Same Field, Different Fears

The age-old stereotype of gender inequality has gradually become less of an issue across a host of professional industries, yet despite these developments many imbalances still exist within the field of sports journalism, invoking a host of different fears within both male and female journalism students at the University of Wollongong.

Recent statistics show that women now actually outnumber men in Australian media. While this shift represents Australian journalism as a whole, focusing only on Australian sports journalism reveals a more stereotypical picture.

Georgia Stjelja, who grew up in a family that treated soccer more as a tradition than a sport, is well aware of the stereotypical gender bias within sports journalism. She doesn’t let this deter her, rather using it as motivation to guide her. “There aren’t many female sports journalists out there,” she states, “I want to become one so I can show younger generations that it’s normal for a female to be passionate about sport.”

With that being said, and taking into account the landscape of sports journalism in the United States, Georgia remains realistic in her expectations. “I fear that I won’t be taken seriously, that people won’t believe I know what I’m talking about,” she expresses.

The same can be said for Mia Iorfino, whose love for sport was also entrenched in her upbringing, being introduced to tennis at the age of three. Mia’s aspiration to cover rugby league or Australian soccer is intimidating to her, based on the current make-up of NRL and A-League reporting. “Being a female moving into such a male-based profession is intimidating” she admits. “I have heard that with the industry being so male-dominated, females are less successful in becoming reporters and be more pushed to become presenters.”

While Georgia and Mia hold their goals in high-esteem, both understand that nothing is a given. As Georgia tells me, “I would become an English teacher, and travel so as to help high school students who struggle with English like I did.” And for Mia? “I would look into tabloid journalism. Having my own successful blog or a column in a magazine would be ideal.”

In stark contrast, and as an illustration of unfortunate reality, the fears and anxieties held by Georgia and Mia are not universal.

For Cal Behrendt, an avid European soccer (football, as he corrects me) fan, gender is the least of his concerns. “In Australia there is a growing market for sports journalism as we are sports mad, but everyone knows the main football market is in Europe, and I feel I would need to go over there in order to make an imprint.” He continues, “…to get on top of that I would need to learn a language or two, not to mention many former players are pushed into media and journalism roles.”

Bringing it much closer to home, Jesse Godfrey shares a fear that many are too prideful to admit. “The fear of making a mistake is always in the back of my mind.” Despite the bluntness, the aspiring NRL reporter reminds us all that confidence goes a long way and can be applicable to all who fear the future, as he states “I’m not thinking about failure yet, I don’t intend to, then I will never get to where I want to be.”

No Cause for Panic

Stemming initially from the 2012 death of Thomas Kelly, and gaining significant traction over the summer separating 2013 and 2014, NSW experienced a media-initiated moral panic over alcohol-fueled violence. What was unusual was that Sydney’s two most dominant and rivaled newspapers joined forces to push the issue. 

Examples of The Daily Telegraph’s headlines

When teenager Daniel Christie lost his life at the hands of a one-punch assault on the eve of 2014, the two papers began campaigning for a common cause – for the NSW government to implement tougher regulations on alcohol-fueled violence. For 17 straight days, front pages and prominent editorial columns of both papers attacked the issue in some way or another.

Such sustained campaigning by both papers on a common issue was unprecedented, as former SMH editor Peter Frey mentions, “Campaigning is easier for tabloids, as they’re virtually on a permanent campaign footing – the really interesting thing is that the Herald is matching the Telegraph blow-for-blow”. 

The immense coverage placed significant pressure on then-NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell to act on the panic, which he was quite reluctant to do. Canberra Times writer Jack Waterford praised the Premier’s composure, as he stated, “One of the tests of character of the modern politician is how well they stand up to moral panics”.

After a period of silence, O’Farrell re-emerged with a harsh set of new laws regulating alcohol sales and governing violence committed whilst intoxicated. What must be understood is that at the time, in contrast to the media’s panic-inducing coverage, the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research revealed that ‘alcohol-related assaults’ had been on the decline since 2008 to the lowest levels since 2002.

In conjunction with these statistics, the hastily-enacted reform has it’s fair share of naysayers, with UOW’s own Julia Quilter at the forefront of experts who are critical of the new law’s ripple effect across the entirety of NSW’s criminal law framework.

What this illustrates is that the issue of alcohol-fueled violence is certainly nothing new. It is something that has been around for decades, and the government’s response begs the question of whether a long-term solution was clouded by the panic induced by the media.

Athletes against the Media

The relationship between America’s sports media and professional athletes has become increasingly shaky over the last several months, as evidenced by recent incidents involving journalists and sports stars butting heads during organised media availability sessions.

The behaviour of NFL player Marshawn Lynch seemingly initiated discussion on the issue. Lynch was fined $100,000 for one incident and has coined himself a reputation of stubbornness towards the media. The fine didn’t deter Lynch, as he continued to remain tight-lipped throughout the season, and stayed quiet during the lead-up to the 2015 SuperBowl.

“I’m just here so I won’t get fined”, he repeated.

Durant’s comments at All-Star weekend sparked controversy (Getty Images/NBA)

Not long after Lynch’s SuperBowl silence, another prominent athlete in Kevin Durant went on a tirade when his head-coach’s job security was questioned.

“You guys really don’t know shit”, snapped Durant. “Y’all not my friends. You’re going to write what you want to write.”

The uproar generated by Lynch and Durant’s antics sparked debate about whether the media even needs to talk to athletes. Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe gives a brief history of how the journalist-athlete relationship has developed over the past century. Ryan, who is heavily critical of Durant in his article, concedes that most professional athletes will go along with the program.

Michael Dunlap from hoopshabit.com delves deeper into the issue, proposing that flare-ups like this stem from an athlete’s fear of being misquoted or slandered for expressing personal views. “How can we learn about the player if we try to shove our agenda down their throats?”, he says.

It is evident that the underlying issue here is that athletes are increasingly weary of what they say and whom they say it to, something that retired baseball star Derek Jeter is trying to change. “Those simple answers have always stemmed from a genuine concern that any statement, any opinion or detail, might be distorted,” he says. “We want a way to connect directly with our fans, with no filter.”

If modern-day athletes are placing less trust in journalists, what can journalists do to reverse this process?

Declan Arrighi – Padawan Filmmaker

Ask any person from any generation whether they like watching movies, and the answer will almost always be yes. We can’t deny the presence of film within our current globalized society, everywhere we look popular culture’s fingerprints are more than visible. For the nineteen year old Declan Arrighi, film is to him what the bible is to a devout Christian; a lifestyle, a religion.

“At about fifteen I started making my own amateur movies and there’s honestly no part of it I don’t enjoy, whether it be writing or shooting or editing them. They might not be the best quality but having been watching movies pretty constantly for years, you can definitely see how they have shaped the way I grew up.”

Currently mid-way through his 2^nd year of a Bachelor of Journalism at the University of Wollongong, he confesses that his interest in films and filmmaking stems as far back as he can remember. “There are so many aspects of films that intrigue me, and I’ve always been in awe of the way these elements interplay on screen to tell an overarching story,” he explains. “There’s something so immersive about movies, and I guess that kind of rubbed off on me growing up.”

While Declan claims his love for film runs deep, he was sure to share experiences that exemplify just how much the concept of film has contributed to his development as a person. “One of my best friends and I used to spend hours on end playing with the (Star Wars) action figures, and he’s still my friend to this day, and we are still very much into Star Wars,” he remembers. “My first tattoo was the Rebel Alliance symbol from the original trilogy…that’s a physical reminder of my interest. I also got the Deathly Hallows from Harry Potter…so again, these are more reminders of my love for film.”

Despite his clear attraction to film and affinity to all things Star Wars and Harry Potter, there were times when Declan’s connection to such things became blurred. “I did go through a stage when I was embarrassed to admit I still liked Star Wars, around the time of puberty,” he recalls. “I was always jealous of my little cousins playing with my old figures because I thought this was a sign of me beginning to outgrow Star Wars, but it never happened.”

What was influential in Declan’s transition from a period of insecurity to his current state of individuality was a process of self-acceptance. “I always compared me sitting at home watching Star Wars to other people my age hanging out with friends and getting their first tastes of girls, but I naturally reached a point where I got a lot more self-confidence and didn’t care so much what people thought.” He goes on, “While I still watched Star Wars, I also got out there and did what average teenagers did, after realizing it didn’t matter what my interests were, because I was the same as every other teenager.”

Despite Declan’s colossal collection of figures, it was easy to tell that C-3P0 and R2-D2 were, and still are, his clear-cut favorites.

With the new Star Wars film slated for a December release and two more sequels scheduled after that, Declan is not worried about his interest waning anytime soon. As for his passion for filmmaking, he’s going to remain patient and keep it amateur until the right opportunity presents itself.  “At this stage, being nearly twenty and eager for a successful career in filmmaking, I just hope one day I’ll make films that impact other people the way Star Wars impacted me.”

Assignment Two Masterpost

Student Portraits – Similar Destinations, Different Journeys

VoxPop One – Do you think tattoos in the workplace are an issue?

VoxPop Two – What was the first piece of technology you remember using?

An Interview with Mitchell Arquero

University Life – My Sanctuaries

Student Portraits – Similar Destinations, Different Journeys

Ciara Garvin, 19.

Ciara, studying a double degree of Communication & Media Studies/Journalism, chose the University of Wollongong over UTS, despite living in Sydney. The UOW campus appealed to her in a way that the UTS campus didn’t, so she is more than happy to commute everyday.

Ciara’s passions include writing, singing, reading and travelling. After High School she chose to take a gap year venturing across Europe, and is a fan of the fantasy genre.

“…my favourite book of all time is The Lord of the Rings. I have a tattoo of the Evenstar because I grew up reading it religiously.”

Follow her path here.

Lucy Daly, 22.

Currently studying a double degree of Arts/International Studies, Lucy represents a portion of Australian students who decided against University studies after one year.

“…well I came to UOW in 2011 and did a Bachelor of Medical Health for a year…decided, fuck that and I moved to London for two years.”

It was during her travels that she chose to come back.

“… while I was in India I decided to come back and give it another shot, doing something I actually wanted to do this time. I’m passionate about photography and travel. It’s my ambition to visit every country in the world before I die and document it all.”

Share in some of Lucy’s experiences here.

Elen McCabe, 21.

Elen is at the University of Wollongong studying the popular Bachelor of Communications and Media Studies. This year she has decided to major in Journalism, with hopes that this can lead her to her ultimate goal.

“I want to get into marketing, that’s why I have chosen my subjects the way I have.”

Whilst reminiscing about the first pieces of technology we remember using, a vivid memory of old-school gaming came to light.

“I remember playing Mario-Kart on the PlayStation One. My brother and I received it as a gift one year and I would always try to beat his high scores.”

Follow Elen’s experiences here.

VoxPop Two – What was the first piece of technology you remember using?

Most people who grew up during the same time period as myself and many of my peers seemingly would have been exposed to similar pieces of technology. Students of the University of Wollongong were asked to recall the first piece of technology they remember using, and the answers were more varied than you’d expect.

VoxPop One – Do you think tattoos in the workplace are an issue?

As someone who studies law and has a tattoo, this is a question that has always struck a chord personally. In this day and age tattoos are becoming increasingly prevalent across many facets of life. Students of the University of Wollongong were asked to share their thoughts on whether tattoos in the workplace are an issue. An interesting ABC article, written by a UOW intern in 2013, on the topic can also be found here.

An Interview with Mitchell Arquero

I met up with fellow Second-Year student Mitchell Arquero to smoke cigarettes whilst talking about University, self-discovery, character development and passions.

Mitch, an aspiring musician, also wrote and performed the piece of music you can hear throughout the interview.

University Life – My Sanctuaries

My release within

As i grew up and my personality began to develop, my connection to basketball mirrored my personal growth. Towards the end of high-school and carrying over to my first year of University in 2014, basketball stood out as the go-to activity to detach myself from life. As people get older I think its paramount that everyone have that go-to thing, their own sanctuary in a sense. Everyone is different, but for me, basketball is one of those escapes, whether I be watching it, reading about it, or playing it. When I found out there were basketball courts scattered around campus I was pleased.

My release outside

Photography runs parallel to basketball for me. I picked it up towards the end of High School and it quickly became a passion. Everyone needs that go-to place where it’s just them in their own element. The more of those places one has, the more able they are to identify themselves as an individual member of the world and ultimately be content with their existence. This photo represents both my passion for photography and my connection to North Wollongong. A girl I was deeply in love with, who I met through my Law degree, used to live here. This is where our love began, grew and got to a point where it was never going to end, until it did. I return here often.