Annotated Bibliography.

Journal Article.

Goff, W. (2011). The Shades of Grey of Cyber bullying in Australian Schools. Australian Journal of Education, 55 (2), PP 176-181.

The Journal Article that was posted in the Australian Journal of Education highlights bullying, which is an increasing problem in Australian schools. The article analyses the sharp rise in cyber bullying and the detrimental effects it has of those who are in their adolescent years, potentially leading to self-harm and suicide. The role of schools and teachers are questioned and discussed while referring to particular incidents in which bullying had occurred to children in school. It was argued whether schools have the ability to control the internet and the way in which students use it. The article was composed by Wendy Goff, a highly achieving academic whom has a number of qualifications, including a bachelor’s degree in education, masters of education, a graduate diploma in psychology and a diploma in early childhood services. Furthermore, the article was written in the Australian Journal of Education, a peer reviewed journal which has a reputation of being highly credible and reputable among the journalist society. The piece considers various interoperations of events; such as the schools views on the matter, as well as the parents, and the local government, therefore eliminating bias, as well as the article topic has a large public interest.

Television Broadcast.

Stewart, J. (Executive Producer). (2012, Jul. 17 ). [Television broadcast]. Melbourne, Victoria: ABC-Lateline.

The story was presented by Emma Alberici on 'Lateline', the ABC's late night news television station, engaging the audience in the unfortunate circumstances that resulted in the suicide of a nineteen year old girl. Workplace bullying that included verbal abuse as well as physical, such as pinned down to the ground and spat on by her co-workers, sparked for the introduction of anti-bullying laws into Victoria called ‘Brodie’s Law’. Since this incident, there has been a push to introduce anti-bullying laws into every state. The author was John Stewart, a long serving reporter for the ABC, previously uncovering many critical stories and winning a Logie for his efforts. The story was published by the ABC, a public media source that has been highly reputable throughout media over numerous years. Furthermore, the article presents only facts and is unbiased, which is evident due to the laws and regulations that are placed on ABC by the government, allowing for a more reliable source. In comparison to commercial media and social media, the ABC news reports are highly credible as its news articles are aimed to get the correct facts across to the audience, rather than to produce revenue by creating a bias opinion.

Newspaper.

Gardiner, A. (2012, Aug 9 ). Anti-bullying laws put into place after Brodie Panlock's death are put to the test for first time. The Herald Sun.

This written news article that was published in the Herald Sun creates an emphasis around the introduction of anti-bullying laws into society, ‘Brodie’s Law’. The document surrounds the suicide of Brodie Panlock, a nineteen year old girl who took her life after being bullied at the workplace. The reporter explored how bullying affects individuals and how it can escalate in a variety of ways.  An emphasis is then created on the laws that were put forward as a result of the tragedy and it was highlighted that these laws have already positively helped others in similar situations. The article was written by Ashley Gardiner, a state politics reporter for the Herald Sun, however the credibility of the article is questionable. Although the Herald Sun is a newspaper, it is commercial media and therefore has the intent to please the audience rather than focus more on the facts. Thus, the story is open to bias from the writer as the authors aim is to sell newspapers and make money, rather than presenting all the facts correctly and fairly. In comparison, the Herald Sun printed article lacks credibility and quality is compromised as its main aim is for profit and to entertain the audience, compared to public media such as ABC who pride themselves on credibility and reliability of the unbiased facts they present to the audience.

Blog Post.

Anonymous,. (2012, Apr. 14 ). In Watching the Spectrum. Retrieved Oct. 11, 2012, from http://watchingthespectrum.wordpress.com/2011/04/10/bullying-is-a-crime/

The blog post was an expression of personal opinion regarding the death of Brodie Panlock, a nineteen year old girl from Melbourne who commits suicide after being the victim of bullying in the workplace. The author expresses their feelings towards the laws that are now in place against these forms of crime, while using figures such as the amount of money the family was paid in compensation, to emphasise the point to the audience. Furthermore, emotive and harsh language is used when speaking about bullies in these workplace environments to appeal to the emotions of the reader.  The source has minimal, if any credibility as it was written and published online by an English Literature student who does not give away their identity. Using this form of media results in no restrictions on what they can write, and the text is extremely biased and extensively uses emotional words to convey their opinion to the audience. In comparison to other media sources, this is the least credible and reliable as the author’s motive is to simply express their thoughts to the audience, without needing to ensure the information presented is valid.