Confidence in the media has long been low, but can we really afford a society without truth and balance, asks Dr Johan Lidberg.
The Oxford Dictionaries recently coined ‘post-truth’ the 2016 word of the year. The definition according to Oxford Dictionaries is ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.’
This poses major challenges for journalism whose main currency is seeking to report as factually and truthfully as possible (there is of course no such thing as absolute truth as it depends on your initial point of view). If your audience is not prepared to listen to and consider facts, what is then the point in spending months on researching and uncovering hidden truths and facts? Read the full article in New Matilda.
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‘A government without newspapers’ – why we should care about the cuts at Fairfax
Marked based journalism is failing public interest journalism. It’s time for governments to consider how … Continue reading ‘A government without newspapers’ – why we should care about the cuts at Fairfax
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Trump supporters playing with nationalistic fire
Has nationalism combined with xenophobia ever brought the world anything good? The answer is no. … Continue reading Trump supporters playing with nationalistic fire
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New article – Suspect identified: revisiting naming practices in crime coverage
Australian Journalism Review – Vol 38 Issue 1 (Jul 2016) with Steve Lillebuen and Philip … Continue reading New article – Suspect identified: revisiting naming practices in crime coverage
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New article: Information access evolution: assessing Freedom of Information reforms in Australia
Australian Journalism Review – Vol 38 Issue 1 (Jul 2016) The past seven years have … Continue reading New article: Information access evolution: assessing Freedom of Information reforms in Australia
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Secrecy, Naru and Manus island
My take on our right to know what is done in our name in the … Continue reading Secrecy, Naru and Manus island
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UniPollWatch: Monash journalism and 27 other unis cover the 2016 election
More than 100 Monash journalism student reporters contributed to the coverage of the recent marathon … Continue reading UniPollWatch: Monash journalism and 27 other unis cover the 2016 election
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First Open Government Partnership National Action Plan for Australia
Monday April 11 saw a new chapter in Australian policy making. As part of Australia’s … Continue reading First Open Government Partnership National Action Plan for Australia
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New book on journalism, secrecy and surveillance
As a result of the first Monash journalism research round table in 2014 myself and … Continue reading New book on journalism, secrecy and surveillance
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Closing down FOI: a case study in sneaky government
My latest piece on the state of the federal freedom of information system is published … Continue reading Closing down FOI: a case study in sneaky government
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The global refugee crisis – will the EU and the world choose compassion or fear?
Images are powerful. They can shift the tide of history. The naked Vietnamese girl running … Continue reading The global refugee crisis – will the EU and the world choose compassion or fear?
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Summary of the financial journalism study in The Conversation
‘In the fallout of the 2008 global financial crisis, the financial media were criticised for … Continue reading Summary of the financial journalism study in The Conversation
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REPORTING THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS A longitudinal tri-nation study of mainstream financial journalism
My latest article in Journalism Studies with colleagues Sophie Knowles and Gail Phillips. Abstract: During … Continue reading REPORTING THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS A longitudinal tri-nation study of mainstream financial journalism