The Long Suffering Student

Editorial Principles

2008-05-15T23:35:00.000-07:00

While exercise 1 acted more as an activity of "what not to do" in online journalism (note to self, telepathy, sailing boats in international waters and psychic manipulation are probably not the way of the future...obviously), several salient points did emerge from our active discussion of the pros and cons of interactive news sites.

Walking the line between the commercial demands, ie the need for sponsorship and funding in order to facilitate a reasonable journalistic skill and access to resources, while balancing and maintaining editorial independence is a difficult equation to judge. The demographic of the audience as well as the ethical paradigms inherent in the organisation must also be taken into consideration.

Another primary challenge we faced was attempting to balance entertainment with serious news, an element that talk back radio has had to mediate for years but an issue bloggers and online journalists are still endeavouring to conquer.

Evidently, celebrity news and light feature stories resonate well with an online audience, yet organisations need to maintain a respectable level of news coverage featuring reliable editorial comment on finance, politics and current affairs. The difficulty lies in making issues across this broad spectrum endearing to a variety of readers, by utilising and embracing audio and photographic journalism to supplement and help digest the written text.

Within my synopsis, the overarching theme of maintaining heritage buildings became apparent; perhaps a better approach would be to begin with the overall concept and then work down to the specific details of the Concord case study, as proposed. Evidently, there is great conflict in this story in terms of divergent approaches to maintaining heritage buildings yet unfortunately, there isn't likely to be any clean resolution over the time period of this feature.

Consequently, the speculation and discussion will have to centre around the morality, ethics and responsibility Sydney residents feel toward maintaining heritage buildings rather than a particular solution to this contextual problem. There are so many parties to be consulted- talking to them all and canvassing broad opinion by next way may be problematic; however, as we're working in pairs, the work load can be more practically distributed. The concept may need to be narrowed down a little more, however this will become apparent as the writing process unravels.

Taronga's Master Plan for the future

2008-05-08T23:08:00.000-07:00

Conservation and Heritage seem to be the buzz words at Taronga Zoo in 2008.

No sooner have the gates to the new oceanic display opened than work is already underway for a new Elephant Conservation Breeding Facility in anticipation for a bouncing bundle of joy- the First Elephant Pregnancy in Australasia.

Taronga's four female Asian elephants participating in behavioural enrichment

The new facility will sit beside the historic Elephant Temple, another heritage joy which is currently being refitted as a permanent house for the maturing bull elephant Gung.

Apparently, as bull elephants move on in years, they break away from the herd and interact solely for mating… and as such, Gung will soon be in need of his very own bachelor pad.

Work is now underway for his own exhibit… with a heated barn, swimming pool, mud and sand pits… as well as an area for the other four girls, who’ll walk through the grounds and visit on a daily basis.

One of these elephants is expecting and keepers are thrilled, especially since the elephants’ arrival in Sydney was marred by such controversy and constant protest from environmental groups. In New South Wales, the Greens political party, especially politician Lee Rhiannon, campaigned persistently against the notion of keeping elephants in captivity; check out her blog for more details.

A female elephant enjoying the swimming pool at her new Taronga enclosure

Environmental activists in Thailand even blockaded the trucks taking the 5 elephants to the International Airport in June 2006.

Nevertheless, things seem to be going swimmingly at the zoo- you can download the elephant’s 12 month progress report online.

These new facilities will open the door to a host of new opportunities, allowing Taronga to pursue and implement an Asian elephant breeding program.

They are but a small part of the “MasterPlan” to rejuvenate the two zoos, kicked off by the Taronga Conservation Society in 2001.

Given the extent to which Sydney and the state economy is dependent upon tourism, development at Taronga Zoo is a matter of prime public interest. Residents and tourists will no doubt continue to enjoy the benefits of renovations for years to come!

Bringing back the heyday for Taronga's Aquarium

2008-05-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

Even building Taronga’s new Great Oceans exhibit wasn’t a case of out with the old and in with the new.

Another task for the development team was incorporating the old-fashioned Aquarium entrance, which for many years has been shut off from the public, into the new, glitzy underwater world.

The restored facade of the old Taronga Aquarium

In its hey-day, Taronga’s old aquatic playground stretched from its brilliant façade mid-way down the property to the shark pools at the Lower Entrance. Stage 1, built back in 1927, featured three floors of exhibit tanks and a shark pool while the second added some colour with an abundance of tropical and freshwater fish as well as a seal and penguin pool.

Unfortunately, the structure quickly fell victim to internal rusting and soon became unstable. The upper section was closed off in 1992, the cumulative effect of changing occupational health and safety laws, the new Darling Harbour Aquarium and the need for more space.

Now, all that’s left is the Edwardian façade and the nearby Rustic Bridge, two heritage items which now form centerpieces of the new Great Southern Oceans display. A new blue, green and silver colour scheme has lent the Grotto entrance a new lease of life.

The Rustic bridge has been painstakingly restored to its former glory

Frankly, it’s very impressive. I just wonder why the upgrade didn’t happen sooner.

Toeing the line on zoo's heritage renovations

2008-05-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

To balance its priorities with heritage-regulation compliance, Taronga Zoo has appointed its very own Specialist to deal exclusively with that Pandora’s Box.

An old-fashioned stone bench preserved at Taronga's new Oceans exhibit

Jannene Smith fills those very big shoes, advising everyone from development teams on all scales to maintenance staff, architects and horticulturalists.

Zoonooz journalist Judy Gibson describes her as the head honcho trying to “achieve a balance between the cultural heritage conservation, the requirements for the well-being and safety of the animals and their keepers and visitor expectations.”

An interesting job description but Jannene strips it down to this; “to demystify and bring a down-to-earth approach to projects and make heritage conservation less scary!”

In other words, it’s her job to mediate and keep everybody happy. Not a role I envy.

One of her recent projects was the Moore Park Aviary, constructed back in 1914 with pipe frames and wire mesh. Under her watchful eye, the Lower Entrance has also been refurbished and repainted in the creams, purple and gold hues of a new heritage colour-scheme. And she’s certainly done a good job.

It’s the little touches like these that really capture the true spirit of Taronga.

Heritage legislation shapes progress at Zoo

2008-05-05T01:01:00.000-07:00

Despite drastic changes to central parts of Taronga zoo in the last two years or so, some things have stayed the same.

Pelican enjoying it's new docks themed exhibit

Heritage legislation in New South Wales has copped a fair amount of criticism in recent years for failing to protect some nostalgic items rich in community sentiment and for imposing stifling restrictions on others.

Obviously, striking a balance between preserving the past and embracing modernity is always going to be controversial. And I commend Taronga Zoo on that fact that while their recent spate of construction has radically altered the park’s appearance, they’ve certainly invested in preserving its heritage and maintaining that authenticity.

The site is a minefield of heritage objects. Actually, the whole property was listed in the NSW Department of Public Works S170 Heritage and Conservation Register in 1998. More than 200 individual items were catalogued- that seems absolutely incredible!

Under the Heritage Act 1977, state agencies like Taronga are required to assess and register items of heritage significance.

Furthermore, the Mosman Heritage Review singles the zoo out as a place of State Significance while other community groups like the National Trust, Art Deco Society and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects also celebrate its importance.

In other words, that’s a lot of people watching over your shoulder.

Spate of construction at Sydney's Zoo

2008-05-04T17:40:00.000-07:00

When the zoo first relocated to Bradley’s Head from its property at Moore Park, it was the only institution of its kind in Sydney. Yet, as a regular visitor to the zoo over the last decade, it seemed to me as if Taronga had fallen into a bit of a rut.

Old seal enclosure before 2007 upgrade

There didn’t seem to be a lot of reconstruction- the exhibits and animals were constant but there didn’t seem to be anything ‘new’. The facilities rundown, disheveled and I have distinct memories of being terrorized by free-ranging peacocks at the small food outlets.

It was time for a change, but to my disappointment, for many years that change just didn’t come.

In the last four years, with the rise of serious competitors like the Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife World tucked conveniently into Darling Harbour, I suspect the zoo was haemorrhaging tourists at an alarming rate.

Why traipse a tour bus out to Mosman if you can get up close and personal with a kangaroo five minutes down the road from your hotel?

In the last two years, however, Taronga’s responded to the much needed wake-up call and made up some significant ground. I’d say they now hold the edge over their competitors with the revitalized Great Oceans section and another draw-card- 5 imported Asian elephants, one of whom has delighted keepers by falling pregnant.

A new enclosure was constructed solely for them and a section of the park re-themed as a taste of the Asian wilderness, completed with a brand new eatery and veranda overlooking the elephant exhibit.

They’ve introduced a new ‘Roar and Snore’ package where people can stay overnight at the zoo and participate in a range of exclusive tours- that’s been a big hit with tourists and locals alike, and it’s been my experience that you’ve got to book weeks in ahead, this is so popular!

As part of their ‘facelift’, some of Taronga’s heritage items have also been re-energised. It’s amazing what a lick of paint can do. But have they done enough to ensure their survival well into the next century?

Sorting out Taronga's Priorities

2008-05-04T17:06:00.000-07:00

Taronga Zoo stands on ‘sacred ground’- 31 hectares of picture-perfect real estate that’s the envy of every developer. It’s commanded the spectacular harbour-side lot for nearly a century now and the park has seen more than its share of controversy.

Taronga's Giraffes enjoying the view of the Sydney Opera House

Chiefly, Taronga has two priorities- wildlife research and conservation are paramount, yet in order to fund these endeavours, the zoo has to keep the customer satisfied and operate as a successful tourist venture.

The trouble is that balancing these two priorities can sometimes be problematic. Caring for the animals evolving needs often means redeveloping land and old exhibits (an expensive exercise). Yet the zoo also has to upgrade facilities for its visitors- make sure the restaurants, cafes, shops and amenities are top notch to keep that steady flow of people (and cash).

It seems to be a simple equation- the more visitors, the more money there is to spend on Taronga’s conservation projects.

One of Taronga's Chimpanzees

But upgrading and redeveloping the zoo is hardly as easy as knocking down and rebuilding. There’s another underlying element of the zoo- its heritage architecture.

There’s more than a handful of heritage-listed items at Taronga Park (and much to my surprise, also the Western Plains campus)- from the actual layout of the site to building facades and animal enclosures, each accompanied by an exhaustive list of ‘dos and don’ts’.

So, how exactly does Taronga weigh up its heritage obligations under laws like the Heritage Act 1977 with its responsibility to both patrons and animals? It’s a tricky business, one that I plan to delve into further.

Unveiling Taronga's new Aquatic Exhibit

2008-05-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

New Zealand Fiordland Crested Penguin

Taronga Zoo has three of these little beauties- Mr Munro and two lady friends Chalky and Milford, along with a host of native Aussie Fairy Penguins. The trio are the only one of their kind cared for by a Zoo across the entire globe... that's not too shabby! It's certainly a draw-card to the Great Southern Oceans Exhibit, which only opened its doors to the public last month, still riding the success of the penguin phase inspired by movies like 'Happy Feet' and 'Surf's Up'.

Pelican enjoying its new docks themed enclosure

Taronga's gone down the path of what I call the 'Disneyland plan'... that is, dividing the park into overtly themed sections. The Great Southern Oceans exhibit is equipped with a host of simulated landscapes from rocky beaches to shipwrecked boats, docks and a interactive Submarine Research Station.

Ahoy me hearties... a shipwrecked boat forms part of the Pelican exhibit

Everything looks new, spick, sparkly and span- for me, it was a winner. Each exhibit has numerous viewing platforms from above and below- it really allows you to get a lot closer to these beautiful creatures than ever before and it really is breathtaking! The gift shop at the foot of the hill actually has an entire wall of glass peering into another deep seal pool.

Brand new seal pool from elevated viewing platform

There's also a mini wading pool for the kids with a misting machine, they've poached the giant plastic whales that used to hang proudly in Sydney's downtown Gowings shop and the seals no longer look as if they're cramped in a ceramic bathtub.

Old Sea-Lion enclosure 2007

The new 1.2 hectare exhibit makes a tremendous difference to the park. The project manager Helen Bainbridge publicly admits that designing the new exhibit was no mean feat.

"The exhibit is quite an accomplishment. It's a mixture of engineering wonders - enclosures that reflect the animals' natural habitat, but also exhibits that will intrigue and educate visitors in ways that previously weren't possible."

No matter what time of the day, the animals are visible and displayed in their full glory for everyone to see. It was high time Taronga made a change for their aquatic wildlife- the new design is brilliant! A job well done.

Fairy Penguin from underwater viewing area

The logistics of the new exhibit are amazing. The Great Oceans sector boasts six plants rooms which treat about 2,700m³of water per hour... I'm told that in one day, that's equal to 65 thousand residents' daily water demand. Certainly nothing to scoff at!

Zoo a famous Sydney icon

2008-04-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

Born into a family of people devoted to nature photography, animals and David Attenborough documentaries, I used to wonder if perhaps I was adopted.

[Giraffe at Taronga Zoo, 2008]

I can’t watch wildlife documentaries without a box of tissues on hand… the 'circle of life’ justification for the lion tearing the antelope apart from limb to limb doesn’t quite sit right with me… and when I minded a pet canary for my vacationing friends, I couldn’t eat chicken for a week.

So it should come as no surprise that I never used to like spending an entire day wandering around Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

But that was the old me. I’ve since discovered a new aspect of the zoo that has me quite entranced… the architecture. And the history!

It’s not just a place to take screaming children during the school holidays… it is, all at once, a wildlife sanctuary, tourist’s paradise, Sydney icon and historical exhibit, complete with a handful of heritage listed buildings.

Don’t believe me? Well, buckle your seatbelt! I decided to take to Taronga Zoo with camera in hand and prove the critics wrong.

Olympic Torch Chaos in Canberra

2008-04-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

Bolt’s ‘clog’ on the 2020 summit knocked my socks off, but is all his work so delightfully satirical? Let’s have a look at his comments on the Canberra stint of the Olympic torch relay.

The heading, “China sends in the clowns”, says it all. (Picture courtesy of news.com.au)

Bolt’s language is simple and colloquial, his voice is easy-going but righteously indignant and not only irate, but logically justified.

His asides are pertinent but hysterical and I think that level of easy connection and intimacy with the reader are more characteristic of blogging than a stagnant column in a paper…. e.g. “I watched almost every comical minute of that three-hour relay of the Beijing Olympic torch and thought- hallelujah!- money well spent.”

It is a ridiculously enjoyable read- the tone is dry, sarcastic but not pretentious. Take, for example, this wisecrack… “Priceless! Here was a rehearsal for the first Australia-China war, live on television. How I laughed.”

The blog format suits Bolt, allowing him to express more of himself and appeal directly to the reader. I think the honesty and frankness of his opinion really shines through, especially in this tome.

He makes an issue that has the potential to descend into political waffle, contention and drama relevant, brilliantly conveying the irony of the defence of an event supposed to encapsulate peace with violence.

Double thumbs up to this blog too!

Kevin 08 ain't so great

2008-04-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

I love Bolt's piece on the Kevin 2020 summit... genius!

Here's a look at "Rudd's mates steer the ship"(picture courtesy of news.com.au)

His headings are descriptive and relevant, not ambiguous or cryptically clever. The sub-heading is self-explanatory; it contains that editorial tone and unmistakable opinion you’d expect from a blog, yet it’s informative not confusing.

The opening par provides the background information for the blog, sets the scene and foundation on which Bolt’s criticism is constructed. Short, sweet, punchy.

The reader is left in no doubt as to where Bolt stands from the word go. His punctuation is painstakingly clever… he relies on inverted commas to create satire. I especially like his use of hyphens to create a wry aside, a quip which creates irony, along with his use of colloquial language, such as “mates”, which is surprisingly powerful.

The article stands alone- it’s not dependent on any other content found elsewhere, say in a newspaper, and it doesn’t link off to any supplementary sites. The focus remains one hundred percent on Bolt’s craftsmanship and message.

He launches immediately into the entry with first person narrative (as per your typical blog) and doesn’t shirk from talking directly to the reader. Take, for example, the line “these friends are well-connected people you never voted for… some with such as an inflated sense of their worth that they claimed to be at Parliament House to represent you, dear voter”.

He’s a no-nonsense fellow, this Andrew Bolt, doesn’t beat about the bush. His language is simple, straight-forward but still effective.

Ok, Ok, so it’s longer than your typical blog… a sunny 1300 hundred words longer (that’s the print column element creeping in there- the ‘c’ in ‘clog’).

The structure is fluid but importantly, there is still structure- it flows naturally, reads well but is perhaps more rigid than a typical blog.

Bolt's not your average blogger

2008-04-27T23:20:00.000-07:00

I’ve never really been an avid blog reader.

It’s not that I don’t like gauging the opinions of others or listening to people whinge incessantly (come on, I listen to talkback radio), it’s just that I’ve never really embraced the blogging spirit. Until now.

One thing I’ll take away from this online journalism course is the revelation that the Australian media isn’t black and white, but a thousand shades of grey. There’s no clear cut line between print, radio, television and online journalism and I don’t really think the distinction has always been as clear as some nostalgic journalists would have you believe.

Until now, if you’d offered me a blog or the editorial section of a paper, tabloid or broadsheet, I wouldn’t have hesitated to go straight to print.

And I reckon that’s exactly why I’ve become addicted to Andrew Bolt’s blog. He’s a Herald Sun journalist whose work takes the best of both worlds and straddles the border between print and online journalism.

He is, at once, both a columnist and a blogger. The Herald Sun page lists him as having both a column and the blog, but to me the two are almost interchangeable, interconnected extensions of each other.

Like a pie- the crust and filling are different components, but you can’t have one without the other. Same with the Bolt column/blog set-up. Well, sort of.

I’m sure there’s a more internet-savvy adjective to use here but for want of a better word, I’d describe his work as a ‘clog’… a compromise between the old-fashioned print ‘column’ and the new-age fan-dangled ‘blog’.

It’s not an either or situation- his work doesn’t fit the label of ‘columnist’ and it’s not decisively a conventional ‘blog’… it’s neither, yet it’s both. His articles appear in the paper yet they also appear on the net in a blog form that actively encourages readers to respond and engage with the material in a manner that they’ve never before been able to achieve.

Reading his work is easy, it has a natural flow and hook. Bolt’s entries are a radical departure from the traditional concept of a blog in that they’re quite a bit longer than the acceptable format, yet they resonate with that indefatigable sense of opinionated personality and individuality.

Now that I’ve sung his praises, perhaps it’s time I quit gibbering, get down to work and actually analyse a few of his ‘clogs’ so you can see exactly what I mean.

Moving beyond radio

2008-04-10T23:43:00.001-07:00

This is what I love about the internet... I find the Live News website really convenient. It uploads voxes and radio bulletins to the net while mixing online editorials with video footage. Basically, it takes broadcast radio to a new level... awesome!

Broadcasters embrace the World Wide Web

2008-03-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

There is a growing epidemic of radio broadcasters employing the internet to supplement their programme content, a practice that is increasingly blurring the lines between radio and online journalism.

The extension of the institutionalised broadcast format to online production is a natural evolution. The web offers the perfect opportunity for announcers to chronicle and reference their craft in an intransient yet accessible and enduring form.

A long-time fan of Sydney broadcaster Ball (though having not yet reached that point of no return and accepting the title of ‘Jim Junkie’ as per some of his devoted listeners), I confess with some shame that my addiction to his online site is only a recent acquisition.

Jimball.com.au is maintained and meticulously updated regularly by the well-read and well-referenced 2UE personality, who has essentially redefined midnight-to-dawn radio in the Sydney market.

Though not a blog, I consider the site a valuable database. Jim cites a plethora of blogs, online opinion columnists as well as print journalists from a broad range of media, both parochial and mainstream, to support and affirm the opinions presented on his talkback programme.

The man is a veritable walking encyclopaedia yet this site redistributes the editorial power inherent in the traditional medium of radio by supplying listeners and web-users alike with access to the material upon which to form their own judgements as to the fairness of his opinions.

The site isn’t difficult to use. Employing reverse chronology, Ball references from a vast library of online material.

It can prove to be quite a valuable resource, both for journalists and citizens who pride themselves on being well informed, not forgetting that the articles are selected within a framework of established political beliefs and paradigms which Jim is by no means ashamed of.

Finding Your Feet on the Net

2008-03-28T02:06:00.000-07:00

'Stained Glass Window', Niles, 2008

Beginning a blog is always a tedious task.

The first letters that flicker across the screen are deceptive; to the author, at least, they appear to attract more significance than they really deserve.

Each site operates as a window into the world wide web, a portal with the infinite potential to spin the reader off into each and every sector of the online galaxy.

Finding your feet in this new frontier can be daunting but the beauty of the Internet lies in its lack of tangible boundaries, its capacity to inspire, to educate and unite millions across the globe.

Blogging allows both the author and reader to transcend their geographical existence and connect with the rest of humanity in a brilliant new interface, a matrix that continues to evolve and redefine itself with every passing minute.

One thing is certain, though- you could surely be forgiven for falling back on that immortal movie line...

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto".