Benchy Marshall is Back

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Benji Marshall. Everyone in the NRL knows who he is.

A few years ago he was the shining star of the Wests Tigers. He was the first person who came to mind when thinking of the club, he was the go-to man to change the pace and outcome of the game and he was regarded as the reason the Tigers were inspired to win the premiership in 2005. Was.

Marshall had steered the Tigers to incredible wins for a decade. He had inspired his team to hold onto a win or push for a win, he had set up countless tries, impressed with many solo efforts and had an exceptional goal kicking rate. He was the captain of New Zealand and orchestrated the win against Australia in the 2010 ANZAC test match. He had been awarded the Golden Boot trophy and was recognized world-wide as a top athlete.

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Eventually the dynasty he had created and ruled for so long began declining. Whether it was just the start of a lull in his usually consistent performance or the departure of coach Tim Sheens in 2011, the next two seasons were dreadful for the Kiwi representative. With a new management at the Tigers, including a new coach and Marshall's lack of direction and leadership, the Tigers plummeted to 14th on the ladder; they had begun the season tipped as the premiership-winning favorites. There was no doubt about it- Marshall had fallen into a slump. The arrival of new coach Mick Potter certainly did added fuel to the fire. The former star had had enough, with the initial friction between himself and the coach, then the shocking decision to start Marshall on the bench, presenting him with the embarrassing nickname, 'Benchy Marshall'.

He was supposed to re-sign with the Wests Tigers. He was supposed to extend his contract. He was supposed to retire with the club he had debuted with. He was supposed to leave the team he had put so much blood, sweat and tears into. He didn't. Since the lengthy, confusing and damn right irritating debacle revolving around Magic Marshall and his beloved Tigers last year, a lot has changed. The 'will he/ won't he' phases followed by the controversial appearance of Marshall in his new team's jersey just hours after leading the Tigers to another loss against wooden spooners, the Parramatta Eels, as well as his arrogant and cold attitude towards his actions were seen as a large, public up yours to the Tigers. The whole conflict hurt the clubs' players, the NRL itself ad especially the supporters.

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Benji Marshall had signed with the Rugby Union team the Blues in New Zealand. Although there were reports that there was friction in Tigertown between players and staff as well as not enough money being offered- the Tigers contract which was downgraded from $1m to $700,000 a season, but none of these speculations had been confirmed. Marshall had claimed he wanted a challenge, wanted to return to the sport he grew up playing, wanted to play for the All Blacks. It was a huge slap in the face to supporters. Vowing to never play NRL professionally again, he apologized to his fans and stated he would never again play against the Tigers, out of respect and commitment to his cherished club.

Just when the NRL had seemingly forgotten the wonderkid and the Tigers had moved on and rebuilt their team, Benji was released from his two year union contract. Making just 6 appearances, 5 off of the bench, it's fair to say his dismal stint in the Super 15 was nothing more than a pipe-dream.

Less than a month after being released, Marshall is back in NRL. The Tigers did not expect him to be back and had spend time and money developing new players in his place. Releasing a statement, they commented that they had moved on and understandably, didn't want him. After another dragged out 'will he/ won't he' series regarding his signature on a Sharks, Storm or Dragons contract, the 28 year old signed with the Illawarra Dragons, for $1.1m over 2 years. After his club compensated the Tigers $150,000, he is debuting today (17.5.14) against the Parramatta Eels.

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Marshall will not be a Tiger for life. His actions have turned many fans against him. His return to rugby league is full of speculation. Will he return with a fizzle and a bang or will Benji Marshall's career deflate and reflect his poor effort in union? Only time will tell.

Text
1. http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-league-news/benchy-bungee-marshall-5938343
2. http://www.weststigers.com.au/news/2014/05/16/benji_marshall_statement.html

Images
1. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-02/marshall-sinks-sharks-in-golden-point/4665324
2. http://www.wdnicolson.com/2010/12/benji-marshall-wins-2010-goldenboot.html
3.  http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/9031716/Coach-slams-Benji-for-wearing-Blues-jersey
4.  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/nrl/benji-marshall-selects-the-dragons-for-his-league-resurrection/story-fnca0von-1226912333280

War, Disaster and Trauma in Journalism

Not surprisingly, journalism can have some tough work assignments. When faced with war, disaster and trauma, the journalist should be taking every means necessary to prepare themselves for the task ahead.



BBC Correspondent Orla Guerin under fire in Libya.

Photo: BBC College of Journalism

Journalists and their correspondents must prepare for many things throughout their assignment. In places overseas, especially in war zones, they must plan for the worst. There are a set of principles the journalist and their correspondent can focus on for their own safety.

P1- Commitment
The journalist must be absolutely positive they want to do this assignment. They must plan for the worst, so setting up mental and physical barriers is very important.

P2- Free Will
Journalists may be unaware that they have the option to turn down a job and that they cannot be punished in the workplace for not covering a story. It is also possible to return home at any point during the overseas assignment.

P3- Experience
Experience is vital. There should be a reliable correspondent with the journalist throughout the whole assignment, to help plan and accompany them on the journey. If the journalist is young and inexperienced, they have the option to bring someone who has been overseas before.

P4- Preparation
Ensuring that the appropriate people, equipment, insurance, documents, medical requirements, mental and physical barriers are prepared before the journey and accompanying the journalist throughout.

P5- Equipment
The usual equipment- multiple cameras, phones, microphones, recorders, stationary-are not the only thing that journalists should bring to these visitations.

P6- Insurance
This cannot be refused by your news firm. Insurance is important to cover and costs of the journalist getting sick overseas, as well as compensation for their families if the journalist is killed.

P7- Psychological counseling
Many people also do not know that journalists can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They can get this from any situation, not just related to war but with any disaster or trauma event. They can not be punished over requiring treatment and they will not have to cover 'softer' stories in the future. There can be no refusal to treatment and the insurance of the journey should cover costs. What journalists should be aware of is that they should not be ashamed of their illness, they just need to talk to a someone to help themselves.

P8- Legal protection
It would be best to approach a lawyer before and after going overseas for legal advice and to ensure a level of security and legality after any incidents.

Photographer Remi Ochlik in Cairo
AP Photo/Julien de Rosa
 

Although there are a few international protection campaigns and associations, as well as the fact that murder is a war crime and obviously illegal, the safety of journalists is not guaranteed. The first article, from the news site 'Anarak', is about an award-winning journalist Marie Colvin, who was killed in a house bombardment in Syria. The second link is an article from 'Emergency Journalism', which extensively and exclusively discusses the risk of overseas journalism.

1.
http://www.anorak.co.uk/312982/news/marie-colvin-mattered-good-journalism-shines-a-light-to-let-us-see.html/

2.
http://emergencyjournalism.net/trauma-in-journalism-what-every-freelancer-at-risk-needs-to-know/

Photographs in Media

These days, it is impossible to flick through a newspaper or turn on the news and not see pictures and video clips everywhere. Images grab the attention of the audience, images can tell a story by themselves, images can give a deeper angle to your strong, images can elaborate on a story and images may also determine whether your article is read or not.

Editors want photographs and so do the public. Images do not always elaborate on the text or angle of the story and sometimes they may tell a story that is completely different to what has been written. Problems with images include the irrelevancy to the article as well as the publishing of unethical images. How many times have you selected an article purely because the image is eye catching? How many times have you made an assumption based on that image and read the story, only to find yourself confused or disappointed with the connection between the two? How many times have you seen a confliction between the two?

http://www.finearttips.com

 

http://www.graphicssoft.com

 

A good image is most often one which uses the rule of thirds- a guideline which enables the photographer to take a photo with a more interesting and visually appealing angle. These pictures are framed, exposed and timed appropriately and also, depending on the story, capture the moment. The picture used in an article should be so relevant that the 1000 words that have been painted in your head relate in some way to the article text. Below is a good and a bad example of picture storytelling.

-Alex McKinnon's Injury-

 

 

This is a "good" example of photography in journalism.

The image is eye catching. It captures the anxiety, drama and intensity of the moment and it is confronting enough to generate interest from the audience and the position of both McKinnon's body and the medic's body are in line with the rule of thirds. Newspapers such as the Sydney Morning Herald used this photograph after the initial report of the player fracturing his neck. With many people standing around and the medic cradling McKinnon's neck whilst the player lies flat on the turf, there is quite obviously an injury concern, which is corroborated directly in the article content.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/quadriplegic-alex-mckinnon-faces-the-fight-of-his-life-20140331-35u3y.html

 

-La Nina: Floods in Australia-

 

 

This is a "bad" example of photography in journalism.

This photograph does not follow the rule of thirds, nor does it convey an emotional appeal. Although the water is high around the man and car, the water behind him is shallow. The article, from news.com.au, is about the devastating La Nina weather Australia had faced. The man, the focal point of the photo, is portrayed through his appearance like he is having fun - only wearing board shorts, a big smile and a double thumbs up- not someone who is in a particularly dire and dangerous situation.

http://www.news.com.au/national/la-nina-weather-runs-out-of-steam/story-e6frfkp9-1226055570085

 

 

Everyone has heard the phrase:

'A picture tells a thousand words'.
 

If this is true, what story does this photo tell you?
(L-R, AB Crawford, AB Grobler, LS Clarke)
#myJN1001pics

Tiger Cub Commits to Club

With his polite persona, bursting energy and his cheeky smile, David Nofoaluma seems like your average Australian. He's not. At just 20 years old, Nofoaluma is in his second first grade season with the NRL, playing for the Wests Tigers. Debuting in round 10 of the 2013 season, he has only played 20 games. The impact he has made on the club in such a short period of time is nothing short of impressive, inspiring, incredible at best.



 http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2014/04/11/1226880/715242-347e6dd2-c10c-11e3-b80a-95af82970ea0.jpg

Despite being born in Newcastle, the young winger grew up in Campbelltown, South-West of Sydney. He started playing for the Campbelltown Collegians and quickly gained new skills through his junior club. Climbing his way up, the local product was soon nurtured into the representative ranks, playing overseas in the Australian Schoolboys team in 2010. According to News Limited, Nofoaluma first caught the attention of the Macarthur Chronicle as a teenager when he was nominated for a Junior Sports Star award, after playing for the NSW State of Origin Under-18s side(1). It wasn't long before he was given a spot in the National Youth Championship (NYC), where he was an active member of the Tigers’ 2012 Under 20s premiership-winning side.

Due to injuries amongst the first grade squad in 2013, Nofoaluma was chosen to debut against the South Sydney Rabbitohs in round 10. He wasted no time impressing, with a team-best 12 runs, 121m, four tackle busts and an electrifying linebreak(2). This exceptional personal performance marked the start of his phenomenal first year. Scoring a total of 8 tries in 15 games, averaging 106 metres per game, making 9 line-breaks and representing the junior Kangaroos, the (then) 19 year old became a huge hit with fans, providing excitement and hope in an otherwise disappointing year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61iHH5z0zlw

Lastly, who could forget the young wingers freakish, awe-inspiring try against the Manly Sea Eagles in round 20? Playing at his favorite home ground, Campbelltown Stadium, Nofoaluma soared high above the ground in the in-goal area, after chasing a cross-field bomb by Benji Marshall. Somehow twisting his body in the air, he miraculously managed to ground the ball. The spectacular try gained media attention around the world and was awarded the 2013 Dally M Try of the Year.

After an explosive first season, it was clear this wonder-kid would be a star of the future. Thanks to a speedy effort by the Wests Tigers and some guidance by Nofoaluma's manager, Sam Ayoub, the young winger has re-signed with his club until the end of the 2017 season.

 





https://www.facebook.com/WestsTigers.com.au

During a press conference following his contract signing, he said, "My manager Sam Ayoub had a few options and offers but he knew I wanted to stay at the club. Being a local junior plays a big part and to be able to stay at the club is something special. Wests Tigers home is here (Campbelltown) and Leichhardt obviously. To be a part of it is something special.(3)"

 

Speaking to the media after the Tigers beat the Cowboys 16-4 at his beloved Campbelltown on Saturday, Nofoaluma said (in regards to him re-signing), "Everyone here at Campbelltown has congratulated me and the Wests Tigers fans had the chance to say thanks and congratulate me and I appreciate that a lot. I'm happy that I'm staying as a Tiger.(4)"

 

The fact he wanted to re-sign with the team that he grew up supporting is a huge credit to the Tigers.

After his debut game last season he said, "I started in under-6s and this is what every kid dreams to play and I got my opportunity, so I made the most of it."

He sure has made the most of it. Following a whirlwind year and a consistent start to the 2014 season, the future is looking bright for David Nofoaluma.

 

1. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/macarthur/wests-tigers-resign-local-product-david-nofoaluma-on-threeyear-nrl-contract/story-fngr8ifg-1226880716673

2. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/macarthur/new-wests-tigers-bounds-into-the-limelight/story-fngr8ifg-1226647125776

3. http://www.weststigers.com.au/news/2014/04/11/press_conference_david_nofoaluma.html

4. http://www.weststigers.com.au/news/2014/04/13/from_the_sheds_david_nofoaluma.html

Churnalism in NRL

#riseforalex

http://www.newcastleknights.com.au/content/knights/club/news/2014/04/01/alex_mckinnon_update.html

Talented NRL footballer Alex McKinnon, 22, has been in the media spotlight for the last two weeks, after suffering a potential career ending injury during the Newcastle Knights' Round 3 away game against the Melbourne Storm. Scan results the following day showed that McKinnon has fractured his C4 and C5 vertebrae. With under a minute left until half time, McKinnnon charged at the line and was wrapped up by Jesse and Kenneth Bromwich, before Jordan McLean brought him to the ground with a low, driving effort. McKinnon, bent head first towards the ground, hit the turf 'with more than 400kg of man fall squarely on his neck'.

This incident has caused much discussion within the entire national rugby league community, with hundreds of people taking to social media to extend their opinions, convey what punishment should be delivered by the judiciary and how the injury could have been so easily avoided. The immense discussion and concern from the community, as well as organizations such as Sports Medicine Australia (SMA), that has arisen from this incident has forced the NRL to consider new rules such as banning or refining lift tackles.

McKinnon received surgery lest Wednesday and was awoken from his medically induced coma on Sunday. He is able to breath on his own and talk to his family. The Knights have released a statement reminding that his body is still in the first phase of recovery, however he does have movement in his right arm. The statement also said that even though uncertainty remains in the extent of further recovery, as the doctors explained any regeneration and recovery could be up to two years, it is important to not give up hope.

News outlets, news broadcasts, Twitter and Facebook groups have reported frequently on this story since it occurred, however Channel 9 is in hot water over sensationalized reports were published. The network released information on Monday claiming McKinnon's doctors has confirmed the 22 year old would be a quadriplegic and that it was unlikely the young man would walk again. The story created a public frenzy and soon other outlets were publishing the information first reported by Channel 9.

This churnalism- articles that have not been re-written from the initial story or even had details checked for accuracy- has caused disappointment amongst the McKinnon family, the Newcastle Knights and the NRL community. In the statement mentioned before, the Knights wrote, "The club is extremely disappointed in the sensationalized television news story on Monday night about this tragic situation. One of the most important factors for Alex at this time is hope, which was jeopardized by this report."

A quadriplegic is someone who has no movement in both arms and both legs. Although it is still far too early to determine the extent of the damage or the recovery period needed, McKinnon reportedly has movement in his right arm- he is not a quadriplegic. In incidents like this, hope should never be lost. The incorrect information that was published could be seen as an insult to the family and seriously dent the slow progress being made. Hope, however, was not all that was jeopardized by the false information- although he still may require a wheelchair, the false information was insensitive and untruthful. The story would have also impacted the 3 players involved in the tackle, especially Jordan McLean. The 22 year-old Storm forward was tonight charged with a 7 week ban for a dangerous throw, although this may be appealed.

~

Wishing Alex a full recovery. Thoughts and prayers to both him and his family.
The video of the incident can be found on YouTube, out of respect the link/ clip will not be posted here. Messages of support can be sent to knights@newcastleknights.com.au and information regarding donations will be updated by the club at a later date.

News Values

The term ‘news values’ can be defined in a few different ways. One way of describing news values is: “the degree of prominence a media outlet gives to a story, and the attention that is paid by an audience".

News values vary between media outlets as well as across countries and cultures, due to religious, political, environmental and social values held within the community. A local variation would be a news story aired on ABC that may be different to a news story aired on Channel 7, similarly, news stories aired in England would be different to news stories aired in Australia.

There are 4 general topics that determine the value of news:

Media outlets filter what news they produce. They filter stories in newspapers by assessing its rank of importance: the most prominent stories are found on the front page and towards the start of the newspaper, with information deemed less important towards the back. This also goes for the layout of each individual story:

 

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews:Article_wizard/Inverted_pyramid
 

Two typical ways in which media outlets decide which stories are newsworthy are:

 http://chickaboomer.com/2013/04/if-it-bleeds-it-leads.html

1. 'If it bleeds, it leads'

Stories related to concerning and sinister topics that will interest the reader or viewer such as death- especially murder, rape, major car collisions, shootings, war or tragedy is the article that is seen most frequently on the front page or at the start of a news bulletin.

 

 http://www.sattvguide.com.au/?id=2&c=7LN412

2. 'If it's local it leads'

Local news can cover a wide arrange of occurrences, providing the "proximity" of the story is relevant. This means the news must show what is happening within the local community or within the state. For example local news in Queensland, Australia, may provide information on topics such as sporting teams, crimes, politics and events.

 

Newsworthiness

Over the years, lists of news values have been created by well known media figureheads. These examples are just some of the values:

 

http://s4287935.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/news-values.html

 

It has been concluded that the more values an article contains, the more likely it will be chosen to become news. It is evident that even though lists have been modified over the years, many news values have remained the same. These values include proximity, negativity, celebrity, prominence and emotion.

 

Although news values within consumed articles had previously not been noticed, they are now not easy to miss. News values stand out just by switching on the news and listening to the outline, scrolling down the main page of an online news site or walking past a newspaper stand and glimpsing the front page. News values run the agenda as to what information is produced and are therefore extremely important in the world of media.

 

Newsworthiness Threats

Three tensions have been identifies as:

 

 

As previously discussed, commercial media focuses on entertainment and not education. They are profit driven and therefore rely on their audience to keep their business running. Outlets often produce news stories that are low in quality and the commercialization of media had been labeled as untrustworthy and corrupt.

 

Thousands of consumers have a social life. They do no longer need to reply on what the media tells them and they do not need to listen to one article, these days people have the technology to research stories to gather more information as well as the accuracy or truthfulness of the text.

 

Reusing Public Relations (PR) can also cause issues for media outlets (see an example of this in the next blog). Reusing PR is called "churnalism" and this refers to when an outlet reuses a press release without first re-writing the story or even checking the facts to ensure they are accurate. Although it is easier to publish a press release rather than write a story, many media outlets have been left red faced by incorrect information.

 

Ideals of journalism include the obligation to tell the truth, discipline of verification, giving a voice to the voiceless, a form for public criticism, compromise and discussion, freedom to exercise personal conscience, striving for significance and relevancy and keeping the news both comprehensive and proportional. The harsh reality of journalism is that the industry has been overcome by Public Relations, there is a lack of serious coverage, both locally and on important world wide happenings, there is a limited diversity and lastly, commercialization has lessened the quality of news, making it untrustworthy and frankly irresponsible.

 

Future of News Values

News values do not change drastically overnight. Over the years the values have remained the same- proximity, celebrity, emotional, positivity and negativity. I therefore presume they will be the same tomorrow.

 

I think the general public 'drives' the decision made in media organizations about what is newsworthy, considering the organization should be providing information that is of interest and relevance to the audience.

 

I think that stories covering negative, emotional news is more popular, however what I personally think of as newsworthy stories, are the stories that have proximity to the audience, as well as stories that impact them and provide them with interesting, relevant information. The audience wants to know what is happening globally as well as locally, however local news is more meaningful to them and this is what is important.