In time, print comes out on top

By SANDY ROSE

THE 2010 Australian election night on Saturday 21 August was covered by a variety of media, including newspapers and their online counterparts. Due to their nature their election night coverage was very different. Newspapers allowed for greater time to write, research and edit stories about the election night. They were also able to publish more articles. Online news sites, such as The Australian’s (2010) website, did not have as many articles, however they provided more information in different media, such as blogs, live streaming, electorate maps and links. Newspapers were not as interactive, however they were less likely to break down and mislead.

The Australian (2010) online provided some traditional news articles on election night, along with new media. They were able to do a story on the exit poll swing (Maher 2010 (a)) at 6:18pm which would have been old news by the time the Monday paper came out. They also posted a story about early election results at 7:06pm (Maher 2010(b) which simply added 10 lines to the existing exit polls story. Online stories are able to be adapted as events unfold, whereas after something is printed it cannot be changed.

At 9:29 pm The Australian (2010) online published an analysis on the emerging results (Karvelas 2010). This was a five line story that states Karvelas’s opinions on where the ALP went wrong. However, unlike a newspaper which is divided into sections it is not immediately apparent that this is an opinion piece rather than a straight news story.

Having time to write about and analyze election results allowed reporters to write longer and more detailed stories for The Australian (2010) than those on their website (Megalogenis 2010). It also allowed them more time to research and get more quotes (Jackman & Perpitch 2010). One story on the leaders of the ALP (Jackman & Perpitch 2010) said things that were along the same lines as the online analysis (Karvelas 2010), however the newspaper version had more quotes, more detailed figures and more evidence to back up its claims. In this case the newspaper report was a lot more in-depth and newsworthy.

The Australian (2010) online was able to explore new forms of media in its coverage of the election. It offered a live blog with Jack the Insider (2010) where users could post comments in real time as well as receive updates from Jack the Insider. They also had an electorate map and electorate analyzer and a live video feed from Sky News.

Jack the Insider (2010) gave live election notes, answered questions and provided a forum on the election night. In the first hour, 48 users contributed to the chat posting an average of four times each. Jack the Insider posted 90 times in the first hour.
Jack the Insider’s posts were mainly updates on what was happening, such as:

6:53
Stephen Smith with early figures suggesting Bennelong will fall and McEwen will be picked up. Leicchardt in QLD to go.

However he also made the site more interactive by answering other people’s questions (Jack the Insider 2010).

6:47[Comment From jbo: ]
any tips for good places to follow the electionn results online, in a clear and easy to follow format?
6:48
vtr.aec.gov.au
6:48
Virtual Tally room

Although there were only a few dozen people who made use of this forum, some of them were in rural areas and some from overseas. Many of whom were unable to watch the election on television. Some were having problems with the live feed and others just wanted to chat about the election and this provided a convenient space.

Australian newspapers are not always available in rural areas or overseas, especially if it is just for a one time event like election night. Online news sites provided access to this information that they may not have had otherwise. However, if more people had decided to use the Jack the Insider (2010) forum it would have become unworkable as he had to manually approve all comments as well as write updates on the election. Newspapers do not have this problem.

The Australian (2010) online also provided an interactive electorate map (2010). The electorate map showed each electorate and the way they voted. Metro areas were able to be zoomed in on. Scrolling over each electorate brings up their result, how many votes have been counted and the 2007 result for that electorate.

Clicking on each electorate for would bring up the current member, votes counted and percentage for each candidate, a link to the electorate profile is also provided. Electorate profiles show the size and location description, products/industries of the area, first proclaimed/election, demographic rating and member’s history. Some politicians’ names were links to their home page (‘Electorate map’ 2010).

While these maps appeared useful and provided more information on individual electorates than was possible for print, they did break down around 8pm showing no votes counted for any of the electorates (‘electorate map’ 2010). This came back up at 11pm, however it still was fairly behind the AEC (2010) website. While election counts in newspapers are behind time because of print restrictions, there is an expectation that an online website will be up to date, especially when they claims to be so. In this sense newspapers are more reliable than the online electorate map.

Reporters have more time to research, write and edit articles for print. They can be seen as more balanced, in-depth and reliable than online news. However, newspapers are restricted in that they cannot provide as much information as online news sites, and they are not as interactive. The Australian (2010) online allowed for more interactive information giving with blogs (Jack the Insider 2010) and an electorate map (2010), however these were limited by technical difficulties. The online edition also allowed for more updates and more current news, however it wasn’t as well written as the Monday newspaper edition. Online news and print newspapers both have their advantages and disadvantages. Depending on what a reader wants out of their news coverage they can chose their medium.

Bibliography

Australian, The 2010, viewed 21 August at http://www.theaustralian.com.au/

Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), Virtual Tally Room 2010, viewed 21 August 2010 from http://www.aec.gov.au/

Electorate Map, The Australian, viewed 21 August http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/electorate-map

Franklin et al. 2010, ‘Leaders bid to secure power – talks open with independents as count points to hung parliament’ The Australian, 23 August, p. 1, 6.

Jack the Insider 2010, ‘Election night live with Jack the Insider’ August 22 , The Australian, 21 August, viewed 21 August 2010 from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/commentary/election-night-live-jack-the-insider/story-e6frgd0x-1225907915540#sidebar-end

Jackman, C & Perpitch, N 2010, ‘Labor members bag party's “faceless men”’ The Australian 23 August, p. 1, 2.

Karvelas, Patricia 2010, ‘Rush to election a flawed strategy; August 22, The Australian, 21 August, viewed 21 August 2010, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/commentary/rush-to-election-a-flawed-strategy/story-e6frgd0x-1225908268112

Kelly, P 2010, ‘Seats, not votes, the critical measure’ The Australian, 23 August, p. 1, 6.

Maher, Sid 2010 (a), ‘Exit polls swing lifts Labor hopes in Australian federal election’, The Australian, 21 August, viewed 21 August 2010, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/exit-polls-swing-lifts-labor-hopes/story-fn59niix-1225908199547

Maher, Sid 2010 (b), ‘Early swing to Coalition in NSW and Queensland’ The Australian, 21 August, viewed 21 August 2010, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/exit-polls-swing-lifts-labor-hopes/story-fn59niix-1225908199547

Megalogenis, George 2010, ‘Electorate divides into three zones’ The Australian, 23 August p. 1, 6.

Rout, Milanda 2010, ‘Victoria can't offset losses for ALP’ The Australian 21 August, viewed 21 August 2010, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/victoria-cant-offset-losses-for-alp/story-fn59niix-1225908291376

Walker, Jamie 2010, ‘LNP matches Rudd's 2007 feat in Queensland’ The Australian, 21 August, viewed 21 August 2010, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/conservatives-match-rudds-2007-feat/story-fn59niix-1225908294290