Posts filed under ‘Uncategorized’
Hurry up and quit already Hil
Watching Hillary Clinton makes me tired. And now she is finally running out of steam. Lawmakers are now saying that she is ready to be Obama’s VP.
Add comment June 3, 2008
Persuasive Post
I believe that political/news bloggers should have a code of ethics.
Throughout this entire quarter, we have been discussing the immense importance and influence of blogging and how many news consumers solitarily receive their news from blogs. If blogs are being considered a legitimate source of news and are high on the journalistic trustworthy scale since they are not bound to or independent to any of the major media outlets, then yes, bloggers should be held to a code of ethics.
If blogs are considered a “fifth estate” on the “fourth estate” news, then yes, bloggers should be held to a code of ethics. If by the summer of 2004, it was clear that government officials viewed blogs as both credible and influential when political bloggers were given press credentials to attend both the Republican and Democratic political conventions, then bloggers should be held to a code of ethics.
If many landmark stories broken by blogs are being catapulted to fame at the major media outlets like the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky sex scandal or Dan Rather falsely reporting on George W. Bush’s military record, then bloggers should be held to a code of ethics.
I do not believe that a journalist needs to be a member of a professional association or society to have a code of ethics. I believe that online journalists and bloggers should want a code of ethics to make their peers more accountable, standardized, responsible and legitimate.
So, it really boils down to the issue of the success of blogs in carrying out the democratic responsibilities of journalism. This tends to the greater argument: if blogs are considered true forms of journalism. If they are, then of course they need to have a code of ethics.
Add comment May 27, 2008
Money and media – a bad mix
When 60 Minutes (which switched to 2020 and then Dateline) became the first profitable news show, the idea of profit-based news spread like wild fire.
Then came the corporate takeovers of public news stations and networks in the 80’s. A prime example is when Larry Tisch took over CBS, cut it’s staff for profits, and the network fell to #3 in the ratings behind ABC and NBC, and they have stayed there every since.
Ownership means major companies own many different types of companies. Some examples include:
- Genreal Electric owns NBC and MSNBC. They are the most profitable owner.
- TIME Warner is the largest media conglomerate in the world with CNN and HBO.
- Walt Disney owns ABC and ESPN
- News Corporation under Rupert Murdock owns FOX, Wall Street Journal, MySpace
- Viacom owns CBS television network and Comedy Central.
Ownership = profit-driven motives = ratings obsessed = diminished quality in news broadcasts. This means more infotainment, soft news, etc. This is not a good thing folks. And to top this fiasco off, the Federal Communication Commission recently increased ability for media conglomeration. This means there will be less diversity, less oversight on corporations, more over-riding of public opinion, and a less value and emphasis on the media’s role as the 4th estate.
Financial pressures greatly affect our news broadcasts and coverage in a negative way. The evil forces of profit and ratings driven ownership provides more soft news, focus on less substantive stories, shift from “objective-style news” to “opinion-based” shows, etc.
A local example follows: None of our local Seattle news stations have a bureau in the capital during the legislative session. Price cuts are the reason for absence. This process is illuminating and needs to be covered because the decisions made effect the everyday lives of the viewing public.
Ted Koppel once said it right, “to give the public what they want, not what it is they should hear, is the greatest sin.”
- How else is media consolidation a negative for our public news services?
- Can you see a shift back to public, not private, news services in the future?
- Why/how could media conglomeration change viewership?
Add comment May 26, 2008
Lead, follow or get out of the way!
Check out this video of the 75,000 supporters that attended the Barack Obama rally in Portland, OR on May 18th. Get in on the action to help grow Obama’s grassroots movement for change!
(Thanks Barack!)
Add comment May 20, 2008
Hello world!
Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!
1 comment April 3, 2008
