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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