Media news digest archive for September 2004

Comics morphing into novics (September 28)
There appears to be a trend for the humble western comic to follow the path of its eastern (notably Japanese) counterpart and morph into something far more lengthy and sophisticated. It's called the comic-novel, though we prefer novel-comic or novic for short. A new release in this genre is Vespers (pictured at right), by Now Comics. The plotline is described this way by the Comic Book Resources website: “Vespers focuses on how a rock star, a centerfold, a supermodel, a Navy Seal, a vampire and a zombie, all with extraordinary powers, deal with their own personal demons, like depression, loneliness and addiction.”

Global defamation confirmed (September 28)
The legal principle that defamation can cross international borders was confirmed by a Canadian court recently. According to this feature from The Australian newspaper's Media section: “Justice Pitt of the Ontario Superior Court found that publishers in the internet age should be prepared for being sued 'anywhere in the world'. They should foresee potential problems and insure themselves accordingly.”

Internet now top media? (September 28)
The USA-based Online Publishers Association has released a report claiming that internet now outranks other forms of media for 18 to 54 year-old audiences. According to the media release: “The study also found that the Internet and television are the top two media choices among 18 to 54 year-olds, with 45.6% of respondents citing the Internet as their top pick, followed by 34.6% who choose television. The next closest medium is books at 7.5%, followed by radio (3.2%), newspapers (3.2%), videos/DVDs (2.8%) video/computer games (2.1%) and magazines (.9%). The Internet is more likely to be the top media choice for 18-24 year-olds, with 50.5% choosing the Internet, compared to 28.5% who chose television.” See this page.

Cyber-gen drives media? (September 28)
A good companion to the story above is this feature from The Australian newspaper's Media section. It says, “While mainstream media invest vast sums and energy to cultivate declining youth audiences in a fragmented and increasingly diverse market, media created by young people for young people is gaining traction in online forums, blogs, small circulation zines (a cross between a personal letter and a magazine), in print and on radio.”

Celebrity versus credibility (September 28)
David Broder in the Houston Chronicle tracks what he believes is the shift (and subsequent fall) of news values from credibility to celebrity in an opinion piece called Once upon a time, media knew better. He says, “The way to the top of journalism was no longer to test yourself on police beats and city hall assignments, under the skeptical gaze of editors who demanded precision in writing and careful weighing of evidence. It was to make a reputation as a clever wordsmith, a feisty advocate, a belligerent or beguiling political personality and then market yourself to the media.” Click this link to see it.

Media should fight terrorism (September 26)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his administration was widely criticized for the treatment of journalists during the recent Beslan school hostage crisis, and now he has turned the tables urging media to avoid offering any comfort or assistance to terrorists. A report in the Seattle PI website quotes him as saying, "But you yourselves, as professionals, should develop a model of work that would allow media to become an effective instrument in the struggle against terror, which would exclude any, even involuntary, form of assistance to terrorists' goals." Click here for the full story.

Oz internet use continues to rise (September 23)
From the Australian Bureau of Statistics: The number of Australian households with access to the Internet continues to increase, with over half (53%) of households having access in 2003.
This has increased from 46% of households in the previous year, and 16% of households five years earlier (see below).
Household access to a computer has also risen, with close to two-thirds (66%) of households having access in 2003. This is up from 61% of households in the previous year and 44% of households five years earlier. See this link.

Trust, not onjectivity, is most valued (September 23)
From Benton.org: While it is often couched as a moral issue, the question of journalistic objectivity has an economic basis. To reach a mass audience, a news medium has to be trusted by people with many conflicting points of view. Any sign of a narrow or special interest could undermine that trust. That's starting to change as the mass audience breaks up and its members seek information sources that fit their existing worldviews. As a reader, you can expect a period of confusion while writers and editors try to figure out the new rules. The business of journalism is less about reaching many people with the same message, and more about sending many different messages to smaller groups of people. That shift explains Fox News far better than any right-wing leanings its owner might have. Rupert Murdoch makes money by “narrowcasting” to a specialized audience, and to that audience, the reporting really does seem fair and balanced. Today, technology -- driven by computers -- makes specialized production and specialized information possible. As the audience fragments, trust is still important, but it should be based on getting the facts right, not on the pseudo-objectivity that comes from a journalist concealing his or her views. [SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR:Philip Meyer, Knight Chair in Journalism at the University of North Carolina] http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20040920/opcom20.art.htm See our Benton summary page by using this link.

Media less trusted than banks (September 22)
A study by community organisation Anglicare has, in part, looked at the extent to which people trust different types of organisations. Among the criteria was how self-interested versus community-minded the organisation was perceived to be. Media scored very poorly, rating lower than banks (see table below). The report, entitled Insecurity in Australia, examines community attitudes on well-being, trust and security and is available via this link.

Undignified beggars (September 21)
USA President William McKinley once said said it was "undignified" to beg for votes in the newspaper. Despite his reservations, in 1900 he became the first incumbent to set up a press room for White House reporters. This article from the Detroit Free Press takes a quirky look at election coverage and its American history.

Media partly to blame for nation's fiscal crisis? (September 20)
From The Freeman in the Phillipines: "The media has been blamed as partly responsible for the country’s fiscal crisis after failing to act as an early warning system." Click here for the story.

Jail for Indonesia defamation (September 17)
From the Media section in The Australian newspaper: "In a significant strike against press freedom, an Indonesian court yesterday sentenced the chief editor of Indonesia's leading news magazine, Tempo, to a one-year jail term on a charge of criminal defamation." The editor plans to appeal. Click here for the story.

No news is Ms news (September 14)
From SABC News: "Research by gender equality group, Gender Links, conducted in 12 countries, on the other hand found that women are seldom used as news sources. When used they are often confined to the role of victim or sex worker. Moreover, women only make up 22% of the journalists in these countries." These findings are being discussed during a conference in South Africa on gender and the media. Click here for the story.

Media critical to health of a continent (September 13)
From a report on media reporting of health issues in Africa: "There is a critical need for high quality, in-depth and diverse media coverage of public health in order to improve the health of the African people. The media in Africa must fulfil its role as watchdog of public policy and spending, bearer of information about medical treatments and support networks, and catalyst for shaping opinion and attitudes." You can find it at the African Women's Media Center via this link.

No news is bad news (September 13)
Channel News Asia (pictured) reports that high-profile English soccer stars, including David Beckham, have been roasted by the sport's top official for not talking to media after a world cup game. Apparently the boycott was in response to bad reviews of their previous match. Click here for the story.

Digital rollout in China (September 10)
Digital TV channels are being rolled out at a rapid pace, according to this report from China Daily.

Digital to hit broadband? (September 10)
Meanwhile Telstra is arguing to a federal government review that the rollout of digital TV in Australia will hurt the growing broadband market, according to this story in The Australian.

Government poisons the pen (September 9)
According to the Toronto Star, Russian journalists have been punished for expressing doubts about how the government handles the recent Beslan hostage crisis. The editorial says, “Reporters, including Radio Liberty's Andrei Babitsky, were prevented by officials from reaching Beslan. Anna Politkovskaya, a Novaya Gazeta reporter, believes she was poisoned on a flight to the city.” Click here for the story. Meanwhile it's been reported that the Russian public was highly skeptical of local coverage of the crisis, suspecting journalists were being made to toe the government line. See this report from the Reuters Alertnet service.

Defamation crime case delayed (September 7)
The judges hearing a case against staff of Tempo magazine in Indonesia have delayed announcing their findings until September 16, without explaining why. Controversy has surrounded the case, which involves alleged defamation against a prominent businessman. According to the Jakarta Post, “Amnesty International has hit out against the use of criminal law to try the Tempo staff for what the organization says was fair and balanced reporting.” Click here for the story.

Trojan media sparks debate (September 6)
From the Seattle Times: "Clear Channel Communications plans to send a large wooden version of the Trojan horse on a tour of US museums as a frontispiece to an exhibition on ancient Greece and Troy…Cultural gatekeepers, including art critics and museum directors, have begun sounding a warning: Beware of a conglomerate bearing art." A giant media company diversifying and becoming involved in the arts has sparked debate over whether this is a good thing, or the end of civilisation as we know it. Click here to see the full story.

People prefer puppets (September 6)
Here's proof that a good headline can make almost anything interesting. Two Muppets Named Top Scientists, from CNN, is a humble story about people's tastes in TV scientists. Evidently the puppets Dr Bunsen Honeydew and assistant Beaker beat Scully, Spock and a host of other more human-like competitors…

From the sublime to the spa (September 1)
Hosts of the Republican convention in the USA have organised a grooming salon, which includes a spa, for visiting journalists. According to the report from Newsday.com(pctured): “Maureen Reidy, chief operating officer of the convention's host committee, said yesterday at the spa's grand opening that the idea came about four months ago, when her committee was brainstorming a way to remember the media during a time that for many is fraught with bad food, long hours and, well, let's just say long nights don't make for a refreshed appearance come the morn.” Click here for the full story.

Netting the market (September 1)
From the Media section in The Australian: "The internet has finally emerged as a major advertising platform, with the latest audited results revealing the market grew to $300 million in advertising revenue last year." Click here for the story.

Black loot? (September 1)
From Channel News Asia: “Media tycoon Conrad Black and his allies looted the company he created to manage a global publishing empire of more than 400 million dollars since 1997, a report prepared for US court and regulators showed.” Click here for the report. Black disputes its conclusions.

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