title: Intellectual Character and the News Media Audience: the Role of Intellectual Virtue in Pursuing Successful Knowledge Claims

authors: King, Fraser Alexander

subjects: virtue epistemology

abstract: This thesis explores the role of the audience within contemporary news media and how individual epistemic agents can make knowledge claims based on news media outputs. The aim is to show that the news media‟s audience plays an active role in the inter-relationships between themselves, media practitioners and media organisations. Further, it is argued that individual epistemic agents, as members of the audience of the news media, must exercise intellectual virtues in order to make successful knowledge claims based on news media publications and to be an active audience. The First Chapter considers contemporary media ethics and shows that the audience has largely been viewed as passive and has been under-evaluated when compared to the inter-relationship between practitioners and media organisations. Chapter Two evaluates the role of truth in the news media and how this affects trust of the news media within society. The Third Chapter introduces virtue epistemology, an approach which seeks to address the weaknesses of foundationalist accounts of knowledge by appealing to the cultivation and development of intellectually virtuous character traits of virtue epistemic individuals as responsible inquirers. This thesis argues that the application of Linda Zagzebski‟s theory of virtue epistemology has significant advantages for agents seeking knowledge based on news media outputs. The Fourth Chapter explores the application of intellectual virtues to knowledge acquisition based on contemporary news media examples; and finds that the traits of open-mindedness, inquisitiveness, thoroughness, and intellectual carefulness are of particular benefit to the audience in making successful knowledge claims based on news media publications. The thesis is concluded by arguing that the audience, as individual epistemic agents within a democratic society, have an active role in interpreting and shaping news media publications.

text: Intellectual Character and the News Media Audience: the Role of Intellectual Virtue in Pursuing Successful Knowledge Claims This thesis explores the role of the audience within contemporary news media and how individual epistemic agents can make knowledge claims based on news media outputs. The aim is to show that the news media‟s audience plays an active role in the inter-relationships between themselves, media practitioners and media organisations. Further, it is argued that individual epistemic agents, as members of the audience of the news media, must exercise intellectual virtues in order to make successful knowledge claims based on news media publications and to be an active audience. The First Chapter considers contemporary media ethics and shows that the audience has largely been viewed as passive and has been under-evaluated when compared to the inter-relationship between practitioners and media organisations. Chapter Two evaluates the role of truth in the news media and how this affects trust of the news media within society. The Third Chapter introduces virtue epistemology, an approach which seeks to address the weaknesses of foundationalist accounts of knowledge by appealing to the cultivation and development of intellectually virtuous character traits of virtue epistemic individuals as responsible inquirers. This thesis argues that the application of Linda Zagzebski‟s theory of virtue epistemology has significant advantages for agents seeking knowledge based on news media outputs. The Fourth Chapter explores the application of intellectual virtues to knowledge acquisition based on contemporary news media examples; and finds that the traits of open-mindedness, inquisitiveness, thoroughness, and intellectual carefulness are of particular benefit to the audience in making successful knowledge claims based on news media publications. The thesis is concluded by arguing that the audience, as individual epistemic agents within a democratic society, have an active role in interpreting and shaping news media publications.

year: 2011

title: The Social Implications of Rights-Based Fisheries Management in New Zealand for Some Hauraki Gulf Fishermen and their Communities

authors: Duncan, Leith Stuart Willson

subjects: Fishermen

abstract: This dissertation examines the social implications of a neoliberal `rights-based‘, fisheries management system introduced in New Zealand on 1 October 1986 in the form of the Quota Management System (QMS) using Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs). Ongoing biological and economic monitoring has endeavoured to ensure the status of fish and the well-being of the industry but relatively little social research on the fishermen and their communities. This thesis begins to address this discrepancy. It considers four ―components, The Fishing, now Seafood, Industry (corporates), Fisheries Management (MAF/MFish), which have more market and national perspectives respectively, often influenced by international considerations, while social implications impinge more particularly on Fishermen and their Communities, both generally having more local perspectives. Communities, mainly Waiheke Island (my own community) but with reference to Coromandel, and Leigh, that had been active in the Hauraki Gulf snapper fishery before the QMS, were selected, initially as case studies but later as less distinctive variants. The dissertation argues that permitting the `Big Boats‘ on the coast constructed a crisis which was aggravated by loan schemes. The exclusion of the part-timers and aggregation of quota to the corporates has deprived coastal communities. Once they had access to fish through rights of propinquity and usufruct for livelihood and food. Now access to fish is commodified and controlled by corporates supplying an international market. Some fishermen retained their own quota, are passionate and debt free: others are contractors and financially marginal so that what was once an expressive vocation is now a more instrumental and in many cases marginal job. For social justice the QMS must provide better livelihoods for fishermen and better access to fresh locally caught fish at a fair affordable price for local consumers, especially in coastal communities.

text: The Social Implications of Rights-Based Fisheries Management in New Zealand for Some Hauraki Gulf Fishermen and their Communities This dissertation examines the social implications of a neoliberal `rights-based‘, fisheries management system introduced in New Zealand on 1 October 1986 in the form of the Quota Management System (QMS) using Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs). Ongoing biological and economic monitoring has endeavoured to ensure the status of fish and the well-being of the industry but relatively little social research on the fishermen and their communities. This thesis begins to address this discrepancy. It considers four ―components, The Fishing, now Seafood, Industry (corporates), Fisheries Management (MAF/MFish), which have more market and national perspectives respectively, often influenced by international considerations, while social implications impinge more particularly on Fishermen and their Communities, both generally having more local perspectives. Communities, mainly Waiheke Island (my own community) but with reference to Coromandel, and Leigh, that had been active in the Hauraki Gulf snapper fishery before the QMS, were selected, initially as case studies but later as less distinctive variants. The dissertation argues that permitting the `Big Boats‘ on the coast constructed a crisis which was aggravated by loan schemes. The exclusion of the part-timers and aggregation of quota to the corporates has deprived coastal communities. Once they had access to fish through rights of propinquity and usufruct for livelihood and food. Now access to fish is commodified and controlled by corporates supplying an international market. Some fishermen retained their own quota, are passionate and debt free: others are contractors and financially marginal so that what was once an expressive vocation is now a more instrumental and in many cases marginal job. For social justice the QMS must provide better livelihoods for fishermen and better access to fresh locally caught fish at a fair affordable price for local consumers, especially in coastal communities.

year: 2011

title: Bite

authors: Mitchell, Tori

subjects: poetry

abstract: Bite is a collection of blunt confessional poetry draped in honesty, identity, and 21st century feminism, examined through lived experience with eating disorders, sexuality, trauma, disconnect from family and culture, love and loss, and what it means to be a girl growing up. The collection explores these raw concepts with vulnerability, through the eyes of ‘wolf girl’, in hopes that talking loudly about these topics will force the public to challenge the silence and stigma around them.  

This thesis was inspired by Maori Mythology, and all of the Polynesian poets who showed me how important it is for women of colour to share their stories and experiences. It was also influenced by feminist artists Jenny Holzer, Tracey Emin, and Barbara Kruger, whose art embodies the content of these poems in a literal way: freedom of expression, stripped bare and unflinching. The poetry in this collection is confronting, visceral, and filled with bite.

text: Bite Bite is a collection of blunt confessional poetry draped in honesty, identity, and 21st century feminism, examined through lived experience with eating disorders, sexuality, trauma, disconnect from family and culture, love and loss, and what it means to be a girl growing up. The collection explores these raw concepts with vulnerability, through the eyes of ‘wolf girl’, in hopes that talking loudly about these topics will force the public to challenge the silence and stigma around them.  

This thesis was inspired by Maori Mythology, and all of the Polynesian poets who showed me how important it is for women of colour to share their stories and experiences. It was also influenced by feminist artists Jenny Holzer, Tracey Emin, and Barbara Kruger, whose art embodies the content of these poems in a literal way: freedom of expression, stripped bare and unflinching. The poetry in this collection is confronting, visceral, and filled with bite.

year: 2020