Assignment 10: Class Highlights

My Aha moment from chapter 2 is remembering the difference between a correlation and causation.  Statistics showing correlations can be pretty damning and it was easy to forget that just because the numbers are there, doesn’t mean there was a direct affect.

In chapter 6 my Aha moment was when we learned about the secret society known as the movie rating system.  It amazes me how much authority we’ve given to a completely anonymous and unnamed group of people.  I doubt we’d allow that to happen in any other facet of life, so why do we allow it with the content of our film industry?

In chapter 10 we learned about the internet.  I figured I knew everything there was to know about the interwebs, but I never even realized the infrastructure for it was laid long before I ever imagined.  With that said, it took a long time to implement and get it where it is today.  We’ve come a long way.

Assignment 9: Media Ethics/Media Law

2010 was a great year for media law and ethics cases.  I believe the most well known case would be against Julian Assange with WikiLeaks.  As most of us know, the founder of WikiLeaks turned himself in to London Police late last year for an allegedly “unrelated” case. There has been ongoing controversy since, dealing with First Amendment/censorship issues, Privacy/intrusion issues, and even trying to figure out if WikiLeaks is even considered “journalism.”

From our internet search project I came across a great article pertaining to this ongoing case titled, “Government Defends Tactics in WikiLeaks Probe.”  I had mentioned on my internet search project that, “this article discusses how far our judicial system is reaching to obtain information from twitter users that are suspected of releasing confidential information.  In a recent court hearing the legal team of the accused stated the government is on a “fishing expedition” and that it is an “outrageous attack by the Obama administration on the privacy and free speech…”.” 

There has been an update in the case in that a judge has given the “ok” to have twitter records released to the Feds in the WikiLeaks Probe – which has been labeled a gross violation of the First and Fourth Amendments.  The legal director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has commented, “We're disappointed that the court did not recognize that people using digital tools deserve basic privacy and that the government should be required to meet a high standard before it demands private information about you from the online services you use…”

There has yet to be an outcome in this case.  As it stands Julian Assange has been extradited to Sweden for the allegedly unrelated case, which is just a midpoint to his final destination, the US.  I believe this is just going around the issue to make any case against Julian, similar to the cases of old mobsters getting arrested for tax evasion decades ago.  Not saying I agree or disagree Julian or the recent court rulings, what I do not agree with is the witch hunt our judicial system is currently partaking in.  He will never get a fair trial in any case and we’re undermining our own beliefs in order to silence that journalist.

Assignment 8: Propaganda in Advertising/PR

In this 30 second advertisement for Groupon.com, there were a couple propaganda techniques used.  The first and most obvious was the bandwagon effect.  The man in the commercial states “since 200 of us bought at Groupon.com…” making it sound like everyone else is doing it, so should you.

This ad also used a bit of Transfer or Association.  By starting off with the images of the people and mountainous terrain of Tibet, the commercial used a lot of pathos to tug on the heart strings by stating their very culture is in jeopardy – but they were able to help them by eating at a himulayan restaurant while saving 50%.

I chose this ad that has since been pulled after its first airing during the Super Bowl, because of the controversial way they used those propaganda techniques.  I realize they did this for the humor, but I can imagine they were expecting some controversy to come of it, which would promote the company even more from that.

Link to ad:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOwJOcp-Mxk

Assignment 7: Electronic News

The Colbert Report

(aired 02/21/2011)

Intro – Happy talk, about 1 min

Lead Story – Egypt Uprising – Protestors seize the second largest city Lybia, Benghazi.  2 min

• I believe they chose this as the lead story because it is the most significant and important worldly event that impacts us all either directly, or indirectly at the gas pump.
• Colbert set the tone for this episode fairly sarcastically with a brief monologue and witty banter.  Athough this is a comedy news show, Colbert is regarded as one of the most trusted sources for news.  His facial expressions are seriously funny.

Wisconsin Budget Standoff – trying to end the union stronghold.  1 min

“Cheating Death” – More people are afraid of outliving their money than actually dying.

Man taking Requip medication for Parkinson's disease claims the drug turned him into a gay sex addict.  About 1 minute of story, 2 minutes making fun of the claim, “happy talk.” – 3 minutes total.

“Reproductive Health” – Laughing your way into pregnancy.  Clown antics supposedly increase pregnancy 16%, claim it’s related to the decrease in stress laughing at the clowns provide.

About 1.5 minutes of story, 1.5 minutes making fun of the story, “happy talk.” – 3 minutes total.

Commercials – 2 minutes

Lexus Hybrid.

Susan G Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk.

Metro PCS

AAMCO

2012 Presidential Race – Rick Santorum casts his vote to enter.  His main problem though, if you Google his last name “Santorum” the first result is “a frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex.”  Greatest political mess ever instigated by a Dan Savage who launched the campaign to “google bomb” that new term back in 2003 and it has since been dragging the politician’s name through, “the frothy mud.”  Dan Savage wanted to associate the politician with the term given the last name.  3.5 minutes

Commercials - 3.5 minutes

KFC – 5 for $5, “today tastes so good”

Motorola zoom tablet, “everything the tablet should be”

Sucker Punch, PG-13

Playstation, Killzone 3

Comedy Central ad – Donald Trump Roast

MetroPCS “tech and talk”

Carl’s Jr, “because chickens don’t have nuggets”

Sandiego.org/choosehappy “where happy happens”

Eugene Jarecki created an HBO documentary about Reagan.  Reagan is a different man than we’ve seen, what we’ve seen is a myth.  Reagan actually raised taxes 6 of his 8 years.  Reaganists are extremists, they want to put him on the dime, the ten dollar bill and Mount Rushmore.  Reagan is a “statuesque figure of rigid values” but people need to realize he is human, he is a man, despite some of the great things he did, he also did some terrible things.  6 minutes. 

Commercials - 2.5 minutes

Redbull gives you wings

Universal, your highness, rated R

Hyundai Senata

Comedy Central ad – Donald Trump Roast

Comedy Central ad

 Show recap, closing credits

In total there were approximately 22 minutes of show.  Of that time, about 6 minutes were poking fun at issues or happy talk, and 8 minutes worth of advertisements.

Assignment 6: Television

1)      URL:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-IVdPONaOY

2)      Length:  7 minutes.

3)      Description:  “PRTV – A Question Of Ethics”.  This short video is about ethical practice in public relations and the PRIA’s Individual Code Of Ethics, listed here.  PR is an unregulated industry that has a reputation to live down.  Due to the complexities of ethics, it can be very difficult to determine which approach to take when telling the truth.

4)      Chapter 15:  Media Ethics.

5)      Quiz Question:  What is the difference between morals and ethics?

6)      Answer:  Morals are our personal beliefs, ethics are the shared community standards that we agree to.

Assignment 5: Recordings

I spoke with an old boss/mentor, Ken, about his musical tastes when he was my age in the 80’s.  His taste in music has remained the same in the past 25 years – he’s still a rocker – listens to classic rock on 107.7, The Bone.  Instead of the earliest memories going to the movies, we spoke about his earliest memories of going to concerts.  He said his first real, major concert (real as in not a back yard/garage band, or not a tribute band at the state fair, like actual, massive concert) was Van Halen in 1991 at Shoreline Amphitheatre, for their For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour.  He said he doesn’t recall too many of the specifics of that concert because of the extreme binge drinking going on that weekend, but he did note it was the loudest thing he’s ever experienced in his lifetime.  The highlight of that show was when one of his friends ended up getting pushed off some platform when the crowd got a little rowdy and fracturing his arm.  The reason why that was the highlight was not only because "it’s funny watching your friends doing stupid shit and getting hurt," but the promoter smoothed things over by offering them free tickets to an upcoming show at Shoreline.  Apparently the promoter’s employees couldn’t keep tabs on what tickets went where and they were able to get into any show they wanted at Shoreline until they caught on the following summer.  It seemed like a pretty epic party story.

Assignment 4: Create a Magazine

Name of magazine – Upper Division

Concept – College life on varying California college campuses. Issued quarterly, this magazine will be compilation of the top news of California CSU’s and UC’s with emphasis on research projects and marquee educational programs, fraternities and sororities, student life and athletics. This magazine is different for the fact it will be issued for students, by students. It isn’t a magazine that ranks colleges on a national scale. It will be geared towards students looking to transfer to see what California campus’ are up to.

Readers – Students, from high school seniors to transfer students at a local community college, to graduate students. Open to all ages, both male and female, primary focus on the ages of 17-28. Nationality would be primarily American with consideration to international students. Income level would be broke college students. Interests would be collegiate affiliations, sports, clubs, academics and activities. I believe most readers would be students looking to transfer.

Competition – I believe there is none outside of your college newsletters and those annual issues that rank colleges nationally.

Advertisers – Apple/Microsoft; Coke/Pepsi; Nike/Adidas; Big box electronic stores – Fry’s/Microcenter; JourneyED.com; The liquor industry.

Cover of the premier issue – students marching in Sacramento and Berkeley to protest budget issues. The main issue would feature financial obstacles and options currently open to students. It can deal with issues like housing and student life, activities and projects despite the funding issues.

Assignment 3: Books

Your Money Or Your Life
This book made me think about my daily grind a little more thoroughly – it really put that commute to downtown San Francisco, brown bagged lunch, collared shirt and tie into perspective.  While ecstatic with a higher paycheck, I was unhappy with the lower quality of life and this book makes you think about that.  Definitely a good read if you’re currently up in the air about taking a job you enjoy for less money, versus “making a dying” for an increase in pay.

How To Argue And Win Everytime

This was an enjoyable read that puts thought into who you’re debating in the art of argumentation.  Knowing your audience and who you’re communicating with is one of the most important aspects of communication.  We also believe that being “wrong” is synonymous with losing an argument, but despite being wrong, there are ways to effectively get your point across even when you’re on a “losing” side – which in life, we find ourselves on that losing side more than the winning side.

Kama Sutra

For the obvious reasons – these series of books are an adventurous way to explore with your partner.  It sparks some creativity in the bedroom on top of making at least one form of exercise fun.  This book was influential purely in the love making aspect of life.



Never Eat Alone
Just because my cousin wrote this and it was an Oprah pick of the month.  So consider this a shameless plug.

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Assignment 2: Media Impact

Since the fiscal poop hit the fan in 2007 and came home to ferment in 2008, everyone everywhere was looking for their personal scapegoat. It was the shady lending practices and financial institutions preying on the poor, it was the lax regulations not being imposed properly by the government, it was the uneducated consumer buying products they cannot afford – but of all the fingers pointed in every direction, my personal favorite -- it was the media. There have been a few mentions of media’s influence on the rise and fall of the housing bubble and some seem to think if mass media would have just turned a blind eye, everything would have smoothed over and the problem would have gone away.

While I can’t argue the fact that mass media did feed a frenzy of greed, with its HGTV and all the “Flip My House” shows popping up on every channel, I cannot accept even PBS’ partial blame on media outlets for not doing a better job keeping the mayhem in check.

“The media also deserve blame in helping to promote the housing bubble. It is reasonable to expect that at least some reporters would have sufficient expertise that they could independently evaluate the state of the housing market. If the major news outlets were running regular pieces on the housing bubble and the risks it posed to the economy and homeowners, it is likely that it would have burst somewhat sooner. In fact, warnings on the bubble very rarely appeared in the media.”

http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/412/housing-recession.html

As crass as it is to say, the media is in business to tell a story and ultimately make money. While I do agree media outlets are responsible for doing their due diligence in reporting truthful information, it is not your nightly news anchor’s job to warn you of the potential harm in buying a home. The nightly news anchors are not paid to “independently evaluate” the news given to them to be reported. Under few (if any) circumstances I would expect a news anchor to chime in and give their personal, or even experienced, opinion. Under no circumstance would I expect any news anchor to still hold a job had they defied their producer/editor or whoever is turning the prompter at the time.

I believe PBS’ suggestion was a slippery slope at best. Who then would be responsible for “warning” the public about the potential risks in the commercials “What Happens In Vegas, Stays In Vegas”? Would the media outlets then need to add a disclaimer warning of the potential risks when they have the stock ticker moving across the bottom of the screen? Would your employer need to warn you of the risks in saving money in your 401k?

Of all the fingers pointed in every direction not once I have seen any finger pointed toward self accountability. The only reason I say this, is because, as stated earlier, the media is in business to report the news, it’s the individual’s responsibility to digest that information accordingly.

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Assignment 1: Media Autobiography

The one consistent form of media that has stuck with me growing up to the present day would be the internet.  Having never been an avid book reader, I can count the number of books I have actually completed on my hands.  Ironically enough, the books I have read were typically read in less than a week.  In that respect it’s a love/hate relationship.  Other forms of written media appealed to me more, mainly magazines.  I’ll skim newspapers if they’re lying around or if I’m waiting for my coffee in some coffee shop, I’ll even shamefully admit to swiping my neighbors Sunday paper if he doesn’t get it by Monday morning.  Magazines, however, are the one form of written media that I will read every page.  I enjoy hobby type magazines, 12volt electronics, car, music and general wood working periodicals, especially ones with detailed “how to’s.”  Side note – best place to find non-mainstream or other hard to get magazines is The Bottle Shop in Fremont – best selection by far.

            Recorded media is one of my guilty pleasures.  To say I have hundreds of CD’s would be an understatement.  I still have and listen to some tapes and records from time to time.  For a myriad of reasons I just can’t fully convert/conform to the MP3’s – I’ll chauk it up to getting old.  Movies, I’ve seen maybe a handful of them in the last decade.  Hollywood hasn’t inspired me enough to go out of my way to see many films in theaters. 

Live media has tapered off for me in the recent years.  Radio is where I’ll get a lot of my news; AM radio is where I’ll get my current events in traffic.  I haven’t paid much attention to FM radio since my favorite morning crew left the greater bay area.  Pandora is where most of my music time is spent.  TV was a terribly bad habit I had to be nixed.  After realizing how much time I spend watching TV, I made the decision to get rid of my cable.  After a couple days of withdrawals I have not looked back since.

           

Internet is my x-factor.  Plain and simple, I’m an internet junkie.  I partake in a few bulletin boards or discussion forums on a daily basis.  Being a moderator on some forums, a lot of time is spent answering questions, general babysitting and making sure misinformation isn’t spread.  I would credit the internet for fueling most of my hobbies.

As cliché as it is to say, communication is key, given that, I would like to attain an AA in communications primarily because those skills are required at every job you will ever apply to.  My major is engineering, definitely is not related to the media, but the skills acquired in these classes will benefit everyone throughout adulthood.