Overexposed?

How many of you knew that ABC had an hour long special on the health care debate featuring a town hall meeting with President Obama? Apparently no one else noticed either. The ratings were abysmal. President Obama's town hall scored less viewers than a CSI:NY rerun and "i survived a Japanese game show". This brings me to a question that many media critics have been asking lately. Is Obama overexposing himself? Can a sitting U.S. President be too visible in the media? Why do you think the ratings are so bad? Was no one interested in the topic of health care reform? Was everyone interested in other summer activities? Or did people skim through the channels, see Obama, and think to themselves, "oh, it's him again?"

Twitter wins big

Sorry about putting this up late but the long trip home from our vacation just zapped me yesterday. During my trip, of course, the big news was the protest in Iran. The media landscape changed dramatically because of this event. As professional journalists were banned from reporting the events, everyday citizens began using twitter, facebook, and youtube to post news and video/photos of the events on the ground. CNN and the other news stations were forced to use viewer created content for their stories. This brings us to some important questions.
1. What will news channels and newspapers look like 15 years from now?
2. What role should professional journalists play in this new media world when viewers create the content?



two paragraphs on this please. also, please add your real name when posting. sometimes it is hard for me to figure out who you are from the user name.

On Vacation

So i'm writing this in a starbucks while i'm on vacation at the beach in florida. I don't have much time before they close so let me post some quick questions here. Do your media habits change during the summer and how? Do you go to the movies more often? Read more books? And what about any summer trips you take or any long trips away from home for that matter. When you go on a trip do you feel more or less engaged with the media? Do you welcome the chance to "unplug" from television, the internet, your cellphone, or do you feel withdrawn and less connected to the world? Two paragraphs on these if you can. and don't forget you can bounce questions off each other. the point of this blog is to foster conversation not just between you and i but between each other.

Social Media

Welcome to the new semester! One of the things that i noticed last semester was how much time i was spending with Facebook. If you don't know about Facebook, then you need to look it up. Google it. Using this social connector, i have been able to re-establish contact with friends from long ago. I recently had dinner with an old college buddy that i found by using facebook.

So here's my question to you. How has social media like facebook, myspace, youtube, changed your life? Do you use any of these programs? Some people even have their cellphone connected to facebook. I'm amazed at how much information people will share on these sites. People constantly post pictures of themselves in compromising situations. I even know some employers who check candidates' facebook pages to see what kind of person they are in private. Do you think the Internet, with the help of these programs, is helping us reveal too much about ourself. Is modesty fading because of new media? Or does the possibility of re-connecting with old friends and establishing relationships with similar likes and dislikes outweigh the negative implications of this media. Remember, two paragraphs. Again, welcome to class.

Miss USA and Gay Marriage

Well, we started the semester by talking about celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton and we'll end on it. I really didn't think this was a big deal, but Miss California's response to a question regarding Gay Marriage is getting some press attention. In the competition for Miss USA, celebrity judge Perez Hilton asked Miss California about her view on gay marriage. Hilton later chided Miss California for her response. I'm not so concerned about her answer (although i thought it sounded like she was fumbling a bit), but i am more interested in some of Hilton's comments. Watch the following video. What do you think about Hilton's stance?

Well. That was Awkward....

I'm not really sure if you can comment two paragraphs on this. But what the hell do you think was going on here?

Pirate Porn and the Public University

I don't even know how to start this week's blog but i'll give it a shot. 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?