Au Revoir.

So this is it. My farewell blog post to my little spot of cyberspace that I started all the way back at the start of the semester. To be honest, starting a blog was a little bit daunting, because in my head only interesting people with interesting things to say have blogs, and suddenly I had to be one of them. From the first week in JOUR1111 I was told that I was the journalist, and so I tried to start writing a bit like one. And as I started writing, I learnt lots of little things about my writing style, and the kind of things I like writing about.

Throughout JOUR1111, I learnt about all different aspects of journalism, from radio to news values to investigation. Some of it I already knew, and some I didn’t. It opened my eyes up to what the world of journalism is about, and all the different facets of it. I’d like to think that I’m coming out of this semester a little bit more of a journalist, and a little bit more knowledgeable about it. I know I’ve still got a long way to go, but this semester, and this blog, has enabled me to dip my toes into the ocean of journalism.

I’ve kind of liked blogging, and I might keep at it somewhere else. But for now, it’s au revoir, and I’ll see you somewhere else in the media world. 

Just Around the Corner.

The world is so full of opportunity, and there’s a million and one ways in which you can do something. With a dash of creativity and a stroke of luck, anyone can make something new happen. This applies to the world of journalism. There are so many different kinds of journalists out there, and journalism can operate on so many different platforms. You don’t need a degree to be a journalist, even though that’s what I’m doing right now. Anyone can pick up a camera or start writing. All you need is an issue and some passion.

Our guest lecturer today, Steve Molks, was talking to us about his story as a journalist, and all the different kinds of journalism out there. There are so many different types of journalism, and a lot of it is interconnected, and it can get pretty overwhelming thinking about it all. But it got me thinking about exactly what kind of journalist I want to be, and the kinds of things I want to write. Now, I’m not naïve. I know that sometimes you just get given a story, and that sometimes there isn’t much choice in the matter. But every journalist should have their own style and their own voice. Every journalist should have something unique about them.  I want to have that dash of creativity and luck, and be a journalist that stands out a little and thinks outside the box.

If I’m completely honest, I have no idea exactly what kind of journalist I want to be yet, but I’m okay with that. I’m more than happy to dabble in a few different styles until I find my niche. Steve Molks was talking about what he does, I was thinking about what I want to do. But something important that I took away from it is that you don’t need to be writing for a newspaper or magazine to be a journalist. The online world is changing the face of journalism, and is making it much more accessible to the public. It’s easier than ever to get your thoughts out there, and find other people who think the way you do, and also people who don’t. Because the world can’t just be all one sided, can it?

The fact of the matter is I don’t have to wait until the end of my degree to be a journalist, and I can be any kind of journalist I want. Because the world really is full of opportunity, and there’s always room for something new. 

Why?

One of the most basic jobs of journalists is to ask questions, and to find answers. But some questions just don’t have answers to them. Questions like ‘why do good people suffer?’ and ‘how big is the universe?’ do my head in, and they get debated by scientists and academics alike. The truth is, there’s a whole world of questions that no-one knows the answers to, and probably never will. But sometimes these questions are the ones most worth asking, and the ones were the richest not-quite-answers can be found. Questions that force us to think, and step outside of our little boxes, have so much value. Asking questions, and big questions at that, is a fantastic habit to get into. Curiosity leads to great things, and there’s nothing more intriguing than a question without an answer. So dive in, and start asking ‘why?’ to the things that happen around you. 

Detective Work.

Everyone wants to be remembered, and some events will go down in history, never to be forgotten. A quote from our first lecture said that ‘journalism is the first rough draft of history’, and I think it’s true. Through the news, events are recorded and remembered. But in an increasingly fast-paced world, particularly with the birth of online news and the 24 hour news cycle, news seems to be just getting churned out, with little being remembered. Stories get lost in the ocean of news that is presented to us every day, and it seems like journalists just don’t have the time to delve deeper into their stories, because people want information now. But some of the best, most memorable pieces of journalism have been the result of months and years of work, with journalists devoting themselves to digging deeper and finding out the truth. That’s what investigative journalism is all about: getting to the bottom of a story, and finding out the truth.

One of the most important jobs of the media is to hold the powerful to account. Journalism has the ability to reveal massive scandals and wrongdoings, and that’s a big part of what investigative journalism is about. Journalists work as ‘custodians of conscience’, and investigative journalists in particular fall into this category. Investigative journalism is all about exposure, and bringing to light some of the things that are happening in society. The media brings certain issues to the public’s attention, and investigative journalism goes beyond the straight news, and looks for a deeper story. Its news that’s been well researched and well thought out, with journalists investing something of themselves into bringing the truth to light.

You could be forgiven for believing that this kind of journalism is dying, however. With increasing pressure on newsrooms to get the news out fast, journalists have less and less time to probe into the deeper issues that hide behind the surface of a story. And the simple fact that newsrooms are getting smaller and journalists have just got to do more doesn’t help either. Chances are that the six o’clock news won’t have much in the way of investigative journalism, and online news is all about getting the information out first, rather than getting in-depth into an issue. But investigative journalism still does exist. The Global Mail and Australian Story are just two examples of local investigative journalism. The truth is, people still have curiosity, and a desire to find out what’s really going on. And as long as this exists, investigative journalism will survive. And now more than ever investigative journalism stories stand out against the regular news stories churned out by the hundred in newsrooms every day. Investigative journalism has the potential to make history, and to be remembered. So maybe spending a little more time diving into a story is worth it after all.