Event Initiated Information
An event occurs, usually of some significance,
and as time passes it is reported and written about
in various ways and formats.
After the event occurs there may be news reports
on the radio, television or the internet.
The next day it may appear in newspapers. As time
passes the event is interpreted and written about
in journals and books.
Below is a table that represents a simplified version
of how an EVENT may unfold over time and the sources
of information that are produced as a result:
Event: Port Arthur Massacre
On Sunday, 28 April 1996, Martin
Bryant walked into a Café in Port Arthur
Tasmania and started shooting, killing 35 people
and injuring 18.
| Timeframe |
Information Type |
Example |
| Day |
Broadcast News (TV, Radio), Internet news |
News reports on the radio and TV occur almost
immediately after the event. They often present
an eyewitness account of the event. |
| Next day onwards |
Newspapers, Internet |
A search in a database found the following
Australian newspaper articles:
‘32 Die in Massacre’, 1996, The
Age, 29 April, p. 1.
‘Australia’s worst killing’,
1996, Sydney Morning Herald, 29 April,
p. 2. |
| Weeks after |
Popular Magazines
Trade JournalsArticles start to appear in:
- popular magazines aimed at the general
public.
- trade journals aimed at professionals working
in a particular field. |
A search in a database found:
Examples
Popular Magazine
Blair, T 1996, ‘For the term of his
natural life: sentencing of Martin Bryant’,
Time Australia, vol. 49, pp. 67.
Trade Journal
Small, A 1996, ‘Port Arthur and the
media machine’, Australian Police
Journal, vol. 50, no.3, pp. 105-123 |
| Months after |
Government Information
The event may lead to changes in laws and/or
other government information |
Explanatory Memorandum, Firearms Bill 1996
(Cth)
http://80-research.lawlex.com.au.ezproxy.uow.edu.au:2048/
Norberry, J, Woolner, D, Magarey, K 1995-96,
‘After Port Arthur – issues of
gun control in Australia’, Current Issues
Brief, no. 16, Australian Parliamentary Library.
http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/cib/1995-96/96cib16.htm
Carmody, M 1996, Tax office supports Port
Arthur victims appeal, media release, Australian
Taxation Office, Canberra, 10 May.
http://www.ato.gov.au/corporate/content.asp?doc=/content/00106188.htm&pc=001/001/001/001&mnu=&mfp=&st=&cy=0 |
| Year after |
Scholarly academic journals, conference
papers
Specialists in various academic fields, research
the event and either discuss at conferences
or have their work published in scholarly
journals. |
A search in a database found:
Journals
Frow, J 1999, ‘In the penal colony [A
commentary on the Port Arthur massacre. 5
parts]’. Australian Humanities Review,
no.13 (Apr-June): KB.
Rapley, M, McCarthy, D, McHoul, A 2003, ‘Mentality
or morality? Membership categorization, multiple
meanings and mass murder’, British
Journal of Social Psychology, vol 42,
no. 3, pp. 427-444.
Conference paper:
Australian Institute of Criminology website
found:
Sheehan, P 1997 ‘The effects of watching
violence in the media: policy, consensus and
censorship’, paper presented at the
conference Violence Crime and the entertainment
media, Sydney, 4-5 December.
http://www.aic.gov.au/conferences/violence/sheehan.pdf |
| |
Books
Books and book chapters may start to appear
on the topic. |
A search in the UOW catalogue found:
Scholarly
Crook, John 1999, Port Arthur - gun tragedy,
gun law miracle, Gun control Australia,
Melbourne.
Popular books
Scott, Margaret 1997, Port Arthur: a story
of strength and courage, Random House,
Australia.
Bingham, Mike 1996, Suddenly One Sunday:
the true story of the Port Arthur tragedy
based on eyewitness account, HarperCollins,
Australia. |
| |
Databases and print indexes
Articles may be indexed in a database or
print index. This allows the information to
be accessed by other people. |
Online Database
A keyword search in APAFT database found numerous
articles on the Port Arthur Massacre.
Print Index
APAIS: a print index to current literature
Under the subject headings “Homicide”
and “Crime victims” found the
article:
Gawenda, M 1996, ‘In cold blood: details
of the gunman and his victims at the Port
Arthur massacre’, The Age,
3 May. |
| Years after |
Reference Works: Encyclopedia’s,
Handbooks, Dictionaries.
As time passes, the event becomes so well
known that it starts to appear as short summaries
in reference books such as encyclopedia’s
and handbooks. |
A search in the catalogue found:
Graycar, A & Grabosky, P 2002, The
Cambridge Handbook of Australian Criminology,
Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne.
Oxford Companion to Australian History
2001, South Melbourne, Oxford University Press.
Australian Almanac: Australia at the
end of the century, 1999, Hardie Grant
Books, South Yarra, Vic.
Barker, A 2000, What happened when: a
chronology of Australia from 1788, Allen
& Unwin, St Leonards, NSW |
Research
initiated information
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