Thursday, January 28, 2010
Consolidation and Convergence
Although the notion of someone controlling the news has been around since the days of William Randolph Hearst, the current state of media consolidation has made independently owned media outlets an endangered species. The rise of media conglomerates such as News Corp., Viacom, and Clear Channel has allowed only a handful of corporations to control most of the information being released to the public. Along with this is the standardization that comes with information being presented by each corporation. These corporations are at their cores, businesses. Therefore making profit their main operating goal and not unbiased journalism or diverse programming. In order to maintain such a large portfolio of corporate holdings many of these corporations operate under a business model that many of their companies follow. This is done to draw in and maintain a consistent customer base that share the beliefs that these corporations espouse upon.
Next are the ongoing technological developments that has removed the emphasis from radio and print media and replaced these sources with online and mobile content. Smart phones in particular IPhones, Blackberrys, and Google Android phones have made phones not only calling devices, but web browsers and email servers. In order to receive breaking news updates on the go, a person does not need to rely on text messages and phone calls from friends and family. They can use mobile web browsers to find out detailed information to breaking news themselves. The age of print newspapers being the main source of news is long gone with online and mobile content has since replacing it.
Some would say that this type of media consolidation and convergence is a good thing, in that it has made news more accessible and up to date. However these new developments are far from positive. There is too much homogenization of the news with news stations such as Fox and CNN becoming brand names and not independent thinking news sources. Along with this is the creation of online and mobile web sources which place the premium on headline news stories which can be easily accessed and read. This constant convergence and consolidation will create a where the focus will not be on fair and consistent journalism seeking to educate the public, but on easily accessible content marketed for its audience.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Critique
Initially after the earthquake that occurred in
The story itself is a successful news article because it is a definite human interest story. The facts of what is occurring in
On the opposite end of the debate, the CEO of Royal Caribbean defends his company’s decision to send ships to
The article itself is brief and puts forth all of these facts in one page of text. And while the article may be leaning towards putting forth the notion that it is ethical to continue vacationing in
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/01/21/haiti.tourism.ethics/index.html?hpt=C2
Friday, January 15, 2010
Ethics in obituary writing
In terms of journalism nothing seems to gain readers attention more than death. From everyday people to those in the public eye, readers are instantly transfixed by these people’s stories. Obituaries are an essential part of any newspaper and with its inclusion in newspapers comes the responsibility to accurately tell their life’s story. However there is also the seeming responsibility to record these facts in a style devoid of malice or contempt. That can be difficult when the subject of an obituary is a polarizing person whom many hold high disdain for.
This happens to be the case for Robert McNamara, after his death on July 6, 2009. McNamara was viewed by many as the behind the scenes man orchestrating the Vietnam War. To few he was viewed as a political advisor, while many others viewed him simply as a war criminal. The obituary that was written for him by Joseph L. Galloway of McClatchley Newspapers was one which made no attempt at trying to hide the authors disdain for McNamara. For example the opening line of the obituary read
This would leave many out there wondering whether or not this was the most appropriate way to remember someone’s life, even if they were known for notorious reasons. The argument can be made that despite a widespread dislike, even hatred, for a person at least one individual will be affected by their passing. This can argued several ways. First no matter what an obituary is no place to mention a person’s mistakes, character flaws, or past misgivings. Or secondly if someone is made famous or notorious for their deeds their reputation was made from these actions making their notoriety forever the same in the public record. The only right answer is one which can be ascertained by the journalist themselves. There needs to be a happy medium where it is understood that most mistakes in life will be forgotten and your life will be celebrated upon your passing. While if your notoriety was based solely on your nefarious reputation, than those facts will undoubtedly need to be included in any retelling of your life’s story.
First post
To begin simply enough, my name is Adam Morrissey. I am a fourth year English major with a concentration in Technical writing. I took this course at the suggestion of my advisor, when creating a minor. I also feel being proficient in other forms of writing outside of simple technical writing will be a marketable skill when I begin searching for work after college. After experiencing the first week, I would have to say that this course will undoubtedly be good for me. Especially doing the grammar exercises and finding out just how poor my retention of basic grammar was, I would have to say that my goal is without a doubt to just become more focused as a writer. I already have the ability to write well, this course will simply help me refine my writing.