Upheaval: Disrupted lives in journalism
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley September 7, 2021
Author Edited by Andrew Dodd, Matthew Ricketson
Distributor: New South Books
ISBN: 9781742237275
Publisher: UNSW Press
Release Date: June 2021
Website: https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au
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Journalists looking at journalist, what a novel occurrence, but an occurrence that has formatted or documented the fall and fall of journalism in Australia, condensing years of turmoil within an industry that was once consider as the life blood of the Australian public; an industry that was a culture, a cult if you like of getting the latest breaking news of the day, being the first with the story.
The powerful drive to report the news of the day, to seek out corruption, send home the details of wars in foreign lands, present political upheaval and the daily grind of life was a vital link for all levels of society. It was once where the public got their information on just about everything: life, death, feast, famine, politics and society!
To become good at the craft took far more than good luck, it took courage, skill, determination and doggedness, particularly so if you were a woman, to get a good story. It took learning the craft from the newsroom floor as a copy kid, looking, watching and learning from the old hands, reporters, sub-editors and everyone who had any input into the production of the daily paper.
In Upheaval: Disrupted Lives in Journalism Andrew Dodd and Matthew Ricketson take an in depth look at an industry at a time when now, more than ever, veracity of news reporting is vitally important, but in reality is anything but, a mere shadow of its former self.
Well known journalists such as Tom Arup, Louise Graham, George Megalogenis, David Marr, Alison Watson and many, many more, including photographers and cartoonist, a number of whom have been awarded the prestigious Walkley for their ground breaking stories, tell their story about the huge impact the slow but definite demise of a once powerful industry as it rolled ever onward, to become something less than credible and reliable.
Some moved on to reinvent themselves in fields totally unrelated to journalism, others found a space or place within the new format, others imply drifted along into retirement, still wondering what happened to what was once considered as a job for life, all the while grieving for what once was.
Balancing out what could be considered as a history of newspapers and news gathering in Australia, Dodd and Ric look at the new breed of journalist, of on-line news: a new generation reporting in a variety of ways on the news of today.
Those who embraced change, although missing the pulsating energy of news production, also take an honest look at the future and hope that the drive and passion for seeking out the truth, a good story, real breaking news remains as an essential component of what is news in today’s world.
The Roll Call at the back of the book lists all the journalists ‘history’ who have contributed to the book. There is also a section on the redundancy timeline, media coverage of job losses, the slow and then mad rush to the end of news gathering as we all one knew it.
Upheaval: Disrupted Lies in Journalism is a definite must read for anyone interested in entering journalism, has worked in journalism, or interested in understanding a once powerful industry now struggling to survive in a world of instant ’24 hours’ news cycles.