Part 1 A: Who created this message?

The most obvious answer to this question would be Greg Ray from the Herald, like der brain, he put his name on it!! Yes, Greg Ray did write, narrate and even act in the short web video. But to really get the most out of my analysis of this media text I must first dig deeper into the above mentioned question. Professor of Media and Communications, Simon Cottle, says that when trying to understanding media it is particularly important to recognise the broader producing culture out of which the text arises (2003). This refers to the broader range of organisational contexts that influence the way Greg Ray represents events and issues in his media reports.

Greg writes for the Herald, Newcastle's only daily paper, owned by one of Australia's largest commercial media companies, Fairfax Media Limited. At its core, Fairfax Media is an influential corporate business primarily interested in the pursuit of increased revenue and profits through the saturated ownership of a variety of media forms: newspapers, magazines, online media and radio. On Fairfax's website the image of corporate power, wealth and mass ownership is boasted proudly. The obvious intended audience is potential and existing shareholders as the majority of the website deals explicitly with the value of its stock (see http://www.fxj.com.au/home/). Despite the fact that Fairfax is one of Australia's largest media groups, a thorough examination of the website reveals no information regarding their journalistic philosophy or intentions. The company profile is depicted most narrowly through a fiscal lens (see http://www.fxj.com.au/corporate-profile/corporate-profile.dot). 

The Newcastle Herald has shared a lengthy history with the Newcastle community. Founded in 1858, the daily paper has long enjoyed its reputation as being a balanced and reliable source of community news (Norm Barney, 1998). In 1998, after a being produced in broadsheet form for 140 years, The Herald converted to tabloid size: advertising itself as "The Compact with Impact". Proponents of the paper assured readers that the journalistic integrity was not under compromise, explaining the shift to tabloid size as just keeping with the times. Sales rose significantly during this period, as did the amount of advertising and 'sport news'. Former subscriber and lecturer of Communication and Media Arts at Newcastle uni John Sutton raised concern that the journalistic integrity was in fact deteriorating leading up to the switch to tabloid format, in a suspected bid to stay on-side with the business community. In the past The Herald has been revealed for its advocation of a variety of commercial developments that have impinged on council regulation (Australian Broadcasting Corporation [ABC], 1998). Despite the controversy that has surrounded The Herald's journalistic integrity and relationship with the business community, the tabloid paper maintains that for the local readers it's still the number one source for "authoritative news, information and analysis about their community, their society, their country and their world." (The Herald, 2010, accessed June 4, 2010, from http://www.theherald.com.au/contact.aspx?publication_id=257&department_id=1).