05/09/2018
Today’s topic was Freedom of the Press, Speech and Information. It sparked a decent level of discussion from the class. Today saw Nadia and I presenting. Nadia presented on how the laws surrounding journalism in Australia can be quite restricting, while I did somewhat of a rebuttal, and discussed how the laws in America make it easy for freedom of speech to be damaging to innocent people in the right circumstances.
Nadia and I both covered how the use of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Australian Press Council (2018) is the main indicator of free speech in Australia. I also went on to discuss the other restrictions for journalism in place in Australia, which included defamation, privacy and contempt (Lamble, 2011).
Jonbenet` Ramsey. Murdered on 26/12/1996. Courtesy of Radar Online.
During my presentation, I attempted to demonstrate how the Jonbenet` Ramsey murder case in America is a very poor commentary on their laws surrounding journalism. Because of the first amendment and promise of free speech, laws surrounding defamation, privacy and contempt are more lenient to avoid infringing on freedom of speech (Legal Information Institute, 2018). I was adamant that the belief by the media and public at large that John and Patsy Ramsey were guilty, and the constant vilification of their character through the media would never happen in Australia. I believed that the laws in place in Australia held journalists accountable for their actions in order to avoid something like this happening.
Azaria Chamberlain and her mother Lindy, 1980. Image Source: news.com.au
However, my entire argument was thrown into doubt when someone mentioned the case of Azaria Chamberlain: the newborn who was taken by a dingo when she was with her family on holiday at Uluru. According to Brown (2012) Azaria’s mother Lindy was found guilty of the murders, and spent over three years in prison before the case was reopened. After a subsequent investigation, there was great criticism aimed at the police, and the media for how much the case was sensationalised, bringing bias to those involved (Brown, 2012).
After looking through this case, I was shocked that it had slipped my mind. Furthermore, I had to wonder: is it possible to stop this from happening?
What laws could you possibly put in place to stop the vilification of innocent people who are awaiting an outcome from a court of law?
Regardless of whether they have been found guilty or not, the public at large will still believe what the media has told them, and in these two cases, information was manipulated, exaggerated and often completely false.
At the end of the day, there is a dark side to every profession we choose to go in. Sadly, the only thing we can do as individuals is continue to maintain a high level of ethics in our work.
References:
Australian Press Council. (2018). Charter of Press Freedom. [online] Available at: https://www.presscouncil.org.au/charter-of-press-freedom/ [Accessed 31 Aug. 2018].
Brown, M. (2018). After 32 years of speculation, it’s finally official: a dingo took Azaria. [online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/national/after-32-years-of-speculation-its-finally-official-a-dingo-took-azaria-20120612-2071l.html [Accessed 5 Sep. 2018].
Lamble, S. (2011). News as it Happens. An Introduction to Journalism. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Legal Information Institute. (2018). First Amendment. [online] Available at: https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment [Accessed 5 Sep. 2018].
12/09/2018
This week saw us discussing alternate facts, propaganda and fake news. For me, this was a real eye opener, because these things have been happening since journalism first came about, and is still very much in existence today.
A typical cover of New Idea magazine.
Eren and Maddison both presented historical case studies; one dating back to 1915. Maddison discussed the frustration many readers and celebrities have over gossip magazines like New Idea, Woman’s Day publishing fake news. One particular recent article speculated over Jennifer Aniston possibly being pregnant (Black, 2018).
The class agreed that this kind of fake news nowadays is usually most damaging for the journalist and the publication for whom they are working, because readers are beginning to realise where to go to get reliable facts, rather than gossip. This is backed up by the 12% drop in magazine sales in the US just this year (Golembo, 2018).
However, there was one particular case study presented by Eren which concerned me. According to Kang & Goldman (2016) on a Sunday in December 2016, Edgar M. Welch of North Carolina drove six hours to a pizzeria called Comet Ping Pong in California after reading that its basement was concealing victims from a child abuse ring led by Hillary Clinton. Upon arrival, Welch open fire with a rifle. Eventually, Welch was arrested peacefully, after finding no evidence of concealed children. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the information Welch had been reading on social media was fake (Kang and Goldman, 2016).
This was an extreme case of what sort of repercussions fake news can have on society. Thankfully, nobody was physically hurt. However, the reputations, in this case, of Hillary Clinton and the owners of Comet Ping Pong may never recover (White, 2018). Check out the news bulletin from abc news below.
Like last week, this week’s topic has reiterated the necessity of maintaining the highest ethical standards in journalism. Just one unethical move, like the cases mentioned above can destroy not only the reputation of the journalist and their publication, but also that of the people they are reporting on.
References:
Black, N. (2018). Is Jennifer Aniston finally pregnant?. [online] New Idea Magazine. Available at: https://www.newidea.com.au/jennifer-aniston-spotted-cradling-growing-baby-bump-in-montreal [Accessed 12 Sep. 2018].
Golembo, M. (2018). Newsstand sales of magazines drop 12%. [online] ABC News. Available at: https://abcnews.go.com/Business/newsstand-sales-magazines-drop-12/story?id=8453501 [Accessed 12 Sep. 2018].
Kang, C. and Goldman, A. (2016). In Washington Pizzeria Attack, Fake News Brought Real Guns. [online] The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/05/business/media/comet-ping-pong-pizza-shooting-fake-news-consequences.html [Accessed 12 Sep. 2018].
White, A. (2018). Ethics in the News – Fake News and Facts in the Post-Truth Era. [online] Ethical Journalism Network. Available at: https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/resources/publications/ethics-in-the-news/fake-news [Accessed 12 Sep. 2018].
Hi Brett,
I found both yours and Nadia’s seminars this week really interesting, especially because both of you took a similar perspective that restrictions surrounding what journalists can publish in Australia ultimately benefit the public and journalists themselves (broadly speaking). You mentioned this in your seminar, but here’s hoping that Malcolm Turnbull’s proposed media laws against whistleblowers aren’t revived by our new Prime Minister!
I don’t think that the group’s discussion about Azaria Chamberlain threw your argument into doubt. I actually think it was a good example of how journalist’s attitudes got to their current position around this. I think since this case, journalists have had to become more cautious about sensationalising cases such as this, so as to not risk compromising the legal system. However, as Christina and yourself noted, there is still room for error within our current approach – like you said, there’s a dark side to every profession.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’ve raised an interesting point here about how much the media is able to manipulate people, and the dark side of journalism when it can interfere with something so important such as a trial. I believe that this is why it is imperative that as future journalists we understand the laws surrounding the profession. Sometimes the legal system and a fair trial needs to be put before what the public should know and while we have the responsibility to inform, we also have the responsibility not to interfere in the legal system. This all ties in with freedom of the press and understanding that sometimes, we simply cannot publish a story that interferes with other people’s rights.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I also found your seminar presentation very interesting, especially the exploration of the JonBenet Ramsey case, which I actually wrote my blog on for that week. I also found that your blog for this week was engaging with the extra content such as the videos and pictures. Great Job
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Brett,
Olivia here from your 10-12 class.
Upon reflecting on both your presentation and the blog post that you’ve presented, I wanted to let you know that I found your week to have been the most interesting overall.
I personally had never heard of the Jonbenet` Ramsey murder case in America and I was seriously astounded by your findings . I agree wiht you, that it demonstrates the importance of laws surrounding journalism. I feel that by presenting this case study you provided a face to a very controversial topic. Personally, it caused me to really empathise with the family and consider how the journalists can distort a persons right to be “innocent until otherwise proven guilty.” More and more, I hear people speaking about ‘trial by social media’ and I believe that this case is a great example of it.
Lastly, the Lindy Chamberlain case study also really stood out to me. I personally have followed the story and have heard her give speeches about her experiences and story. I agree with all that you’ve said regarding the importance of laws in Australia, as it only takes one journalists to step outside the bounds of what is the truth to create a truly hellish nightmare for an individual.
LikeLike