Today our journalism tutor Jim Tucker started the class with “Well, we’re famous, maybe for all the wrong reasons” – kicking off an argument that lasted all morning.
He’d just been interviewed by RadioLive’s Marcus Lush over a poll he’d posted to Whitireia’s news website, NewsWire, asking readers “Which politician would you like to go to bed with?”
The poll went viral after conservative blogger David Farrar tweeted the link and posted it to his Facebook page, and soon the comments were flooding in.
Journalist and former ACT MP Deborah Coddington was furious. “I find that so bloody offensive. Is this what this country has come to? The people we vote for are nothing more than something to consider mating with?”
By this morning the sex poll story had only gotten bigger (ha ha) with coverage from RadioLive, Newstalk ZB and the New Zealand Herald.
Jim insisted that the poll was meant to show the superficial nature of political reporting, to get NewsWire some attention and to “have a bit of fun”. Half the class thought the whole thing was hilarious and couldn’t see why anyone was complaining.
Honestly, I can see the point of the exercise. In the age of Sarah Palin, it pays to be aware that some politicians will try to cash in on sex appeal to get votes; and journalists will cover these stories because they’re entertaining and get a lot of page hits.
And really, who doesn’t get a kick out of annoying Deborah Coddington?
Here’s the problem. Coddington is right.
It is exasperating that people are so quick to focus on politicians’ looks rather than the issues they stand for – especially for female MPs like Nikki Kaye and Jacinda Ardern, who put up with this kind of nonsense every day.
Should journalism students really be taught that inanity and casual sexism are “just the way it is” in the media and we may as well play along?
In response to the poll, freelance political reporter Sean Gillespie said, “These type of stories might be popular with some media now, but it’s sad to see journalism schools also being plagued by cheap infotainment-style journalism.”
I tend to agree. My starry-eyed dreams of changing the world will die a brutal death soon enough, but I’d at least like to work in a real newsroom before that happens.
Perhaps I’d be in a more jokey mood if we hadn’t done this right in the middle of our unit on “Reporting Diversity”, in which we learn about the importance of covering minority groups with respect and sensitivity.
Among the materials we’re studying is a diversity checklist from Associate Dean Arlene Morgan from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Here’s one of the questions journalists are urged to ask themselves:
“Does this story reach a depth of understanding about all of the nuances, characters and perspectives that the topic is covering? Does it really get into a deep core problem?”
In this case, I’d have to vote no.
He’d just been interviewed by RadioLive’s Marcus Lush over a poll he’d posted to Whitireia’s news website, NewsWire, asking readers “Which politician would you like to go to bed with?”
The poll went viral after conservative blogger David Farrar tweeted the link and posted it to his Facebook page, and soon the comments were flooding in.
Journalist and former ACT MP Deborah Coddington was furious. “I find that so bloody offensive. Is this what this country has come to? The people we vote for are nothing more than something to consider mating with?”
By this morning the sex poll story had only gotten bigger (ha ha) with coverage from RadioLive, Newstalk ZB and the New Zealand Herald.
Jim insisted that the poll was meant to show the superficial nature of political reporting, to get NewsWire some attention and to “have a bit of fun”. Half the class thought the whole thing was hilarious and couldn’t see why anyone was complaining.
Honestly, I can see the point of the exercise. In the age of Sarah Palin, it pays to be aware that some politicians will try to cash in on sex appeal to get votes; and journalists will cover these stories because they’re entertaining and get a lot of page hits.
And really, who doesn’t get a kick out of annoying Deborah Coddington?
Here’s the problem. Coddington is right.
It is exasperating that people are so quick to focus on politicians’ looks rather than the issues they stand for – especially for female MPs like Nikki Kaye and Jacinda Ardern, who put up with this kind of nonsense every day.
Should journalism students really be taught that inanity and casual sexism are “just the way it is” in the media and we may as well play along?
In response to the poll, freelance political reporter Sean Gillespie said, “These type of stories might be popular with some media now, but it’s sad to see journalism schools also being plagued by cheap infotainment-style journalism.”
I tend to agree. My starry-eyed dreams of changing the world will die a brutal death soon enough, but I’d at least like to work in a real newsroom before that happens.
Perhaps I’d be in a more jokey mood if we hadn’t done this right in the middle of our unit on “Reporting Diversity”, in which we learn about the importance of covering minority groups with respect and sensitivity.
Among the materials we’re studying is a diversity checklist from Associate Dean Arlene Morgan from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. Here’s one of the questions journalists are urged to ask themselves:
“Does this story reach a depth of understanding about all of the nuances, characters and perspectives that the topic is covering? Does it really get into a deep core problem?”
In this case, I’d have to vote no.
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