“Isn’t it Ironic?”

...well no, not really.  

Many words in the English language are understandably hard to define; Antidisestablishmentarianism *, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis* and Floccinaucinihilipilification,* are a couple obvious examples. But who would’ve thought that a concept as commonly used as irony would be so hard to define? Now that’s just ironic…or is it?

“I’ve always thought it was ironic that irony has nothing to do with metal.” –Comedian, Bobby Romano.

After being asked by an old employer, amongst many others, what I meant by irony I found myself struggling to define the concept that I used on a near daily basis. My definition of the illusive term usually ends up with a rendition of the song “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette that wouldn’t scrape past the audition round on ‘X-Factor’.

Come to think of it, (ironically) most examples used in that song aren’t actually ironic, just very, very unfortunate; although “Isn’t it unfortunate” probably wouldn’t have sold nearly as many albums…

So what exactly is irony? Well, apart from 10, 000 spoons when all you need is a knife, irony, as defined by Wikipedia, is:

“A rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions (from the Ancient Greek meaning feigned ignorance)…

…Ironic statements (verbal irony) typically imply a meaning in opposition to their literal meaning. A situation is often said to be ironic (situational irony) if the actions taken have an effect exactly opposite from what was intended.”

The concept is so ambiguous that there was even an irony (punctuation) mark proposed to show when someone is aiming to indicate irony in a sentence (see below):

There are a multitude of websites dedicated to the subject, so obviously I am not the only one slightly baffled by the idea of what irony actually means. A great one that I came across that I seriously recommend you check out is:  RIGHT HERE! (http://theoatmeal.com/comics/irony)

Irony itself can be used for many things, such as:

·        Being humorous

·        Extenuating a point

·        Annoying others

·        Adding drama to otherwise boring situations (and/or blog posts)

·        Confusing people

·        Feature article introductions

·        And much, much more…probably.

EXAMPLES OF THINGS THAT COULD ACTUALLY BE CONSIDERED IRONIC:

IN CONCLUSION, I hope that you’ve learned a little more about the absurd enigma that is irony and are now well equipped to go out into the world and use it confidently.

For me however, the more I have researched the concept the more confusing it has now become and that, that is ironic.

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*Antidisestablishmentarianism – “refers to a 19th century political movement that opposed the disestablishment of the Church of England as the state church of England.^”

*Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis - “medical term; lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silica dust, causing inflammation in the lungs.”

*Floccinaucinihilipilification – “the act of estimating something as being worth so little as to be practically valueless, or the habit of doing so.”

LECTURE #2 - TELLING FACTUAL STORIES WITH TEXT with ROD CHESTER

WARNING: This lecture may (ok did) contain coarse language…

Lesson 2 – Keep it short and sweet (well…maybe not that sweet)

“…actually, I quite enjoy giving lectures - and public speaking in general. I'm a shameless show off.” – Rod Chester.

Ok, so thanks to entertaining journalist, Rod Chester from the Courier Mail I’ve learned a few things about hands on journalism this week…

Firstly, Rod explained that newspaper sales are slowly but surely falling in Australia. Bad news? Possibly not....

  ...he also noted that as a nation we have one of the highest percentages of online news visitors in the world. So the fact is Australians are still getting their news, just through different means. Rodalso made the point that in times of crisis (which, let’s face it, was almost the whole of 2011) it is a proven fact that people always turn back to newspapers as a trusted source of information.

We were also given some great advice about the modern journalism industry and were told that even in the rapidly changing environment there’s still hope for all of us ‘wanna be journos’ out there -*phew*.

Rod spoke about writing “hard news*” compared to feature writing and explained the different types of features out there. These included personality profiles, backgrounders, colour, human interest, trend, and in-depth stories.

As well as offering us hope for our journalistic futures, Rod gave a lot of good, real-world advice when it comes to constructing decent news/feature articles, and here they are:

Rod’s ramblings regarding realistic rules for writing...

·         Use alliteration (see above)

·         Choose the theme: answer the question, “So what?”

·         NEVER, EVER start with “It’s official”

·         Use witty word play, not dumb puns (and there is a difference)

·         Start with a question, e.g. “What can you do in 10 seconds?”

·         Try reverse psychology, e.g. “If you want to retain some of the joy and wonder of your childhood, do not read this column.”

·         Rhythm, rhyme and reason, e.g. “I am one of them. I am derided, despised, and possibly dobbed on. It’s time to confess my sins.”

·         Shock the reader with the “Sneaky Bastard” e.g. “AT FIRST, Hirotami Yamada thought he was one of the lucky ones. But that was before his 12-year-old brother had to torch the bodies of his sister and baby brother, while his dying mother sat by and watched.”

·         Include everyday scenarios

·         Set the scene

·         Strong, simple statements, e.g. “SUNAO Tsuboi has tried dying. It did not agree with him.”

·         The dumb question, “Who would’ve thought…?”

·         An observation, “It’s not every day that…”

·         Add mstery

·         Use Irony! (this example involved Rod bubble wrapping and post-packing his toddler, as you do)

·         Sex sells, if you can’t think if anything else – just talk suggestively about “squidgy bits”

e.g. “``THAT'S the last penis I want to see tonight,'' I announced to the female colleague sitting next to me who readily agreed, perhaps worrying about the alternative.”

·         (Linking appropriately to the above) Use basic humour

·         In desperate times, start with a quote, but tweak it

·        Notice the little things: e.g. "What are they wearing?  What are they fiddling with? How are they sitting?”

 …and Rod’s number one tip for becoming a top journalist?

·         READ AND WRITE!

To help with the latter as a first year journalism student, I was introduced to the infamous (and seemingly invaluable) “InvertedPyramid”:

The "Inverted Pyramid":

…or the “Inverted Pyramid” simplified:

For someone like me (specialising in the subject of “Fluff”) this seemingly easy concept may be harder to acheive than it looks.

Rod also put forward the exciting, and hopefully not overly optimistic, idea that we are all coming into the field of journalism at an exciting and dynamic time, and everyone is still learning as they go.  

As a fellow lover of journalism, public speaking (and the occasional show off) I found Rod Chester to be an entertaining, inspirational and at times slightly inappropriate guest lecturer who provided me with a lot of useful hints and tips about modern journalism and professional communication.

You can find this out for yourself by following him on twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/chesterrod) or reading some of his articles in the Courier Mail. By the end of the lecture our endearing class even made it onto his 365 day photo project which you can check out at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chesterrod/.

And here's the direct link to day 213 of his photo project aka our class: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chesterrod/5997338681/in/set-72157627206080347/ - and yes, that is someone asleep and/or unconcious in the bottom left corner there.

What can I say? Being a journalism student is tough work!

LECTURE #1 - TELLING FACTUAL STORIES (COURSE INTRODUCTION) with Bruce Redman

Lesson 1 – You have to love what you do and BE INTERESTED in the world!

I want to help improve the world we live in. I want a job where I can be creative and am able to use my brain. I want to be challenged. I want to communicate with people. I want to see the world. I want to do what I love, and love what I do.

I want to be a journalist.

The first lecture, “Telling Factual Stories” really helped to define what journalism means for me. It included a range of quotes from people whose passion I can only hope to equal throughout my journalism studies and was overall a great introduction to the course.  

The very first slide stimulated images in my mind about where an exciting career in journalism could lead - it consisted of a quote by journaliust and social critic,  H.L. Mencken:

“I know of no human being who has a better time than an eager and energetic young reporter”.

This lecture summarized the challenges faced by modern journalism/public communication in 4 main points:

1.       Technology (The suggested death of newspapers/increasing popularity of social media/Paywalls*)

2.       Public perception of Journos/PR

3.       User generated content/citizen journalists

4.       News as entertainment

As much as the face of modern journalism is changing I believe that people’s desire for growth, knowledge and to remain informed remains constant. Although old forms of communication may be dying, news is not.

Telling factual stories to me is the perfect definition of journalism. Lewis H. Lapham (Editor of Harper’s magazine) made the point that, “People expect too much of journalism. Not only do they expect it to be entertaining, they expect it to be true”. The audience wants to be entertained by news, but they also want to be told the truth. As a journalist I think that remaining unbiased and factual would be one of the hardest things to do, because let’s face it – everyone has an opinion. Regardless of personal opinion, journalists must write every piece not simply ‘based on a true story’ but they must write the true story. I think to be a successful journalist self-regulation and remaining honest is a must; otherwise what are we but great novelists? (or excellent PR reps…)

American publisher and editor, Henry R. Luce said, “I became a journalist to come as close as possible to the heart of the world”. I believe that through knowledge of the world and its people comes a better understanding. Journalists are the group who are at the forefront of humanities’ never ending search for knowledge and understanding.

This lecture has left me inspired and very much looking forward to what the next 4 years as a journalism student hold. To me journalism is truthful, informative, ethical, factual, engaging, and inspiring – put simply, it has the power to change the world.

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* Paywall - blocks access to a website with a screen requiring payment. Web sites that use them include some owned by media outlets in which readers subscribe online to access information.

Interesting article about implimentations of the paywall in Australia:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-18/news-ltd-to-go-behind-paywall/3577040 

Annotated Bibliography - "The Bali Boy"

Author Unknown. (2011, October 10). Aussie Teen Detained over Marijuana. The Bali Times. Retrieved from http://www.thebalitimes.com/2011/10/10/aussie-teen-detained-over-marijuana/ 

The source was retrieved from the online version of Balinese newspaper, ‘The Bali Times’. Unlike the other sources, the author is not identified and this compromises its reliability. The article discusses the arrest of a 14 year old Australian boy on drug charges in Indonesia and is written from an Indonesian perspective. Written in English, it cites direct quotes from various sources including Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, the boy’s lawyer Muhammad Rifan and a police spokesperson. This source differs critically from the others obtained in that it reveals the identity of the boy in question. Most major news sources in Australia have refrained from revealing the name of the boy. It also claims that the boy was arrested carrying 6.9grams of marijuana, while other sources claim he was in possession of a significantly smaller amount. It discusses the boy’s poor psychological evaluation but assures that he was being kept separate from other prisoners while being questioned by police. In contrast, other Australian sources claim that he was being detained with adults. It also mentions that the high priority of the case is due to the fact that in Indonesia minors are dealt with quickly and predicts that the boy could face a 12 year jail term. The article pointed out that children face the same courts in Indonesia as adult prisoners, but also noted that there is a separate children’s cell in Bali’s main Kerobokan prison. The source made no unsubstantiated claims, was factually based and used neutral language. Its credibility is improved due to the lack of emotive language and the wide range of sources cited. However, lack of knowledge about the author makes it impossible for the source to be deemed 100% reliable, balanced as it may appear. In comparison to other mediums, the report relied heavily upon quotes from its chosen sources and did not overly emphasise the emotional implications faced by the boy, unlike other media outlets.

Chambers, G. (2011, October 16). Teen’s Bali jail hell tipped to drag on. The Sunday Mail. Retrieved from http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/teens-bali-jail-hell-tipped-to-drag on/story-fn6ck51p-1226167484384 

Geoff Chambers, the author of this piece, has worked as a journalist for the ‘Gold Coast Bulletin’, the ‘Courier Mail’ and ‘The Daily Telegraph’. His previous journalistic experience and the reputation of the publication add to the reliability of the source. The short online article was written by Chambers for the 'Sunday Mail’ and provided a more specific update on the circumstances of the ‘Bali Boy’. It discussed the potentially harsher penalties being faced by the boy and gave a brief overview of the charges and expected outcomes of the case. The article, titled “Teen’s Bali jail hell tipped to drag on”, didn’t cite any direct informants, quoting only one nameless source. Much like other Australian sources, the author of the article showed sympathy for the boy’s situation. It was the first source to mention exactly what penalties the boy may be charged with. Much like the segment from breakfast TV show, “Sunrise”, the source suggested that rehabilitation as an option for punishment is present but very unlikely.  However, in contrast to the television report, this source states the amount of marijuana purchased by the accused to be “3.6 grams” as opposed to “almost 7 grams”. The source positioned the reader in favour of the boy, by using very emotive language and focusing mainly on the punishment of the Australian teenager and was written from an Australian perspective which affected the reliability of the source. The quality of the article was affected by the author’s obvious bias and by the fact that no named sources were cited. Overall the source was useful for a short overview of the developing situation of the boy in Bali but lacked depth and information from a variety of sources.

Reason, C. (Writer). (2011, October, 11). Bali drug boy: 14-year-old confident of avoiding long jail term [Television series episode]. Pell , M. (Executive Producer), Sunrise. Sydney, NSW: Seven Network. Retrieved from http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/-/watch/26875400/bali-boy-remains-behind-bars/ 

This source was retrieved online and is an excerpt from the Chanel 7 television breakfast show, “Sunrise”. The segment was by correspondent Chris Reason about the Australian boy being held in Bali on drug charges. Reason is a well-respected journalist with over 20 years of experience in television journalism which adds to the credibly of the source. The report explained in simple terms the court processes in Indonesia. It was straight forward and reasonably factual. At some stages however, it was quite speculative with Reason often injecting his personal opinion. Due to the “infotainment” format of breakfast TV this is to be expected and is appropriate for the target audience of the source. The report titled, “Bali Drug Boy: 14-year-old confident of avoiding long jail term”, focused on outcomes expected by the boy himself without citing any direct interviews with neither him nor his family. The segment did however cite two outside sources, lawyer Mohammed Rifan and Australia’s Indonesian Ambassador, Greg Moriarty, including one direct quote from the latter. Unlike the article in the “Bali Times” the 3 minute long video segment did not reveal the identity of the boy and used very emotive language. It contained only generic footage of police headquarters in Bali, busy streets, sunsets and even tourists shopping. The report was similar to the article in the ‘Bali Times’ in stating the amount of drugs found on the boy to have been “almost 7 grams”, contrary to the article in the  “Courier Mail”, stating it to have been “3.6 grams”. The report, told from an Australian perspective, also focused on the “sensitive” nature of the Indonesian government when it comes to interference in their judicial processess. Unlike other reports, the source related the boy’s situation to that of Shapelle Corby and the Bali 9. Overall, it was a relatively uninformative report, revealing no new evidence, using some emotive language and few outside sources.

Simons, M.  (2007). The Content Makers: Understanding the Media in Australia. Victoria, Australia. Penguin Group.

The author of this source, Margaret Simons, is a practicing freelance, investigative and feature journalist with over 30 years of experience in the field. Simons has written for newspapers such as ‘The Age’, ‘The Australian’ and ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’, and is currently working for popular online independent news site, ‘Crikey.com.au’ as a media commentator. Her award-winning journalistic experience coupled with the extensive citations and relevant primary sources used in this source adds to its credibility. This source would be very relevant for journalism, communication and/or media studies students as it contains relevant and useful material on the subject of modern media and professional communication. Simons delivers an easily understood and well-structured explanation of new media in Australia. ‘The Content Makers’ identifies the changes in ownership legislation, technology and journalistic practices, and explains what they mean for modern media. The book identifies and analyses the role of the major media organisations and the changing role of the audience. It also recognises the future challenges that will be faced by “the content providers” and questions the ultimate survival of big business in Australian media.  Simons uses descriptive language and relevant examples to illustrate her point. Overall, the source offers an insightful and intellectual look into the world of first hand journalism and national media and examines in depth the changing role of “the content makers” and their relevance to modern audiences.

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REFERENCES

 Author Unknown. (2011, October 10). Aussie Teen Detained over `Marijuana. The Bali Times. Retrieved from http://www.thebalitimes.com/2011/10/10/aussie-teen-detained-over-marijuana/

Chambers, G. (2011, October 16). Teen’s Bali jail hell tipped to drag on. The Sunday Mail. Retrieved from http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/teens-bali-jail-hell-tipped-to-drag on/story-fn6ck51p-1226167484384

 Reason, C. (Writer). (2011, October, 11). Bali drug boy: 14-year-old confident of avoiding long jail term [Television series episode]. Pell , M. (Executive Producer), Sunrise. Sydney, NSW: Seven Network.  Retrieved from http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/-/watch/26875400/bali-boy-remains-behind-bars/

Simons, M.  (2007). The Content Makers: Understanding the Media in  Australia. Victoria, Australia. Penguin Group.

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