Great Australian Drama And Why It Matters

Over the past year, Australian televisions have been graced with what seems like an unusual amount of local drama. It's been high quality, gripping, devastating- and free-to-air. The ABC in particular have stepped up, providing us with telemovies and serials such as Mabo, Jack Irish and Redfern Now. Channel Ten's Puberty Blues and Nine's Howzat: Kerry Packer's War might not have had the same level of social importance as recent telemovies on the ABC (A Dangerous Remedy, Devil's Dust), but they were both great dramas showcasing real talent.

This is a good thing. Imports from Britain and the US are awesome, and there is much amazing storytelling from all over the world that we can appreciate. As any undergraduate arts student will know all too well, we are living in a globalised world where national boundaries seem to be becoming less and less important. So why does it matter whether we have good Australian drama?

It matters because there are stories here, both true and fictional, that need to be told. We need to know about Australian lives, like Bernie Banton's and those of everyone affected by asbestos. We need serials like Redfern Now, because Australia is not just one big extension of Ramsay St. These stories matter- and we have the talent to be able to tell them.

We have actors that deserve to be seen, who can make Australian storytelling great. People like Anthony Hayes (Devil's Dust), Deborah Mailman (Mabo, Redfern Now) and Don Hany (Devil's Dust) can do amazing things, and Foxtel should not be the only place we can see acting of this calibre.

Dramas like Devil's Dust can show us that our country has been far from perfect over its history, but that there are people out there who are capable of taking of a stand when something isn't right. We need drama like this, and drama that shows our diversity and makes sure we don't forget what has passed. You can mock our film and television industries all you want, but the past few months have shown that these industries are capable of greatness, and they deserve to be recognised.

Shrinking Newspapers: A Journalism Student's Perspective

It's a scary time to be a journalism student. When you tell people what you're studying, their reactions range from a kind-hearted but unconvincing 'oh, well I'm sure you'll be one of the few who gets a job' to an alarmed look followed by an awkward 'mm, it's an interesting time for the media, isn't it?'. It is easy to tell what they are really thinking- what is the point?

It seems that the closer I get to finishing my degree, the less likely it becomes that I will ever hold down a job with a traditional news outlet. As everyone knows, Fairfax is cutting 1,900 jobs and News Ltd is also promising to shed staff. Australian journalism is in transition. Newspapers all over the world are changing- they may even be dying. It's a story that's been around for a while, and saying that the media is not like it used to be is stating the obvious- but yet myself and many of my friends have chosen to study journalism at university. Are we crazy?

 The Australian looked into this earlier in the year, and articles like this only add to that niggling feeling that maybe we're setting ourselves up for failure. Are we ever going to use the skills we're learning in practical subjects? Will anyone care that we understand the concept of an inverted pyramid and will our knowledge of the theory of the Fourth Estate ever help us in a shrinking industry?

Maybe it's about adjusting expectations, which doesn't have to mean downgrading them. It might not be the case that we all see our names in print every day for a forty year career at a major daily, but that doesn't mean that we won't find work that is fulfilling for similar reasons that a job at a newspaper might have been. This might be writing for a website, working in social media or Public Relations, or for a lucky few, gaining a highly coveted position with a revamped but healthy traditional news outlet.

It's also worth pointing out that skills in communication are valuable in a range of areas (well, pretty much every area ever).The subjects I have studied in my Journalism major aren't just about how to write a news article: they are also about analysis, understanding the media in society and appreciating new trends in a globalised world. Surely, these skills could be useful in many contexts. So even if we don't become journalists, this doesn't necessarily mean that we are wasting our time. Isn't the idea of basing your career on what you studied during your three years at university a little out-dated anyway?

Next time you meet a journalism student, don't shudder and show them pity. They are, no doubt, aware of how volatile the job market in their chosen profession is becoming. Maybe they have accepted that their future isn't going to look exactly the way they thought it would when they first selected journalism as a major. But giving up all hope of ever gaining a fulfilling job isn't going to help anyone.

Being a journalism student in 2012 is scary, but it isn't hopeless.