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Prison Newspaper

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About Time is the national newspaper for Australian prisons and detention facilities

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Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

ISSUE NO. 6

December 2024

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Culture

How to Write: Reviews

By

The Prison Journalism Project

The Prison Journalism Project is a non-profit, non-partisan organisation from the USA that aims to empower incarcerated journalists to be a vital voice in criminal justice reform.

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Have you seen a good (or bad) movie lately? Read an interesting book? We need reviews for our Culture section – and we want you to write them! Here are some tips for writing a review, courtesy of the Prison Journalism Project.

What is a review?

Newspapers often feature reviews or brief summaries of popular media, such as books, films, television shows, musical albums and more.

Why should you write a review?

Reviews keep readers up-to-date on pop culture and help them decide what to read, watch and listen to. As a writer with first-hand experience in the criminal legal system, you are uniquely positioned to offer insightful comment on how books, films, TV shows, songs and other art portray life in prison and other aspects of the criminal legal system. You can tell readers what they got right, what they got wrong, what resonated with you and what didn’t.

Elements of a review:

Your review does not need to include all these elements, but try to aim for at least five!

Summary:

The review includes a brief paragraph introducing the book, film, collection of poetry or musical album. It can include the title, author, topic and summary of what it’s about.

Major plot points:

The review focuses on a few scenes, poems, or songs that you find to be particularly important. The review includes quotes and specific details but doesn’t contain spoilers.

Quality of the text:

Take a small excerpt from the book, the plot or a particular movie scene. Explain why the excerpt is significant, what it got right, what it didn’t or how it could be better.

Quote:

The review includes up to three important lines from the work that can help illustrate your points and will give the reader a flavor of the work.

Reflection:

The writer explains why they would or would not recommend it to someone else.

Attribution:

All facts and quotes are attributed to their source, i.e. to the author or another reviewer.

Fact-checking:

The review does not include any unsubstantiated claims. All statements are supported using evidence.

Writing, editing and style:

The review is written and edited so it’s clear to understand.

Have you seen a good (or bad) movie lately? Read an interesting book? We need reviews for our Culture section – and we want you to write them! Here are some tips for writing a review, courtesy of the Prison Journalism Project.

What is a review?

Newspapers often feature reviews or brief summaries of popular media, such as books, films, television shows, musical albums and more.

Why should you write a review?

Reviews keep readers up-to-date on pop culture and help them decide what to read, watch and listen to. As a writer with first-hand experience in the criminal legal system, you are uniquely positioned to offer insightful comment on how books, films, TV shows, songs and other art portray life in prison and other aspects of the criminal legal system. You can tell readers what they got right, what they got wrong, what resonated with you and what didn’t.

Elements of a review:

Your review does not need to include all these elements, but try to aim for at least five!

Summary:

The review includes a brief paragraph introducing the book, film, collection of poetry or musical album. It can include the title, author, topic and summary of what it’s about.

Major plot points:

The review focuses on a few scenes, poems, or songs that you find to be particularly important. The review includes quotes and specific details but doesn’t contain spoilers.

Quality of the text:

Take a small excerpt from the book, the plot or a particular movie scene. Explain why the excerpt is significant, what it got right, what it didn’t or how it could be better.

Quote:

The review includes up to three important lines from the work that can help illustrate your points and will give the reader a flavor of the work.

Reflection:

The writer explains why they would or would not recommend it to someone else.

Attribution:

All facts and quotes are attributed to their source, i.e. to the author or another reviewer.

Fact-checking:

The review does not include any unsubstantiated claims. All statements are supported using evidence.

Writing, editing and style:

The review is written and edited so it’s clear to understand.

Book Review: The Stoning by Peter Papathanasiou

Book Review: The Stoning by Peter Papathanasiou

Book Review: The Stoning by Peter Papathanasiou

By Alexander
By Alexander

The genre is crime fiction, set in the Australian outback, in rural, sometimes insular communities where everyone seems to know everyone else. This is set in the outback NSW town of Cobb where a woman, a local school teacher, has been stoned to death.

Culture

ISSUE NO. 7

3 MIN READ

Review of Songs Inside

Review of Songs Inside

Review of Songs Inside

By About Time
By About Time

Songs Inside received the Audience Award at the Adelaide Film Festival and Documentary Australia Award at the Sydney Film Festival. It’s touring around the country.

Culture

ISSUE NO. 13

2 MIN READ

Daughters

Daughters

Daughters

By Abha Haval
By Abha Haval

There is a new US documentary out on Netflix in the community. It’s called ‘Daughters’ and takes viewers inside a Washington DC prison where a special program to give daughters a prom experience with their incarcerated fathers takes them on a rollercoaster of emotions.

Culture

ISSUE NO. 4

4 MIN READ

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Sports Round Up!

By Goal Mouth

A collection of sports news from the past month, including Brisbane possibly being our new sporting capital, Aussie women finding lots of wins in Cricket and loutish crowd behaviour marring the Ryder Cup.

Culture

ISSUE NO. 16

5 MIN READ

Games in Prison: An Interview with Bull Press

By About Time and Bull Press

We’re Bull Press. We make games – conversational tabletop games – for a prison environment. Most of us have spent time in prison, and we’re based in the USA.

Culture

ISSUE NO. 16

3 MIN READ

Artists With Conviction Celebrates 15 Years!

By Sara

Prison is a noisy place, yet at Risdon Prison, in Tasmania – nestled near bushland and close to the Risdon Brook Dam – the sounds of nature still break through. Despite the din, the calls of native birds are unmistakable.

Culture

ISSUE NO. 15

2 MIN READ

Australia’s First Picture Book About Parents in Prison

By Jacqueline Dinan

A new children’s book addresses the incarceration of parents. It’s titled My Dad’s Gone Away and was written by Andrew Krakouer and Jacqueline Dinan.

Culture

ISSUE NO. 15

2 MIN READ

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A place for news and education, expression and hope.

Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.

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