Final readings. 23 May

Excerpt from The Right Stuff: Chapter 1: The Angels

I thought this piece was well written, however, I thought that it consisted of too many long and word ‘heavy’ sentences that did not have a lot of emotional impact. The story itself was saddening, however, the way it was told did not do it justice. I thought it could have been delivered in a more emotionally powerful way. As a piece of writing I thought that it was well crafted, however it definitely lacked the emotional force that the essence of the story deserved.

Death By Buffet

I thoroughly enjoyed this piece of writing and I thought that the technique used was clever and insightful, and very suited to the content of the story. I felt totally immersed in his job and his life in India, and the challenges he was facing. The story was honest and real and the message was delivered in a non-forceful manner, despite the message being so forceful itself. The story also had a very Australian ‘flavour’ to it which worked extremely well since one of the main features of the story was that – how an Australian journalist goes about adapting to life in India and the challenges that unfold around him. I particularly liked the juxtaposition of different sentence lengths, long, colourful and detailed versus short, witty and clever. I thought this was a wonderfully told story and I was definitely left wanting more.

Feature Story Openers & Closers

Story One Opener

Often a few minor trespassing and obstruction charges are worth their weight in gold when you are fighting for a cause you hold close to your heart. This is true for hundreds of Tamar Valley locals gearing up to protest over the planned pulp mill that is being prepared for construction.

Story One Closer

The outcome of this protest is yet to be known, and locals remain hopeful that in the spirit of a true democracy, no final approval is given until they are offered the chance to vote with their feet.

Story Two Opener

A war not seen on the horizon is usually far more frightening than one on the brink of eruption. And it was an Italian cruise ship that experienced this fear when it was blindly attacked by Somali pirates on its journey toward the Jordanian port of Aqaba this week.

Story Two Closer

If the seas and skies are not safe, and road tolls continue to rise, why are so many counties facing an obesity problem?

Entry For 9 May Readings

Pearls Before Breakfast was definitely my favourite text, mainly because it told such a detailed and interesting account. The story unfolded exceptionally vividly, however, the subtext of the story was equally as intriguing – a blatant cultural and social unearthing of the truth that in this day and age people are too busy being busy to notice true beauty. Although the text was long it never dragged. The account unfolds so eloquently that you are always left wanting more – mainly, who was going to stop and pay homage to the wondrous music floating through the subway?

 

We Have Still Not Lived Long Enough is a beautifully told yet raw tribute to Black Saturday, that also provides readers with a social and structural framework to make sense of what actually went wrong and the precautions that need to be put in place to abolish future tragedies. Readers also become familiar with the account as though it was their own, however, they are also left with an insight into the broader context of the event and its impact on the community.

NYPD Inaction Over A Missing Black Woman Found Dead Sparks A Historic Racial-Bias Lawsuit is a chilling account of a multi-layered story that jumps between past and present to reveal just how poorly a horrific incident was managed by New York authorities. The writer of this piece also has quite a dry sense of humour – not that it is a comical story by any means. The humour, which is woven into the story, further emphasises just how shockingly this case was handled. The backhanded and sarcastic comments throughout add impact to the story that leaves readers angry and appalled.

Jerry the dog – intro

A 26 year old red heeler-bull terrier cross from Wilcannia, NSW could be the world’s oldest dog. Jerry the dog, owned by Woody and Aileen Smith, will celebrate his 27^th birthday this Sunday.  On his 27^th birthday, Jerry will be 189 years old in human years.

Jerry’s owner, Woody Smith, bought Jerry over two decades ago as a puppy to protect him and his family. Woody is a labourer and carpenter for Wilcannia Council and also a respected Aboriginal tribal elder.

18 April 2011

Man Dies In Chemical Explosion At ChemCo Tullamarine Plant

 By Penelope Rowe

A 43 year old man has died at a ChemCo processing plant in Tullamarine as a result of a chemical explosion at9:45amthis morning.

Thomas Williams, a chemical processor and employee of ChemCo for eight years, was in the processing lab where the explosion occurred as the result of a chemical leak. It is believed he died upon impact from the blast.

Williams is the father of two children who are eight and 12 years old. His wife has asked for privacy at this time.

200 employees were on site at the time of the explosion and 20 others sustained minor injuries. The injured workers have been taken to St. Alfred’s Hospital where they will be treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation.

Five Corporate Standards Detectives have since arrived at the scene to carry out an investigation into the safety procedures in place at the company.

ChemCo’s CEO, Bridgid LaManne, announced in a press conference this morning that ChemCo workers have been evacuated from the site and will not be asked to return to work until the investigation is complete.

ChemCo specialises in processing chemicals that make garden fertilisers. Although this is the first instance of a chemical explosion at the plant, safety records reveal that complains have previously been made about the plant’s safety standards.

The investigation has not revealed any suspicious circumstances surrounding the explosion and ChemCo has confirmed that there is no immediate risk to residents living in nearby areas.

Investigative journalism response

These three articles written by Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie are extremely well researched pieces of information, and this is evident in the by-product of the work – readers are not left misinformed or wondering about particular details in the story. Everything is covered. The only part readers are left longing for are the details of the events that have not yet occurred.

The articles are also very balanced. Readers understand that what Thomas Kossmann did was wrong and exceptionally unethical, however the article is not entirely negatively geared towards his downfall. Baker and McKenzie attribute Kossmann’s professional career, his outstanding qualifications, and the good work he once did for the medical community. All three pieces deliver the facts, however, they are also ethical pieces of journalism.

Such a well-researched story cannot be written on the spot. Due to all the required research and interviews, I believe the piece would have taken days to complete. I guess this is the nature of investigative journalism, and why it’s a job that is not suited to all journalists. Both writers’ pride and dedication shine though in these stories.

11 April

Police rescued a couple from their burning vehicle after they lost control attempting a burn-out in Frankston last night.

The car skidded into an embankment and burst into flames after speeding out of a McDonalds driveway in Richardson Road at over 100 kilometres an hour.

The driver, Jim Allan, 23, received burns to his legs and upper body and was taken to the Alfred Hospital where he remains in a stable condition.

His girlfriend Rachel Williams, also 23, who was not injured, said “We lost our car, but we could have lost our lives”.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Carter said this is the fifth accident involving hoon driving in Frankston this year. “When are people going to get the message that drag racing is for the race track, not for our highways.”

Despite a recent campaign which includes controlled drag racing events in conjunction with police and the local council, illegal street racing is still a major problem in Frankston.