1. Citizen journalism upholds American Values. American Values include what’s outlined in The Bill of Rights; i.e., Freedom of Sppech, Press, Religion, and Petition. Also Americans enjoy the ability to form their own opinions, make their own decisions and living in a safe environment. Citizen journalism supports these values because it allows people to gather facts and new on their own. They do not have to rely on tradition forms of media such as television, radio and newspapers. Given new technologies including the global scope of the internet, Americans are able to gather and participate in news making wherever and whenever they want. Not only can they news writers and news reporters, they have the freedom to interpret news stories however they wish. They are also able to agree/disagree or not believe news that they hear or read. Citizen journalism definitely allows Americans the freedom promised in the Bill of Rights. Also, there will probably be a lot more news available to Americans because all citizens can be involved in news coverage.
2. Yes, the government should have oversight of internet content. Although the Bill of Rights outlines Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Press some government regulation is necessary. Without some government oversight, there are several potential issues. One likely issue is false information on the internet. No one would be able to rely or trust any information on the internet without some regulation of a site’s content. Another potential problem is obscene or inappropriate content. Government regulation would protect Americans from viewing material that is considered grotesque or violent such as people being killed, or obscene. Another reason for the government’s oversight is to protect children from inappropriate content. Yes it is possible for the government to regulate the internet. The Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission are government agencies that were established to regulate telecommunications and monopolies. However it would be impossible for the government to regulate all content on the internet because the Freedom of Speech and press allows people to have their own Myspace accounts, blogs, and other online journals.
3. I do not feel the documentary, “Merchants of Cool,” accurately portrays the effect of the media on teenagers. First of all, there were not that many teenagers interviewed in the documentary. Most of them were good-looking and appeared to be from upper middle class families; this is not representative of all American teenagers. Also, the documentary
reported that the media tells us what we should like and what we should buy but most teenagers I know are capable of making their own decisions despite the media influences. Although there is media information overload, most teenagers are not caught up with teen idols or name brands. The media is really only interested in helping companies make money and less interested in all aspects of teenagers as the current and future generation of consumers. We were portrayed as conformists and this is not true of our generation; also, the documentary attempted to describe us as a group but this leads to stereotypes and generalities. We are all capable of rising above the anxiety that the film’s message about us. An example is the documentary’s reference to searching for “cool.” They interviewed employees at a research company who admitted there’s no way to understand a whole culture by checking in with a few people or reading an article from time to time. Yes, the research company was hired to identify youth culture. Although the documentary was interesting I don’t feel it accurately portrayed the effect of media on today’s teenagers.
4. I agree the media has too much power on public perception. An example of this power is when the media acts irresponsibly and unprofessionally. Sometimes a newspaper might be critical of a rapist in a news story but in the same edition print offensive pictures or inappropriate semi nude models. The media creates and perpetuates stereotypes and this reflects a lot of power on public perception. Another example is the media’s coverage of political campaigns which is ironic in a country with a democratic government. During a pre election period, some media organizations conduct pre poll surveys to show public opinion. But the media controls public perception by exaggerating certain facts or excluding relevant information. No one bothers to check the results of the surveys and thus, the media shows its power on public perception. One last example is related to public opinion which is fundamental to a democratic society. Unfortunately public opinion is processed and published by the media who is the controlling and responsible party for the information the public receives. This process is anti-democratic.
5. We are biased, admit the stars of BBC News
By SIMON WALTERS, Mail on Sunday
Last updated at 21:11 21 October 2006
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-411846/We-biased-admit-stars-BBC-News.html
This article is about the BBC news company executives who admitted they are biased against Christianity and support multicuturalism. It shows significant bias or support of political correctness, in fact almost going too far. But now it’s so intergrated into the organization’s culture it may be difficult to change. The article shows bias because it makes comments that are anti-American and more sensitive to Muslims, homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities. Also the BBC was reported to be so biased against the United States that one of the executives offered to help correct the bias. One senior BBC news executive said, 'The BBC is not neutral in multiculturalism: it believes in it and it promotes it.' But the article comments that the BBC must always try to reflect Britain; the organization is publicly funded and has a liberal bias. The article reflected concerns and criticisms by the BBC executives of their employer.
