The Fourth Estate

Christianity on the box

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 10:21:00 GMT

How has Christianity gone from a government-enforced requirement on Australian television to the 4am American televangelists we have now?

The Fourth Estate speaks to Dr Peter Horsfield, an Associate Professor in RMIT's Communications Department and an expert on religion and the media.

The Fourth Estate - 4th June

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 10:20:00 GMT

This week on the Fourth Estate, we break down misconceptions about the way Australians use pronography and we speak to the CEO of a new national indigenous broadcaster, NITV.

New porn study

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 09:42:00 GMT

A new study on pornography in Australia has unearthed some interesting findings that break many stereotypes.

Shamin Fernando speaks to Cath Albury, a researcher in Media and Communications at Sydney University, about the research.

National Indigenous Television

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 09:25:00 GMT

Next month a new national Indigenous television service will begin, initially on the Imparja channel and then later on pay tv.

The Fourth Estate speaks to the CEO of NITV Pat Turner, about what the service aims to achieve.

The Fourth Estate - 21st May

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 08:51:00 GMT

This week on the Fourth Estate, we look at objectivity in documentary making with a focus on a new docmentary critical of Michael Moore, and we look at the challenges faced by community television.

Community television's challenging future

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 08:46:00 GMT

As we move closer towards digital broadcasting, community television providers face a range of financial challenges that could make them extinct.

Peter Lane, the Chairman of C31 in Melbourne, speaks to the Fourth Estate.

Documentary objectivity

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 03:03:00 GMT

As Michael Moore's new film Sicko nears its release, the Fourth Estate looks at the problem of objectivity in documentary filmaking. A new anti-Michael Moore documentary has also just been made, called Manufacturing Dissent, and Shamin Fernando talks to Alec Morgan, lecturer in Film Studies at Macquarie University, about objectivity.

The Fourth Estate - 14th May

Mon, 14 May 2007 05:28:00 GMT

This week on the Fourth Estate, we find out why the media is uniting for free speech, we look at a campaign to include ordinary people in the election, we examine Apple's green credentials and we discuss community radio's digital future.

Media unite for free speech

Mon, 14 May 2007 05:15:00 GMT

Last week representatives of the mainstream media joined to together to launch a campaign against increasing restrictions on free speech.
The heads of News Limited, Farifax, the ABC, Free TV Australia and Commercial radio ceased their regular hostilities to highlight what they say are increasing limits on their ability to report.
The issues of concern include ineffective Freedom of Information laws, increasing numbers of court suppression orders and restrictive counter-terrorism laws.

The Fourth Estate speaks to Greg Baxter, Head of Corporate Affairs for News Limited, about what he hopes the campaign will achieve.

Citizens on the box

Mon, 14 May 2007 03:10:00 GMT

Ordinary citizens are being encouraged to make 30-second political ads for the upcoming election, as part of a campaign by lobby group GetUp.
The aim is for people to make ads about their ideas or thoughts on political issues, and the ads will be broadcast on television and YouTube.

Shamin Fernando speaks to Dr Linda Leung, from the Institute of Interactive Learning at UTS, about wheather the idea has merit.

Apple going green?

Mon, 14 May 2007 02:50:00 GMT

Computer and ipod manufacturer Apple recently proclaimed their company was a lot greener than environmentalists gave it credit for.
The statement they released boasted of eliminating dangerous chemicals from their products and having a substantial recycling program. It's the latter that is still contentious.

James Massola is the Assistant Editor of e-zine Eureka Street and has been examining Apple's green credentials. He speaks to the Fourth Estate.

Community radio's digital future

Mon, 14 May 2007 02:38:00 GMT

The recent federal budget delivered $10.1 million for community radio to upgrade to digital broadcasting.

In the same week, the government passed legislation allowing the roll-out of digital radio to commence in 2009.
The Fourth Estate speaks to Barry Melville, Managing Director of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia, about what it all means for the community broadcasting sector.

The Fourth Estate - 7th May

Mon, 7 May 2007 02:43:00 GMT

This week on the Fourth Estate, we ask is the media taking sides in this year's election? And we look at freedom of speech for bloggers in Egypt.

The media taking sides?

Mon, 7 May 2007 02:27:00 GMT

As the election draws nearer, the role the media plays becomes more important.

Since the Labor Party's National Conference, the News Ltd papers have been strongly presenting the business community's criticism of Labor's Industrial Relations, whereas the headlines from rival Farifax have been less critical.

So are the big paper publishers playing favourties?

Crikey.com.au's Christian Kerr speaks to the Fourth Estate.

Blogging restrictions in Egypt

Mon, 7 May 2007 02:17:00 GMT

Sand monkey is both a derogatory term for Arabs and also the name of a popular Eqyptian blogger who recently has thrown it all in.

The Sand Monkey, as he called himself, was well renown for his biting political commentary in Eqypt.

But he says pressure from the Eqyptian government has forced him away from blogging.

Shamin Fernando speaks to Adrian Miles, a New Media Lecturer at RMIT in Melbourne, about the freedom of speech in the blogosphere.

The Fourth Estate - 30th April

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 05:04:00 GMT

This week on the Fourth Estate, we look at what EMI's decision to abandon copyright protection software means for music fans, we examine the enduring appeal of the cover song and we talk to one of the groups backing Turn off your tv week.

EMI unlocks its music

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 03:45:00 GMT

Major record label EMI has recently declared it will offer its music online without anti-piracy software.
This unexpected announcement means that consumers can now download EMI artists' songs and play them on any mp3 player they want.
Previously, the file format of the songs would have been coded in a way that would limit the songs to Apple iPod players only.
The Fourth Estate speaks to Steve Collins, a lecturer in Media at Macquarie University about the implications of EMI's announcement.

Cover songs

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 03:16:00 GMT

Cover versions of songs continue to thrive, despite their blatent lack of creativity.

So why do people continue to embrace them, and why do record companies continue to produce them?

Music writer Liz Guiffre wrote her thesis at Macquarie Universityon on cover songs, called 'Even better than the real thing'.

Shamin Fernando spoke to her for the Fourth Estate.

Turn off your TV week

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 02:13:00 GMT

International Turn off your TV week has just passed and Jane Roberts, President of Young Media Australia, talks about why young people have been encouraged to switch off.

Roje Adaimy speaks to her for the Fourth Estate.

The Fourth Estate - 23rd April

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 01:38:00 GMT

This week on the Fourth Estate, we chat to one of the authors of the new book 'Remaking Media', we examine the ethics of tv networks disclosing PR materials, and we have a look at the changes in store for the Vietnamese press.

Remaking media

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:58:00 GMT

The potential for grassroots political activism to impact on the mainstream media is the subject of a new book by Canadian academics Robert Hackett and William Carroll.
Called âRemaking Media: The Struggle to Democratize Public Communicationâ, the premise is the existence of a massive âdemocratic deficitâ in the field of public communication.

Shamin Fernando spoke to one of the authors, Bob Hackett, Professor of Communications at Simon Fraser University in Canada about the democratic deficit that exists in the global media environment.

PR and journalistic integrity

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:21:00 GMT

Australian academic Peter Simmons of Charles Sturt University has recently carried out research on the use of video news releases by US TV networks. Video news releases are pre-packaged news stories that TV networks can run on their news bulletins.
Peter Simmons talks to the Fourth Estate about the attitudes of the Public Relations (PR) industry, the media and the ethical issues involved in disclosing the source of PR material.

Journalism in Vietnam

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:08:00 GMT

Recent reforms have allowed journalists in Vietnam to cover a broader range of social and economic issues than they previously could under tight government control. On top of that, just recently the country has become a member of the World Trade Organisation, meaning big changes in store for the Vietnamese press.

Dr Richard Stanton, a lecturer at the University of Sydney, recently went to Vietnam for two weeks, training print and broadcast journalists in Hanoi and Saigon.

2SER's Margaret Tran spoke to him about the differences between Australian and Vietnamese journalism.

The Fourth Estate - 16th April

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 00:46:00 GMT

This week on the Fourth Estate we discuss the recent shake up in the Sydney local paper business, we look at how political parties will embrace new media ahead of this year's election and we introduce you to Ms Dewey - a sassy, wise-cracking search engine!

Shake up in the local paper business

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 00:06:00 GMT

There's been a recent shake-up in Sydney's local newspaper industry with News Ltd acquiring eleven titles from the Federal Publishing Company (FPC).

While the acquisition has only just happened, some people are concerned about the implications for media diversity in the long term. Lawrence Gibbons is one such person. He's the publisher of the Alternative Media Group, who produce three titles - The City News, The City Hub and the Bondi View. He spoke to the Fourth Estate about the recent shake-up. We also hear from News Ltd's Greg Baxter about the takeover.

New media, new politics

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 23:45:00 GMT

The internet has been used as a tool for political activism since its inception. Now, after many years, the politicians are catching up.

In the last few years, political parties have embraced video sharing sites and blogs as they try to reach voters in new ways.

With the unofficial federal election campaign under way, Eleanor Bell spoke to Tom Dawkins, founder of youth media portal Vibewire.net, Dr Richard Stanton, Media Lecturer at Sydney Univesity and Mathew Arnison, co-founder of Indymedia.

Introducing the anti-google: Ms Dewey

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 23:16:00 GMT

Ms Dewey is a sassy, wisecracking woman who shouts at you, throws rubber bands at you and generally gives your web-browsing experience a bit of spark.

She's the creation of a Microsoft viral marketing campaign, and bears all the hallmarks of viral marketing including the embrace of new technology and a buzz-worthy gimmick.

But not all viral campaigns are so successful, with some, like the recent Coke Zero campaign, being criticised for being covert and patronising.

Shamin Fernando speaks to Daniel Stein, CEO of marketing agency EVB in San Francisco, the creators of Ms Dewey.

The Fourth Estate - 2nd April

Wed, 4 Apr 2007 09:50:00 GMT

This week on the Fourth Estate, we examine the pros and cons of being a freelance journalist, we find out about terrorist attacks in the virtual world, and we discover that MySpace is for more than just finding friends.

Freelancing - The Pros and Cons

Tue, 3 Apr 2007 23:12:00 GMT

In journalism, there are two options. You can work for someone else, or you can work for yourself. For those who choose the latter, there are many advantages to freelancing, such as setting your own hours and choosing the topics you write about.
However there are many challenges that go along with it, including a stigma within the industry and an abundance of people who write for free, making it harder for those who make a living from it.

Last weekend the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance held their annual Freelance convention in Manly. The Fourth Estate caught up with two of the speakers, journalists Alison Aphrys and Sharon Mascall.

Terrorist attacks in Second Life

Tue, 3 Apr 2007 22:42:00 GMT

The popular virtual world community Second Life has recently experiened its first terrorist attacks.
Within the virtual world, citizens have many freedoms, but some have used them to try and disrupt the system.

Iain Andersen is a web designer, animator and blogger who also lectures at the Queensland University of Technology in Creative Industries. He spoke to Shamin Fernando about whether in Second Life, your actions have consequences.

MySpace for romance?

Tue, 3 Apr 2007 22:17:00 GMT

Move over dating sites, MySpace is becoming a place to be more than just friends.

The social networking site, which Rupert Murdoch's News Corp puchased for $629 million last year, has long been popular for people keeping in touch and expanding their network. But now some are finding it the perfect place to look for love. Juliette Obrien reports.

The Fourth Estate - 26th March

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 02:27:00 GMT

This week on the Fourth Estate, we review Labor's high-speed broadband plan, we look at the media's coverage of Schapelle Corby, and we examine the good and bad aspects of talkback radio.

A faster future - reviewing Labor's broadband plan

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:56:00 GMT

Kevin Rudd announced Labor's plan to invest $4.7 billion towards building a faster broandband network last week. This comes as Telstra and the government continue to try to work through a regulatory impasse that has the Telco provider's planned fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network on hold.

With Australia trailing most of the developed world in broadband speed and take-up, the plan has been hailed by both Telco providers and commentators as good policy.

But critics say the public purse shouldn't be used for building infrastructure that will end up in private hands.

The Fourth Estate spoke to Rosemary Sinclair, from the Australian Telecommunications Users Group, Paul Budde, an independent telcommunications analyst, and Joshua Gans, a Professor of Economics at the Melbourne Business School.

Schapelle Corby - The media construction

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:32:00 GMT

The saga of Schapelle Corby has been played out at every stage through the nation's media. According to Dr Anthony Lambert, Cultural Studies lecturer at Macquarie University, Corby has come to be associated with several key ideas to do with women, Australian nationhood and an environment of terror.

Shamin Fernando spoke to Anthony Lambert about the media construction of Schapelle.

The 'kings of the airwaves' - evaluating Talkback

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:18:00 GMT

The 'kings of the airwaves', the shockjocks, have been the subject of a four year study by Queensland academic Graeme Turner.

Turner is a Cultural Studies Professor at Queensland University and the Director of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies. Along with some other colleagues, he has delved into the medium that has been part of Australia since the 1930s!

The Fourth Estate - 19th March

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:12:00 GMT

This week on the Fourth Estate, we look at how torture on tv is affecting soldiers in the field, we look at whether the broadcast era is over and we talk peace journalism with the new head of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Jake Lynch.

Prime time torture

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 23:47:00 GMT

It's one of the most popular shows on American television, and despite it's late timeslot, '24' also pulls a decent following here on Wednesday nights.
But the show's all-American counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer is not a good role model, according to human rights groups.

Beauer's methods for getting information, whether its shooting a guy in the leg, stabbing him, or injecting him with pain-inducing chemicals, are encouraging soldiers in the field to copy him, they argue. They're not alone â the US military has shown concern as well.

David Danzig is the coordinator of the Prime Time Torture campaign, being run through the Human Rights First group, and The Fourth Estate spoke to him from New York.

The broadcast era over?

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 23:18:00 GMT

âTV is stuck in the 20th Century and the broadcast era is overâ, claimed Macquarie University academics Graham Meikle and Sherman Young in a recent Sydney newspaper article.

Because of sites like Myspace, Youtube and Wikipedia, audiences are now actively creating blogs, posting comments and making their own videos, instead of passively 'veging' out, they argued.

But is this opinion exaggerated? Are major TV networks really shaking in their boots about the advent of new media?

Shamin Fernando spoke to Dr Brett Hutchins, Lecturer in Communications and Media Studies at Monash University about whether the broadcast era is over.

Peace journalism â Jake Lynch

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 22:39:00 GMT

Jake Lynch is a former print and broadcast journalist of twenty years, who has reported extensively on conflicts from the Middle East to the Philipines.

He comes to his new post as Director of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at Sydney University as a strong advocate of the approach to conflict reporting known as 'peace journalism'.

The Fourth Estate spoke to him about what this idea means and how he came to embrace it.

The Fourth Estate - 12th March

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:35:00 GMT

This week on the Fourth Estate, we look at the dangers of being a critical journalist in Russia; we talk tv piracy and we delve into the world of online female avatars!

Russian press freedom - The death of Ivan Safronov

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:34:00 GMT

The state of Russia's democracy under Vladimir Putin continues to worry Western observers for the secrecy that surrounds government activity. If the Russian media is anything to go by, there's good reason to be concerned.
Just over a week ago, newspaper reporter Ivan Safronov, who wrote about military issues for the newspaper Kommersant, fell from his fith floor apartment. His death has raised suspicions because of the sensitive story he was trying to publish.

Nina Ognianova, program coordinator for Europe and Central Asia for the Committee to Protect Journalists, discusses the state of the Russian media and Robert Pinder, Director of the International News Safety Institute, discusses a new report highlighting the dangers faced by journalists.

TV piracy

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:32:00 GMT

If you like your telly but you just don't have the patience to wait for your favourite shows to be screened, you might find the internet a better alternative. More and more Australians are pirating their favourite shows through peer to peer and torrent programs.

Alex Malik, a technology lawyer and researcher, has been carrying out research into TV piracy, and he tells Bill Birtles that the TV networks are to blame.

Female avatars

Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:30:00 GMT

The virtual world of the internet in its early years was first considered a domain dominated by young, nerdy white males. In chatrooms and games, if women were present at all, they were often represented in the form of avatars, whose bodies took the form of Lara Croft-type figures.

A new online art project, called the world of online avatars, seeks to investigate the relationship between women and their bodies.

Shamin Fernando speaks to Dr Natalya Lusty, of the Department of Gender and Cultural Studies at Sydney University.

The Fourth Estate

<B>Christianity on the box</B>

<FONT COLOR="#000000"><B>The Fourth Estate - 4th June</B></FONT>

<B>New porn study</B>

<B>National Indigenous Television</B>

<FONT COLOR="#000000"><B>The Fourth Estate - 21st May</B></FONT>

<B>Community television's challenging future</B>

<B>Documentary objectivity</B>

<FONT COLOR="#000000"><B>The Fourth Estate - 14th May</B></FONT>

<B>Media unite for free speech</B>

<B>Citizens on the box</B>

<B>Apple going green?</B>

<B>Community radio's digital future</B>

<FONT COLOR="#000000"><B>The Fourth Estate - 7th May</B></FONT>

<B> The media taking sides?</B>

<B>Blogging restrictions in Egypt</B>

<FONT COLOR="#000000"><B>The Fourth Estate - 30th April</B></FONT>

<B>EMI unlocks its music</B>

<B>Cover songs</B>

<B>Turn off your TV week</B>

<FONT COLOR="#000000"><B>The Fourth Estate - 23rd April</B></FONT>

<B>Remaking media</B>

<B>PR and journalistic integrity</B>

<B>Journalism in Vietnam</B>

<FONT COLOR="#000000"><B>The Fourth Estate - 16th April</B></FONT>

Shake up in the local paper business

New media, new politics

Introducing the anti-google: Ms Dewey

<FONT COLOR="#000000"><B>The Fourth Estate - 2nd April</B></FONT>

Freelancing - The Pros and Cons

Terrorist attacks in Second Life

MySpace for romance?

<FONT COLOR="#000000"><B>The Fourth Estate - 26th March</B></FONT>

<B>A faster future - reviewing Labor's broadband plan</B>

<B>Schapelle Corby - The media construction</B>

<B>The 'kings of the airwaves' - evaluating Talkback</B>