DISPELLING MEDIA MYTHS ONE AT A TIME
Traditionally News Media have written short articles which give one some idea about relevant News issues. However the journalism of the 21st century in Australia leaves a lot to be desired. As does the writing and the gathering of relevant information which is could then be put into a relevant length article explaining particular news items. News has been transplanted by opinion and the Televison news is so often nowadays seen as "Entertainment"
Journalists and their profession often complain about the digital disruption of their Industry.
The definition of disruption is. "disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process" In my opinion this is entirely the wrong word to use because it it presupposes that something disrupted will return to normal. In the case of the Media this is never going to be the case. In fact several significant industry changes have occured and there seems to be a reluctance by journalists generally to accept these changes. Some are.
Journalists and their profession often complain about the digital disruption of their Industry.
The definition of disruption is. "disturbance or problems which interrupt an event, activity, or process" In my opinion this is entirely the wrong word to use because it it presupposes that something disrupted will return to normal. In the case of the Media this is never going to be the case. In fact several significant industry changes have occured and there seems to be a reluctance by journalists generally to accept these changes. Some are.
- The loss of the power of the press generally to be the only source of News and information.
- The decoupling of Advertising revenue from News Media.
- The advent of Social media which directly challenges Traditional media.
- The ability of the private individual to find out facts about issues, to be able to read reports and have an alternative view from long form reading from expert sources.
- Lastly the ability of the private individual to be heard. For example I see twitter as the private citizen’s letter to the editor. But with significant differences. If it is polite and doesn’t include Swearing or other anti social activity, then it can never be censored, the Editor can’t edit it to mean something different or reduce the original meaning and it is always Published.

Following nearly 4 and a half years of police Service in the West Midlands Vince emigrated to Australia in 1978. Where he commenced an entirely new career Path(s). Firstly selling Telecommunicatios equipment for TR Services (a division of telephone rentals in the UK and then as a Customer Relations Officer working for the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia).
These were changing times and OTC(A) were early adopters of what some misguided people call the "Digital Disruption." As well as MIDAS (Multimode International Digital acquisition Service), OTC(A) also introduced the first trial of MINERVA, an email client service based on the Prime Computer operating system. Both Midas and Minerva were accessed thrugh a new digital innovation called fast packet switching, the backbone of today's Internet. They also introduced International Subscriber dialing, where you could automatically dial a number overseas, negating the use of an International operator.
During this time Vince developed Severe Psoriatic Arthritis a debilitating and progressive disease due to the nature of the work environment, where most colleagues went to the pub at 10am and poured themselves out at 4.30pm.
I was a non conformist blow in.
Following a year working in a travel Agency, I was employed by one of the larger Telecommunications providers in Australia, as a Major Sales account representative, selling their new Digital (computerised) PABX.
Most of this work was responding to Tenders, where the company was particularly successful in increasing market share.
Having commenced a part time business degree majoring In Marketing during this period, Vince was offered and accepted the Position of Senior Product Manager, with a budget expectation of $25 million per annum.
This was and still is cutting edge technology and during this time he saw the ISDN implemented as well as a raft of other computer products which could interact with the PABX as a communications hub.
The digital disruption in Phone and data switching through PABX had well and truly arrived.
These were the days of Dial up Internet and the increases in Speed were exponential.
Vince's final move in the telecommunications Industry was to another, but New entrant to the country and Industry, to administer the Industry Development Arrangements introduced by the Labor government, where over three years Industry bodies had to achieve a rising scale of points in three areas. Local Content (manufacture in Australia, Export and research and Development.
A further promotion to Product Marketing Manager was on the cards before the telecommunications group was drastically reduced from 70 staff to about 10 after a failure to win a Telstra contract to provide new Rural and urban Switching Infrastructure. The government decided to stick with their existing Infrastructure manufacturers.
There followed a period of consultancy (Own company) which ended when Vince's arthritis became much worse.
1992
Prospects were bleak, but having secured a Disability pension I determined to rehabilitate myself.
Next stop was to return to my love of working with my hands and so I enrolled in a three year TAFE course of welding. I originally wanted to do hobby welding, but no such beast existed. It was all 10mm plate and heavy Industrial machinery.
As a result of my background in Manufacturing and Quality control for major successful products, I was invited to do some Sessional teaching in Computers, Quality, Occupational Health, Organisational behaviour and performance (basically types of organisational structure and Leadership) and Safety to name a few as well as asked to write some curricula.
I was gainfully employed about 2 weeks a month, fulfilling my Mutual Obligations way before John Howard became Prime Minister in 1996 and drastically cut Labor's training budget, back to the bone and started demonising the Disabled and the unemployed. And saying that they had a Mutual Obligation to find work.
These were changing times and OTC(A) were early adopters of what some misguided people call the "Digital Disruption." As well as MIDAS (Multimode International Digital acquisition Service), OTC(A) also introduced the first trial of MINERVA, an email client service based on the Prime Computer operating system. Both Midas and Minerva were accessed thrugh a new digital innovation called fast packet switching, the backbone of today's Internet. They also introduced International Subscriber dialing, where you could automatically dial a number overseas, negating the use of an International operator.
During this time Vince developed Severe Psoriatic Arthritis a debilitating and progressive disease due to the nature of the work environment, where most colleagues went to the pub at 10am and poured themselves out at 4.30pm.
I was a non conformist blow in.
Following a year working in a travel Agency, I was employed by one of the larger Telecommunications providers in Australia, as a Major Sales account representative, selling their new Digital (computerised) PABX.
Most of this work was responding to Tenders, where the company was particularly successful in increasing market share.
Having commenced a part time business degree majoring In Marketing during this period, Vince was offered and accepted the Position of Senior Product Manager, with a budget expectation of $25 million per annum.
This was and still is cutting edge technology and during this time he saw the ISDN implemented as well as a raft of other computer products which could interact with the PABX as a communications hub.
The digital disruption in Phone and data switching through PABX had well and truly arrived.
These were the days of Dial up Internet and the increases in Speed were exponential.
Vince's final move in the telecommunications Industry was to another, but New entrant to the country and Industry, to administer the Industry Development Arrangements introduced by the Labor government, where over three years Industry bodies had to achieve a rising scale of points in three areas. Local Content (manufacture in Australia, Export and research and Development.
A further promotion to Product Marketing Manager was on the cards before the telecommunications group was drastically reduced from 70 staff to about 10 after a failure to win a Telstra contract to provide new Rural and urban Switching Infrastructure. The government decided to stick with their existing Infrastructure manufacturers.
There followed a period of consultancy (Own company) which ended when Vince's arthritis became much worse.
1992
Prospects were bleak, but having secured a Disability pension I determined to rehabilitate myself.
Next stop was to return to my love of working with my hands and so I enrolled in a three year TAFE course of welding. I originally wanted to do hobby welding, but no such beast existed. It was all 10mm plate and heavy Industrial machinery.
As a result of my background in Manufacturing and Quality control for major successful products, I was invited to do some Sessional teaching in Computers, Quality, Occupational Health, Organisational behaviour and performance (basically types of organisational structure and Leadership) and Safety to name a few as well as asked to write some curricula.
I was gainfully employed about 2 weeks a month, fulfilling my Mutual Obligations way before John Howard became Prime Minister in 1996 and drastically cut Labor's training budget, back to the bone and started demonising the Disabled and the unemployed. And saying that they had a Mutual Obligation to find work.