Friday Fiver: The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

1. Do you follow current events? Why?

As a former print Journalist, I find it hard not to follow the news and current events. The reason why? Firstly, I am interested in knowing what is happening in the world and secondly, I think it's extremely important to keep up to date on world events. 

I've never been able to understand why people refuse to read newspapers or watch the news. Yes, I understand the news tends to be filled with wars, disasters, crime, murder and can be depressing but guess what, this is life. I refuse to live underneath a rock just because the world is a bigger and scarier place than we'd all like.

2. Do you believe that the media is biased? Why or why not?


I think that there are certain influences in the media and some media outlets (like Murdoch) will report unfairly and with bias. For example, if Murdoch supports a certain Political Party, the newspaper stories tend to lean in favor towards that particular party. Trust me, I used to work for a Murdoch paper. Murdoch is one of the reasons I left print media (Can anyone say News of the World?)


3. Where do you get most of your news from?


I read the news online. I read The Age, and whenever I can the NY Times. I also watch the SBS and ABC News as well as commercial stations news. I'm kind of a news junkie and let's not even get me started on my slight addiction with the weather. 


4. Are there any particular news sources that you don't trust?


The Herald Sun. I refuse to read that paper. I just dislike it. The fact it's a Murdoch paper has nothing to do with it at all. I had work experience at the Herald Sun and just hated the way it was run. I'm just not a huge fan of tabloid newspapers in general. 


I also refuse to watch trashy "current affair" shows like Today Tonight and A Current Affair. These are shows that break every moral and ethics code in the Journalist handbook. It's no wonder these shows are sued constantly. It's blatant chequebook Journalism, which is the worst of the worst. 


Yeah I know. It's not hard to tell I used to be a Journalist. 


5. Describe one recent issue in the news that has piqued your interest.


I've been following for close to the year the disappearance of a Nashville/Tn woman who was kidnapped outside her home. Sadly, I don't think she will ever be found and if so, it will be her body discovered somewhere. I think because it's a crime story, it intrigues me.