10 Media Revelations: A Reflection

These "revelations" are a reflection on what I've learned from the class Contemporary Media Issues. Using the four books as sources, I have put together the most important concepts I have taken away from the class. The videos are to emphasize a point. Thanks to Rob Williams for making the semester so worthwhile and encouraging me to "Meditate on my media."

*Media Revelation #1: We’ve lost the importance and relevance of a message.

Just because we can send a message doesn’t mean that it is relevant. Postman channels Henry Thoreau and Walden in Amusing Ourselves to Death; when the telegraph was invented we thought we should send a message from Maine to Texas because it was possible, not because it was necessary (62). In Feed Anderson features the m-chat which can be used to send messages using The Feed; when Titus goes to school one day to see that someone is sporting a lesion he immediately m-chats Violet to tell her about it (184). Messages to immediately notify people of something happening aren’t necessarily important to a conversation; we just react and use various media outlets because they enable us.

*Media Revelation #2: Media conglomerates have severe consequences.

The type of news and programming we receive depends on the ownership of the media which currently lies in the hands of six large conglomerates. In Media Society, the use of horizontal integration from website to merchandise for the new Harry Potter movie all related back to making a profit for AOL Time Warner (43). The more people who own media sources from TV to radio stations, the more concentrated news sources become, which is why independent news sources are so important. The many contributors of Project Censored 2009 are declaring that the United States is in the middle of a truth emergency because the media is being exploited to spread the word for those with a corporate or political agenda instead of promoting public awareness (284).

*Media Revelation #3: Objectivity in the media is not realistic.

Not a lot of news outlets will admit that they are biased, one of the best examples being Fox with its slogan of news that is “Fair and Balanced.” Media Society reflects on the impact of advertising on the news; advertisers only want to pay for messages that will reach a larger audience and media who appeal to a utopian idea of “objective reporting” are the recipients of advertising dollars (70). The Project Censored team delves deeper into this subject while looking at the media coverage of the suspension of the writ of Habeas Corpus, and which sources are quoted (195). They also commented that the ideal of “balanced” reporting is not always possible, but by quoting “both sides” of an issue they are attempting to frame an issue in a certain manner.

*Media Revelation #4: The most prevalent form of censorship is self-censorship.

Journalists fear crossing the wrong people might put their jobs on the line. Censored 2009 reveals the internal fight journalists contend with as they decide which truths to tell and which to leave alone as they face criticism from corporate sponsors as 35% of journalists said they avoid reporting on stories that would hurt the pockets of their employers (259). Media Society documented similar numbers; in a 2000 survey of journalists, 41% engaged in self-censorship either by completely omitting a story or toning it down (71). Most of this is attributed to the pressure journalists feel from corporate advertisers who fund their publications.

*Media Revelation #5: The rest of the world is getting more diverse and accurate news coverage than the United States.

Censored 2009 is a series on important stories left out by the American media each year. The first story in the 2009 edition was a report on the one million Iraqi casualties as a result of the U.S. occupation (20). International media had reported this as early as June 2007, but the U.S. media have left this number out, mostly likely for propaganda efforts. There are other types of censorship happening, especially relating to the military. The military controls information given to the press by considering what the press can or can not have access to; an example provided by Media Society was during the Gulf War photographs of soldiers’ coffins being unloaded from the planes could not be photographed (115). What good is the freedom of the press if such restrictions prohibit both sides of a story to be shown?

*Media Revelation #6: Events where important topics of public discourse should take place instead emphasize the importance of image in our culture.

Take the most recent election, for example, in the debate our candidates were allotted just two minutes of time to answer each question on economic, social and international issues. Postman tells readers an anecdote about a Senate campaign in New York of which he took part; the candidate who he was working with on a campaign carefully wrote position papers on all the topics whereas his opponent made 30-second commercials and won the election (129). Postman recognizes that any candidate running for office needs to understand the changing Web 2.0 world in their campaign because of media such as TV and internet, image is more important in getting a message across. The infamous, first televised debate between Kennedy and Nixon is considered by Media Society as an example of the importance of appearance over issues; polls showed those who listened to the debate over the radio thought Nixon had won versus television viewers who thought Kennedy the winner (234).

*Media Revelation #7: Advertisers contribute to the bias of media outlets.

Who is advertising affects the content of a publication. According to Media Society, a newspaper ran a feature story with tips on how to buy a new car; as a result local car dealerships conspired to take out 52 pages of ads from the paper resulting in a $1 million loss in advertising for the paper (222). GM used the names of journalists from the Washington Post as bylines in its advertising supplement published in September 2007; the editor didn’t have an explanation for the combination of editorial advertising abused by GM as cited by Censored 2009 (256). PR is blurring the lines between real journalism and slightly altered press releases by taking advantage of their audiences’ trust in credible media sources.

*Media Revelation #8: The epistemological shift from word to image has been exaggerated as a result of Web 2.0.

Images have become more effective than words, and if a message is presented in words, it must be succinct. Postman outlines this shift by stating that a new medium changes where we get our information and our ideas (28). Although Postman was writing about television it is parallel to the internet, a medium which we are dependent on for many needs, where videos are being watched more than newspapers are being read and books are becoming e-books. Our ability to sit and read periods of text is being tested in this fast-paced age of Web 2.0, as highlighted in the article Is Google Making Us Stupid? A moment in Feed illustrates the declining attention span well, when Violet sends Titus a long message about her history and her slow decline, and he said that he didn’t listen to the whole thing at once because he saw it would be long (227).

*Media Revelation #9: Every message has an hidden agenda.

No matter what the message, there is always more to be found by taking a closer look. In Feed, Titus glorifies the “corps” being good citizens and paying for Schools so that kids can learn things, but what they’re learning is about how to be a good consumer while consuming free samples such as pizza for lunch (110). This is not an over exaggeration, it is probably a grim future of PR for corporations to get the heads of children at an early age, but appears to be for “good.” A chillingly similar example of current agenda-setting is the No Child Left Behind Act provided by Censored 2009. Without further examination NCLB appears to have been passed to make public schools a more “equal learning environment” opposed to its purpose of increasing the textbook industry’s annual profit by as much as $5 billion (74).

*Media Revelation #10: We are taking shortcuts as a result of new technologies.

In order to keep up with our Web 2.0 technologies, there is a new short-hand language being deployed, all of the new incoming messages are saved for our convenience and emails are now considered a “formal” communication since instant messenger has arrived. Media Society reflects on the fact that physical space and social place are becoming less significant because of the visual images and conversation space brought to homes by television and cyberspace (311). We can watch live events happening without having to worry about reading about them the next day in the paper to learn about what happened, and we can connect with friends and family without physically being together by employing computer mediated communication tools. In Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman considers the “headlines” of messages sent and received by a telegraph as a language that was shortened and impersonal (71).

Our Keurig Project

What do you think? Am I just like Jane?

Black Friday, An Experience

Well, this year was the first time I've ever gone shopping on Black Friday. I got up at 4 am and was standing in line by 5. The marketing and PR that goes on that day was well thought out. The Sonicare people for "a Plaque Free World" were standing outside Target and were very intense. They were getting some press out of it, it really seemed like a rally or a protest. Here's the picture I found, probably shot when I was walking out of the Target in the background! Earlier when I walked into Macy's I was greeted at the door by an Oceanspray representative with free samples of their new Cranenergy drink. I got a few extra, I'm a bit cranberry-obsessed. I found of the blog of a mom getting "free samples" in the mail from earlier this year, apparently the product has been around for awhile unbeknownst to me. It comes up second on a google search.

Finally, I've got another great example of how bloggers are becoming so influential for PR. A close friend and I always meet up to have coffee and a bagel at the European Shoppe. He and I were talking about how the Mayflower Inn & Spa sold for a few million, so I checked to see how much it sold for ($31 million if you're interested) and then found this great blog post about the spa that has to have been solicited by a PR person. It has great visuals and enticing text, plus it comes up on the first page of Google results for the Mayflower Inn. SEO much?

Remember life before the computer...?

Tonight I did something I haven't done in awhile, I wrote by hand my homework that needs to be posted online. There was something amazing about being away from a computer for 3 hours rather than being in front of one. I was at my friend's room, which made me not want to lug my laptop the mile it takes to get to her residence hall. Instead, I printed the prompts to which I needed to respond, plus my documents on Microsoft word I needed to review, and brought along some reading materials that need to be blogged on later.

Somehow, all the work I needed to get done didn't seem so intimidating without the blank screen and blinking cursor ruining my eye sight. Also, while I was doing my homework, my friend was editing another friend's paper. For an hour she read to me sentences which needed to be rewritten, and I helped just by listening, not by reading. It occurred to me (as it should since reading Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves To Death) that we have become such visual learners. It was nice to just listen aloud to my friend's paper, and edit it without having the whole paper in front of me. I was able to reword the sentence faster than she was, because she was faced with retyping the thing, and all the words were jumbled in front of her.

After I stopped editing the paper, I went on to read this article for my Contemporary Media Issues class, one that correlates strongly with Social Interaction. It seems a bit long, but I think you will be comforted to see the effect that social media has on our lives, long term. Plus, I don't think this could better illustrate the connection between the two classes, our friend Danah Boyd was mentioned, although a different article where she described the parasocial relationships as people we follow closely using social networks or microblogging even though these people might be unaware of it.

The article also talked about how social networks seem like a requirement for 20 year olds to monitor their online identity, because, let's face it - who knows what pictures of you will be posted if you don't check? Basically, it's intriguing and I think my Internet Marketing teacher would be enlightened, as it enforces her love of Twitter. Now onto my homework for my Contemporary Media Issues class. We post all of our class comments (homework) on our class blog.

I hope you'll try doing work without a computer soon, because you may find it inspiring! Which is why, I said aloud to my friend ""It was nice not to be in front of a computer, for once, I think I will blog about it when I get back." Alas, I've continued the vicious cycle.

What a blog is for...

Spreading the word. View this video!
A few reasons why:

1. You can impress your employer with a new way to be socially responsible
2. You'll learn something you probably didn't know before
3. It's about the environment, one of the top challenges facing us today
4. Great images of world scenery
5. Happy to see a video instead of a few paragraphs of text? I think it's a nice change myself.

Family Editor

Public Relations is writing, but it's also about who you know. My aunt has been in the advertising industry for years, so she also understands the importance of how something is worded, whether it be a brochure, web site or just a proposal. I can always count on her to offer advice on any projects I send her way which makes me feel more confident in what I'm writing. I don't have the years of experience that she does, and I'm not afraid to ask for help when its needed.

This fall I had the task of writing the ad copy for a full page ad that will be running for a full year in 2009. As someone who is a college student, I'm not completely confident in my writing yet, but I will become more confident over time. I was relieved when my aunt helped me with the writing of the ad copy by offering comments on what I had done. Whatever class I'm taking it always helps to have another pair of eyes offering constructive criticism- and I'd rather get it from a family member than from a future client.

Just so you don't think that I'm the "family leech," my aunt is going back to school to become a paralegal. She just started online classes this fall so she sends me law documents to test the readability. We help each other out, plus I bring her Lake Champlain chocolates. : )

Ethics, Silence, Patience and Grace

Yes, I played off the Foo Fighters' album title in mine, but it summarizes this post nicely.

In every class I've been learning about PR in different lights. In my principle PR class, I'm learning about building relationships with people, how to create media kits, write effectively and getting feedback from classmates. I'm learning about how to be in the business, how to fit in and what to do and not to do.

In my Contemporary Media Issues class we've been talking about how PR flies under the radar. Do people realize that sometimes 60% of content in news sources were generated by news releases? The answer is probably not. Unlike advertising, PR is not labeled. Most people don't know what a VNR (Video News Release) looks like if they saw one while watching the nightly news, but they understand what a commercial is. Is it ethical? That's a question I've been debating.

Then there are things that I've been absorbing in my Social Interaction class and my Internet Marketing class. In Social Interaction in a Digital Age I was introduced to the nasty side effects of bloggers outing "bad PR." In a blog post written by the editor of Wired magazine, he posted the email addresses of PR people he had blocked. This is the side of PR that gives it a bad name, and it's unfortunate. In a reactive blog post, author of PR 2.0 points out the best way PR professionals can become better, so at least something was said to amend the problem.

Now, Internet Marketing is all about how appropriate online resources can be best leveraged to benefit a client. So, this is a class about "learning how and when to use the tools."
So, I like to think about this question, "How can I be a change in the profession?" How do I go against the stereotype? I like to say "I'm not going into politics" if someone gives me a questioning look when I say I'm going into PR. Then I realize that it's not just politics...

I've come to the realization that no matter how much I question my decision to go into PR when I read about all the work that goes into good PR that usually does not receive credit (Good for Obama for giving credit where credit was due in his speech) I will always come back to the reason - I like to work with people in a positive way. That's why I wanted to go into PR and in the end PR is about developing positive relationships with people about something you think is worthwhile. Now, let's see how well I can put that into practice as a PR professional. We shall see...

Re: Social Interaction in a Digital Age

Connections between the classes I am taking this semester:

I am taking 4 classes that revolve around the same topics this semester. They are all intertwined, especially when it comes to a Web 2.0 world. I created this blog for my Contemporary Media Issues class, but I really think that these issues are relevant to Champlain students no matter if you're in the class or not. In that class we reflect on the impact of media on our lives, and weigh the pros and cons, looks at persuasive techniques in media texts. We've been focusing on the election, but also have been reading the books Censorship 2009, Feed, and Amusing Ourselves to Death. All of these titles relate to how the media are shaping our world and our future. If you are in the CCM division I would strongly suggest reading Feed and Amusing Ourselves To Death. Feed is very short, and the other title is very worthwhile and will give you a completely different perspective on being a media professional.

In my internet marketing class I am uncovering new ways to use PR and advertising. This definitely ties in with what I am learning in this online class of how people connect over the internet. I have to think about how a target market is using the internet and computer-mediated communication (CMC, for those who don't know) tools.

In my Writing for Public Relations class I have to keep in mind how to approach writing the copy for a number of different media - whether it's a website, print ad or brochure I need to think about the audience. Same thing with marketing. The persuasive techniques I am learning in my Contemporary Media Issues class really come in when I am writing for this class, as well.

Overall this semester seems to be an integration of a number of different professors and what they think is important to learn. I really am enjoying all that I am learning, although it's been difficult to balance all the work. It's a lot of group work, but it's definitely worth all the hands-on experience I am getting.

I completed my first video project with my friend and peer Kristen last week! Please check out the 1 minute video that is below this post...Can you spot any persuasive techniques?

Thoughts on the First Presidential Debate in HD

I got a chance to watch the presidential debate last night and engage in some of the online live-blogging that was happening from a number of sources, as much as I could while watching. I was listening and reading what people were saying on Election.Twitter, what my internet marketing professor thought, what two bloggers from The Atlantic were live-blogging, and also trying to think about the persuasive techniques.


People were asked to leave their comments on the debate and Andrew Sullivan chose this comment that a reader left. Why? It wasn't about policies or who was a better speaker. It was based on the body language of both candidates. Prior to reading this today, I commented that I would have felt differently about the debate if I had listened to it on the radio. I would have found McCain to be more sure of world events, even if he digressed, "By the way, I went there once..." as he did a number of times. Watching the event and seeing how McCain reacted while Obama was speaking - laughing out loud, not looking at him when Obama was looking at him. That made me feel that, even though John McCain was acting rude and very arrogant. So, I felt that this post was really saying something about how watching the debate on television links us to the limbic part of the brain in a way that wouldn't reach us if it were only broadcast on the radio.

Also, it was the first presidential debate ever televised in "High-def." What I thought was funny was that in the live-blogging from Marc Ambinder - also of the Atlantic - said, "9:10 McCain's tie is bleeding all over my TV."

Media Memoir

Thinking back on childhood, I can see that my surrounding life was very much impacted by media. I can’t imagine growing up without it. I know I would read books, which usually seemed like a better use of my time, but with so many other interesting media available – why bother focusing on that? I would read lots of books for school, so I forgave myself. The television had the most impact, however the radio, when I drove in the car with my mom or when I first got my computer in 6^th grade, those too became integrated into my way of life.

The most primal “medium”, after books, to which I was first interested in would probably be radio. Whenever I was in the car my mom would listen to Star 99.9, which is a station in Connecticut that still plays music from the 90’s, or my dad would listen to his favorite “oldies” station mostly consisting of music that had long since been converted to tapes from eight-tracks. One radio show on Star 99.9 was called “Love Songs at Night” and you could call in a request for a song. I requesting a song to dedicate to the boy I had a crush on at the time. It seemed like the thing to do. I also loved radio because I would find out about new songs by Mariah Carey – my favorite artist growing up, which was before her breakdown.

My brother and I used to watch cartoons, mainly on Disney or Cartoon Network together in the morning during the summer when we would stay at our family’s cottage on a lake. Then when the weather got warmer we would go outside and spend the day in the water. During the school year, I would find myself unwinding by sitting in front of the TV for a half hour before starting my homework. Also, before we went out to the bus during the school year, we would play Nintendo 64 with our neighbors; it served as motivation to get up and ready in the morning for this time of play. I remember how mad we would become if we didn’t beat a new level on “Mischief Makers” before my mom was nagging us to get out for the bus. I know videogames are an alternative medium themselves, but I thought it was a bit more “educational” than just simply watching the TV. They were interactive!

Then, interaction really hit home when I found a big, heavy, cow-print box sitting in my basement one day. What’s this? – Why my very own computer! Of course it was for the entire family, but I couldn’t help but think about all the wonderful things I could do on a computer. Before my parents bought our first computer from Gateway, I would often use a new-age typewriter for typing school papers, and I was sick of using it even though it was a fairly nice one. The internet didn’t really hit home until I was in middle school, but then I was on AOL with my first screen name and email address, I believe it was “MBLovebug”, and that was the end of life as I knew it.

It is safe to say that my childhood was molded by media, like most others. I would, more often than not prefer to watch TV than read a book. Although, I will say that I was reluctant to get an iPod because I didn’t like the concept of instant gratification. I was happy with my CD player, and enjoyed the moments where I would carefully select which CD I wanted to listen to next. Now, I can have all my music at my fingertips, and it bothers me a little bit. Maybe I’ve inherited this quality from my Dad’s who still has his eight-track collection from the 70’s. I feel the need to preserve what once was in this ever-evolving world of technology and media.