Week 7

Broadcast assessment Ideas

I chose to investigate the national problem of texting and driving. The issue is prominent in society due to it's frequency on the road and at the time the segment was filmed, new laws were being introduced to combat the issue, following a number of increasing road fatalities across Queensland and Australia.

The story represented the news value timeliness as new legislation was brought in throughout Queensland on the 1st of September. Again, the influence of politicians and law makers highlights the stories prominence, with interviews conducted with the State's Motoring Body RACQ. The issue also affects every driver in Queensland with tougher legislation for road users who choose to text and drive or talk and drive. This highlights the impact of the story across a wider audience and therefore suggesting it is more newsworthy.

I sourced the information from a news release issued by RACQ. The release discussed the law change and a call to action by the motoring authority.

It was difficult to balance the piece with two conflicting views. Facts and information were used to add detail and balance to the story. There was no direct comments against the law change, but a number of comments made by the RACQ suggest this new law would save lives.

I chose to do a Piece to Camera and an interview with the RACQ. The body is a representative of the state's drivers and therefore it offered a balanced perspective on the topic compared to interviewing a politician or police officer.

For visuals I chose to capture a range of shots of drivers using their phones and cars driving in the local area. This helps to localise the state-wide issue, but more importantly the visuals compliment my audio. I also chose to complete a piece-to-camera in my car to outline the topic of texting and driving, getting my major point across.