There must be some independent standard of what makes news … I’d have thought there would be certain baseline commonalities between two newspapers in one city, things that happen that ought be reported. Are newspapers a mirror of surrounding events? Or something altogether more cynical and contrived?
I’m wondering this appropos of The Age and its tabloid Melbourne print companion the Herald Sun. How can the Homeless World Cup rate half a front page in The Age and no mention in the Herald Sun? That’s this morning’s example.
How can last week’s sensational investigative scoop in The Age on leaked police files run and run across all media for days and yet receive no mention – not one – in the Herald Sun. I’ve checked with Media Monitors:
|
Press |
Radio |
Television |
Internet |
Total |
|
|
Police file leaks |
7 |
267 |
43 |
180 |
497 |
We might write on this at more length in the Crikey email. Someone here seems intent on the manipulation of events to suit their own image of the news agenda. I don’t want to sound hopelessly naive, but I would have thought the point of difference between papers ought to be in the way they approach events not some agenda driven discrimination that admits one version of reality and excludes another. That, I suggest, is not journalism.
3 Comments
What is newsworthy? Yesterday was the Traditional Welcome to Country Ceremony of the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference: Education in Melbourne. There are 3000 delegates attending from around the world. The Age, the Herald Sun and the ABC seem to have missed it. The Australian ran a media release of a speech by one of the keynote speakers, Colin Bourke. Coiud’t find SBS coverage but I believe they had a rep there yesterday.
Wouldn’t it be great if some of the MSM indigenous “experts” such as Andrew Bolt made their way to Rod Laver Arena this week and did some real journalism.
As I just had a wonderful holiday in Malaysia, I don’t wish to be too much of a glum on this subject. The proverbial however has to be used,……..The topic you referred to last December whilst no doubt fascinating, would have me reading Das Kapital for a little light relief, or going to a meeting of the World Council of Churches.
You look a tad too long in the tooth to be so appallingly naïve about newspapers…:) They want sex, tits, tears and tantrums; gore, glitter and razzamatazz. They need shock, horror dismay the way anyone else needs needles or gin. You should lighten up a bit!
Jonathan,
I’ve just read your comment in an answer to my comment about the smell of newsprint.
Wasn’t it great? I even remember going into that building to pick up a late edition. Can you imagine doing that now! You wouldn’t get past the security guard.
Multiple cheers.
Venise