I enjoyed producing this interview. I visited my family in Canberra, and spoke to David – one of my friends from primary school – about my assignment, and he offered to help me with the interview. I ended up conducting it over Discord, as I left my equipment in Melbourne, but he also had a decent microphone, so he recorded his side of the call, so I didn’t have to worry about connection quality.
I chose this article from ABC Fact Check because I believe that stories about immigration, refugees, and ‘stealing jobs’ are popular for disinformation, because it is an emotive subject that is easy to use as bait, even for people who are supportive of the rights of refugees and immigration. The article also had a fairly clear verdict, which made it easier me to present to David, as I believe that it would be difficult to succinctly explain an article with a more ambiguous conclusion.
It is a bit heavy on technical language around visa types; though to be fair, Australia’s visa system is complicated, where seemingly small details can completely change what visa the applicant is eligible for. I have close family who work for the Department of Home Affairs’ visa team, and even they have trouble describing all the differences.
I also found it interesting to learn about how David consumes media, and how he checks facts. I was a bit surprised that no one in class brought up using a smart speaker to consume the news; though I hope the stuff from Sky News isn’t just coming from their ‘After Dark’ programming. David seems very media-savvy, fact-checking any claims that come up.
Editing the recording was tedious though. While controls were straightforward; the creative side was a bit harder. Both David and I ramble, which meant that my recording was over twenty minutes long. This meant that I had to figure out what was important, slice and delete clips, and make sure I timed and crossfaded some cuts so it wouldn’t sound like an episode of Rock Bottom.
I believe that the audio form has the potential to be an effective method to present fact checks. It can be easily consumed in the background. It can also be adapted for different genres, or to focus on certain categories of facts.
The format can also be easily changed to suit different audiences. A podcast with short-form summaries or a talkback-style show would be as effective and engaging as a detailed, multi-episode epic involving interviews and thorough investigation.
References:
Bakir, V & McStay, A 2018, ‘Fake News and The Economy of Emotions’, Digital Journalism, vol. 6, no. 2, viewed 16 April 2021, <https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2017.1345645>
Gordon, J 2020, ‘Has the Government prioritised Australian workers through the migration program as Alan Tudge says?’, RMIT ABC Fact Check, 3 June, viewed 14 April 2021, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-03/fact-check-migrant-workers-457-temporary-visas/12299180>