UNSW MDIA 1004 exam 2024
EXAM MDIA 1004, T1, 2024.
1. TIME ALLOWED – 24 hours.
2. Exam Opens at 9am May 7, 2024 Australian Sydney EST time. The exam closes at
9am May 8 (AUST EST TIME).
3. THIS EXAMINATION PAPER HAS SIX PAGES, including the cover page.
4. TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTS – TWO PARTS, one question per part. Attempt all
parts. Submit what you have done for marking before 9am, 8 May. No submission, no
mark. Clearly label each section e.g. Part 1. The instructions for each question are on
the following page.
5. Part 1: 60 marks. Part. 2 40 marks.
6. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
(c) Do your exam draft on one document only, for both parts. Clearly label each section. Part
1 Practical and Part 2 Reflection. Share your draft with your tutor – email below VIA A one
drive link (privately – nominate your tutor as the share recipient).
(d) When you are ready to submit, submit to a Turnitin file under Assessments ‘SUBMIT
EXAM HERE’. Your final submission should match your final version of your draft.
Failure to share this document file with your tutor from the creation of the document,
via onedrive showing all tracked changes will result in 25 % deduction.
Please allow editing rights on the file.
Your tutors’ emails and times are as follows:
W14A k.davies@unsw.edu.au
W09A M.lyne@unsw.edu.au
W11A: n.tahseen@unsw.edu.au
T12A: n.tahseen@unsw.edu.au
M12A m.lyne@unsw.edu.au
M12B j.burfitt@unsw.edu.au
M12C d.hutchens@unsw.edu.au
M14A j.burfitt@unsw.edu.au
Exam continues next page
UNSW MDIA 1004 exam 2024
Part 1 QUESTION: Practical
On the following pages, see details of a court hearing this morning involving a celebrity.
You are sent to Sydney District Court, Downing Centre, for a committal hearing involving a
sports star.
You must choose the most appropriate style to write your story, to be published that
afternoon (assume it is today).
You can choose from:
a) A single inverted pyramid news story
OR
b) A news event blog
Remember, it is the most appropriate style for this story (material follows).
Using the chosen style, on a file shared with your tutor from the creation of the document via
one drive (see previous page for instructions), write 300 (minimum) words about the court
case. Exam material follows on the next pages. You can write more if you wish.
Part 2 REFLECTION ESSAY
Write a 1000 word reflection on writing the above practical story. In your reflection, discuss
your choices in creating this story, referring to course readings and lecture examples.
Course readings are your textbook (The New News) and additional readings listed under each
week, and available via the library readings link under Quick links.
Consider:
What information in the story did you include, and why?
What did you not include, and why?
What concepts discussed in the course informed these choices?
How did you attribute your sources?
Do you think this story requires interviewing, and if yes, who you would interview?
Use academic referencing for this part (in text).
It is ‘open book’ as online
Exam continues
UNSW MDIA 1004 exam 2024
Exam Material Part 1 Practical.
Refer to the instructions on page 2.
Details heard in court
Defendant: Stuart MacGill
Judge: Judge Gartelmann
Crown Prosecutor (Representative of the Director of Public Prosecutions)
Defence Barrister Thos Hodgson
Plea: Not guilty
Court: District Court, Downing Centre, Sydney.
Hearing: Committal Hearing.
Other details: MacGill wore a mask and a suit. He stood as he was committed to stand trial.
Decision by the Judge Committed to stand trial on November 15, 2024.
Status of defendant: on bail
Charges: one count of knowingly taking part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of
a prohibited drug.
Type and Estimated value of drug Cocaine. $330,000 AUD
Further Details from the Court
Mr MacGill’s defence barrister said Mr MacGill told police he had been kidnapped outside
his Cremorne Apartment on April 14, 2021. He was forced into a car at Cremorne on
Sydney’s north shore and taken to Bringelly, south of Sydney. Three assailants then allegedly
tried to extort money from MacGill before dropping him about 45 minutes’ away in Belmore
about an hour later. Exam continues next page
Mr MacGill was investigated from 2021. In 2023 he was arrested and charged over the
supply of a kilogram of cocaine at Neutral Bay between April 1 and April 14, 2021. [exam
continues]
It is alleged that MacGill supplied one kilo of a commercial quantity of cocaine in the suburb
of Neutral Bay, at MacGill’s Greek restaurant, Aristotle, which he ran with his partner and
girlfriend Maria O’Meagher.
UNSW MDIA 1004 exam 2024
Mr MacGill’s trial is expected to last five to seven days
Defence Barrister: Thos Hodgson: “It will be very strongly defended. He certainly does
(stand by his innocence). He’s really the person who’s suffered greatly from this. He suffered
a terrible ordeal. “Emotionally, it’s taken a huge toll on him.”
Defence Barrister Thos Hodgson regarding the expedited (fast-tracked) trial: “The
arraignment was expedited upon the basis there are some concurrent proceedings ... where
there's an alleged kidnapping of my client.”
The prosecution alleges that a drug debt was owed by MacGill.
From Your Own Reading and Research
MacGill is 51 years old.
Six men have been charged over the alleged kidnapping of Mr MacGill.
The six men involved in the kidnapping of MacGill have pleaded not guilty.
Their names are: Frederick and Richard Schaaf, their cousin Elijah Schaaf, MacGill's brother-
in-law Marino Sotiropoulos, Vaeluagaomatagi Feilo and Son Minh Nguyen.
All six are charged taking or detaining a person in company to get advantage and
occasioning actual bodily harm
Officers charged MacGill at Chatswood Police Station on Friday, September 2023.
MacGill is a former Australian team cricketer.
The former cricketer played for the Australian men's Test team for 10 years, taking
more than 200 wickets. Exam continues next page
McGill was a ‘leg spinner’ bowler.
One of the kidnappers was the brother of his former partner. [exam continues ]
MacGill has previously pleaded not guilty to stalking and intimidating a bar owner in the
Rocks in Sydney. Police took out an AVO to protect Samantha Ford, who says MacGill
intimidated and stalked her.
MacGill’s restaurant, Aristotle, was closed in June 2021 soon after the kidnapping.
UNSW MDIA 1004 exam 2024
MacGill owned the restaurant with his partner, Maria O’Meagher. After the kidnapping his
partner, Maria said that he was terrified and would only travel hidden in the boot of their car
in case he was seen.
On X (Twitter), you have found the following comments and links
@BuffBendy
Clearly not a user just a fuked up has been
@Chrissy62888177:
Laughable. How did the police fall for this? Seriously he was guilty from the start. The story
didn’t make sense from Day 1
@BenjaminMcNam10
Police are stumped as to why it happened
@Ozesurfer:
Well.. that's a shock, I suppose? #Cricket #TFF #McGill Maintaining the high life!
#CricketWorldCup2023 #StuartMcGill #ICCWorldCup2023 #ICC
Maybe " Stu back in "The Baggy Green" soon ? IE: Prison Garb. They must have s'thing lest
they wouldn't charge? A Mulligrubber”
https://twitter.com/Karina_Melbs
Lol is he writing his own Underbelly episodes?
https://twitter.com/Phildecynic
So the kidnapping was more than a random event.
https://twitter.com/tweet_frankie
Sad, very sad
https://twitter.com/anthonylawyer22
Warnie wouldn’t have been caught
EXAM ENDs
UNSW MDIA 1004 exam 2024