Thread by @YaThinkN

This piece from 2011 by Jay Rosen is really interesting in light of attitude of many punter to many News Corp journos losing job yesterday.

I see many journalists blaming punters or treating them with disdain for not supporting them, maybe look at why? abc.net.au/news/2011-08-3…

We really do need journalists. The average person doesn't have same access to find out what Government is doing.

Journalists need support of people when under siege from a government that does not want any accountability or transparency and makes their job impossible to do.

Yelling at punters for not supporting them or not caring about their #RightToKnow or #FreedomOfThePress campaigns just increases the amount of people who have disdain for the profession and worse, increases the lack of trust.

When those who pay more attention than just the distracted 5mins of the nightly news are treated with disdain, looked down upon, excluded and felt like they are being told "just shut up, we will tell you what you need to know", that increases the distrust and contempt.

In my opinion, too many didn't care less or were gleeful about all those News Corp job losses yesterday due to years of this sort of rubbish. They didn't look any further at ramifications in regional communities, just "YAY! suck on that News Corp" seemed to be the vibe.

When you look at the damage that the 'big players' in News Corp do, on a daily basis, you can't blame them.

News Corp would have to be one of the biggest reasons we have such a nasty, divisive nation run by unaccountable politicians.

The gleeful have a point.

I live in a regional area, so don't get me wrong, I don't agree, I know the journalists who will lose jobs, I know the work they have done, I know they are not part of that odious cabal and I know they have little option of 'choice' when it comes to employers.

But what gets me if so many, let's call them high profile journalists, castigating those in the public who were gleeful about the News Corp publication closures.

Do you really think high-handed trashing of more people will help you garner support?

I get you are talking about journalists losing job, people, I truly do, but... Media in this nation has gotten to the stage where journalism is quite often now seen as the enemy who didn't do their jobs well enough and resulted in racism, bigotry etc. flourishing.

These same high profile journalists don't want to accept responsibility for the media orgs or media identities that promote the nastiness and willfully misinform the public. "We are not some sort of homogeneous group" is normal response to #MSM label.

No you are not. But you can't claim that in one breathe, as in, don't blame us for the crap of a few, yet expect sympathy or support for the profession as a whole when there are massive job losses? Or Govt starts sniffing in your undie drawers.
You can't have it both ways.

Personally, I think journalism is very important. We need it more than ever.

If there had been more scrutiny of Government, MPs, Ministers, Govt Departments and "holding government to account" we would maybe have a Government that was not unaccountable as currently do?

I saw an ABC Breakfast News interview with Annika Smethurst a few days ago, where it was noted that public don't trust media and response seemed to be "we need better media literacy in the public".

Ummm...

Yeah... as far as investigative stuff etc., goes, sure, we do, many don't understand it takes time to verify, track down evidence etc.,

But Good Dog! The vibe of "It's not us, it's you" is probably the biggest problem with journalism and why there is growing distrust.

Journalists, Press Gallery in particular are pretty much the gatekeepers of what Australians get to know what is going on. They choose what to report and what not to report. What they choose NOT to report really matters.

and yes, many punters may be unaware that media is in trouble, less resources, less funding, less in newsrooms etc, and a bit more knowledge of that for punters might help, but it doesn't excuse so much of the utter "game of politics" rubbish that is churned out.

'Game of politics' crap might be interesting for journalists themselves and those who follow politics as a hobby, but it is bloody harmful.

Government decisions are more than a game, they affect people's lives, they are the difference between a roof over someones head or not.

There are real life ramifications from what this government does. Not holding to account and just focusing on 'game of politics' is harming people.

It is also harming journalism as a profession.

It is not like the old days where journalists truly were the gatekeepers of what the public knew about their government.

We can now see the press conferences (well not in full in they are on ABC unless it is Morrison ARGH!), we can read the press releases.

Interested punters can even read legislation after it is drafted.

We can do all these things, yet see a plethora of 'game of politics' crap, yet very little scrutiny or questioning of what was actually said or released through a prism of 'affect' for reality for public?

This makes people who are interested angry. We can't physically hit up those politicians to question them, we can't ask, "but what about the effect of ... on this segment of the population" (as an example) only the journalists can do that.

These interested people - who are growing in numbers - should be journalists biggest supporters, as they want those answers. They want all flavours and levels of government to be accountable, they should be on your side but you are alienating them.

As Annika lamented, it was hard to get public support for the #RightToKnow campaign. But maybe, just maybe, instead of blaming punters for not being media literate enough you could look in your own backyard?

If you are going to treat the public with disdain what do you think will happen? If you are going to make excuses for a Government - which to be quite frank, has lied, not obsfucated, not just used weasel words, but outright lied, and you don't call it out, we enter Trumpland.

I get journalists can't always do that, I get you have to be careful, I get that defamation is a massive concern, but words matter and words are literally in your job description.

At the risk of the #NotAllJournalists, yes, we know there are quite a few doing really good work and trying really hard to 'inform the public'.

I thank every one of them.

But too many are not. Worse, they walk past those in their own profession who go out of their way to harm.

Journalists can't just shrug off "oh well that is Bolt, what do you expect..." and assume not be tainted by same brush. It doesn't work that way.

You get more than a few 'bad apples' in the Police, you call for a massive inquiry to clean it out.

Is media not the same?

Yes I know it is more complicated due to commercial considerations and the like, and you can't police all your own profession.

But you can stand for better standards. Where possible you can call out those bringing your profession into disrepute.

Interested punters should be your allies. These are the people who will read/view what you do, they will pass on and share to others to spread your work further, most importantly they will fork out the hard-earned cash to pay for your work.

Dissing them is just dumb.

Not looking in your own backyard, looking at why the journalistic profession is held with such low regard and addressing those issues is just going to continue this downhill slide.

It is harmful for both journalists and for punters.

Anyhow. As a punter, I'd like to see this sort of stuff addressed.

Sneering at 'nasty people online' or treating punters as 'mug punters' coz they have made assumptions based on limited knowledge is not cool.

Maybe asking why their knowledge is so limited might be better?

Maybe according the public with a little bit more respect. Help educate them instead of assisting Government to misinform them. Don't promote marketing spin, that is a Comms job, not a journalists job.

There are some really good journalists out there doing really good work.

Luke Henriques-Gomes as just one example. His body of work raising issues that may not be 'sexy' but are really important to peoples lives, reporting on them makes a difference theguardian.com/profile/luke-h…

He is not being an activist. He is not being politically partisan in any way shape or form. He is just looking at social issues that affect millions in this nation and questioning government, their departments and their outsourced entities.

He is doing a good job.

I am sure Luke cops flack from some on social media, but I don't see him copping the same vitriol we see other more high profile journalists cop?

Do you think maybe that is because he is just doing his job? A focus on the 'issues', not himself as a personality?

Luke is no the only journalist like this around, just the one I happened to read most recently that came to mind. There are many others, but to be quite frank, from my view in punterland, they are the minority, not the majority.

Again, I realise there are many reasons why journalists can't be as forthcoming as punters would like, but you can be better.

Every profession, every single one has to assess and change over time, up their skills, do further learning. Journalism is no different.

Anyhow, to cut a long ramble short.

Maybe if Journalism, as a profession would be respected more as a whole if you actually respected looked in your own backyard and addressed the issues you have, hell, for some, even admit you have some seriously 'bad apples' & problems?

Imagine how much easier your job would be, how much more sustainable your industry would be? If you had those 'interested punters' as allies, paying for your work and happy to do so, because they felt it was worthwhile because they were 'being informed'?

I am really sad so many punters had little empathy for the massive News Corp job losses, but I'm not going to yell at them, I get why they feel this way. It is sad, but pretty much inevitable when you consider the damage done by News Corp.

Worse for those poor journalists who have been sacked, or live in fear of losing their jobs, they are sort of being screwed over by News Corp twice. Once because of it's reputation and again due to their predatory purchase of regional papers and then killing them off.

I would love for journalism, as a profession to actually look at this massive job loss as a flash point. An opportunity to show some solidarity and an opportunity to address the issues in their profession.

Imagine, just imagine if journalism could be supported, both financially and in kind by more punters? You would have a sustainable future AND mass support for likes of #RightToKnow.

It really would be a win win.

Punters really do want to be informed.

Journalists - good ones - really do just want to inform the public.

We all sort of want the same thing.
Informing us will ensure you do have a viable professional future and garner support when Govt tries to stop you doing your job.

Anyhow, that is my rambling early morning thoughts. I really do think journalism matters, words matter, holding government to account matters and I want journalists to be around in years to come doing that.

So please, maybe if journalists could be a little more introspective, treat their readers/viewers with a tad more respect and stop treating politics as a 'game', then maybe public will stop treating journos as a game too? One they can choose not to play/pay 😞

regards,
Noely