Babble babble, rant and rattle

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Online Journalism 1

Hello! And so a new phase begins!

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Final NACAF thoughts

SUMMARY OF CLASS PRESENTATION:

1. Under-representation of religion
As outlined in my presentation, the issue of the absence of religious representation in the mainstream media of the U.S. and Australia was one which I thought was significant. This issue is one which is rather ironic and there is a huge implication for public awareness especially when a lot of our contemporary political discourses, debates or accusations (perhaps War even) are dominated by religious claims and religious sensibilities as we have been seeing quite often with the Culture War on Terror.

This was a huge contradiction between the American culture and its religious reportage as the article by Professor Stewart M. Hoover and Douglas K. Wagner, of the University of Colorado outlined in their article “Policy in American Broadcast Treatment of Religion”.

Similarly, Australian mainstream media lacks in this same area in comparison to the U.K’s The Guardian which included a specific religious reportage section on their online site. Our own ABC was probably the only one of the few media outlets which included a special area for religious reports but commercial television is where the majority of audiences group so it is a shame that while most major newspapers have at least one full-time religion writer, their output rarely makes it onto the front sections of their papers on a daily basis.

2. Christianity, the Media & Politics
However, one interesting issue lead to another chain of thought. With religion reportage, I found that it was primarily framed around the timing for eg. of a holiday, politics and what I would call modern mythological figures or if it involved conflict or scandals. It seemed that without the timing of a special event or holiday, the sex-abuse in the Roman Catholic Church or the consecration of a gay bishop or the banning of a controversial advertisement or an offensive work of art, religion barely made it on the news.

So what I mean by this can be highlighted by Christmas which coincided with our blogging phase. It seemed that around early December, you start seeing stories rolling in involving Christianity or the Church as many of the articles I found centred around. Throughout my blogging period as I noticed the prevalence of much reportage dedicated to issues relating to Christianity, scandals within the Catholic Church and more specifically, the Megachurch phenonmena in America which is an area I will look more into through my essay.

But perhaps what I find more interesting is that Christianity really only received coverage if there was political involvement or scandals.

3. Myths
Myths can be seen in our media with the many singsong images represented such as: "success in life is best measured by one's possessions" or "power or that happiness lies primarily in acquiring goods and services."

As I already outlined, the Megachurch is a religious concept which has received much coverage in the media today. Check out the website:

Megachurch Here

Megachurches have grasped onto the power of images, with massive spending in the millions on technology and television programs to promote their message. I think the website pretty much sums up the image which they are portraying so what you might see as modern-day super heroes with the economic power as represented in the technology they can afford which then become regurgitated in the mainstream media. If not, then there's the private television programs which promote their messages.

4. And last but not least...

Last but not least, the minority religions. It seems the only kind of stories which involve a religion other than mainstream Christianity is the pot-luck one-off novelty event. Stories such as monks given a special corner in shopping centres as the Sydney Morning Herald featured in its “unusual but true” section. Or more recently, the media coverage both Australia and the UK ran on National Voodoo Day held in Benin. Again, only marked by a special event.

However, it seems the media gets rustic in their skills with topics that don’t feature so often as seen by the accuracy errors in reporting the statistics of the population. The BBC reported 60% of the Benin population following Voodooism and then overnight this is bumped up to 65%.

And then also the topic of using public opinion with their calling from readers to enter a forum on what they thought about Voodooism. And of course, most were anti-Voodoo. How do these tools propagate ideological beliefs?

I guess to sum it up, Marcus made a great observation during the presentation which was something along the lines of: "You can knock most minorities; the gays and the lesbians [...] but if you knock the Jews, you've got the media at your back."

ESSAY PROPOSAL:

Question
"Discuss how representations of Christianity have transcended through the media and assess the influences circulating the flow of media in this religious area politically, economically and culturally.

In the essay, assess the power of ideology and whether it can be framed by the existence of myths through the use of images and symbols within these representations. What are the implications which journalists may face under the ethical codes of practice?"

As word limits are a constraint on the breadth of analysis we can make, dimensions must be specific. I understand that religion is a huge topic within itself. Therefore, I would like to restrict my essay to time, place and focus.

I will only be observing the media content between the years of 2000-2006 and only in Australian and American mainstream media (and perhaps other sources if appropriate). As for focus, my religious orientation will point towards the media's representations of Christianity which is a huge conglomerate however more specifically, the Megachurch phenonmenon is an area which will be used as a case study.

I found that to answer the areas relating to myths and the power of images, Bird and Dardenne's 'Myth, Chronicle and Story: Exploring the Narrative Qualities of News' will provide me with a starting point in breaking down the way news is driven by a narrative mould and how these qualities help to orchestrate the telling of the story. Of course, in order to analyse the Megachurch, it must be properly understood so therefore Thurman's 'Exploring the Megachurch Phenomena: their characteristics and cultural context', would be a great starting point in my research of the area and the theoretical explanations which previous academics have discovered or thought about.

Another article worth mentioning is probably Street's 'Celebrity Politicians: Popular Culture and political representations', which provides a thought provoking take on the mannerisms of how politics and the media intertwine. What's more interesting is Street's proposal of a popular culture which guides politicians as celebrities into what we view in the media today which I thought would be very relevant in my research on how politics is usually the force which comes along with the Christian reports I came across during my blogging.

BIBLIOGRAPHY IN PROGRESS:

Waldman, S. (2005), 'Seven Myths about Faith & Politics', Beliefnet.com, viewed on 27th January, 2005 HERE.

Waldman breaks down seven common myths which are often associated with evangelicals, Catholics and seculars. The article claims how many people, especially secular liberals, misunderstand the nature of religion in politics which he claims to be ever shifting. Using statistical information, academic opinions and analytical relationship building, it breaks down the common misconceptions which are often associated in American religious groups and politics such as how in 2000, at least 10 million white "evangelical Christians" voted for Gore. As the essay will be touching on both these essential areas, it is a good source of stimulation to avoid misconceptions which I might associate with the politics of the U.s.

Bird, S.E and Dardenne, R.W. 'Myth, Chronicle and Story: Exploring the Narrative Qualities of News' in Berkowitz, D. (ed) 1997: Social Meanings of News, Sage.

Dardenne and Bird argue how one of the biggest components of any myth, the hero and villain is also prevalent in the news stories of our media, ie. in every news piece there must be a hero and a villain. With religion in the media this article explores the popular culture of this realm, with a special emphasis on audience response and the role of the media in everyday culture. The theory of the villain and hero can be traced to the religious reports where mainstream Christian groups is seen as the Good and minority religions are depicted as the Other, and in some cases; the villains. This is interesting in our supposed secular society. Bird and Dardenne's article will provide a great theoretical insight into analysing the media's representation on various Christian groups and their relationship with our society's cultures.

Curran, James, 2002, Media and Power, London: Routledge.

Media and Power addresses the three key questions about the relationship between media and society which is highly relevant as religion is an important aspect of any culture. These are important questions which need to be answered such as: How much power do the media have? Who really controls the media? What is the relationship between media and power in society? Curran's book promises to review the different answers which have been given, before advancing original interpretations in a series of essays. I will be focusing more on the first part of the book which include the first three chapters: 1. Rival Narratives of Media History. 2. New Media and Power. 3. Capitalism and Control of the Press which I find to be a valuable source for information on the various historical accounts of the media and its power in a capitalistic society in order to gain insight into its influence in developing our society.

Hoover, M., S., 1998, 'Religion, Media, and The Cultural Center of Gravity' viewed on 25th January, 2005 HERE

Hoover's article presents a theory, that the whole cultural centre of gravity has now shifted. He argues thatwWhat was once easily understood as a line between private and public has been or is being erased as a result of forces at work in contemporary religion and contemporary media and as a result of this, what has emerged in place of the original dualism between the private and the public, between the religious and the secular, and between the sacred and the profane, is a less definite space where those distinctions exist in state liquidity. The article I thought presented an interesting theory which really does alleviate my frustration in trying to determine what really is the relationship going on between religion and the media - which was so difficult to figure out. I guess by describing it as being similar to water helped.

Street, John, 2004, 'Celebrity Politicians: Popular Culture and political representations', British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Vol 6, Number 4, 2004.

Celebrity politicians emerging in the news has become somewhat normal. Street's article talks about the mingling of politicians who gain "celebrity status" through appearances in our media and posits that perhaps political ventures into the world of popular culture is a part of the complex manner in which political representation functions in our modern world. Street provides a comprehensive slice of the various key features of what a celebrity politician entails.

Thurman, S, 1993 'Exploring the Megachurch Phenomena: their characteristics and cultural context', Hartford Institute for Religious Research, viewed on 27th January, 2005 HERE

Thurman's a PhD at the Hartford Insitute of Religious Research and the article basically broke down the characteristics of what constituted a megachurch and also drew on various examples, including Willow Creek, one of the megachurches in America. It looks at the megachurch as a new phenonmenon and tracks down the history of how it spawned but more importantly, Thurman relates the megachurch to American culture and society - where does it fit in? This is a good source of information to better my understanding of the megachurch which is essential for background research before I can piece it into the puzzle.

Public Conference: 'Myths of the Modern Mega-Church' held by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Viewed on 23rd January, 2005 at the online transcript.

The final source on the list is a public conference which was held by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life in Florida. The guests included Rick Warren, Senior Pastor and Founder of Saddleback Church in Orange County. The forum allowed the voices from the megachurch leaders' opinions and views and of course, their retaliation of media stereotyping of what their organisations were about.

Friday, January 13, 2006

How Un-Christian! Pt. 2

A follow-up from my previous post on Pat Robertson's statements in regards to the stroke of Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon. In an article by The Guardian, Robertson has said he is sorry:

Mr Robertson said his remarks derived from his "concern for the future safety of your nation". But he admitted they were insensitive "in light of a national grief experienced because of your father's illness".

CNN, USATODAY and BBC also ran the story well with greater detail including not only comments from Israel's defiant stance but extensive insights into the prospective future of Mr Robertson with the proposed Christian Heritage Centre (which the BBC interestingly labelled a "theme park", expected to bring in tourists) on the land of the Sea of Galilee, where according to the Bible, Jesus taught and lived.

And it is an amusing incident because perhaps the irony behind this exclusion is that Robertson was the preacher who helped define television ministries. Surprise, surprise, the planned complex is to include studios and satellite links for live broadcasts from the Holy Land.

The only question I'm wondering now is - will Mr Robertson bring his apology to his next confession with God? He seemed quite confident when sourcing God and the Bible when making the comments. As BBC calls it, "slurs" which CNN sums up in its first paragraph: "Pat Robertson's mouth has cost him his piece of the Holy Land." Definitely. I wonder if he was drunk, similarly to the political slur scandal of Bob Carr's wife being labelled a mail-order-bride?

It seems politics seems to be the stronger force in comparison. Religious groups tend to aim for the separation from the State, however, when involving oneself with the Media, politics comes into play and as Mr Robertson has probably learnt, the forces blowing for political etiquette are still very powerful and a skill he has yet to master.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Voodoo magic in the Media

Dancing on a beach in Ouidah, Benin.

Here's a breath of something different. Voodoo, a religion rarely heard of or reported in our media.

On the eve of annual voodoo festival in Benin, the BBC provides a reader forum exploring whether voodoo is good or evil, giving a brief indication of what the religion entails, statistic-wise ie. 60% of the Benin population (seven million people) practicing the religion. Unsurprisingly, the responses are derived from mostly those who don't believe in voodoo.

And then comes National Voodoo Day with the BBC again covering the event. However, what's interesting is that the statistics have increased by 5% overnight. Now 5% on the seven million is quite a significant increase. Apart from that little discrepancy, the story seems to come off as open minded, attempting to break away misconceptions of the religion:

"There is little resembling the popular Western imagination on show - no dolls with pins stuck in them and certainly no zombie-like creatures lumbering around," described the BBC's James Copnall, who is at the festival.

"Instead there were speeches praising the religion, emphasising the positive impact it has on people's lives."

Locally, our Sydney Morning Herald has embraced this new gust of wind also.

Thousands in Ouidah, Benin.

So eagerly have they embraced that there were two almost identical stories covered both on the 11th and 12th of January about the event. Strange indeed.

Two media outlets from opposite ends of the globe, one topic and already two strange occurrences. One with a statistical increase, another publishing the exact same story twice over two days, only with different images and headlines. Did anyone say voodoo magic?

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Evolution Week

Once again the issue of "literal Bible interpretation" is touched upon and this time it is during the Charles Darwin Evolution Week which brought much coverage on the BBC with a range of articles covering the anniversary of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. Why would this touch upon the area of religion? Well, as the Sydney Morning Herald puts it:

IT IS an anniversary that will not be celebrated by those who believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible. [...] 23 years after arriving on the Beagle he published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, which contradicted the Bible's account that God created the Earth and all its plants and animals in six days.

Creating much controversy amongst Bible-huggers, Darwin continues to create headlines today.

Jamieson Valley

The SMH dealt with this story cautiously, treading lightly with sensitivity to its possible Christian audience. It seems to be pro-Darwin in its tone, however, careful not to upset Christians with too much promotion as seen through the choice of using Professor Nicholas, a University of Sydney professor of animal genetics as a current voice.

"Darwin never set out to wreak havoc with Christian beliefs," he said. "His intention when he started on the voyage was to become a minister of religion. The great irony is that one of the major occupations of men of the cloth in the 19th century was going out and making natural history collections. They were showing the power of the creator in all these numbers of species.

"The only difference [with Darwin] was that he asked questions. The more he looked the more he realised God's creations didn't fit into neat little boxes. He realised the Bible wasn't a textbook for biology.

"Those people wishing to have a literal interpretation of the Bible, they are always going to have trouble [with Darwin's theories]. What scientists have to do is try to reach as much common ground with other views as they can."

The BBC continued various stories related to Darwin, such as his former home being labelled a World Heritage site and Education sections dedicated to the man and his theories. I found the Darwin debate rather interesting also.

These articles all imply one thing - we cannot take everything for face value, whether it is in the Media, or from religious powerhouses such as the Bible. The message is for all to question things around us and it seems the tonal slant is pro-non-literal interpretation of the Holy Book.