Weekly media index: 27 June - 3 July 2009

Michael Jackson: Since the public announcement of the death from cardiac arrest of pop superstar Michael Jackson last Friday morning Australian time, the story has received three times the coverage of any other issue on television, with continuing speculation over the circumstances of his death, the state of his health in the lead up to his death, the custody of his children and the size of his estate.

Wimbledon: While Samantha Stosur could not replicate her French Open run, Lleyton Hewitt made it through to the quarter finals at Wimbeldon and in the process lifted his world ranking considerably, but otherwise the tournament has looked very similar to most recent years, with Roger Federer and the Williams sisters prominent.

Swine flu: With at least nine deaths now linked to the influenza strain widely known as swine flu, coverage of the issue has continued, with authorities still warning of possibly more dangerous mutations of the virus appearing and the Health Minister reassuring parents that most cases remain mild following the death in Victoria of a three year old with the virus.

Utegate: With the start of the winter recess for Federal Parliament, the Utegate furore died down considerably, although pressure remained almost entirely on the Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull in the wake of opinion polls showing a crash in his approval ratings after they had been trending upwards for several months, while speculation about a shadow frontbench reshuffle continued.

Lote Tuqiri: The media was still none the wiser at the end of the week following the announcement on Monday night that one of the highest paid football players in Australia, rugby star Lote Tuqiri, had been sacked by the ARU for unspecified contract breaches. There has been little further information on the basis for the sacking, but Tuqiri’s representatives have confirmed he will be taking legal action.

Quote of the week:

“He asked me to come and look at his ute” Sacha Baron Cohen (as character Bruno) suggests a bond developed between him and PM Kevin Rudd after a TV appearance together

About the index
This list reports Australia's weekly top news stories by volume across thousands of newspaper, magazine, television, radio and Internet news sources monitored by Media Monitors, including international and domestic, business, sport and entertainment news.

Data and analysis provided to Slice Media by Media Monitors Australia

Media monitoring

Weekly media index: 20 - 26 June 2009

Utegate: The political debate over alleged improper influence favouring a car dealer in Brisbane by the Treasurer and Prime Minister, that has almost inevitably become known as Utegate, ended up being seen by virtually all the media as a major tactical blunder by the Leader of the Opposition and a win for the Government after one of the key emails upon which he based his claims against Kevin Rudd was shown to be a forgery. This revelation also led to serious doubts about the evidence of Treasury official Godwin Grech, while separate claims against Wayne Swan have been completely overshadowed by the forged email.

Wimbledon: After a strong performance by Australians at the French Open, the traditionally most watched foreign Grand Slam has achieved plenty of coverage across all forms of media in its first week despite there only being one Australian male in the singles draw for the first time in 70 years, with Samantha Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt once again sailing through the early rounds, while Jelena Dokic lost in the first round amidst coverage of her father’s serious illness and her rejection of any reunion.

State of Origin: Queensland wrapped up an unprecedented fourth series victory in a row with a solid if uninspiring win over New South Wales in the second match at ANZ Stadium. After racing out to an early 18-nil lead, the Maroons held on for a 24-14 victory, with the match winning the ratings and receiving wall-to-wall coverage in the rugby league states but far less interest outside Queensland and NSW.

Swine influenza: Swine flu coverage has dropped down the list again this week, despite claims of the first deaths in Australia from the virus, disputed in one case. The death of a 25 year old indigenous man has led to concerns over the comprehensiveness of the response to the potential spread of the virus in remote communities and amongst groups more susceptible to respiratory illness.

Iran: After a week of largely peaceful but widespread protests, the Iranian police and militias have cracked down hard on public protests, with footage of people being shot in the streets being accessed via social media sites and shown on mainstream media across the world. The U.S. President Barack Obama condemned the violence against protesters, following criticism from Republicans and parts of the media that his response had been weak, while the Iranian government blamed British and American influence for the unrest.

Quote of the week:

“I wanted to have a place that I could create everything I never had as a child." – Michael Jackson tells why he built his Neverland ranch

"When I saw him move, I was mesmerized, I knew that's what I wanted to do for the rest of my life because of James Brown." – Michael Jackson discusses what made him want to be an entertainer

About the index
This list reports Australia's weekly top news stories by volume across thousands of newspaper, magazine, television, radio and Internet news sources monitored by Media Monitors, including international and domestic, business, sport and entertainment news.

Data and analysis provided to Slice Media by Media Monitors Australia

Media monitoring

Weekly media index: 13 - 19 June 2009

Massive differences in the leading issues covered by each medium this week, with Des Moran’s shooting the number one issue on television, while Moran did not make the top five in press coverage, which was dominated by swine flu and emissions trading. Radio covered all the top five issues strongly.

Swine influenza: Swine flu was still getting a large amount of coverage across all forms of media this week as cases continued to rise, both in Victoria which now has one of the highest rates of infection in the world and across all other states in Australia. At the same time the threat level of the epidemic was lowered, with officials conceding that the severity of the strain is similar to that of other influenza strains, but warning there was still a danger of a significant number of deaths amongst those highly susceptible to infection or suffering from other ailments.

Des Moran: The shooting of Melbourne underworld figure Des Moran, the fourth member of his family to be killed was the number one news story on television last week, also being strongly covered on radio, with his sister-in-law Judy Moran charged in relation to the shooting, along with her daughter in law Suzanne Kane and Geoffrey Armour, who has been charged with murder.

Iran: Easily the largest international story of the week has been the continuing protests across Iran against the announced re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, with some claims of bloodshed but also many large demonstrations occurring without police intervention. The Government has attempted to shut down most media forms and has revoked journalist visas but use of social media websites has kept a strong flow of information in and out of the country

Emissions trading: Confusion reigns in Canberra on the main topic of debate, the emissions trading legislation, with claim and counterclaim of tactical games being played, while the Liberal Party, Nick Xenophon and Steve Fielding all called for either further delays or further inquiries, with the Greens wanting fundamental changes and the Nationals against any legislation.

Peter Costello: Australia’s longest serving Treasurer Peter Costello finally signalled he was bowing out of Federal Politics permanently, after keeping his options open on renominating for his seat of Higgins for 18 months. His announcement brought words of praise from the current Prime Minister and Opposition Leader, with Malcolm Turnbull being seen by most commentators as the main beneficiary of the move.

“As I’m lying there at my funeral I would hope to hear somebody say, “Look, he’s still moving!” – Peter Costello quotes Woody Allen

About the index
This list reports Australia's weekly top news stories by volume across thousands of newspaper, magazine, television, radio and Internet news sources monitored by Media Monitors, including international and domestic, business, sport and entertainment news.

Data and analysis provided to Slice Media by Media Monitors Australia

Media monitoring

Weekly media index: 6 - 12 June 2009

Swine influenza: As swine flu started to affect sporting fixtures across the country, with a swimming meet cancelled and several football matches in doubt, media coverage focused on these sporting disruptions and continued to debate the severity of this form of influenza, as health authorities watched for any signs of the virus mutating into a more dangerous strain.

Twenty20 World Cup: Despite Australia falling at the first hurdle in the Twenty20, it still received plenty of coverage across all forms of the electronic media, with discussion of whether the team were properly prepared and whether Andrew Symonds sacking from the squad at the last minute affected their performance.

Ministry reshuffle: Following the resignation of Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon last week, Kevin Rudd announced a wider reshuffle of his ministry, with John Faulkner moving to the Defence portfolio, Joe Ludwig taking his Special Minister of State position, promotion for Chris Bowen and the promotion of NSW right wing powerbroker Mark Arbib and left wing powerbroker Greg Combet into the ministry.

Indian student attacks: Several attacks on Indian students in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide over the past two weeks has led to street protests by Indian students calling for greater protection and continued coverage of the issue in Indian and other Asian media. State and Federal government leaders have deplored the attacks and attempted to reassure students that Australia is a safe option for education.

Socceroos qualify: In a much less dramatic fashion than last time, the Socceroos have sailed into the 2010 World Cup with a draw in Qatar on the weekend, reasserting their dominance with an unexciting but easy two-nil win over Bahrain in Sydney during the week. The Socceroos were the second team to officially qualify for the tournament, just hours behind Japan.

“fair shake of the sauce bottle” – Kevin Rudd tries (incorrectly) to channel Dad Rudd

About the index
This list reports Australia's weekly top news stories by volume across thousands of newspaper, magazine, television, radio and Internet news sources monitored by Media Monitors, including international and domestic, business, sport and entertainment news.

Data and analysis provided to Slice Media by Media Monitors Australia

Media monitoring

Slice of Life: Jenni Beattie, Director, Digital Democracy

We'd love you to meet Jenni Beattie, Director of Digital Democracy. Jenni recently launched her consultancy which combines social media with her expertise in public relations, communications, knowledge management and market research. Not only does Ms Beattie know her stuff, she's has one of the most impressive shoe collections around...


So what's your story?
I grew up on the South Coast of NSW lived across the road from the beach so it was fantastic. I moved to Sydney many years ago to do my degree at UTS (Information Science and Mass Comms) and I now live in the inner-west of Sydney. I have two children 8 and 12 which keeps me busy as well as a feisty cattle dog that demands two walks a day! I recently resigned my roles as Director of Digital Consulting and opened up my own social media consultancy called Digital Democracy.

Can you tell me a little more about Digital Democracy?
Yes. Digital Democracy fills a gap in the market by looking at Social Media very wholistically. As I have a background in pr, communications, knowledge management and market research. I view Social Media with those eyes and help organisations get the most from the tools. I am passionate about basing creative ideas on tangible research foundations.

Where did the name Digital Democracy come from?
Now that many people have access to the web we all have the ability to comment, create and review media online. Technology today has given consumers the ability to have a voice whether it is about politics, brands or services – hence digital democracy.

You mentioned working in varying fields can you tell us more about that mix of sectors?
Yes, over the past 20 years I have worked with a great range of organisations and across the marketing field. For example, I worked at News Ltd as a research manager, with McCann Erickson Advertising as a researcher, worked at Media Monitors as a Communications Manager and at Network PR as a Online Research Manager developing their online engagement methodology. More recently I worked at the Digital Edge as the Director of Digital Consulting where I developed and managed online research communities.

What clients have you worked on in the past?
While at Network PR I worked on Paramount Pictures social media strategy for their films – that was very entertaining! At the Digital Edge I set up online communities for Kelloggs, Weight Watchers, Sara Lee, Kimberly Clark and others.

What type of work are you doing now?
Six weeks in and I am working with companies on sales collateral, running social media courses for pr agencies, developing social media strategies for a film currently in development and doing research projects for agencies. Lots of variety!

Right now I'm:

Reading... too many blogs and also a few guide books on Japan

Eating.... mandarins – I love this time of year.

Listening... to Brian Eno

Planning.. a trip to Tokyo for three weeks in September (hope North Korea behave themselves)

Buying... birthday presents for my 8 year old son – it’s a sleepover party so it’s going to be …energetic!

Enjoying... seeing my business grow even in recessionary times.

Drinking... strong coffees in the morning and herbal teas in the evenings (and a few glasses of wine in between)

Media monitoring

13 June - Facebook URLs become available!

AVOID FACEBOOK URL SQUATTING for your brand (personal or company related!).



Book it in your calendar now - Facebook URLs will be available for the grabbing on Saturday 13 June 2.01pm (Melb/Syd time). Check out this from the facebook blog:

"Starting at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Saturday, June 13, you'll be able to choose a username on a first-come, first-serve basis for your profile and the Facebook Pages that you administer by visiting www.facebook.com/username/. You'll also see a notice on your home page with instructions for obtaining your username at that time.

Facebook usernames will be available in basic text forms, and you can only choose a single username for your profile and for each of the Pages that you administer. Your username must be at least five characters in length and only include alphanumeric characters (A-Z, 0-9), or a period or full stop ("."). While usernames are currently available only for Romanized text, we're looking at how we might support non-Romanized characters in the future.



Think carefully about the username you choose. Once it's been selected, you won't be able to change or transfer it. If you signed up for a Facebook Page after May 31 or a user profile after today at 3 p.m. EDT, you may not be able to sign up for a username immediately because of steps we've taken to prevent abuse or "squatting" on names."

Having a proper Facebook URL will also add weight to your search engine optimisation efforts - so make sure your brands don't miss out - first come, first served!!



Check out full details on Facebook blog here: http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=90316352130

Media monitoring

Weekly media index - 30 May - 6 June 2009

Swine flu: Swine flu remained easily the most reported story across the country, although with significantly lower volumes than last week, as the number of cases headed quickly towards four figures, most of those still in Victoria, although most other areas of the country have been affected to some degree. Predictions in the media of how severe the outbreak would be continued to vary, although many experts are now likening the outbreak to a regular flu season.

State of Origin: Despite the recent bad publicity received by rugby league, the State of Origin was a ratings and publicity success, also achieving strong crowd figures at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne. The NSW media tended to focus on controversial refereeing decisions while the Queensland media were basking in another win by their team, looking for an unprecedented fourth series victory in a row.

No recession: The Government were cock-a-hoop about the quarterly GDP figures showing the economy had grown in the first quarter of 2009, confounding most business and political commentators who felt sure the figures would confirm a second quarter of negative growth, the common definition of a recession. The Prime Minister immediately claimed the positive figure was due to the stimulus payments and first home owners grant while the Opposition claimed they showed that less could have been spent.

French Open: Samantha Stosur’s run at the French Open finally ended in the semi-finals against Svetlana Kuznetsova in a tough three set match, Kuznetsova facing Safina in the final, while interest was strong in who would earn the title on the men’s side of the draw following the early exit of Rafael Nadal.

Indian student attacks: There has been widespread concern of a possible drop in international student numbers after a series of attacks on Indian students in Melbourne, with the Government being heavily criticised in Indian media reports, while Victorian police maintain theft rather than ethnicity was the motivating factor in the attacks.

Quote of the week:

“I have at least two or three Judases in my midst and they had the drip on me” – Former Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon

About the index
This list reports Australia's weekly top news stories by volume across thousands of newspaper, magazine, televion, radio and Internet news sources monitored by Media Monitors, including international and domestic, business, sport and enterainment news.

Data and analysis provided to Slice Media by Media Monitors Australia

Media monitoring