Annotated Bibliography

Notorious, dangerous and intriguing: the explosion of bikie club violence has captured the nation. A history of fear surrounds the gangs that run the under world of our cities, from extortion, drug dealing and armed violence, this reckless lifestyle has been brought into the magnifying glass of society. In response to the string of shootings that have littered the news lately and the new show “Bikie Wars” airing on free TV, I have chosen to focus my annotated bibliography on this current hype. In particular I have focused on the recent shooting at the popular Robina Town Centre on the Gold Coast, where two people were injured by a Victorian bikie gang member adding to the violence that is sweeping the nation.

Levy, M. (2012, May 1) Man arrested over shopping centre shooting. Brisbane Times. P, 8.

Covering the shocking local shooting in a popular shopping centre, the Brisbane Times article released online would have a wide breadth in readers. Due to it’s notoriety this website would significantly influence its newsreaders. Megan Levy (2012), the author of this article, exploits explicitly substantial sources to corroborate the details given on the Gold Coast bikie shooting. Beginning with details given from officers of the Special Operation group and Taskforce, Echo. Continuing to cement readers trust in the evidence supplied, Levy expands his sourcing to a Queensland Police spokeswoman, other police sources and importantly an eye witness to the bikie shooting, Lyn Searles. Sensationalising is avoided by the use of sources and references to political leaders, giving readers a sense of safety in the information being presented. The author substantializes the relevance of the article by referring to the recent press release given by the police commissioner, Bob Atkinson, on the topic of bikie gangland wars. It can be assumed that there was a large amount of back ground research on this news story done by the writer. As legal resolution had not occurred at the time of the article, Levy tactfully concludes the piece with a threatening quote from the Premier, in another form of resolution for the bloody matter.

Staff Writers. (2012, April 29). Bikie Wars; Man and Woman shot at Robina Town Centre. News.com.au. Retrieved from http://www.news.com.au/national/bikie-shooting-at-busy-shoppibng-centre/story-e6frfkvr-1226341751605

From the beginning of the online article emotive and bold language is used to engage the reader, opening with language like “brazen gunman” and “terrifying double shooting” (Staff 2012). Arguably sensationalizing the story instead of presenting the facts of the bikie shooting to readers. When stating who the gunman was the writers neglect a source instead opting for “its believed” (Staff 2012), in contrast to the Brisbane Times article in which diligently backed up each claim with several reliable sources. Continuing the lack of source evidence the writers state “it is alleged”(Staff 2012) when describing the shooting itself. The first half of the article is setting the scene for readers, no substantial evidence has been presented until minor incorporations of sources are used towards the end of the piece. However good sourcing was demonstrated when referring to the press release given by the Queensland Police commissioner and minister on the matter of the outbreak of bikie violence in the state. Although citied sources were used at the later end of the article, this online piece does not seem to demonstrate the depth in information and sources that the article from the Brisbane Times had done.

Forbes, T. (2012, April 28). ABC News (Television broadcast).  Brisbane, Australia, public broadcasting service.

Forbes, a well-known TV journalist uses his personality and experience to investigate the recent shopping centre shooting, interviewing eyewitnesses and police, giving his antidotes on the matter. Notoriety and visual evidence gives viewers confidence in the segment as they are given an up close and personal view of the bloody attack. Additionally video of several witness’, shoppers and retail staff of the Robina Town Centre stores that were present at the time of the shooting is aired along with his report. Just like the previous articles, Forbes exploits the press release given by the Police commissioner, incorporating segments into the story. Linking to previous bikie related news demonstrates the newsworthiness of the topic being aired. Continuing source citing the journalist presents an interview with a policeman that was on the scene, Bruce Khun. Forbes, like the Brisbane Times, uses Paul Newman to co-oborate the relevance and real danger of this news piece. Television news gives the option of justifying the evidence as sources can be displayed by video, leaving viewers with little doubt over the source of the information. The broader topic of bikie gangs terror over the south east is brought up, generalising the issue and spreading its relevance to more than just the local area where the shooting occurred. Although substantially a more concrete piece of news compared to the news.com.au article the piece done by Forbes still lacks the depth of analysis that the Brisbane Times article had reported.

Barker, T. (2007). Biker Gangs and Organised Crime. Mathew Bender and Company Inc. p, 1-175. 

Biker Gangs and Organised Crime, delves into the sorted activities of the 1% bikie gangs of America, who separate themselves from general society (the remaining 90%) as they "engage in a deviant lifestyle" (Barker 2007) and violent behaviour outside of the law. Barker, the author of this book, uses his background in Law and significant investigation into the lives of bikie gangs to give a thorough and diligent report on the issues of the underworld. Undeniably the author put in more time and investigation into this text, considering he spent years collecting the necessary evidence and knowledge of the inner circle of gangs in America. He uses strong sources to back up the information presented to readers, referencing to the Bureau of Criminology, police insiders who have infiltrated the gangs and bikers that have crossed back into society. Although this text isn't specifically exploring Australian bikie clubs or the Robina shooting, Barker does shed significant light onto the inner workings and values of these clubs. Just viewing the extensive list of refences and additional tables and graphs demonstrates the level of investigation the author put in to his book to give readers relevant and correct information. Compared to the previous news stories from the Brisbane Times, News.com.au and ABC news, Barker has put in signicicantly more effort in investigation but that is the nature of the media. The difference between a book on a broad topic and a current and moving news story is vast, as the journalists who created the other pieces would have been on a strict deadline to report on this story. However, the author of this book had a lot more time and resources to generate a concrete piece of work.


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Undoubtedly, there is a direct link between the quality of a news report and the evidence collected, the more work the journalist involved does to investigate the more reliable the piece will be. Different medias also play a role in the quality of a news item, the audience and what they demand from the reporter greatly influences what is released. For example nine msn does not have the notoriety or respect that say Brisbane Times online would have, readers of the times would expect more depth and quality reporting. The Brisbane Times, News.com.au, ABC News and the Mathew Bender and Company Inc all have reported on the activities of Bikie Gangs, each portraying the blood shed negatively but with different levels of investigation into the incidents that surround these motor cycle clubs.


References;

Barker, T. (2007). Biker Gangs and Organised Crime. Mathew Bender and Company Inc. p, 1-175. 

Forbes, T. (2012, April 28). ABC News (Television broadcast).  Brisbane, Australia, public broadcasting service.

Levy, M. (2012, May 1) Man arrested over shopping centre shooting. Brisbane Times. P, 8.


Staff Writers. (2012, April 29). Bikie Wars; Man and Woman shot at Robina Town Centre. News.com.au. Retrieved from http://www.news.com.au/national/bikie-shooting-at-busy-shoppibng-centre/story-e6frfkvr-1226341751605