Monday 16 January Journalism as Decision Making
10.00-10.30: SBS Documentary Series Fine Line Episode Four: how far do you go”?
Episode Four considers how frontline news photographers answer the question “how far do you go”? We follow two photographers on a tense but entertaining assignment: covering the funeral of a Sydney underworld identity. We hear stories from those who made agonising ethical decisions about what images to publish following the September 11th terrorist attacks ABC Radio’s current affairs reporter Rafael Epstein re-examines his decision to report a horrifying, unsubstantiated story during the East Timor crisis of 1999. This is followed by a brief profile of Derryn Hinch, a journalist who has gone to jail for transgressing what are considered the decent bounds of journalism. Here we learn what motivates Hinch, in an interview which challenges the audience to re-consider his journalism.
Interviewees: Glenn Campbell, The Australian; Nathan Edwards, The Daily Telegraph; Greg Newington, Fairfax Business Publications; Rafael Epstein, ABC Radio; Derryn Hinch, Radio 3AW Melbourne.
10.30-11.00:Discussion
11.00-11.30: Journalism as decision-making
11.30-12.00: Morning Tea
12.00-1.00: Class Presentations
1.00-2.00: Lunch
2.00-3.30: Class Presentations
3.30-4.00: Afternoon Tea
4.00-4.30: Fine Line Episode Asking the hard questions
Episode Two considers the question: Does it matter whether journalists are objective in their interviews? We take the audience to the offices, control room and set of ABC TV’s 7.30 Report with presenter Kerry O’Brien. We also hear prominent interviewers, Maxine McKew, Sydney ABC Radio’s Sally Loane and the director Ellen Fanning talk frankly about interviews in which they “crossed the line” and broke the rules which govern such engagements. We also consider whether objectivity is in the eye of the beholder: whether the audience is sometimes wrong when they perceive bias in an interview. Our case study is a notorious interview during the “Children Overboard” affair. The journalist, ABC Radio’s Virginia Trioli, did everything right – but was judged harshly by an audience, who condemned her professional scepticism about the incident.
Interviewees: Maxine McKew; Virginia Trioli; Kerry O’Brien; Sally Loane.
4.30-5.00: Discussion
