About the Magnet

From whence it sprang

The Daily Magnet started in 2005 (eons ago) during my early studies in undergrad journalism. Blogging was encouraged at uni for writing practise and for networking, and still serves to keep me up to date about publications, journos' writing styles and news and current affairs. Bloggers are a pretty interesting group, highly motivated, generous with their time and usually specialists in certain fields of interest.

Since 2005, the growth of online media has provided a lot more voices and free speech (sorely needed in Perth - where this blog originated) because media diversity in Western Australia has been somewhat lacking, historically. 

TDM supports independent media and media diversity so current affairs issues that seem important but which fail to get much attention in the MSM, might occasionally get a mention. This is not indicative of advocacy or activism on the writer's part.  A lot of posts here and in the 'Sphere in general, address the dire need for balance in all media content, and free voices for those whose interests are not equally represented amid MSM source biases.

The Fourth Estate is the traditional benchmark for best practice in journalism, although it is not a goal for all journalists. Many journalists in Australia now focus on a less independent and more developmental style, seen in 'developing' or 'Third World' countries. Though sometimes this can occur due to corruption via such means as undisclosed advertorials and unspoken agreements(as in Cash for Comment), or pressure to supply copious copy with insufficient time, it mostly occurs simply to hang on to work in a bleak employment climate - among mainstream staffers, a developmental style that does not scrutinize the public sector's actions is an unwanted side effect of newsroom staff cuts.  The repetition of press releases as news is also a big problem in the Australian MSM at present, and editorial staff need to be better educated into the impact of the practice, and supported to make reforms. The Queensland media copped criticism for failing to approach journalism with a Fourth Estate style of public sector scrutiny, during the Fitzgerald Inquiry.
TDM posts will sometimes examine the opportunity for reform that exists in the MSM, in areas such as transparent practices, and workplace equity and diversity. Fairer workplace practices improve work standards, OHS and deter bribes, collusion and corruption.

Every writer has a capacity to write well or to perform ethically in optimal circumstances, but due consideration must be given to the constraints that all different sorts of media staff work within.  Outstanding and abysmal stories may come under TDM's spotlight, but it is only indicative of the specific featured content, and more really just to outline the impact of the cover in a social justice, human rights or justice context.
Glimpsing through the archives, you can see the development of themes and topics, and a range of formats. The tone of the posts over the years varies, but rather than abandon the blog as an under-grad exercise, I've opted to keep it going because archived news and opinion is a rare commodity. In the BlogRoll I've linked to some writers who have extensive archives, not necessarily because I share their views.


Don't forget...
  • The posts here are just commentary - blogging is just a leisure activity, it's not work, and it's not life. While journalists who write news need to abide by ideas of neutrality through presenting both sides of an issue, columnists present commentary and opinion to prompt discussion and to entertain.
  • At present, no qualifications are needed to work in the MSM and similarly, no qualifications are required to be a blogger.
  • Commentary within the Blogosphere is more independent than what readers will find in the MSM, which is influenced by the interests of their shareholders, public sector sources and advertisers. In contrast, bloggers are self-policed, with writers accountable to their peers on a daily basis and "balance" (as per journalistic standards that are seldom observed in the MSM) is available simply through the wide variety of opinions published in the 'Sphere.
  • The content tends to be a bit lighter in the earlier years within the archives. With 455 odd posts, you will see that some posts are serious, although I have tried to inject a bit of humour where possible.
It's not me, it's you...
  • Some of the posts on this blog contain robust humour and debate and that may offend some people, if so, please let me assure you it's inadvertent. 
  • Not all the opinions that feature in the posts are the writer's - sometimes presenting a one-sided commentary and playing the devil's advocate will be more thought provoking.
  • The news/information that each post links to is not of personal interest to me, they were not written by me, and already exist in the public domain. Any objection a reader may have with those hyper-linked stories should be taken up with the individual journalists that wrote them and the publications that ran them.
  • Most of the posts here are analytical and gather details from a number of random news sources. If a post is about you, and you feel the stories I've linked to do not represent your situation fairly or accurately, I'd be interested in hearing from you and you can provide alternative links which I will display, so long as they don't break the law.
  • The known facts and opinions contained in early posts may have changed over time, but they related to the issues/facts at hand at that point in time, and as such, become valuable archived material, albeit subjective in the case of commentary.
  • Apologies in advance - I don't have time to edit comments and spam at present, so please excuse the comment moderation - it's not a snub just a necessary evil, so please be patient - eventually the comments will get published.  
Email me, let's yarn about it...
  • If you would like to bring to my attention news stories that you feel require scrutiny, or, you think it might be in the public interest(in the Blogosphere at least) to cast a new light on some particular issue, email the relevant content and if time allows, I will take a look at it.
  • If a reader objects to a post and that concern has some reasonable and/or rational basis, I'd be happy to receive an email from you - please be aware that some complaints may be re-published here and in other forums.
  • The views and concerns of readers with communications-related challenges and/or disabilities are highly valued at this blog! Please feel free to record sound or video messages and email them, if you need to. TDM has access to an Auslan interpreter if you need to sign a message. 
  • Send emails to, the name of the blog at hotmail.com
Personal space
  • Due to the nature of the WWW, readers won't find a whole lot of personal information in the posts. This is in keeping with media guidelines which observe the need for privacy and security, and it's really just common sense internet safety. The Grog-gate coup by "The Australian" overlooked such basic principles. Just as MSM journos and other writers have editors and corporations to shield their privacy and security, simple social protocols within the Blogosphere have safe boundaries to that effect, as well.
  • Any person(s) who undertakes trolling, flaming or harassment will be identified on this blog and other websites, and their details will be provided to relevant authorities.
Posted by The Daily Magnet 1-1-11