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.

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?

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?

No Blog This Week

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

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.