Is Twitter for everyone or just for twits?

In my job I work with a lot of young people.

By that I don’t mean I’m one of those cool forty-something social workers who spends most of his time hanging around young artists and musicians amidst the sweaty haze of inner-city dance clubs.

No, I just happen to be about fifteen years older than everyone else in my office.

Sure, I’m the boss (a pretty cool one in my opinion), but being surrounded by the unbridled optimism of youth, I can’t help but try to find ways to look and sound younger, to show my staff I’m still hip to the groove.  It’s a pride thing.

It’s this desire for eternal youth that led me to the social media phenomenon called Twitter.

At first I was reluctant.  Apart from the hours of wasted work time many of my staff appear to spend on social media, I just didn’t get Twitter.

Why would anyone want to ‘follow’ someone else unless they were a detective or a stalker?

Reading or watching any ‘news’ item about Paris Hilton was enough to keep me from wanting to know what the hell Twitter was in the first place!  As far as I was concerned, Twitter was for twits! 

 

But young people can be convincing and the more I observed my staff not working but ‘tweeting’, the more curious I became. 

So I checked it out and low and behold, I’m hooked. 

What I like about Twitter is the ability to ‘follow’ by choice individuals or organisations who I feel might have something interesting or important to say.

No longer do I need to switch on the TV of a morning to get the latest news and views filtered through the likes of Mel and Kochie.

A quick scroll through my Twitter feeds from Reuters, The Guardian or ABC News and I’m up-to-date with the latest.

Others use Twitter to find out what certain people are doing rather than what’s happening in the world.  In other words, unlike me, they don’t use Twitter to get the news.

While I can understand a serious fan of rock music following say, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters because Grohl probably has something cool and interesting to say, why would 40,000 people follow Kochie?  And why does Paris Hilton have 7 million followers?

This morning, I checked Hilton’s latest tweets.  I discovered Paris recently took a trip to New York where she had dinner at a place called La Esquina.  She’s also just released her 15^th fragrance and recently went hiking - truly fascinating!

The Online Oxford Dictionary defines ‘twitter’ as talking rapidly and at length in a trivial way.  Posting anywhere between 12 and 25 tweets a day by my count, Paris is clearly an expert.

Other tweets of course are more serious, often fired off as a rapid succession of news updates on any matter of interest as events are unfolding. 

And it's not only professional journalists delivering the news in this fashion but members of the public as well, often doing the work of the journalists for them.  (Maybe that’s what my staff are busy doing).

So, while Twitter may be used by twits, it’s not their exclusive domain.  Rather, it’s one of many available avenues of self-expression and information dissemination in our rapidly evolving digital age. 

So, Twitter is for everyone - a tool for thinkers, philosophers and thought-provokers as much as it is for twits and twats.

Creative Industries and the Importance of Entrepreneurship & Urban Amenity

By Sasha Lennon*

Introduction

‘Creative industries’ is a relatively new phrase in government policy, industry and academic discourse.  As the United Nations (2008) explains, the term “is of relatively recent origin, emerging in Australia in 1994 with the launching of the report, Creative Nation. It was given wider exposure by policy-makers in the United Kingdom in 1997, when the Government, through the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, set up the Creative Industries Task Force”.

Creative industries include, but are not limited to, those economic activities that are characterised by new forms of cultural production.  Leveraging cultural roots and assets but focusing on generating an income, creative industries “turn creative ideas into commercial outcomes” (Telesis Consulting et al., 2007, 4).  While all industries have embedded in them a degree of creativity, the creative industries are different because ‘creativity’ is their primary source of value. 

To attract what academic Richard Florida (2002) calls the ‘creative class’ Australia’s cities and regions need to put in place the preconditions for an attractive ‘people environment’ as well as an attractive business investment environment.  Florida argues that creative people value and rely on those elements of an economy that support and encourage their creativity and the diffusion of ideas.  They place a high value on an area’s lifestyle attributes like its recreation and leisure facilities, the quality of its public transport and pedestrian amenities, its ‘green space’ and its cultural infrastructure. 

But putting in place these important foundations for attracting creative people and creative industries alone will not ensure success.  For the creative industries to establish and grow, cities and regions must also support and encourage one of the most fundamental elements of business success, that is, entrepreneurship.

Creative Industries Defined

Definitions of the creative industries vary from country to country, usually because of differences in the terminology used by statistical agencies to quantify industry employment and output.  Generally-speaking, the creative industries consists of: music and performing arts; film, television and radio; advertising and marketing; software development and interactive content; writing, publishing and print media; and architecture, design and visual arts (Centre for International Economics, June 2009).  This common grouping is applied in countries such as Australia and is similar to classifications used elsewhere, as demonstrated for example in New York (Center for an Urban Future, December 2005), Hong Kong (Hong Kong Central Policy Unit, 2003) and Singapore (Singapore Department of Statistics, 2003). 

Figure 1.     

The Six Creative Industries Segments

Source: ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation

While official categorizations of creative industries are useful for the purpose of quantification and analysis, policy-makers need to understand that ‘creativity’ extends beyond rigid industry groupings.  As Hartley (2005) notes, the creative industries depend on “some decidedly anti-industrial folk”.  Rather than being separate sectors of the economy, creative industries are a pervasive input to many industries, from manufacturing and construction to business services, retailing and entertainment to name a few.  Representing what is in effect, a ‘creative services economy’, creative enterprises add value to production through design, technical performance, packaging and branding.

The Economic Contribution of the Creative Industries

The potential of the creative industries as a driver of economic development cannot be understated.  Australia is arguably a world-leader in research and policy development for the creative industries.  Data produced by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (April 2010) shows the creative industries contributed over $30 billion towards Australia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2007/08, which is more than industries such as agriculture, hospitality & accommodation and communications.  Over the 11 years to 2008 creative industries grew at a rate of 5.8% per annum compared to an average of 3.4% for all industries. 

According to the United Nations’ Creative Economy Report 2010: A Feasible Development Option (2011), global trade in creative goods and services is robust, growing at 14% even as world commerce declined by 12% in 2008 as a result of the global financial crisis.  Global trade in creative goods and services such as arts and craft, audiovisuals, books, film, music and new media more than doubled from 2002 to 2008, reaching nearly $600 billion.

In countries such as Australia, the UK, the US, Singapore and Hong Kong, creative industries’ growth has averaged between 5% and 10% per annum over the past ten years.

Creative Industries Dynamics

For many creatives, their work is spread globally and isn’t tied to just one location, making the internet and e-commerce the most efficient tool to source contractors and to make and maintain contact with clients.  Input suppliers too, are often a mix of local and global enterprises and individuals.  Hence, “technology plays a key role in the creative economy for content production and distribution” (United Nations, 2008, 8). 

This is perhaps most evident in sectors like journalism, film production and interactive software design where bloggers and freelancers are working as independent service providers to a multiplicity of clients, earning an income at multiple points in the supply chain, that is, the system of organisations, enterprises, individuals, capital, equipment, technology, information and other resources involved in moving a product or service from the supplier through to the customer. 

Figure 2 illustrates a conceptual model of a small Australian film production company’s interaction with the music video and documentary-making value/supply chain.  It relies on the author’s interpretation of information obtained through personal discussions with the creative enterprise.  The boxes in the chart represent the different points in the value chain where the firm earns income.  For some projects it will earn income at one or two points while for others, it may earn income at all points along the chain.  The circles at the bottom of the illustration represent the firm’s production inputs. This reinforces the importance of one of the fundamentals of creative industries’ success raised in the introduction to this article, that is, entrepreneurship.

Figure 2.     

A Conceptual Creative Enterprise Supply Chain Dynamic

Source: Lennon, S., personal communication various industry sources, September 2010

Commercial Creatives, Entrepreneurship and Creative Cities

To be ‘creative’ is to have the ability to make things, to show imagination and originality to produce creative goods or services.  An ‘entrepreneur’ is someone who organizes and manages a commercial undertaking, especially one involving commercial risk (Oxford University Press, 2006).  A creative entrepreneur requires a diverse set of skills and knowledge to create things and to then take those things to market, to turn them into something commercial, while managing the risk which underpins that undertaking.  Not only are they creative, they are also risk-takers, innovators, originators, thought-leaders and product (or service) makers.  They are the sort of people that regions need to attract, nurture and retain to capture a share of the 21^st Century knowledge economy.

The creative industries include what is arguably a sometimes overlooked segment of creative individuals and enterprises, one that does not fit neatly into a ‘cultural’ categorization but which, by virtue of its influence on the way we all work and live, is a driver of economic and community development.  This segment is the architecture and urban design segment. 

Architects and urban designers are not typically thought of as ‘artisans’ and instead are part of the other broad grouping of creatives, what Felton et al. (2010) call the ‘commercial’ creative workers.  These ‘commercial creatives’ are perhaps the most telling example of how, together with traditional sectors of the economy, well-nurtured creative industries (or more broadly, the ‘creative economy’) can be a source of growth, job creation, innovation and trade, while at the same time contributing to social inclusion, cultural diversity and sustainable economic development.

Simatupang (February 2010) cites the New England Council’s definition of the creative economy aptly by referring to two factors: firstly, the rising importance of creative workers in creating new jobs in companies and in helping mature industries retool for the future; and secondly, the recognition of arts and cultural assets as more than contributors to quality of life in a particular place, but as important economic drivers for their region.  This is illustrated by the concept of the ‘creative city’, “an urban complex where cultural activities of various sorts are an integral component of the city’s economic and social functioning. Such cities tend to be built upon a strong social and cultural infrastructure, to have relatively high concentrations of creative employment, and to be attractive to inward investment because of their well-established cultural facilities” (United Nations, 2008).

Architects and urban designers have a special role to play in the creative economy framework.  As Higgs et al. (2005) contend, the design segment (including architecture and urban design) “is the archetypal ‘leverage’ industry: while it does not generate high employment or have a massive industry turnover in itself, it is increasingly valuable in what it enables other industries to achieve” (Higgs et al, 2005, 3).

Apart from their contribution to output and employment, creative industries make more intangible yet highly valued contributions to their cities and regions through “the indirect and induced effects caused, for example, by the expenditures of tourists visiting the city to experience its cultural attractions. In addition, cities with an active cultural life can attract inward investment in other industries seeking to locate in centres that will provide an enjoyable, stimulating environment for employees” (United Nations, 2008, 17).

The Dynamic Cycle of Creativity and Regional Prosperity

A city or region that is drawing in new skills, enterprises and income and then traps and re-circulates that income locally through consumption and production multipliers is more likely to generate a rich pool of jobs, including the ‘creatives’, and a high quality of life.  In turn, this strengthens the region’s appeal as a place in which to invest and as a place where creatives and knowledge workers choose to live.  This further enhances the region’s effectiveness as a producer and exporter, representing a dynamic cycle of creativity and regional prosperity.

If policymakers are not in tune with the urban planning and city-building needs and expectations of the greater populace, there is a risk of disconnect between what cities or regions are and what people want and need.  As Marcus Westbury (2008) argues about governments that fail to respond to community needs, “a flagrant disregard for community and cultural consequences has led to buildings, cities, suburbs and communities that are ludicrously profitable and culturally barren”. 

Fortunately, over the past decade or more, urban planners, urban designers, architects and government policy-makers have become increasingly aware of and placed greater emphasis on the important role that creativity and ideas generation play as foundations for quality of life and economic performance.  Charles Landry, who writes extensively on the concept of ‘creative cities’, argues that people “want places to meet, talk, mix, exchange, interact and play”.  He adds, “the city should feel creative and imaginative, a place with a ‘can do’ mentality that is ‘entrepreneurial” (Landry, April 2010). 

Figure 3.     

The Dynamic Cycle of Creativity and Prosperity

Source: Lennon, S.

Following the work of Landry and others, it is now widely understood that new ideas will increasingly underpin almost all forms of economic development in a city’s engagement with the new economy.

As entrepreneurs working in the field of architecture and urban design, creative practitioners have an important role to play in policy-making by actively demonstrating and promoting the merits of urban amenity and the role of good design in facilitating the development of liveable (and therefore) prosperous cities and regions.  In other words, if provided with the opportunity, creative entrepreneurs can demonstrate the value of their contribution to city-building and economic development.  

If Australia’s cities and regions can nurture the right environment for creative industries and identify those segments that present genuine potential to capture regional market share, then there is scope for this still-developing segment of the knowledge economy to contribute to economic growth and development over the long term.

* Sasha Lennon (B.Ec., Grad. Dip. Advanced Economics) is a Principal and Partner of SGS  Economics and Planning Pty Ltd based in Brisbane, Australia.  He specializes in economic development policy, industrial and commercial needs assessments and policy advice concerning the creative industries and knowledge-based industries. He is a qualified economist and an Australian Certified Economic Developer (ACEcD) with Economic Development Australia (EDA).  He is undertaking a Master of Journalism within the Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology.

REFERENCES

ARC Centre of Excellence For Creative Industries And Innovation, April 2010. Creative Economy Report Card 2010.  Creative Industries Innovation Centre.

Centre for International Economics, June 2009. Creative Industries Economic Analysis, Final Report. Enterprise Connect and the Creative Industries Innovation Centre.

Center for an Urban Future (December 2005). Creative New York. City Futures Inc. New York.

Central Policy Unit, 2003. Baseline Study on Hong Kong’s Creative Industries. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.

Commission on Strategic Development Committee on Economic Development and Economic Cooperation with the Mainland. February 2006. Promoting the Development of Creative Industries. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.

Cunningham, Stuart D. (2002). From cultural to creative industries: Theory, industry, and policy implications. Media International Australia Incorporating Culture and Policy (102), pp. 54-65.

Economics Division and Creative Industries Strategy Group, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, 2003. Economic Contributions of Singapore’s Creative Industries. Economic Survey of Singapore, First Quarter, 2003. Singapore Government.

Emma Felton, Christy Collis and Phil Graham (2010) ‘Making Connections: creative industries networks in outer urban locations’. Australian Geographer, Vol. 14, No 1, March 2010, pp. 5770. 

ERC Services Subcommittee Workgroup on Creative Industries, September 2002. Creative Industries Development Strategy, Propelling Singapore’s Creative Economy. Singapore Government.

Florida, R., May 2002. The Rise of the Creative Class.  Why cities without gays and rock bands are losing the economic development race. The Washington Monthly (online). Available at http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0205.florida.html (Accessed 6th June 2011).

Hartley, J., 2005. Creative Industries, in Hartley, J. ed. 2005. Creative Industries, Blackwell, pp. 1-40.

Higgs, P., Cunningham, S., Hearn, G., Adkins, B., Barnett, K. (2005). The Ecology of Queensland Design. CIRAC, Queensland University of Technology.

Landry, Charles (April 2010). What makes a great creative city? http://www.creativecities.org.uk/charles-landry/ (accessed November 23, 2011).

Ludowyk, L. And Moore, B (eds) (2006). The Australian Oxford Paperback Dictionary. Fourth Edition. Oxford University Press.

Simatupang, Togar M. Creative Industries Mapping Projects in Indonesia: Experiences and Lessons Learned.  Seminar on the Importance of Creative Industries mapping Project for Cities and Countries.  British Council. Ho Chi Minh City.

United Nations Development Programme, 2011. Creative Economy Report 2010: A Feasible Development Option. New York.

United Nations Development Programme, 2008. Creative Economy Report 2008: The Challenge of Assessing the Creative Economy: towards Informed Policy-making. New York.

Westbury, M. (2008). ‘Fluid cities create’, in Griffith Review, Edition 20: Cities on the Edge. Griffith University and the author.

Not happy about the carbon tax? Tweet it

This morning the Gillard Government's carbon tax and emissions trading legislation passed the House of Representatives.  As I discovered on Facebook and Twitter, this made a lot of people happy.  It made many others angry.

In Parliament, Labor and Independent MPs applauded, cheered and shook hands after the bills were passed.  Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and Prime Minister Julia Gillard even exchanged a kiss!

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd share a kiss in Parliament this morning

In the public gallery, protesters interrupted the Prime Minister while she was attempting to answer a question, chanting "no mandate, democracy is dead".

I read about this on ABC News online.  But I first got a sense of people's reactions to the passing of the carbon tax and the emmissions trading scheme on Facebook and Twitter.

The first I heard of the carbon tax bills passing through the Lower House was via a tweet by SBS World News Australia.

After that social media was a buzz with applause and condemnation.

ABC News online perhaps summed it up best, publishing a selection of comments from both Twitter and Facebook.  Here are some examples of those in praise of the carbon tax announcement, as posted on the ABC web site:

"Financial mkts unmoved by carbon vote: So biz as usual. Lead coming from US stock futures & Europe. Zero sign of any mkt fears."

"Today I feel more human again. Today I feel like singing. #Australia now will have a #Carbon #Tax! Fantastic!"

And those dismayed:

"It's a sad day for Australia and a sad day for democracy.No Labor candidate will ever darken my door again. And @JuliaGillard, you're a liar."

"This Carbon Tax is an act of unilateral economic disarmament. It's going to harm growth, cost jobs etc etc - and FOR WHAT? Idiocy."

There are many more examples quoted in the ABC article.

Personally, I'm an advocate of a carbon tax and an emissions trading scheme.  I believe in the principle of user-pays and we're all using (or more aptly abusing) the environment!

In fact, I feel so strongly about it, I'm going to go and tweet it right away!

You can find me on Twitter @sasha_lennon

The footy season is over, so keep reading

AFL that is.  I unashamedly follow Australian Rules football (Aussie Rules) before all other sports.  In fact, other sports don't get much of a look-in, and online news has allowed me to pursue my passion with ease.

Hawthorn's Shane Crawford

Like other ex-pat Victorians, I've been known to moan a bit about the limited (though markedly improved) television coverage of our indigenous game in the northern states.

With the latest television rights deal struck between the AFL, Foxtel and Channel Seven, it appears TV coverage of AFL matches is about to improve (though it will cost the average punter a bit more in subscription fees).

Irrespective, where television has failed me in the past (and may fail me in future if I can't afford a Foxtel subscription), online news reporting of AFL match previews, matches and all the post-game analysis is freely available on the Internet.

Add to that the seemingly endless data on club profiles, player performances, club news, features and the opinions of the so-called 'experts' (not to forget the regular off-field scandals) and online 'footy news' provides as much information as one could possibly consume.

For some reason (maybe it's just me), whatever the numerous official and unofficial AFL sites serve up, I will readily devour.

Just this morning I spent a good half-hour reading in-depth player profiles as the AFL clubs embark on 'Trade Week'.  This is the week when prospective new talent (that is, young footballers) is traded in the form of draft selections.

Experienced players (that is, those closer to the end rather than the beginning of their careers) are recycled as each club attempts to improve its player list in preparation for next season.

Reading the AFL's web site (www.afl.com.au) I've learnt that my club, Hawthorn, is interested in securing the services of an experienced forward to bolster the club's existing crop of goal-kicking talent.

Apparently, Hawthorn is willing to trade an early draft pick (that is, a 17 or 18-year-old potential star of the future) in order to secure such an established player.

What I like about the online version of AFL news is it allows me to keep in touch with the game, from anywhere in the world, throughout the course of the year and not just when games are being played.

The 2012 footy season won't start until March.  In the meantime, I'm going to keep reading about it online.

What the...?

The Advertising Standards Bureau recently rejected calls for the slogan "WTF?" to be banned from use in advertising by a store that sells children's furniture.

The Bureau's Advertising Standards Board (the Board) made the ruling after it received complaints about an advertisement for Kids Warehouse which featured 'teen-talk' slogans including "WTF?" which appeared in the ad alongside a sad face.

Kids Warehouse said the slogan meant "why the face?' and that it is a well-known saying and used among young people and families.

It said that the slogan can also mean "welcome to Facebook", the social networking web site.

Seriously, what the...? As Kids Warehouse suggests, I'm either "out-of-touch" or "crude-minded".

I always assumed it meant "what the f..k?" as apparently many other people do.

The Board considered that older children and adults may notice the advertisement on the basis of the acronym but that in conjunction with the image of the "sad face‟ it is reasonable that the WTF is consistent with the modern term, “Why the Face?”

The Board further considered that while the use of WTF may be understood as “What the F..k?” by some members of the community, the use of the term WTF was, of itself, not language which is necessarily strong or obscene, or inappropriate in the circumstances.

The Board also said it was unlikely that very young children would understand the acronym as having any meaning.

Perhaps once they start using Facebook they will?

The Advertising Standards Board's case report can be downloaded here.

Brisbane's Valley Fiesta to showcase young artists

Photo: a scene from Valley Fiesta 2010 by Conan Whitehouse for Strut N' Fret Production House

A Council-funded 'creative space' for young people provides the platform for emerging artists who will perform at Brisbane’s Valley Fiesta on Saturday. 

Map: Fortitude Valley

Visible Ink in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley has been a hive of activity as a host of young artists tune-up to perform at the 2011 Valley Fiesta.

Visible Ink is a Brisbane City Council-funded program that provides free or low-cost facilities for young people aged 12 to 26, such as computer labs, meeting rooms and rehearsal space.

At this year’s Valley Fiesta, the Visible Ink Youth Stage will showcase emerging artists who have used the program’s facilities to prepare for the event.

Valley Fiesta is a free two-day street party which aims to showcase the best live music, food, fashion, art and entertainment that the Valley has to offer.  Streets are closed to traffic and performances are held on six outdoor street stages.

But the Fiesta is not just about entertainment; the popular event also celebrates the Valley’s vibrant social and cultural diversity.

Beauty and the Beats, an all female acoustic soul band, is just one of the local acts that will take to the Visible Ink Stage in Fortitude Valley’s Chinatown Mall on Saturday. 

Valerie Musu, a member of the Brisbane-based quartet says the youth space has provided invaluable support for Beauty and the Beats which otherwise would not have had a place to rehearse.

“We all have full-time jobs and Visible Ink is the only place we know of where we can rehearse after work,” she said.

“Rehearsal spaces usually charge about $100 per hour while Visible Ink is free.  It’s a great initiative.”

Elerrina McPherson and Angie Fleming, both from Ipswich, established a performing arts company called DreamWave Entertainment in July of this year.

DreamWave’s hip-hop dance act ‘IMVU’, will be performing on Valley Fiesta’s satellite stages on Ann Street, near the Brunswick Street Mall and at the Brunswick Street entrance to the Fortitude Valley train station.

IMVU (which stands for Inspire, Motivate, Versatile and Unique) consists of seven dancers aged 19 to 26.

Ms McPherson says DreamWave used the free rehearsal space at Visible Ink to hold auditions with over 100 young dancers from all over Brisbane, from which IMVU’s dancers were selected.

“It was just a massive month of auditioning,” she said.

Ms Fleming says DreamWave plans to open studios in Ipswich, Logan and Fortitude Valley in 2012.

“We want to get our own studios but at the moment, we’re just starting out,” she said.

Photo: Angie Fleming (left) and Elerrina McPherson of DreamWave Entertainment

That’s where Visible Ink has played an important role, by helping the young creative entrepreneurs to establish themselves.

As well as providing quality rehearsal space and other facilities, Visible Ink mentors young artists.

Ms Fleming says that without the help of Visible Ink, DreamWave would not have come this far.   

“They’ve really got behind DreamWave and what we’re about and have just encouraged us to keep going, which is great,” she said.

Kate Mocsay studies social work at Queensland University of Technology and works at Visible Ink on a student placement.

She says Visible Ink gives young artists who use the space the confidence they need to make it in the real world and the Visible Ink Stage at Valley Fiesta is testament to that.

“It [Visible Ink] promotes the idea that you can do it as a job and it’s not just art for art’s sake,” she said.

Valley Fiesta will take place in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley on 7^th and 8^th October 2011.  The first performances will take to the stage on Friday evening and the festivities will conclude at around 11.00pm on Saturday.    

Information on artists who will be performing plus the live music program and other information about Valley Fiesta can be found at www.valleyfiesta.com.

Information on how to get to Valley Fiesta via public transport can be found on the Translink web site or phone 13 12 30 for train, bus and taxi services operating during Valley Fiesta.

Information about Visible Ink can be found at http://www.visibleink.org/, by visiting the Brisbane City Council web site or by contacting Council on (07) 3403 8888.

Crikey! Is online news too quick to the chase?

Last week, the Crikey website joyously revealed plans by News Limited to refresh its company brand.

But, in drawing a link between the proposed re-branding and the UK phone hacking scandal, Crikey may have jumped a little too hard to reach some questionable conclusions.

Rupert Murdoch

In publishing elements of a leaked News Limited document designed to brief advertising agencies on a possible scope of works to modernise the company brand, Crikey claimed the proposed new 'News Australia' was designed to distance the organisation from the dodgy practices of its British sister company.

However, reports since the Crikey scoop reveal Rupert Murdoch's media empire had registered potential new company names and logos as early as June, before the phone hacking scandal surfaced.

Given Crikey makes a living out of criticising News Limited publications for being bias and agenda-setting amongst other things, it seems a little hypocritical to me that it uses a similar strategy to attack the media conglomerate.

I'm an advocate for accountability and transparency in the media but when those I trust to uphold these values (such as Crikey) start fiddling around the margins of a fact, I have grave concerns.

The Crikey article announcing the News brand refresh 'scoop' can be viewed  here.

What do you think?  Is Crikey being hypocritical in its treatment of News Limited?