Friday, March 13, 2009
My first Interview in IsiXhosa
To start off, I have never appreciated the fact that my mother tongue is the main medium of the media in the world we live in today. The look on Vuyokazi's face when we told her we were going to interview her in her mother tongue was amazing, one I will never forget. Despite that, the translated version from IsiXhosa to English is very different to the way English is usually spoken. I had difficulty coming to terms with this aspect, and that it is O.K to broadcast the English version spoken in such a way. The simple English, ironically seemed harder to say as it was not 'the norm' to speak like that in English, however it has worked out well. As long as you have a translator I have noticed it is surprisingly easy to broadcast a story in English that has been spoken in IsiXhosa, it also paints the picture of the story better in ones mind.
My Personel Philosophy
1) What is the nature of the community within which you will be operating as an online journalist?
One thing I have noticed about this tiny town, is that demographically it is not that small. There is a whole series of communities concentrated in one area. On the Grahamstown tour we were shown the racial divide within each suburb. Not only in race but in class, stereotypically you have the middle-to upper class students living on Rhodes Campus, the middle classed families in close proximity to Rhodes, where schools such as St Andrews and Graeme College can be found. And then there is the lower class, poverty stricken location on the complete opposite side of campus. In the industry of journalism one must realise these differing areas have differing interests, and trying to satisfy all these interests at once is an almost impossible tasks. Therefore the stories presented this year may be specific to one demographic society, and one needs to carefully watch how these stories are worded as any group could find them in any way offensive- this is the last thing one wants to do as a journalist.
2) What is your position on objectivity as an audio journalist operating in the small town of Grahamstown?
In light of what I have said above, I feel that, especially in a place like Grahamstown objectivity should be attempted. Due to the fact that there are so many detached minorities, there will be many stories that have 'two sides" as the saying goes. We need to report on both sides and leave it up to the listener to decide which one to take. This is easier said than done however. Yes there are times where we should voice our own opinion, or maybe lean to the subjective side, but this could be done in stories that are representing one's view, and is emphasized that it is doing just this. As can be seen by the Municipal Demarcation Board there are more unemployed than employed people within Grahamstown, therefore there will be a lot of stories written due to the effects of poverty. These stories could be one sided where they are seen through the eyes of the actor, instead of the narrator;the journalist.
3) What kinds of stories do you think should be told in this town, how would you treat these stories and why would you say it would be important to report on them in this way?
As mentioned before this town has many differing interests, however, the stories that need to be told are those that will affect the majority, whether its politically, economically or even those stories that will touch the heart. Humans are very selfish creatures and will only listen to what directly effects them. This is a very difficult task to do because Grahamstown is segmented. Those stories that will touch the heart need to be very subjective, to the point that it is told through the eyes of the survivor or victim. This is because the passion and emotion needs to be generated through these stories. Those that affect the majority should be told in an objective light so that all can relate to it.
One thing I have noticed about this tiny town, is that demographically it is not that small. There is a whole series of communities concentrated in one area. On the Grahamstown tour we were shown the racial divide within each suburb. Not only in race but in class, stereotypically you have the middle-to upper class students living on Rhodes Campus, the middle classed families in close proximity to Rhodes, where schools such as St Andrews and Graeme College can be found. And then there is the lower class, poverty stricken location on the complete opposite side of campus. In the industry of journalism one must realise these differing areas have differing interests, and trying to satisfy all these interests at once is an almost impossible tasks. Therefore the stories presented this year may be specific to one demographic society, and one needs to carefully watch how these stories are worded as any group could find them in any way offensive- this is the last thing one wants to do as a journalist.
2) What is your position on objectivity as an audio journalist operating in the small town of Grahamstown?
In light of what I have said above, I feel that, especially in a place like Grahamstown objectivity should be attempted. Due to the fact that there are so many detached minorities, there will be many stories that have 'two sides" as the saying goes. We need to report on both sides and leave it up to the listener to decide which one to take. This is easier said than done however. Yes there are times where we should voice our own opinion, or maybe lean to the subjective side, but this could be done in stories that are representing one's view, and is emphasized that it is doing just this. As can be seen by the Municipal Demarcation Board there are more unemployed than employed people within Grahamstown, therefore there will be a lot of stories written due to the effects of poverty. These stories could be one sided where they are seen through the eyes of the actor, instead of the narrator;the journalist.
3) What kinds of stories do you think should be told in this town, how would you treat these stories and why would you say it would be important to report on them in this way?
As mentioned before this town has many differing interests, however, the stories that need to be told are those that will affect the majority, whether its politically, economically or even those stories that will touch the heart. Humans are very selfish creatures and will only listen to what directly effects them. This is a very difficult task to do because Grahamstown is segmented. Those stories that will touch the heart need to be very subjective, to the point that it is told through the eyes of the survivor or victim. This is because the passion and emotion needs to be generated through these stories. Those that affect the majority should be told in an objective light so that all can relate to it.
Friday, March 6, 2009
The contraversial topic of objectivity in the media.
Many say it is an unspoken rule that all journalists need to be objective- we cannot just look at one side of the story, both are meant to be told. I feel that the listener has a choice with the content he/she hears - they can either accept the information they are told, or completely disregard it. Therefore no matter how a story is portrayed it is the reader that chooses what to do with it. A good comment was made in class which I completely agree with; all stories vary on objectivity. Your hard news story such as "Twelve dead in plane crash" has an objective light, it 'tells the story how it is'. Then there is your features story that shows ONE person's view, such as the day in the life of a beggar who opposes the municapality he lives in. This is clearly a one sided feature, and needs to be reported as such. It is up to the reader to acknowledge the side (or sides) the journalist is portraying. The journalist needs to portray the story in such a way that the reader can acknowledge whther the story is objective or subjective.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
