Medium: PRINT
Somers, a metro reporter employed by The Washington Times, provides an informative insight into an American man's facial construction. Richard Lee Norris' recent surgery is making headlines worldwide, largely due to the fact that it is the most advanced and involved facial transplant procedure ever performed. Somers' article is detailed and elucidative, and includes excerpts of interviews with his doctors, Eduardo Rodriguez and Stephen T. Bartlett, as well as excerpts from an interview with Norris himself, which further corroborates her information. The article also explores the anonymity common in organ donors after stating that Norris' donor wished to remain unidentified. The article utilises its medium as a means to emphasise its importance - it takes front page centre with a before-and-after shot accompanying the headline and then continues the bulk of its text on page two.
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Washington, D.C. It is owned by News World Communications, an international conglomerate whose best-known asset is The Washington Times. The newspaper targets the general public of Washington and its best and only interest lies in its desire to provide informative news competitively. In a comparative sense, it is not dissimilar to Ninemsn (Source 3). Their best interests are identical, they both do what they can to stay competitive and reputable, and both articles are to be commended on its clarity- they lacks 'cheesiness' and are straight to the point without any obvious bias.
This article's corroboration is also thorough- Somers consults informed opinions to relay and support her facts. This article is a credit to The Washington Times and can be deemed reliable.
Source 2: Huff, Gail (2012, March 27). Richard Lee Norris' face transplant recipient from University of Maryland. News Broadcast. Chicago: ABC7.
Medium: T.V.
ABC7's primetime news anchor Gail Huff reports Richard Lee Norris' face transplant in detail from the newsroom. ABC7 is a free-to-air facet of ABC America and generates profit from its advertisements and promotions. In this respect, it differs from Australian ABC, who is not-for-profit.
ABC7 offers a sentimentalised and romanticised foray into Norris' operation. The segment focuses on Norris' life before his reconstruction, rather than the actual procedure itself and his life at the moment. It details the ins and outs of Norris' introversion before his operation due to his self-consciousness of his disfigurements. Rather than consulting doctoral authority, as Somers from the Washington Times did, ABC7 interviewed the pilots that flew him back and forward from his home to the hospital, who provided broad, noncommittal statements concerning his 15-year reclusion. There is no corroboration or clarification of any facts and the story similar to something an Australian might watch on Today Tonight or A Current Affair- consumer-driven television that is engineered evocatively and visually rather than relaying factual information. This is atypical of its medium and is not surprising given the station's economic interest and competitiveness- its best interest is to gain viewings. It is possible to conclude decisively that this source has a way to go in terms of its reliability and representativeness - the story is more about his 'new life' than the actual procedure, and its title is misleading.
Source 3: Pieffer, A. (2012, October 18). US man no longer a recluse after face transplant. Ninemsn Online News. Retrieved from http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/2012/10/18/09/18/us-man-no-longer-a-recluse-after-face-transplant.
Medium: Internet
Pieffer's online article details Norris' procedure briefly and accurately, and seems to sum up the gist of the story in a lot less words than sources one and two. It provides some quotations from Norris himself, contrary to sources one and two, and is short, sharp, and to the point.
Ninemsn is one of Australia's most popular websites and has not gone behind the paywall. It thrives on ratings and advertisements, targets the whole of Australia, and its best interest is to remain competitive. Their stories are often inoffensive and rarely contain controversial content. Pieffer's article is factual, duly cited and acknowledges the input and information she acquired from external sources (the Washington Times and The University of Maryland Medical Centre). Title notwithstanding, she ignores Norris' 'emotional roller coaster' prior to his surgery and provides facts without exaggerating or emphasising its emotional toll - a process often adopted by its medium to gain ratings. Ninemsn's concise article provides a stark contrast to ABC7's rambling segment and, in this sense, it is to be commended on its originality, credibility and representativeness.
Source 4: Kawamoto, K. (2003). Digital Journalism: Emerging Media and the Changing Horizons of Journalism. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers Inc, 1-39.
Medium: Scholarly Article
Kawamoto's article discusses the changing nature of journalism and the latest platform upon which it operates: the Internet. He echoes the opinions of thousands of scholars, editors and authors worldwide in his predictions as to what lies ahead in the future of journalism. He praises the Internet as a newsworthy medium and spares no compliments or praises for the accessibility and immediacy the Internet offers, as well as its potential for discussion via an international forum.
Kawamoto's chapter in the journal of the same name is the first of 11. The remainder of the journal is consolidated and corroborated by 10 other internationally acclaimed journalists, and in this sense, it can be deemed reputable. However, the chapter is lacking in external opinion and intertextuality, and the undercurrent of positive opinion towards digital journalism serves as a strong bias.
It is similar to Source Two (ABC7's T.V segment) in this respect: its lack of corroboration to support and solidify facts. It becomes difficult to cite and understand this source as reputable when it does not seem to include any external opinion in its ideas, models and predictions.
This chapter is an informative and enlightening foray into the future of journalism, however lacks the intertextuality at its fingertips. Kawamoto would have done well to include the opinions of the other 10 authors in his chapter, rather than separating them all.
