Media Watch Segment – Spoken Task
Expansion of the Japanese Whaling Industry
(Name)
710 words
Presenter: Welcome to Media Watch, I’m Ben Ison. Tonight we investigate the controversial and diplomatic issue of the whaling industry. As the Japanese fishing industry attempts to expand the whaling trade in Australian territorial waters, they have been engaged by the Australian government in a heated argument. While Japan claims the intended expansion of an additional 400 whales slaughtered annually, as “scientific research”, Australia is fighting hard diplomatically to protect the gentle species. The issue has been closely pursued by the media, but we are often subject to predisposed information. How can we understand the issue without extracting the biased perceptions from the media and separating the facts from the fiction? It seems that each commentary is subject to a different perspective of the argument.
In an article presented by NEWS.com.au on May 18th, 2005 titled:
Voice-over: “PM slams Japan whaling plan”
Presenter: we are exposed to biased reporting in favour of whale support by the Australian government. The Prime Minister, John Howard is quoted:
Voice-over: “It is not science to harvest 400 whales”
Presenter: As Japanese whalers are now determined to hunt humpback whales, along with minke and fin whales, Australia is working alongside the American, British and New Zealand governments to put forth a joint proposal to the Japanese government, in a bid to convince Japan to reconsider the proposed expansion. The majority of the article is quotes by the Australian PM as he expresses his frustration and the stand he will take in relation to the controversy, preferring to go down the “diplomatic path”. By giving only the opinion and assumed perspective of the Australian population, this silences the Japanese government and its population. It positions readers to side with the anti-whaling agreement and shatters the grounds of Japan’s argument of harvesting whales for “scientific research”. The article is constructed for the readers to believe expansion of the industry to be unreasonable and environmentally destructive, leaving no justification for the expansion.
The Essay on United States Internment Of Japanese Citizens During World War 2
United States Internment of Japanese Citizens during World War 2 Introduction What were the reasons behind the decision of the United States government to intern Japanese citizens during World War 2? Were they treated in the same way as citizens of other states with whom America was at war? Was this purely a security measure or were xenophobia and racism factors? During World War II, the U.S. ...
Yet, in another article, also by NEWS.com.au, printed: June 4th, 2005 titled:
Voice-over: “Whale eaters cook up a storm”
Presenter: the writer gives a new perspective to the argument. The article is presented with a collection of quotes from a Japanese whale cooking class, sponsored by the pro-whaling forum. In this article, the Australian government is silenced, while the perspective of the Japanese population is explored. While forbidding commercial whaling in 1986, Japan has continued to harvest whales for scientific purposes since the following year. But now, the tantalising taste of whale meat has enticed temptation once again and the Japanese government is looking to bring whale meat back to the tables of Japan’s population as a cultural icon. whale eating is presented in this article as a very acceptable and usual act. 61-year-old Kohei Uchiyama (a member of the cooking class), is quoted, saying:
Voice-over: “I think it’s nonsense, eating a whale is the same thing as killing and eating a cow”
Presenter: Quotes similar to this forces readers to accept whale eating as a normal deed and by creating this link between Australian culture and meat eating, it compels Australians to look differently at their own culture and think compassionately about what Japan faces with a whaling ban.
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1st- metaphor describing the whale as a heaving mountain /the lines describing the whale getting killed/ describe the whale crying out/heard whale singing, describes it as grieving 2nd – singing to all the other whales and describes it as crying for its life/ the whale body would used for- lipstick for ‘painted’ faces, meaning makeup, and for shoe polish. 3rd- ‘tumbling – mountain’- vivid ...
In an article further investigating the topic, printed in The Courier Mail (May 25, 2005) titled:
Voice-over: “PM pins anti-whaling hopes on diplomacy”
Presenter: although we are again faced with an article subject to biased information, language and imagery, this article presents a less biased report. The article is accompanied by a large picture of a fore grounded whaler removing meat from a whale carcass as a few local school students study the corpse in the background. This image, accompanied by the article, expresses the overkill of the scientific research, accusing Japan of simply using research as an excuse to bring whale meat to the tables of restaurants. Although the anti-whaling perspective in given top priority at the introduction of the article, the Japanese government is also offered a share of the direct quotes and information. Instead of the two extremely biased articles which leave too many questions unanswered and a sense of confusion over the “right” choice, this article produced by The Courier Mail is less subjective and more accurate.
This is Ben Ison for Media Watch, goodnight.
