Sex and the Media

Late last year, CNN published a piece on a RAND study linking teen pregnancy to watching sex on television. First, read the piece here. After reading i want you to address a few questions.
1. Do you think the results are correct? Does watching more sex on tv lead to teen pregnancy?
2. What other factors are also leading to teen pregnancy? In the piece one person says that too many things other than parenting are always blamed for teen pregnancy. Do you agree? Could good parenting counter the effects of watching too much sex on TV.
3. Could there be a third variable going on here? Teen pregnancy is on the rise. Sex on TV is on the rise. The number of hours of TV watched is on the rise? What's going on?
4. The term Media Literacy is used. This means teaching people how to critically interpret and understand the media with which they engage. (Basically you're taking a class in media literacy right now). Is there a place for this in the classroom? And how can we teach media literacy in the classroom when education budgets are being slashed and we are barely getting basic skills like reading and writing taught in the classroom?

Get that Kid Outta Here

I was reading this article on CNN about the new movie "Where the Wild Things Are" based on the popular children's book. Of particular interest to me was the quote of the editor of the parenting site dadcentric.com who basically said taking a child younger than 5 to a movie is pushing it. One parent was upset that their 20-month old wasn't interested in the movie.

Here's my question. Have you ever taken a child younger than 5 to a movie theater? How about younger than 3? Should we expect children at this age to enjoy the theater experience? Also, a couple of months ago, i witnessed a couple bringing a young child (i'm guessing around 5 or 6) to the horror movie, Halloween 2. Of course, the movie frightened the child so bad that she cried throughout the film and hid her sobbing face in one of her parent's chest. Here's another question. In a situation like this, do you think the movie theater (and i guess by that, i mean the usher) should have told the couple to please remove the frightened child. By the way, the couple talked out loud during the whole movie to the point where the person behind them asked them to please be quiet. What's your thoughts on all this mess?

SPOOKY TIME!!!!

Hello all,
It's that time of year again, my favorite time of year actually (well next to christmas).It's Halloween. I loved trick or treating as a kid and get to relive it all over again now with my own kids. And of course, cable tv is great now cause they show all the horror movies (even if they are edited).

That brings me to my question. What is your favorite Horror Movie. Tell me why it is your favorite. And why do you think we go see horror movies. Even if you don't like them, tell me why you think others go see them. And by the way, here's a good scare for you (not for those with a heart condition).

No Blog This Week.

Because the midterm is due, there is no blog for this week. However, someone posted last week that did not sign their name. I'm not sure who msright2474 is. If that person wants the blog points, they need to inform me of their real name.

The future of print

Sorry for being late posting this but i became ill on sunday and have been in bed for the past three days. I'm just able to get to a computer now. Anyways, here goes.

There's a lot of debate right now concerning the future of print newspapers. The concern of how these papers will survive in the digital age has been present since the internet boom of the mid 90's. But now the concern has been revitalized with a proposed government bailout to help print newspapers.

I want you to read this article and also the comments below it. What's your opinion on the matter? Are we ready yet to let traditional newspapers die? Or will their death contribute to a degradation of journalistic standards?

If I Have to Come Back There and Separate You Two!!!!

Fox News has a history of trashtalking to the mainstream media, despite the fact that it is perhaps now the most mainstream of the media companies out there. Its ratings consistently beat those of ABC, NBC, CBS, or CNN. But now it seems that CNN is ready to do some talking of its own. A recent event has heated the animosity between the two channels. At some of the recent Teabag protests in Washington, it was revealed that FOX producers were apparently encouraging the crowds to cheer loudly when reporters were in front of the crowds. Many see this act as promotion of an event as opposed to coverage of an event. Video footage of the producers rallying the crowd can be seen below:




Rick Sanchez of CNN commented lately on an advertisement that FOX bought claiming that the mainstream media did not cover the protests. Sanchez spent significant time bashing FOX for such a claim. His response is below:




Here's my question? Are we as a society headed towards a "biased" media situation, one in which each channel must take sides and viewers must accept that the organization is biased? Are we capable and ready as a society to critically evaluate our news coverage or do we accept the "talking heads" perspective as fact? Do you prefer one channel over another because their "news" agrees with your perspective/politics?

Stranded on an Island

Hello all,
I once saw a news piece where a journalist asked the presidential candidates what book they would take with them to the White House. That's a neat question and it reminded me of that old question, "If you were stranded on an island........"

So here's my media related question to you this week. Write a short paragraph on each:

1. If you were stranded on an island, what magazine would you like to wash up onshore every week? And why?

2. If you were stranded on an island, what one movie would you like to take with you (in a portable dvd player, of course)? And why?

3. If you were stranded on an island, what one album/song would you like to be loaded on the mp3 player you took with you? And why?

Good Luck