All The News That Fits

It isn't terribly nice when you see family squabbling in public.

But, in the public interest, it is particularly interesting to get an insider's view of the media's privileged position as gatekeepers of information.

Take the story of Bali 9er Scott Rush, the young man from Brisbane now spending a life term in Bali for conspiring to smuggle heroin.

It's been admitted that the majority of journalists covering the case knew of Rush's criminal past and chose not to publish anything in the Australian media in case it was used by Indonesia prosecutors to impose the death penalty.

Conspiracy of silence or responsible reporting?

The question may have simply remained fodder for academics or a spirited discussion over a beer or 10 at the local press club had it not been for an episode of The Australian Story on the ABC (in which Rush's parents blamed the Australian Federal Police for tipping off the Indonesian police) and a front page story in The Courier Mail after the sentencing which outlined Rush's extensive criminal history.

Viewers of The Australian Story, and one would guess of the news media in general, felt manipulated into feeling sympathetic to those caught.

Journalists felt they had a moral obligation to not air anything that might trigger the death penalty.

What's your opinion?
Should the media publish or broadcast the facts of the case as they have them, no more-no less?

Or

Does the media have a moral obligation to withhold certain information from its audience?

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Ringing Up The Expenses

Did you ever wonder where the household budget goes at the end of each week?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics did and its most recent Household Expenditure Survey reveals that the average Australian household spent $883 per week on goods and services during the 2003-2004 financial year.

Compared with the 1998-1999 financial year we’re spending more on our mobile phone charges (up 183%), interest payments on mortgages (up 47%), education fees (up 41%), child care (up 34%), domestic fuel and power (up 32%) and petrol (up 26%).

Not surprisingly, almost half the money that Australian households spend on goods and services goes on food, housing and transport.

Also, on average, households spent 17% of total goods and services expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages ($153 a week), 16% of the total on transport ($139) and 15% on current housing costs, including rent, rates and interest payments on mortgages ($135).

Publish And Be Damned?

One of the biggest stories to break internationally during in February is the riots surrounding the publication of cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Mohammed.

The cartoons, originally published in September in a Danish newspaper, have resulted in more than 100 deaths across the Middle East and Africa after a Danish imam took the original 12 plus invented another three on a tour of the Middle East.

The three fake 'cartoons' comprise of three faxed photographs one of which was a photograph taken by the Associated Press at a completely unrelated event.

While Australian, US, Canadian and US media have largely tried avoid confrontation by not publishing the cartoons, publication is already widespread across the Islamic world.

As the issue of free speech and freedom of the press becomes a hotly debated topic, for business owners it is an opportune time to address the issue of media and public affairs management.

The Award Goes To...

What if you threw a party and no one came? Let us put it another way, what if you threw millions of dollars into a movie and no one watched?

That's the reality facing nervous producers as this year's Academy Awards looms nearer.

The combined takings of many of the Best Picture films this year have been so dismal that many pundits are wondering whether enough people will watch the telecast to give the films the traditional post-Oscar box office boost.

The team at Business Communications Management have yet to pick their favourite film, but the one person they will be cheering on is Gold Coast local and client Vic Kaspar of Digital Sound and Vision.

The awarding-winning sound editor is hoping to make it back-to-back Golden Reel wins. Vic picked up his gong for the spectacular sound design in the foreign film favourite House of Flying Daggers.

Madonna Makes Her Mark

Unfortunately for the 'material girl' the name she has chosen for her new enterprise has blown up in her face:

The Czech company Explosia which owns the rights to the trademark, Semtex, said on Tuesday that it had launched legal action to prevent popstar Madonna from misusing its most valued and internationally known asset.

Madonna was revealed on Monday locally to have registered a company in Britain called "Semtex Girls Limited," although the British-based singer's intentions are still the subject of speculation.

It's a trademark infringement that Madonna is not likely to win, unlike her 2000 dispute with the original owners of the domain name madonna.com who were using as a porn site, rather than as a tribute to the original Madonna.

It highlights the importance of doing your homework before deciding on a company or a marketing name. Infringing on someone else's trademark may get you some immediate attention but will cost you plenty in the long term.

Talk to Business Communications Management and your business advisors before you make major marketing decisions that could cost you, rather than make you money.