Cardboard Arcade Takes Media Spotlight

Cardboard Arcade Takes Media Spotlight
A headline and lead by Amy Crawford

Caine, a 9 year-old boy from Los Angeles, has received attention world-wide after his very own makeshift cardboard arcade, went viral. Nirvan Mullick, the boy's first customer, first created awareness of the arcade via social media sites Facebook and Reddit.

Fundamentals of Reporting

A reporters job is basically to refine, evaluate, verify and pack raw information. Though, there are of course, many other considerations and attributes involved in the job.

Reporters should be curious, skeptical and credible. They should always aim to make their writing straightforward, clear and accurate, without any comments or personal opinions. The reliability of sources and texts should always be questioned and thorough background checks should always be made, especially when using anonymous contacts. It is important to generate public interest, whether writing for a tabloid newspaper, a travel blog or a sports column.

News stories can be found anywhere. It is important to grab the readers attention through an interesting or catchy headline and a lead that sheds light on who, what where, when and how. An example of this will be in the next blog post.

NRL: Good over the Bad

The NRL represents different things for different people.

What word pops into your head when you think of the greatest game?

Entertainment, memories, career, passion, childhood?
Excitement, enjoyment, happiness, teamwork, family?

To me the NRL represents a way of life. It represents a lifestyle and a beautiful, promising future. The NRL has so many positive stories, from players saving themselves from a life of crime or hardship, to participating wholeheartedly in charity events and raising money and awareness for less fortunate people, such as those fighting a serious illness or an RSL that has been destroyed by fire or floods. Players, staff and supporters across the world unite through football. They support each other through wins, losses, off-field incidents and deaths of those close to them.

There are obviously negative stories too, but not often does the magnitude of any bad situation overcome the positive. There have been players who find themselves in trouble with the law or the judiciary; including breaching club rules, assaults, public disturbances and the ASADA scandal last year. These things happen in every code of football, every code of sport and everyday life too. Football players receive bad publicity because they are role models for the younger generations, however punishment extends further through social media.

Players don't have to be in trouble with the law to find themselves being attacked on personal social networking sites and news forums. Every on-field movement is judged, every win or loss made known throughout the NRL community. Racist, homophobic, judgmental and extremely rude comments are not uncommon on pictures, statuses and articles. Whilst the NRL works hard to promote equality, acceptance and security within the sport, how do inconsiderate people promote such hatred? Those who spread hate are not die-hard, poud supporters of their team, they are people who are publicly attacking the reputation of the sport and tarnishing the beautiful game.

There is a difference between playful banter and a discriminating attack.
Instead of being consumed by hatred and targeting a player over winning or losing a game, moving to another team, bad behavior or simply wanting to cause trouble, why don't they acknowledge all of the positives. The game would be a much better place.

www.nrl.com

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.

2

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.

3

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.

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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