Media on Media: Media Watch initative by Media Man Group - helping keep watch on fair and balanced coverage and journalism; Social and Community awareness and reporting campaign

Pseudo Gonzo journalism: Reporting on the media and helping keep news fair and balanced, Reporting on bias, sexism and discrimination (viable and near invisible) of all types

No, it's not ABC Media Watch, something new!

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by Greg Tingle

An overview and introduction...

As is the case with many industry, a business sector - in this case news media, can be used for good... or for evil, or for little purpose as al. Ponder this for a moment... "News is something, somewhere, someone doesn't want someone else to know. Everything else is PR! Got the picture here?

Ok, disclaimer... the company that I founded, Media Man Int aka Media Man Australia, is primarily a media, publicity, advertising services and project management based company. Yes we do other tasks and things also, but that's it in a nutshell.

My background for readers who are not already aware, includes media sales and promotion (5 years at Optus Communication - contracts, PPVs and ethnic channels) and almost 2 years at Telstra), journalism (5 years), and the majority of the rest of my work entails media, sports and advertising management and promotion, and we are also still do a considerable amount of journalism, some bearing my name and some not, and there's reasons for that as you might imagine. Media can be a complicated, sometimes misunderstood sector at times.

I decided to pen this piece today after witnessing an ever increasing amount of bias and distorted journalism, interestingly enough, much of this slips in to the community newspapers in Australia and around the world. No, it doesn't happen in every newspaper, but have you ever read an article that just seemed "off" or there were various elements that just screamed bias? We're not just talking about "opinion pieces".

Some examples to watch out for can include but are not limited to:

Pushing political agendas via newspapers articles. These are usually fairly easy to spot

Sexist type articles, be it anti-women / pro-men, or anti-men, pro-women. You may read about a men's shelter or a women's shelter, a men-only media agency, a woman-only media agency, and you get the idea. These sort of scenarios could fall into a category known as reverse sexism

Racist messages or themes. These can be politically inclined or even tied in with community or sporting themes

Education themed articles containing religious and sex related overtones

We are not trying to be the thought police by covering these sensitive topics.. There's probably enough of them already!

I have the utmost respect from the craft of journalism, and I was a qualified journalist before I became a media and sports agent, and got heavily involved in media, arts and advertising management and promotions. I am also a strong advocate of human rights, animal rights, the environment and for a fair shake for all.

We keep an keen eye on and finger on the pulse of social justice champions and humanitarians such such as John Pilger, Richard Branson (Virgin Group and Virgin Unite), Eve Branson, Craig Newmark, Muhammad Yunus (Yunus Centre), David Suzuki and Julian Assange (Wikileaks) and Stephanie McMahon (WWE), to name but a few, and we thought it was timely to pen our unique article, just so the world... everyone reading, and everyone who will be reading this, will know that we are also watching the media.

Also remember that the media doesn't always get it right, sometimes even by accident. Some of the biggest and most respect newsrooms and news organisations in the world have made mistakes, and had to retort and apologise for errors in reporting, and the list includes but is no means limited to CNN, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Washington Post, Fairfax Media, News Limited and the ABC. Oh, not Aunty the purists say. Yes.

Let me encourage our readers to support journalism and those who speak up and defend human rights. Have you ever heard this expression... 'You don't know what you have until it is gone?" Well, that could include fair and balanced journalism, good health and so it goes on.

Also ponder this from the late cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead...

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

More Words Of Wisdom

The only people who try to tell you that you can't do something, are the people who have faired. - Chris Jericho

You shouldn't blindly accept a leaders advise. You've got to question leaders on occasion. - Richard Branson

One persons real news is another persons fake news! - Greg Tingle, Founder and Director, Media Man Group

Citizen Kane (1941) Following the death of a publishing tycoon, news reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final utterance.

Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998). An oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer travel to Las Vegas for a series of psychedelic escapades.

The Rum Diary (2011). American journalist Paul Kemp takes on a freelance job in Puerto Rico for a local newspaper during the 1960s and struggles to find a balance between island culture and the expatriates who live there.

Media Man is a proud member of Virgin Unite