Thoughts on Journalists and the Media

A journalist and fellow blogger received some good career news and that has prompted me to write this:

For as long as I can remember I have had a fascination with the media and journalism. I guess this comes from seeing the media as having the ability to expose corruption, untruths and basically help the battlers in this world who don’t have a voice. If I had the opportunity to go to uni or even finish year 8, I probably would have chosen journalism as a career path .

For the 12 or so years of doing what I do, I have been involved a lot with media and met a lot of journalists, some I have become to know very well.

I have learned that there are some very good journo's out there but there are also some real shockers that wouldn't have a clue and couldn't care less. I have even seen a few that have been all to close to and protectfull of corporations, government, councils and the like. Some have been plain gutless and others just lazy. Some media organisations (to big and scary to name) have been/are still unsupportive of our plight, probably due to being all too close to some of the corporate giants in Kwinana... Sorry - I digress (I just can't help it hey!)...Honestly this post is not meant to be about bashing journalist's or the media so please stick with me... note to self - stay on track Steve.

Some Journo’s I have great respect for include Michael Southwell, Jan Mayman and John Flint, the best three investigative journalists I have known. Why are they the best? Because they actually cared, they cared about the injustice, they cared about the average battlers being trampled by multinational corporate giants and their own government. No wonder all three are Walkley award winners.

Speaking about those who actually care I must mention a local editor Yvonne, who has shown over many years, is another who actually cares.

Many local Journalists have come and gone. Some that come to mind are Kerry, Sarah-Jane, Rachel and Dave. We seem to lose the better ones.

To me, the saddest day in media was the day the WA Police raided the Sunday Times probably looking for info to link to whistle blowers. I admire whistle blowers, those who have the guts to fight the wrongs of our world.

All too often I wonder - just what makes the media tick? What makes a good media story? How does one write a media release that attracts interest? What actually are the media interested in? Why don't the stories that we think would be great, even get a look in? Why do the media print so much industry/government propaganda and fall for the spin? What ever happened to good investigative journalism?... Lots of questions hey.

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All these years later I am none the wiser, can any of my internets readers enlighten me? Or maybe this could prompt one or two post subjects from some of our Journalists in the blogocracy.