Let’s start by recording what is/was done today (by cross-referencing the “To-do” items listed in the “meta” notebook via Evernote.
- Continuing read Hamilton’s Judas Unchained.
- Up-to-date on 750word transmutation to Evernote.
- Started a review of my sources for news.
- Continued my Notes on Wolff.
- Started mind-mapping Scaruffi ch.4 and noting ch.5.
News: A media review
Here I will review the current news links I have bookmarked, no matter that I reference them at widely varying frequencies. (Alphabetical order equals attempt at non-bias through arbitrariness).
So far, done:
- Afghan Analysts Network.
- Ahram Online.
- ACIJ.
- The Conversation.
Meta: At some stage, it may be valuable to tag these source, potential options include, e.g. Reports (i.e. for those that produce exceptionally detailed reports), Media-Review (i.e. that study the media itself), National (versus, ostensible international-type), etc.
Afghan Analysts Network
This is not a typical “news” source, producing as it does detailed (studious) reports, and calling itself an “independent non-profit research organization”. For what assumption can be made, the organization is funded by the governments of Sweden and Norway. It’s coverage (as made obvious in its name) concerns Afghanistan, especially its politics (including government and the myriad other power structures, including foreign and local), as well as many other themes that are interesting on their own merit but which can inform the dominant (i.e. political) motif.
I feel for the type of documents this organization produces can be sampled by looking at some example titles (these are all taken from a type of report they call “thematic reports”).
- Local Afghan Power Structures and the International Military Intervention = Looks at the role of German and other international involvement in two (relatively) peripheral provinces, and their impact on local power structures. This is studied with reference to the question of whether ISAF (international security assistance force) have been successful in assisting the central government’s extension of power (vis-a-vis: state building).
- The Battle for Schools: The Taleban and State Education = Look at the changing attitude of the Taliban towards state education, and their price for doing so, namely an increasingly conservative curriculum.
- Tell Us How This Ends. Transitional Justice and Prospects for Peace in Afghanistan = What it sounds like.
- Eagle’s Summit Revisited: AAN report about Decision-Making in the Kajaki Dam Project = Follows a project that began in 2008 with the British led transport of eight enormous turbines to their destination dam. It seems that there will not be any electricity produced in the foreseeable future, and the reasons for this failure, and the warning signs that this would be the case, are discussed.
In summary: This is a unique source, offering perspectives (and a level of sophistication) too rarely found elsewhere. Articles often introduce concepts or paradigms I had not even considered (cf. don’t know what you don’t know). It must, however, be acknowledged that this strength has a negative counterforce; the very level of erudition which makes these reports so attractive also makes the reading of them a costly investment and thus one I am less likely to make.
Ahram Online
This is an Egyptian news production, and one I became interested in following the events of the (so-called!) Arab Spring. I would not go so far as to award it a description of “more astute analysis of Egyptian events”, but I would say that it at least mentions Egyptian events that are neglected by foreign channels.
I am not interested in Egypt per se (i.e. any more than any other locality), so while it is true that it offers its own idiosyncratic perspective on the rest of the world (i.e. similar to the way any other country-focused news channel would be expected to do), that does not justify reading it for me. Instead, I am interested here, and in other (quote unquote) country-focused news channels precisely for their attitude to local events. I am often suspicious of the way foreigners describe events, i.e. by comparison with the way locals would. Even (or especially) the Arab Spring – which is what turned me onto Egypt into the first place – is (or has become) a news motif highly charged with implications and political power-plays. Compare the narrative of “the Arab youth fed-up with corrupt governments” (optionally add a description of “governments that despite their poor human rights records sit in the lap of their American donors, who play them like puppets”) with a description of the mechanisms that let up to the eventual ousting of Mubarak (i.e. the conjunction of rising food prices and dropping wages and job opportunities, with sectarian violence including specifically that against Christians). Narratives are often forced upon events depending on the powers in charge, and those narratives will often differ according to their source. Thus the pro-democracy story may have benefits (and not just in terms of entertainment) for Al-Jazeera’s Qatar owners, as well as Western news-monoliths (e.g. BBC, NBC, etc).
I’ll provide some examples of recent events listed at the top of the website, to give a feel for how it’s own coverage is focused on the “Egypt” link, but to events that would not be deemed worthwhile by foreign channels:
- Italy reactivates case against kidnapped Egyptian imam = The kidnapped individual was believed to have suspected of terrorism involvement and taken by CIA in 2003 from Italy to Egypt, and the case referenced by the article title is against those CIA agents (all found guilty in absentia and none will serve any time). The imam claims to have been tortured in Egypt, but is no longer in custody. (Note that this is one of those stories that highlight the “global” nature of America’s “war on terror”, and also their means for torturing its targets by transferring them to sovereignty which allows them to do so).
- Cairo tram set aflame during pro-Morsi protests crashes into cars = Details of the nature of protest.
- Egypt’s constitution-drafting panel yet to resolve 20 controversial articles = Mentions political dealings which foreign channels would find too focused and local to be of interest. Nonetheless, it does open up a perspective on the challenges and concerns faced by the politically aware in Egypt. The “controversial articles” included things like charging civilians in military courts (in delineated circumstances), and the removal of an article of law that ensured representation of farmers and workers in parliament, etc.
- Syria war refugees held in Egypt launch hunger strike = (I’ve included this one because of the recent tragedy of Australian politicization of its refugee obligations). Refugees are an already marginalized group that is largely ignored, except perhaps for the mention of their numbers in camps occasionally. This raises awareness of a manifestation of an issue at a particularly specific scale, and thus raises awareness of an aspect of events that are regularly rejected by news forces.
Australian Centre for Independent Journalism
This is another media group that produces “reports” rather than the easily recognized ADHD-type news “stories”. ACIJ is hosted (if not run) by the University of Technology Sydney. Many (but not all) of their reports concern the media directly, as can be interpreted via some examples:
- Report ‘Sceptical Climate Part 2: Climate Science in Australian Newspapers’ released = Unsurprisingly describes the findings of, the not merely dismal situation, but a situation that is getting worse.
- Where are the women in the media? An investigation into gender and the media = An upcoming project.
- The Detention Business: ACIJ Associate lifts the lid on Serco contract = Links and describes a report (by newmatilda.com, a news channel I’d not previously seen) into the government’s $750 million contract for running its detention of (what it calls) illegal immigrants (or now, detainees). There is apparently a disturbing lack of independent evaluation, and poor staff training (including untrained guards). For more (disturbing) information, see https://newmatilda.com/2011/11/09/exclusive-our-contract-serco.
The Conversation
Their charter includes giving “experts” a greater voice in describing news-events, which exemplifies their goal – apparently to improve the discourse surrounding news. (Note that a substantial percentage of their reporters/writers are based in higher education institutions).
(I note that I’ve personally never quite found myself regularly gravitating towards The Conversation, despite liking what they stand for and their mode of operation. I’m not sure if there’s any good reason for that, beyond perhaps habit?)
I’ve selected a few pieces from across the different categories (e.g. analysis, research, etc), with the intention of providing a “feel” for what this particular news source does.
- Fly-in fly-out worth the pain, for some: study = Regarding the mineral-industry phenomenon of flying workers, and a government study (produced partly by this article’s authors). Describes some of the pressures on the psychologies and social-tensions of those persons and communities involved. (Nb. Although the article’s premise was interesting, I did not find the article as a whole to be especially enlightening).
- Stopping people smuggling requires more than just Indonesia’s help = Really just describing the local situation of Australia/refugees. Mentions things like Australia’s wire-tapping Indonesia’s politicians, the Australian boat-buying scheme, the UN grading Australia an F on this matter, etc. (Again, a merely OK article).
- Don’t expect fast reform: Graeme Samuel = Describing reform-potential across the board, including retail “red-tape” (term used by Coles et al.), NBN, privatization of Australian Post.
(Those examples are useful for describing the limitations I’d mentioned above. I think an appropriate conclusion would be to say that The Conversation is an easy reading, reasonably erudite, broad-ranging news source, whose value includes its ability to ensure that the reader is up to speed on whatever topic, as opposed to the myopia found so often in the mainstream sources – thus it is a reference I choose to keep on my shelf, even if I seldom take it down).
Coming up next…
Nb. I’ve bookmarked these into a folder titled “News sources: to do”.
- The Global Mail.
- The Nation.
- New Matilda.
- Nieman Reports.
- PR Watch.
- Quartz.
- The Revolting Syria.
- Truth Dig.
