Monday, January 24, 2011

Should It Air?

I'd like you to read the following story. Tell me what you think. Should WDAM be allowed to air the video content? What is to be gained from showing the video? Are there valid privacy concerns regarding the juveniles in the facility? Which outweighs the other: bringing the story more to light or making sure that a juvenile's identity is not released to the public? How do you think the Mississippi State Supreme Court will rule?

Also, there is a person who is posting as Elle B. If you are a student in my class, could you please tell me your full name so I can give you full credit?

Monday, January 17, 2011

(Not Really) "The Tonight Show"

Recent TV ratings revealed that Jay Leno's ratings have gone up since his return to "The Tonight Show" and Conan O'Brien's departure to TBS. However, when you take into consideration that some people record these programs to a digital video recorder (like TiVo), the number of people viewing Conan O'Brien is higher than those watching Leno. Read the story by clicking here.

I am wondering how many of you have a digital video recorder (like a TiVo) and use it regularly? How do you think a technology like a DVR (digital video recorder) will change the way people watch TV? The story seems to hint that "Late Night TV" may no longer truly be late night TV. Do you think the ritual of watching a show at the same time everyday will be broken by DVR's? Would you watch the local TV news more if you could record it and watch it later? Would a DVR cause you to watch more or less TV?

Monday, January 10, 2011

Welcome to Spring Semester

Very ironic that I am welcoming you to Spring semester on what MSU has declared a snow day. Oh well. This is the first blog. Usually I set up a few questions that have some relevance to current media news and you respond with a couple of paragraphs. Here are some quick rules.

1)When you are asked to create a username so you can respond to the blog, please choose a username which allows me to quickly identify your real name. This helps me grade quicker and ensures you get proper credit. For example, if your name on my class list is John Smith, it really doesn't help me if your username is CrazyDawg. A better choice would be something like JSmith, or even JSmith21.
2)Two or three sentences does not a blog reply make. I expect you to give some thought to the topic and add at least two paragraphs for me. If not, then don't expect full points.
3)Part of the reason this blog exists is so that a dialogue can be created among the students. In other words, make sure you read everyone else's post. In some cases maybe you don't have a lot to say on a topic but then realize you have a lot to add in response to another classmate.

With that said, let's begin our first topic. The big story this weekend may have locally been about the snowstorm, but the national story was definitely the Tucson shooting. In addition to the tragic story, the discussion also drifted to whether or not political rhetoric has gotten too heated and out of control. One item mentioned was Sarah Palin's past use of crosshairs on the victim's district and campaign. Personally, I feel that the shooting was an act of a deranged paranoid schizophrenic. While true, that doesn't necessarily mean that the rhetoric of Palin, other Tea Party'ers, and, perhaps most importantly, media pundits (like Glenn Beck or Keith Olbermann) isn't dangerous and irresponsible. The other side of the coin is that in America expressing your political opinion is a freedom of speech issue. In other words, Beck, Palin, and Olbermann have the right to say what they think. Perhaps, they even feel it is their responsibility to say what they actually feel. If Beck feels like America really is on a precipice heading towards failure, shouldn't he be allowed to speak fervently about the matter.

What's your opinion? Has it gotten out of hand? Should media pundits and political figures face serious consequences when using inflammatory speech? What should those consequences be? Is it a violation of free speech?