Why the 'March in March' didn't get more media coverage

Over the past three days, over 50,000 people have protested across Australia in opposition of Toby Abbot's government. However, significant as the event was considered, the protests received very minimal coverage in mainstream media. They made no headlines and led no bulletins, so why didn't the event receive a more prominent coverage?



According to Crikey there were a few reasons that the protests were difficult to cover.

The most prominent reasons was the complex number of issues that were being protested at the same event - making simplifying the march into a 300 word hard news story very difficult.

However, social media played a prominent role in the coverage of the protests, and people tended to turn more towards sites such as Facebook and Twitter to hear about or discuss the event.

I think that - despite its lack of coverage in mainstream media - the Abbot Government protests were certainly a significant and well-known event across Australia. I believe that most people today consume their media through the use of new media such as Facebook and Twitter, and perhaps this was the best way for the story to be covered anyway.

New media is unique because it hands over the power to 'the people'. People who are covering the story, people commentating on the story - everyone has a say, and isn't that what the March in March was all about?

Everyone got to voice their opinions on the matter through online forums, and perhaps some people even became more aware of some of the issues in the Australian Government in this way. Although mainstream media is still very important, as it has been said previously, the event was just too complex to be covered in a 300 word news story.

So while the March in March didn't receive extensive mainstream media coverage, I think it was still adequately covered through new media, and not by an outside party, it was covered from within the event, and by the people which I think makes for a better story anyway.

Beautiful Blogs

There are some fantastic blogs out there on the internet. As blogging becomes more spread, we are seeing more content about a wide variety of topics. It's hard to create a good blog today; the medium is so widespread that it can be difficult to make your blog stand out against others and make people want to read your content over someone else's. 

A great way to make your blog stand out is... well first of all to create good content. But once you've got that sorted, the best way to make your blog unique is to have a great blog design. Blogs that are reader friendly and beautifully designed are bound to keep readers on your blog and have them coming back for more.

One of my favourite blogs out there at the moment is ohdeardrea. Not only does this blogger create great content on a regular basis (think weekly), but her blog is very aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. 

Her blog style is simple. Everything is laid out in front of you, right on the top of the blog. The title of the blog is obvious and creatively designed, and the navigation is quirky, arty, interesting and helpful. Through the navigation links, that feature relevant images, users can click through the main themes of the blog: 'home', 'food', 'make' and 'living', as well as read the 'about' page, 'advertise' with the blog (which can be seen along the far right side of the page), and visit the 'shop'. Users can either navigate by clicking through these links or simply by scrolling down to view the most recent blog entries. Personally, I prefer this style of blog navigation for it's simplicity and the ability to stay on one page, rather than clicking through to different sections of a blog and getting completely lost.

Another blog I really love for this reason is the appropriately named minimal student.

This blog is even more simple than the previous, which suits the theme of the blog which is (obviously) minimalism. I think that having a blog design that suits the theme is an important aspect of a blog. Professional blogs should look simple and professional, arty blogs should be quirky and creative and so on. 

Again, the blog layout for minimal student is simple and easy to navigate. On the right hand side of the blog (further down than shown in the above image), readers can navigate through the most popular posts or click through the key topics of the blog including 'minimalism', 'health', 'travel' and more. Readers can also choose to simply scroll through the most recent posts from the first page of the blog; simply and easy to use.

There are tons of different styles of blog out there. Some are more visually driven, with flashy links and modern navigation techniques that allow readers to leap from one section to another. However, I prefer the simple blog layout. I find traditional navigation more pleasant to use, and blogs that don't have too many links or colours prevent me from getting distracted from the most important part: the content.

I think the right use of colour, a simple yet beautiful design, good use of images and easy navigation are the most important aspects of great blog. Design your blog well and you're sure to stand out against the others!

Australia Network Budget Axing

Last week's federal budget revealed that the ABC would see a $29 million reduction in it's funding from July 1. This means that where previously the network had a $35 million budget dedicated to international broadcasting and foreign affairs, they will now only have $15 million. On top of that, the Australian Network - which primarily airs material from the ABC to an international audience - will be axed.

“There’s real concern among foreign correspondents that the ABC will use the loss of the Australia Network contract as cover to drastically cut its foreign bureauxa senior journalist told Crikey after the budget announcement.

 “There’s real concern among foreign correspondents that the ABC will use the loss of the Australia Network contract as cover to drastically cut its foreign bureaux”

So who will these cuts effect and how?

Foreign-based journalists

With the axing of the Australian Network, foreign journalists primary funding, it is very likely that many foreign-based journalists will lose their jobs.

• Australian viewers

These budget cuts mean that there will be less overseas coverage, therefore less news and foreign affairs for Australian viewers.

The International audience

If the Australian Network is axed, Australian television will no longer be broadcast to the 46 countries it currently transmits to, axing the Australian perspective the network offered to international viewers.

• Other ABC services like  iView and News 24

The ABC fears that with funding cuts it will no longer be able to support additional ABC services such as iView - the ABC app that allows viewers to re-watch shows aired on the network either online or on a tablet - and ABC news 24 - the networks 24 hour news channel.

Personally, I fear for the loss of foreign correspondence and believe that the axing of the Australian Network is a big step back for Australia in a globalised society. We are becoming more connected to overseas places over time and the media is a huge contributor to this connection.

The loss of foreign-based journalists and our primary link to overseas news could mean we are less connected to foreign countries, not only in a news sense but in our overall international relations - something that should be nurtured in today's society.

The Future of Print Media

There is something truly satisfying about sitting down on Sunday morning with a hot cup of coffee and sifting through a good old fashioned newspaper. The smell of fresh ink still seeping from the papers, sometimes even smudging on your thumb as you flick through. It's a ritual for some people, reading the latest news in physical form - but times, they are a changing.

With more than 30 Fairfax papers under threat of being shut down this week in a bid to cut cost. The future of newspapers in physical copy is under threat. So who does this effect?

Since digital versions of papers such as The Australian and various Fairfax papers were made available in the form of tablet applications back in 2010, the need to buy a physical copy of the daily paper has declined significantly. Why leave the house early on Sunday morning to buy the paper, or have stacks of previous papers scattered about the house when you can have the same thing downloaded to your iPad with the click of a button? No fuss, no mess. That's the way things seem to be headed anyway.

Newspaper companies are not losing money by distributing "papers" this way. By charging a subscription fee for the delivery of papers within the app, and now with the introduction of "premium content" to online media - for which users are required to pay a subscription fee to access articles online - media producers could be making more money than ever. The only people who need be concerned by the shift from print to digital are the distributors. Imagine a newsagency with no more newspapers! There is no telling what will happen if newspapers die out altogether. Of course there are those who will always prefer something physical to flip through in the morning, but digital newspapers are an interesting development in the media and we should definitely watch this space for new ways of consuming media. Who knows, ten years from now we could be injecting news straight into our brains, or literally consuming it with our morning coffee in pill form!