Factual Storytelling Assignment

Hidden Memories of an Untold Moment

"I woke up at about 1am and my bed was covered in blood. It was so awful, I went straight to the bathroom and there was... everything... everywhere. I stayed up all night freaking out. I washed my sheets and just sat there and cried."

Cast your mind back to your teenage years. When did you feel the biggest sense of elation? Of relief? Of freedom? Some would say the first time they drove a car, others the days they moved out of their parent's old house. But most people would say that it was when they graduated high school and started their lives as adults.

For 17-year-old Alicia*, her graduation memories are anything but joyous. Instead, they are filled with uncertainty, a sense of loss, and above all, helplessness. The reason why is that two days after her graduation, Alicia miscarried a baby she didn’t even know she was carrying.

To add to the mental trauma, Alicia was told in her early teenage years that she was incapable of carrying a child. After multiple tests and continuous visits to the doctor in her second year of high school, Alicia was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome and severe blood clots. 

“I was the type of child that would carry around a doll and nurture it as my child,” Alicia confided; “I’ve always known motherhood was in my future and when I was told I couldn’t have kids… I was heartbroken.”

In her senior year, Alicia was prescribed a new contraceptive pill to control the symptoms of her polycystic ovarian syndrome and began to experience slight weight gain, morning sickness, nausea and infections. This led to her missing crucial end-of-year exams and a stressed Alicia did not think to question the origins of her symptoms. Imagine her alarm when she wakes covered in blood two days after graduation.

“The first thing I did the next day was go see Daniel,” she says. “He had no words and I could just see in his face how distraught he was.”

Daniel*, her long term boyfriend, was set to go visit family two days later. Alicia was left to face the doctor’s appointment by herself, in a state of nervousness and distress. The doctor, a man who is trained to handle situations such as these with delicacy, didn’t take into account Alicia’s emotional state and treated her condition with a careless attitude.

“He didn’t seem to care at all what I was going through,” she confessed. “He wasn’t sensitive to the situation or supportive in any way. A pap smear confirmed what had happened and that was it, he saw it as a crisis averted.”

Even after the shock of miscarrying this child, Alicia was left with guilt from her behaviour during the time of her unknown pregnancy. As a young adult in her final year of school, Alicia indulged in vices such as junk food, alcohol and the afore mentioned contraceptive pill. All of these things would have a negative effect on the development of a foetus in a healthy uterus, let alone one suffering the effects of severe polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Alicia felt as though she could confide in neither friends nor family because she felt she could not live up to the high standards both in her schooling and private life if she admitted to being sick. Her family, as well as the majority of her friends, had very idealistic and traditional views on children born out of wedlock. Alicia chose to only confide in two people: Daniel and a close friend. Knowing who to trust in this situation, for Alicia, was near impossible.

In the horrific moment of losing her child in her own home, Alicia began to suspect what had happened and only felt comfortable confiding in Daniel.

“When the doctor confirmed I’d miscarried, I felt like the world had turned on its head,” said Alicia in our interview. “I felt like I’d failed everyone’s expectations of me, and I’d failed Dan and our child. I thought everything was my fault.”

She was affected so badly by the traumatic experience that it took a year to confide in anyone else. Her parents, till this day, still don’t know. Her only support has been Daniel, who has given their relationship all of his strength and patience.

“We love each other,” Alicia says simply. “He’s been my rock through the entire thing.”

Alicia recently celebrated her anniversary with her boyfriend and says children are definitely still in the cards for the future.

“Maybe it’s a good thing that this happened,” says Alicia bravely. “At least now I know that kids are still a possibility for me and I wouldn’t have to go to any further measures.”

*Names have been changed

Short Article Rant

I just wanted to quickly draw your attention to the following article:
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/victims-just-like-hitler-youth-says-mass-killer-20120417-1x5mm.html


When I first read it, I was admittedly confused. The boasting, the lack of guilt... everything about this guy has me disgusted. But what really bugged me was this:

"He could no more be called evil than US commanders in World War II who dropped the atomic bomb to save lives, killing 300,000 people but with noble motives, he said."

A statement like that is bound to make people all over the world doubt his convictions. I know that newspapers have obligations to print what they know in order to share it with the public but, in my opinion, stories that could lead to sympathizing with a mass killer are simply not to be published. I'm not saying that everyone will suddenly say "oh, okay then, if that was your reason for killing ll those people, you can go", but people who were deeply effected by groups such as the Hitler Youth could ultimately start questioning the unrighteousness of his actions.

I don't know what went on in that camp, all I know is that nobody deserves to have their life taken away from them at an early age, especially not by an egotistical madman.

Procrast...

Last night, I was speculating out loud what to write on my blog that wasn't journalism-related. After offhandedly saying "I'll do it tomorrow", my mother asked me why I couldn't do it that night. My answer? "I'll be too busy watching 'Smash'".
I always think i'll have time to do my work tomorrow or the day after, yet here I am, at work, writing a blog post that I should have written weeks ago and didn't have the motivation to. And what's the motivation now? A Friday deadline. Oh lordy.
I originally started to write this post so that I could blame the entertainment industry for my lack of effort, but really they're just a means of procrastination. And I'm told again and again to just write an episode review if I watch so much television. But that's not the type of writing I would do volountarily, so no, I won't be writing about how flawless Katharine McPhee is or my sister wanting to skip over most of the songs to keep her sanity intact.

You know what's funny? I started writing this post nearly two hours ago. Procrastinating from writing a post about procrastination. How ironic. Since starting this post, I have looked up cast members for Smash, Girls and kids. I have made myself a coffee (even though it's boiling out today), chatted with my sister and served a few customers here and there. Anything except writing a dreaded post. It's weird because I do actually like writing, I just... don't write. Often.
Did you know that just over 30 years ago, only 5% of the US population (couldn't find Australian stats, sorry!) admitted to serial procrastination. Today, 26% do (most of that percentage being students). So I've decided to take charge! Woo, female power of the mind and all that. I need to start getting serious. So after going to my dear friend Google for suggestions, this is what I've decided to do:

1. Make every project seem more important than it actually is. If I think that I won't be able to graduate without reading the Odyssey books 5-9, then I'll read the damn Odyssey books 5-9.
2. Don't watch shows that you don't love (too strong? try like a lot), because shows do deteriorate in quality over time, even if it was hilarious at the start (I'm looking at you, How I Met Your Mother)
3. Get excited about projects! Woo, journalism! 

And that's all I've got so far. Hints and tips are welcome with open arms. Maybe I'll write again soon, if this works. If I don't, you know I've failed. Wish me luck!

References:

http://www.effective-time-management-strategies.com/procrastination-statistics.html

http://lesswrong.com/lw/3w3/how_to_beat_procrastination/

Why the ABC trumps all other channels

Lecture 7

          Up until recently, I had no idea that there was a difference between the way Channel 7 was run and the ABC. They were all television channels to me, one and the same. After our lecture on Public Media on Monday, I now know that isn't true. 

           What I gained from Monday's lecture is very simple:

1. The government doesn't fund public media outlets (such as the ABC and SBS) and therefore has no influence over it.
2. The government doesn't like not having control over pretty much anything, which is why we don't hear a lot of politicians praising these outlets.
3. Public media outlets put importance over interest. Meaning that if something important needs to be said, they will most likely jump straight on it, no matter who it effects. 
4. There are less adds than on commercial media outlets (such as channels 7,9 and 10), because it's less associated with profit. It's purpose is to serve.

           When I heard this (I was blissfully ignorant before that day), my respect immediately increased. My initial impression of the ABC was that it was a channel for kids and seniors, not interesting for anyone my age. But now, as I gain interest in many different aspects involved in journalism, the ABC is the only channel I watch. Of course, I do also watch television shows that are streamed online, but the only time I physically turn on the television, it's not watch a program on the ABC. 

            After all, a broadcaster that can make a politician say this can't be too bad can it?:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-10-21/liberal-mp-sprays-gay-bc-and-lunatic-ideas/2306554

A Long Awaited Post

             I know, I know, my posts are irregular and (this one in particular) long overdue. I was supposed to write about my sound lecture two and a half weeks ago, yet only got around to listening to it last night. At least now I cant blog about both of the last lectures in one post, right? Be prepared for what could be a very long babble.

Lecture 5

"Radio is the theatre of the mind"

             As this lecture was all about sound, we were told to stay home and listen to the podcast to understand exactly what the lecturers were trying to say. The podcast, split into two parts, was all about how to carry an interview over the radio without boring the guest, yourself and, most importantly, the audience.
             The first part was an interview with Richard Fidler from ABC Conversations. He talked about how he got into radio after first being on TV, about what he needed to learn to be a successful broadcaster and pretty much just how to understand radio. These are the main things he learnt:

1. Radio is a very different medium as people can't be distracted from images you put on the screen, so you have to learn to be warm and genuine to draw in audiences.
2. Radio has to sound almost like a voice inside your head. It works best if the listener believes they are part of the conversation and not just eavesdropping.
3. Use humour to make your guest feel more relaxed. The more relaxed they are, the more the walls come down, the more they tell on the show.

             The best part of his interviews, he said, was when the guests let their guard down so much that they remembered and talked about things that they had completely forgotten themselves. And I agree completely, because it's a great feeling to know that somebody can trust you with certain information and if he can get people comfortable on air, while they are being broadcasted to the whole of Australia, he must be extremely good at what he does. I've never listen to Conversations, but I admit that this has piqued my interest and after I finish writing this I'm going to try and find past interviews and see if there's anyone I recognize. 

              The second part of the podcast was an interview with Steve Austin from ABC radio. He talked about struggles with identity at a young age, not knowing where his life was going and finally deciding on being a radio broadcaster. He is a great example for perseverance. He grovelled, he volounteered, and he finally got into radio (and at the ABC, no less!).

               His advice: know what the listener wants. Different people listen at different times and for different reasons. Not many 50 year-olds would want to listen to an interview with Lady Gaga, just like not many 18 year-old would want to listen to an interviw with Julia Gillard. People have different interests, and it's important to accommodate for as many as possible.

               Both interviewers agreed that giving the guest space was the key to them opening up. Don't do anything on radio that you wouldn't do in real life. Be human, because humans are all emotional creatures and driven by experiences. 

               All in all, this broadcast was about making interviewees comfortable enough to open up on air. A useful skill to have, no doubt.

Lecture 6

               Last week's lecture was one of the most interesting ones to date. It was all about the Australian media landscape and commercial media VS public media.

               Commercial media, for example Channel 9, 7 and 10, is all profit-driven. It's not funded by the government and all about generating a high audience. There are three forms of commercial media:

1. Subscription (E.g. Foxtel)
2. Sponsored (E.g. Channel 9)
3. Subsidized (Government funded)

               A big question posed was whether media outlets could really deliver in both commercial and social functions or if it really is all about the money. TV broadcasters are always saying that they are the ones we should trust, but the the question of spread of information VS making money has never been satisfyingly answered. The media has a responsibility towards its viewers to always be truthful, comprehensible, intelligent and generous. 

               One of the most important areas of media is a "Public Sphere" - where audiences can debate freely and form public opinions. A big part of the news is what everyone thinks about it. IT wouldn't be news at all if nobody reacted to it, would it? There's always what's called an "Ethical Wall" between commercial and social media. Commercial involves advertising and sales, whereas social is all about editorials. Both thrive on public opinion.

               Also mentioned were the new social controls, such as video game ratings and deciding which movies are released in our country (an example being "The Human Centipede" - or the the "Hungry, Hungry Catapiller", as Bruce called it). There was recently an attempt to censor all computers in the country, which led up to the "No Clean Feed" campaign to secure our freedom of choice. Also mentioned was government funding of certain newspapers and, therefore, government control over news release. Licensed Journalism, which doesn't exist in Australia anymore, still remains an issue to areas such as Indonesia and East Timor and is another example of government control.

               Profit over quality tends to be the way media outlets think. Commercial medias are dumbing down (looking at you, Today Tonight) and a 'desire to please' is taking over. But what can we do? With the internet growing bigger every day, it's easier to just click button and have everything in front of you instead of waiting around a hoping it may come up on your television screen.

               To everybody who is still reading this: I congratulate you. Thanks for sticking by me. Hoefully I'll post again soon, but to everyone who knows me, you know that's unlikely. But keep checking! I might surprise you ;)