As topic for this essay I did choose to write about the bombing on the Sari Club on Bali a year ago. The reason why I chose this event, already lying in the past1, is the actual trial. As we are supposed to compare an Australian and an Asian newspaper, an event concerning people of both regions seems to be the best choice. It is important to keep the fact in mind that the actual incident already occurred. The news now covers the historical background with the influence of the happenings in the last year and the last act, the trial. In this essay you will see the different coverage be “The Australian”2 and “The Jakarta Post” using the editions from the 1st of August until the 11th of September 2003. All information in this essay are taken out or based on one of those two newspapers. I will describe the incident, tell you something about the two newspapers and compare them. You will recognize some differences, especially in the emotional part but you will also see that the Asian paper has a really western way of reporting the occurrence and that the west as even influence on the actual staff of “The Jakarta Post”.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Event
3. The Newspapers
4. Comparison
4.1. Sources
4.2. Perspectives
4.3. Emotions, Placement, Pictures & Content
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this essay is to perform a comparative analysis of how two distinct media outlets, "The Australian" and "The Jakarta Post," reported on the Bali bombing incident. The research aims to explore how geographic, cultural, and political contexts influence journalistic objectivity and the framing of international events.
- Comparative analysis of Western and Asian media coverage.
- Examination of the role of cultural bias in news reporting.
- Evaluation of source credibility and perspectives in international journalism.
- Analysis of emotional framing and the impact of national influence on reporting.
- Assessment of journalistic objectivity during global terrorism crises.
Excerpt from the Book
4.3. Emotions, Placement, Pictures & Content
Because I used the online version of the Jakarta Post I can’t really compare the placement of the articles or the usage of pictures. But I would opine that both news papers placed the articles approximately quite similar. The JP places the current happenings on the first sites and as headline. TA does it as well.
The pictures in TA are more the emotional kind of ones. They show smiling terrorists and crying Australians. They indicate family members of killed people holding and supporting each other, the display the bombed location and happy people after the verdict of the tribunal.
TA likes to quote Australian family members of victims and show their pictures, crying and celebrating the judgement. None of the articles I read mentioned the Asian part of the tragedy aside of the numbers of killed. They describe the attack over seven pages with matching pictures and they point out persons connected to the Bali bombing and the international terrorism missing experts comments and analyses. The only official voices are those of the PM and other western leaders. Most of them represented with emotional quotes as well. They seem to have lost the objectiveness a bit and reporting more subjectively, as the American papers did after the attack on the twin towers. TA seems to be a bit in a victim role as well, probably because of the readers wanting it, probably because of the national influence.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the scope of the study, introducing the Bali bombing as the focal event and explaining the rationale for comparing an Australian and an Asian newspaper.
2. The Event: This section provides a historical and factual background of the Bali bombing, contextualizing it within the broader scope of global terrorism and its impact on tourism.
3. The Newspapers: This part presents a profile of the two analyzed publications, detailing their founding, readership demographics, and circulation statistics.
4. Comparison: This chapter offers a critical analysis of how the two outlets differ in their reporting styles, use of sources, and general approach to the incident.
4.1. Sources: This subsection compares the reliance on local correspondents versus international sources and the linguistic and cultural implications of these choices.
4.2. Perspectives: This subsection examines how each newspaper frames the incident, highlighting the Australian-centric focus of "The Australian" versus the broader Asian context of "The Jakarta Post."
4.3. Emotions, Placement, Pictures & Content: This subsection discusses the editorial choices regarding emotional imagery, victim representation, and the degree of perceived journalistic objectivity.
5. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes the findings, asserting that cultural and social backgrounds inevitably influence media reporting and advocating for a critical approach when consuming news.
Keywords
Bali bombing, The Australian, The Jakarta Post, media analysis, terrorism, international journalism, objectivity, cultural bias, editorial perspective, media influence, journalistic reporting, comparative study
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this work primarily about?
This essay is a comparative media analysis examining how two different newspapers, "The Australian" and "The Jakarta Post," covered the 2002 Bali bombing.
What are the central themes of the analysis?
The central themes include the influence of national and cultural context on journalism, the representation of victims, the usage of editorial sources, and the challenge of maintaining objectivity during coverage of terrorism.
What is the primary objective of this study?
The objective is to determine how the two media outlets differ in their reporting of the same event and to identify the underlying socio-political reasons for these discrepancies.
Which methodology is applied in this research?
The study uses a comparative textual and editorial analysis, examining editions of both newspapers published between August 1st and September 11th, 2003.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers the factual background of the incident, provides profiles of the newspapers, analyzes their source selection, examines varying perspectives, and evaluates the use of emotional elements in their reporting.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Bali bombing, media analysis, international journalism, journalistic objectivity, and comparative media studies.
Does the author find "The Australian" to be objective?
The author suggests that "The Australian" often adopts a subjective, victim-oriented narrative, potentially influenced by national interests and reader expectations.
What specific controversy is mentioned regarding "The Jakarta Post"?
The text references the firing of investigative journalist Robert S. Finnegan, which the author uses as an example to illustrate potential pressures on media organizations regarding sensitive reporting topics.
- Quote paper
- Sebastian Geipel (Author), 2003, Printcoverage Bali bombing - Australia vs. Asia, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/22222
