Reading The Media - 2 Parts in One...

Article 1 - December 8, 2008
CNN: Obama still must fill key positions, possibly with Republicans
Article link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/08/obama.cabinet/index.html

• Is the information in a given article accurate?

The information in this article is accurate as far ask I know, considering the source of where this article comes from. CNN is extremely credible, and is looked on by the United States and the world as an objective news source.

• Is there missing context that might undermine the premise of a given article or television segment?

I felt this article did not fully focus on the issue from a republican perspective. I thought that this article was objective in many ways, but I think it would have been more effective to get more opinions on how actual republicans feel.

• Which experts are quoted--and, in turn, who isn't allowed to give their opinion what does this leave out?

Quoted in this article is presidential elect, Barack Obama, California governer, Arnold Swatchnager, John Podesta (transition chief).

• When TV news shows (or newspaper/internet editorials) feature a point/counterpoint debate, what political spectrum is offered?

The media generally takes a more liberal/democratic/left side bias. Although the news is suppose to be objective, Obama does not seem to "get checked" by the media as much because they are his supporters.

• Is the selected media simply reinforcing the status quo on a given topic, even though there may be no reason to assume that it is correct?

There is truth to these articles, however it does lead one to believe that republicans are causeing more of an uproar than they are. I don't really see any of the republican point of view.

New Questions:
How do other Republicans feel?
Why are there no real quotes from republican politicians asking to, or rather giving opinions about Obama's choices for cabinet positions?
Why does it really matter for republicans to be in the democratic presidents cabinet?
I agree with Barack Obama's quote that says, "What I was most concerned with was whether or not they can serve the interests of the American people". Why does this not seem to apply in this situation?


** I feel that this article is credible, yet it slants the situation and seems to make it more controversial than it is, insofar as idealisticly in a democratic president's cabinet would be democratic representatives. I think this this article can be enhanced by giving more factual views on the way republicans really feel. Credible sources are used, but a whole entire group is left out.
Article 2
Dog Left Outside Freezes To Sidewalk - WISN MILWAUKEE - December 5, 2008
Article Link: http://www.wisn.com/cnn-news/18214694/detail.html

• Is the information in a given article accurate?

This article seems accurate. It is coming from a prominent Television news source in Milwaukee, WI.

• Is there missing context that might undermine the premise of a given article or television segment?

I was actually pleasantly surprised because I thought this article seemed to be as unbiased as it could be.

• Which experts are quoted--and, in turn, who isn't allowed to give their opinion what does this leave out?

Todd Wagner, the neighbor, Carey Payne, with the Sheboygan Humane Society.

• When TV news shows (or newspaper/internet editorials) feature a point/counterpoint debate, what political spectrum is offered?

This article is geared toward humanities and humane treatment of animals

• Is the selected media simply reinforcing the status quo on a given topic, even though there may be no reason to assume that it is correct?

The media is simply sharing the information that is ethically right. In this case, the dog was being treated poorly, and was left out to freeze, regardless of the situation.

New Questions:
* How was the dogs behavior to influence this type of treatment?
* How does the dog act at the human society and with the prospective adopters?
* Did the woman have any other pets?
* Why did the neighbor not say anything before?

*** Honestly, I was very impressed with this article and the way it really did relay the facts. It referenced both sides of the story which was definitely a positive. They did touch on the behavior of the dog, not that it justified the treatment of the dog, but it gave the other side of the token. Additionally, they have quotes and information from an expert at the human society and not just a nosy neighbor, which showed credibility.

Growing Up in an Online World...

After watching the film, Growing Up Online, I was shocked, appalled, and then I got over it. I think about these young people and say "they're crazy", or "what possessed them to do that?", or "what are they thinking"? The most frightening thing about this film is that these kids are just like me, just like I was. Frontline represents issues in a hard-hitting way, yet there is a great wealth of truth in this documentary. Growing up with social networking and the Internet have positive gains involved, however these technologies effect lifestyle not necessarily for the better.

Most of what I saw in the video came at no surprise. Fights beginning online and carrying through to the real world happened while I was in high school. People social networked, IM'd, and Chatted all the time. This is a common thing to me. In today's society, among young people, it is the norm. What struck me as out of the ordinary is the weight these sites have on teens lives. The involvement of these teens is the issue. I am not against students and teens being involved in social networking, but when one goes as far as to have a secret identity, or rather when one is living a double lifestyle of sorts, that becomes and issue.

Vanity is extremely prevalent within teen lifestyle and in American society as a whole. There is a constant promotion of the self, which helps to feed this social networking kick because essentially, that is what it is; Reinventing yourself so that you are someone else, or someone that you want to be. Everyone is trying to be original, unique, and different, and when everyone is, no one will be.

In keeping with the double lifestyles that teens entertain and when thinking about teens as they build their identity, the Web 2.0 is a place for rediscovery, secrets, and other unheard of things. When the young girl mentioned that she secretly battled with anorexia, I was stunned. This is a girl who has everything going for her, but has this secret that the Web 2. 0 keeps for her.

I also realized that cyber-bullying was a very serious issue in the lives of American teens, so much so that one would kill himself to be rid of the humiliation. I was so deeply hurt when they shared the story of that young boy who killed himself because people were talking about him in school, harassing him online, and playing cruel tricks on him. One wouldn't think that this was anything to die over, but if people would only look back and think about how difficult the pressures were during middle and high school, they would understand that for a young person it is a lot to deal with.

Now, what I begin to consider is where these young people are getting ideas from. What messages are being sent that make young people assume that these things are OK? The media tend to put out messages that portray a lifestyle that is not the "norm" as if it were, "the norm", causing students and teens to be pressured to act in a way that is not really the norm, and in a manner that is not necessarily a positive contribution to their lifestyles. Teens, tweens, and young adults are the target audience of advertisers because this is the most lucrative group. This is business and is a part of the capitalistic democracy we live in. However, the means to which advertisers promote and get private information that drives their campaigns is where the technicalities come in to play. Data mining is the process by which businesses, organizations, or whoever find patterns in private data that give information on what people like and how to target specific groups of people.

Through networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and others encourage dual lifestyles that are not necessarily positive. Both of these networking sites have applications that are ways of advertising, and allow for advergames to be on their sites. I know at one point I found myself playing a game that was clearly an advertisement just because I was board. These games are ways for advertisers to gather information on you from your computer, and a way of viral marketing.

Ultimately, I feel that what people do is their business. The problem is that these people are not even grown, full fledged citizens yet. This being stated, I believe that much of the reasons for these lifestyles and the corruption of our young people by the Web 2.0 technology has to do with parenting, and with what parents allow. I mentioned earlier that these kids remind me of myself, but I for one had limits that were set by my mother as to how long I could be on the Internet, for what, and they were just real with me about the possibilities, positive and negative, that can occur online.