Monday, July 27, 2009

To Cap It Off

Well, we are at the end of our semester. But perhaps there's something you wanted to say about the media that we haven't covered. Here's your opportunity to speak. I'd like you to discuss your top 3 issues you have with the media. These can be things you think the media does poorly or does complimentary. It's your 3 issues to vent. Perhaps there are issues we didn't talk about. Remember, you're creating the post here so any links you can give to back up your argument would be appreciated.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Free Speech and Porn

Since some recent lectures have been about sex and media effects i thought i'd share this story with you. The University of Maryland attempted to show a pornographic movie recently. After a a state legislator threatened to withhold funding from the University should they air the film, the school's administrators canceled the event. Student groups however protested and showed the film on their own. No university funds were used to purchase the movie or sponsor the event. This became a free speech issue for the students and some of the professors, feeling that if the showing could educate people about porn's impact on society why shouldn't the university be involved. I remember a porn movie being shown at the University of Georgia movie theater when i was an undergrad student. The event was huge and most of the audience just laughed their way through the film. I've included a link to the news story here. Be sure to watch the video as well as read the article. What are your thoughts?

Monday, July 13, 2009

The landscape is changing

Some big news is starting to boil up regarding the media and changes to how we engage with it. For starters, early reports are suggesting that legal downloading and sharing of music is beginning to take root and impact illegal filesharing and piracy. Second, magazine ad revenues are down significantly, threatening the livelihood of many popular magazines. Third, broadcast networks (like NBC, CBS, ABC) are taking a beating from cable channels this summer. Finally, the New York Times is considering charging for access to its website.

So, where do you think we are heading? How often do you use legal music downloading sites/applications like iTunes? Do you think the New York Times' strategy of charging for content a valid (and profitable) method of distribution for the newspaper industry? And why are the broadcast stations taking a beating from cable?

Monday, July 6, 2009

No Blog This Week

There is no blog this week as it is midterm week. Back next monday (the 13th).