I wake up with a Sublime song in my head every day. I am not even kidding.
Yesterday it was 'Scarlet Begonias,' today it was 'New Song'.
And if the scope of Sublime's influence over my life is not evident yet, I'd like to share a paragraph from the essay I turned in on Friday for my Peace and Conflict Studies class.

" Before foraying into academia to explore ‘development’ however, many observations of the negativity of its various forms can be found in popular culture and may underpin these ideas with a more appreciable succinctness. One particularly favoured by the author and thought to have significant relevance to this argument can be found within the ska genre. Bradley Nowell of Sublime penned ‘We’re only gonna die for our own arrogance’ in the early nineteen nineties, a concise summary of colonial and imperial practices and applicable to the globalist system of today:
‘Early man walked away, as modern man took control. Their minds weren’t all the same, and to conquer was the goal. So he built his great empire, and he slaughtered his own kind. He died a confused man, killed himself in his own mind. We’re only gonna die for our own arrogance.’ (Nowell, 1992)
That example of popular culture’s observations of history warns against behaviour typified by arrogance and prompts an exploration of the various forms of ‘development’ to understand in greater depth its failures for that reason. "

I also used Mos Def/MF Doom in the same essay:

" Even in developed countries like the United States, unequal distribution of wealth contributes to systems whose structure contributes to conflict. Observations of this can also be found in popular culture, and though vernacular of the following quote is specific to the culture from which it came, its message is relevant to the idea that even in developed nations liberal principle maintains an inequitable system.
Beef is when working [folk] can't find jobs, so they tryna find [folk] to rob. Tryna find bigger guns so they can finish the job ... [Beef is] when a soldier ends his life with his own gun, [then] tryin' to figure out what to tell his son ... Beef is oil prices and geopolitics ... Beef is Iraq, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip ... Beef is real life, happening every day. (MF Doom, Mos Def, 2006)
Highlighting issues that contribute to a state of negative peace even in the so-called developed world, this kind of social commentary is widespread and is a reminder that simply compelling states or previously marginalised peoples to join the ‘free’ world and providing them the tools thought to be needed to do so is not enough to support the achievement of peace. "

/wank.
In any event. Will be back in the swing of posting regularly soon!

Okay so it is way late but today has been an excellent day re: getting places with journalism. Absolutely loving that Online and Advanced Broadcast are able to be based on stories from the same lead but, obviously, made appropriate to each with creation/pursuit of new angles to do that.
Had a very positive 'pitch' with my lecturer (Caroline Fisher) today (sheepishly I don't want to admit previous grumpiness/indignance at a recent reprimand) after which I was able, despite being in a post-three-back-to-back-classes slump at 2pm, to get myself to NLA to take advantage of prime afternoon sun in their courtyard to down some San Pellegrino while making use of their wireless internet.
I was looking for information on the Canberra Institute's one-man band Peter Conway, who was a Hawke government advisor, and found it to be scarce so decided to give Shane Rattenbury a call; I interviewed him last year and thought maybe he'd like to have another chat. He was a lovely guy and really gave me some time, on and off record, so I feel he's a real genuine, humble sort of guy which made my first interview with an Ediroll and a politician much easier.
Turns out however education isn't his area of policy - how could I forget? so I was directed to Meredith Hunter's office and am now waiting to hear back from her. Then I thought I'd see if Andrew Barr had anything to say. His media adviser returned answers attributable to Mr  Barr by the end of the day, and has my number to confirm a quick meeting with the MP at some stage next week. Also, my wonderful friend Maddie gave me the number for an final-year education student at UC with lots of relevant experience and studies in the area under his belt so I've lined up an interview with him next week too.
So it has been a day of chasing leads and getting places I didn't think I would so feeling rather good about the whole thing now.

To put the proverbial icing on what was a very journalism-flavoured day, this evening at work I had the pleasure of looking after Virginia Haussegger and her partner for dinner! Affter the bill had been paid, I let some sycophant out. I told her I was a student of journalism and that I thought she was wonderful and she was so lovely, she knows Caroline and Matthew (Ricketson, fave lecturer/dude) and had great things to say about them and the course at UC and talked about the changing media landscape. She also said that that'd made her night - I think it was actually the other way around though!

So really, today was one of those, "I could totally be a journo when I grow up" days.

More to Media Watch

Thanks thisisapastiche (don't mind my blog-illiteracy when it comes to fancy tagging of other bloggers..) for that link. Thought I'd share to start with; who'd have thought 10 minutes of ragging on journos would be a week-in, week-out gig?

My next point - and I wanted to get it out there asap - is about the new national curriculum proposal. I'm going to have a little vent now because I'm chasing leads (hey International Studies readings, you're waiting ANOTHER day) in a hurry, first story of the semester is due on Thursday and I'm hoping I can use this one (for Online News) as the foundation for my next one, a TV news package due in two weeks (for ABJ).

So, on the subject of the National Curriculum proposal, its history outline in particular, Christopher Pyne (admittedly a hitherto unknown name to me) has said, 'the early signs were the “black armband” view was back.
“How can Australians know where we are heading in the future if we don't have a balanced view of our past,” Mr Pyne asked. ' (From this article)

*five minute blog-writing interval as I lurk Lily Allen's twitpic account after teeth/face washing*

So, in my attempts as lead-chasing, crack investigative Lois Lane I came across The Shape of the National Curriculum. There I found this doozy:
"The ... draft of the National Declaration declares commitments ‘to supporting all young Australians to become successful learners, confident individuals and active and informed citizens’ (Box 2) and to promoting equity in education."
According the draft,
"Active and informed citizens…
• have the capacity and inclination to act with moral and ethical integrity
• have an understanding of Australia’s system of government and civic life and
appreciate its diversity of culture and history, including the special place of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
• are able to relate and communicate across cultures, especially in relation to
cultures and countries of the Asia-Pacific
• have a desire and capacity to work for the common good, including
stewardship of the natural environment
• are responsible global and local citizens"

According to Pyne, this is a 'black armband approach.'
Julia Gillard defended the curriculum draft, saying it is 'neither black armband or white blindfold' as she and Kevin Rudd got cosy with kids in a classroom today (undoubtedly for the ABC TV news crew also in attendance). In spite of their very peachy-keen PR smiles and forced banter with children that made me slightly cringe, I am definitely in favour of curricula that seeks to shape children's knowledge so roundly.

This may be because, as UoM's Stuart Macintyre said earlier today, "[Our best estimate is] probably only half the children in Australian schools are studying history in any systematic way." (see Simon Santow's article for more from Pr Macintyre)

Case in point is my own education. The first four years of my primary schooling were spent at Collombatti Public School and if you make it to the website, you'll see that it's 10 years out of date. What's more is the school actually closed in 2001. This isn't a trip down NotQuiteLois' memory lane though; case in point being that I cannot recall any history subjects done in my time there. The next school I attended was a Catholic primary school in Kempsey and the general gist of history seemed to be the Roman Catholic view of the time when BC was becoming AD - or when Joseph received his coat, Mary Magdalene was turning tricks and Jesus H. Christ didn't quite become the carpenter his parents had thought he would.
Australia's colonial history was offered in the form of caricature prisoners in striped garb, cute fellows who stole little more than bread to feed their poor families and spent months on a boat with rats to arrive in the 'lucky country.' What small snatches I learned about our indigenous past came from playmates who attended public schools across Kempsey. When I arrived in the ACT, the idea of SOSE (Studie of Society and Environment) seemed to be similar to HSIE (Human Society and its Environment) though I had done neither in any real capacity. I touched on Mesopotamia in year 8 at an ACT government school and came second in history in year 9 (while on a 10 month stint back in Kempsey), but the content was sporadic and anyway, the achievement of being second best in the year surpassed retention of any content. In college here in the ACT, I elected to do all ancient history subjects, from the birth of Civilisation to Rome, receiving a minor in history for my studies. 

There you have a nice cross section of NSW/ACT schools. I have always felt the knowledge of Australian and world history I gained in any classroom to be lacking. That which I know outside of what I have outlined  I pursued outside of school, and upon reflection I feel rather that millions of Australians would benefit greatly from a broad focused, national history curriculum.

Blindfold or armband? How about give the kids the information and let them decide. Youngsters appear to have a great sense of right/wrong or fair/not until that code is demoralised somehow, and just maybe the examination of folly and triumph across time, culture, land and sea will actually enforce this moral code.

So while Pyne is whining about the Magna Carta and the Westminster system being overlooked, and only 10 references to Britain amid 66 references to Asia, maybe our kids will grow up with a relevant geopolitical awareness and regional understanding (heck, maybe even compassion!) while old fuddy duddies like Mr Pyne linger in a colonial past clinging to the Motherland and imperialism, more than comfortable with white blindfolds that will obscure armbands of any colour.

Slightly annoyed at myself for not remembering to bring my headphones today, editing for Advanced Broadcast Journalism is going to be difficult without them so I've organised to come to another tutorial tomorrow at 8:30. Fortunately I am excellent at getting out of bed at early hours (not). Them's the breaks though..!

So while I cannot participate in today's tutorial activity, I thought I'd take a few minutes to have a gripe about a few things journalism-related.
1) $250 million cash-gift to free-to-air channels
2) Election-year 'distractions' / 'impetus' for journos to 'get up close' to politicians.

So first of all. Why is our government spending 'Aussie tax dollars' on commercial stations when these broadcasters create enough revenue through advertising and ratings to afford a plethora of American (pardon my French) shit that they need to create new 'multi-channels' to accommodate? Oh yeah, to help them make the move to digital television. Wait a minute though.. something's going unsaid here, would it be that Prime already has 7two, and Channel 9 has Go!, oneHD is a Channel 10 sub, while all three commercial stations already have HDTV channels, ready to go? And should I mention that these were all made available to these broadcasters at 'no additional cost' ?
Yesterday's article '$250m TV gift needs to be rechannelled' by Simon Whipp, found on the Australian online outlines the Australian-American Free Trade Agreement that extends to television, capping Australian content at 50%. Now who the fuck agreed to that?! (Again, pardon my French. Also, it was John Howard.) What sort of trading-off on Australian production is that? And why should we gift stations who quite happily create their own (billions of dollars of) revenue annually, even if under the guise of 'beefing up Australian content'?
According to Whipp, we ought to ensure the cash goes to production of Australian content and ensuring its quality. According to Stephen Conroy, "the Government recognises that the commercial television broadcasters will require some assistance to maintain Australian content production, while investing in a new delivery platform nationally."  (From a media release from the beginning of the month.)
If that assistance is increasing the impetus for local content in all stations, or readdressing the FTA that has capped local content, then they're going in the right direction. Frankly however it's hard for me to see right now why our tax dollars are being siphoned off to private health care (though apparently K Rudd is taking the stance of hardline opposition to this), private/independent schooling and now broadcasters who make lots of money from subpar programming and advertisement saturation/revenue.
Never one to wave the 'stop spending Aussie tax dollars' flag lightly (because I see it as a bit tabloid-esque, rallying the hardworkin' Aussie battler against just about any 'injustice' that will sell a story), it was Rudd's speech in Question Time early this week about private healthcare not being deserving of our Aussie tax dollar that helped some cogs and wheels start turning in my head.
Being on the look out for a story idea and also just as someone who enjoys Question Time, my ears pricked up. Weren't the 'elite' schools of Canberra just given funding to improve their already state of the art facilities? Personally, I pay my taxes a) cos I'm afraid of the taxman but b) because I support a system that supports those who aren't as well off as I am. The 10% or so of my meagre paycheck that goes to the Australian Tax Office helps me sleep at night. I'm helping my Nan afford the costs of her stay in a retirement home while also helping her receive the healthcare she needs in her old age.
I'm helping my best friend get through CIT as a youth with allowance. Furthermore, I'm contributing to a system that helps the little guys get ahead.
So when the quality of private healthcare usurps that of public because of a lack of funding and support, or when the little tackers in my neighbourhood don't want to go to school because they don't have a gymnasium with an indoor swimming pool and 800 new Macs and all the rest of it and suffer poor literacy and numeracy skills as a result, I have a problem with it. When skills shortages as a result of poor education from the outset affects the care given in public schools and hospitals, I don't mind jumping up and down about 'our bloody tax dollars.' It feels like being taken for a ride, and this $250m to commercial broadcasters with no strings attached or any real conditions smacks of scam.
Oh, and have I already talked about it being an election year..? Meaning our pollies want all media/ broadcasters on their side..?
So my next grievance (and this will be a bit more brief as it's time for my sandwich and nap, but NB my swell segue) is with journalists who appear to forget that their profession requires them to report information of relevance to the public. The point of press-junkets and conferences is to seminate the same, PR spun bullshit to all stations/outlets so that a) media is homogenised and b) is in favour of he/she who is deigning to give the press their time. So journalists who take part in 'distractions' like the insulation debate or Tony Abbott's near miss with a semi while failing to deliver important news like where public funding is going, what certain policy will mean for the Aussie battler or even just telling us something new instead of personifying and then vilifying that political personality make me shudder.
When I tell people I'm studying to be a journalist, invariably I am met with responses along the lines of, "Oh, so you're a bloodsucker then?"
I think it's hard for people who are either disillusioned by the he-said, she-said media style Australian journos are perfecting or who think we're just here to make assholes of assholes and poke holes in things that they'd rather believe to be airtight to believe that some of us want integrity and truth to be our mainstays, and what prompts us to make news. Because at the end of the day, if I wanted to watch banal mediocrities that centre around, "he said this! then she said this and they did this and it was horrible!" I could flick on my television and find on any number of stations an American sitcom that delivers the same calibre of content. The only problem there would be the decision between regular Prime or 7two, channel 9 or Go! or channel 10 or oneHD..

After reading this article by the ABC's Mark Scott, I was prompted to write a 'journal entry' in response, outlining where I get my news, why before discussing my views on the article. The Fall of Rome: Media After Empire is relevant right now so read it here! This was for my Advanced Broadcast Journalism unit but I feel it sufficiently reflects my views on the changing landscape of print/online news as well as provide an idea of the sort of news/media I choose to consume.

Journal Entry #1 - 11th February 2010
I choose to get my news mostly from ABC and SBS, the Canberra Times and occasionally the Australian. I tune into the SBS World News as well as ABC’s evening bulletin when is possible, my parents record both which is useful to me with my busy schedule (though said busy schedule often makes finding time to watch said recordings difficult). The medium I prefer (both for my career prospects and as a media outlet) however is radio – I wake up to ABC’s FM103.9 daily, which is a news service I have only recently started listening to. Its’ continuous service offers a fantastic alternative to other radio news channels who rely on ‘features’ to fill air time, which I often found was directed at an older audience. The array of world news programs on FM103.9 at various times of the day & week are another reason I choose to tune in – from deutschevelle, BBC and NBC programming I find that turning on the radio at any time will bring interesting news stories that have been put together by media outlets similar to the ABC or SBS, with relevance, depth, research, eloquence and interest. In fact, it is 103.9 spurring my own desire to get into radio broadcast! I very much am looking forward to ABC’s new continuous television news channel and am hoping it is similar to 103.9 in its content as it will mean more convenience for me in terms of soaking up more media content.

I found Mark Scott’s speech to be interesting, informative and also progressive. My personal feelings were an initial pride that Australia’s public broadcaster was so in tune, had come at the issue of a changing media landscape so openly and laterally and offered solutions that didn’t involve the ever growing dollar (at least at face value). Being that I choose to primarily consume news from the ABC it was a relief to find that ABC’s commitment to impartial, free media will continue. Furthermore, that they see their future in the audience is not only empowering but promising – the promise of engagement, of valuing the opinions of my generation and using that to their advantage to benefit us appears to be a win-win situation. An audience-centred organisation at a time of consumers used to social media to express and share opinion seems entirely appropriate. However, I am slightly afraid that this style of media will create an anarchic media system where countless public contribution will mean relevant and professional news may get lost or lose importance so I hope that controls will be in place to prevent this. As for the future of pay-per-view news online, I can only speculate with little basis for any argument. My first reaction is that news comes in papers! Online news, in either its format or in my mind, lacks tangibility and credibility, because of the internet’s nature - Mark Scott’s words were ‘anyone can instantly publish on the web’ which I feel supports my weariness perfectly here. Further to my views on online news, again as Mark Scott said, was that it is free. It has always been free. It is free because it lacks the credibility you find when you pay $1.50 at your news agents’ for your favourite broadsheet. It is free because internet advertising revenue is booming – unwitting browsers of sites like news.com.au are lining the pockets of giants, who in turn only need to pay AAP a pittance for a story to generate more readers, who generate more revenue, and so on.
My stubbornness aside though, I believe the future of journalism lay in hands of multi-media-digital journalists who are learning skills of the trade now – aka myself and my peers. We grew up with print, Fathers who read the paper at the breakfast table every morning, grandparents who watched the news religiously every night before dinner, bus drivers whose choice in radio news programmes exposed us to the world of radio broadcast.
Finally, we are the digital generation – we make the transition from old(ish) technology to new seamlessly. We understand it, we can manipulate it and we create it. Social networking is our thing and I do not doubt that the streams of graduates last year, this year and next year will help shape the future of media until it resembles a better, digitalised version of its former self, accessible anywhere to anyone.

Just words you don't understand.

Making the first mark on a new diary/blog/journal/almanac/log/etc has always appeared to me to be one of the most difficult things about diary/blog/journal/almanac/log keeping.
Was it Tao Tsu who said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step? Maybe I'm mixing my metaphors/quotes but that sentiment probably constitutes the greatest inhibition in my life. Stepping over the threshold from known to unknown is too scary sometimes.
On days like today though, after an afternoon of foraging through media releases and PR dribble from media departments of local and federal politicians while enjoying the creative outputs of my peers, a desire to put what I have to say out there made a powerful appearance in my afternoon.

So enter to the 'blogosphere' another uni student guided by a blind ambition. Or am I supposed to sell myself here and provide reasons as to why my blog deserves what little space in the World Wide Web it takes up..?
My name is Annie Schubert. The chef at my favourite public house calls me Lois Lane because I like to down a pint or two while I digest news or get the creative juices for a story flowing, and have in the past found a few stories in that particular part of the world.
I'm Not Quite Lois because though I don't know Clark Kent/any superheroes and I'm no crack investigative reporter but the evolution of her character as a largely determined, strong-willed woman in a man's world is certainly inspiring.
This year will be my third year in a Bachelor of International Studies/Bachelor of Journalism at UC and I guess it's time to get serious about prospective career opportunities.

So I'm exercising a little determination by stepping into the unknown. From where I'm standing here at the starting line of my journey, I hope to fill this blog with observations of the various media I choose to consume (or don't, you'll probably find out exactly why), critiques, ideas for articles, articles and any other bits I see fit for inclusion.

And before I finish up the awkward intro post, I would like to share an intro from an article I read in today's Canberra Times that I thought was led by particularly energetic creativity. Props go to Scott Hannaford's article, "Appeals threaten urban renewal, builders warn", p2, The Canberra Times, Monday 21st February 2010 for this intro:

"Vexatious planning appeals designed to thwart commercial rivals rather than address genuine concern were threatening the ACT Government's urban renewal aspirations, the Master Builder Association said yesterday. ..."