Chapter 15; Media Effects & Chapter 16; Legal Controls... Friday, April 30th

Chapter 15: Media Effects

Questioning the Media

1.) What are your main concerns or criticisms about the state of media studies at your college or university?

I believe that the state of media studies here at Lenoir-Rhyne University are well operating and continue to grow in success as well as notoriety within Hickory as a community. Communications is one of the largest Majors at LR and it has increasingly grown larger over the years. There are a large amount of opportunities for internships, work study programs, and job experience within the communications field. My fear, however is that with the number of communications (media studies) Majors here at Lenoir-Rhyne, is that there will not be enough opportunity to go around. I wish to study in a big city for a semester or two someday, maybe even go over to a foreign country for study abroad. My fear is that there will not be room enough or funds enough for me. I believe that there is good diversity within our program here, from journalism, to broadcasting, to market research as well as media law... I have faith that the status of the media studies school at LR will only continue to grow and become more favorable with the students, as well as community surrounding our institution.

2.) One charge that has been leveled against a lot of media research--both the effects model and the cultural models--is that it has very little impact on changing our media institutions. Do you agree or disagree, and why?

I believe that our model, is more related to the "selective exposure and selective retention model" I do not believe that, like the Hypodermic Model suggests, the mass media is so powerful that it directly effects the "unsuspecting or weak audiences", also known as the bullet theory or direct effect model. Opposite to the Hypodermic Model, the Minimal Effect Model suggests, more believable than the bullet theory, media has limited effects on audiences, only reinforcing existing behaviors and audiences rather than changing them. I feel that the Selective Exposure and Retention Model relates better to the attitude of American government, and democracy.. that the media simply confirms values and attitudes the viewer already contains. There is also the Uses and Gratification Model, this argues that people use the media to satisfy various emotional desires or intellectual ones.. this includes in depth interviews and questionaries.

3.) Can you think of an issue that the media industry and academic researchers could study together? Explain.

I believe that the effect the media has on college students could be studied by both the media industry and academic researchers. An example of this could be an election or political issue in the media, as well as being covered in the classroom. As professors sometimes learn, in order for the younger generation to completely comprehend an idea or subject, the student has to see for themselves how they will be positively or negatively effected by it. This is where media industry would come in, by allowing the students to view an interview, debate or discussion with a certain political head, the student would be able to grasp the entire idea. The two groups could then be able to study the methods of teaching, and learning about an event very important to our democratic government.

Chapter 16: Legal Controls

Questioning the Media

1.) Have you ever had an experience in which you thought personal or public expression went too far and should be curbed? Explain. How might you remedy that situation?

While visiting the capital last semester, as our group stood outside the white house to take pictures, we were bombarded by this woman dressed in all white. She carried a microphone and posters and wore a large sandwich board containing falsified information about president Obama. She handed out pictures of the joker, from batman, except they adorned the face of the president; she then went on to explain how our president had lied and conned his way into the white house, that he was in face, a muslim, and he was planning to continue the was in Iraq, only he would aid the terrorists. This ignorant woman believed that she was protected by her right to free speech, symbolic, and protest.. but I believe that she was indeed guilty of spreading slanderous, and lible statements against the government. She was rude and walked strait up to citizens who were, and made it very obvious, there to support our new leader. I believe that her loud protesting interfered with the rights of others. I would have her removed then educated on the points she so ignorantly smudged.

2.) If you owned a community newspaper and had to formulate a policy for your editors about which letters from readers could appear in a limited space on your editorial page, what kinds of letters would you eliminate and why? Would you be acting as a censor in this situation? Why or why not?

If I owned my own newspaper and had to formulate a policy for my editors to which letters could appear on the editorial page, I would set up a committee of readers of different racial, political, and gender background to read the letters that were sent in by our readers in the community. Those letters deemed as extreme, degrading, or impaired the rights of others would be eliminated. I believe that censoring is a valid term, that refers to the protection of the rights of others, instead of impeding on them. I agree with censorship, if a person wishes to hear or read a radical view, they most likely know where to find them. I believe that the mass media should portray a more neutral view on situations regarding politics, specifically elections, in order to be more fair.

5.) What do you think of the current movie rating system? Should it be changed? why or why not?

I believe that the current movie rating system is valid because it allows theater companies to be creative, and artistic, while providing the public with guidelines so the decision making process is easier. In home with children, especially there is little room for a "bad" or "inappropriate" movie mistake. The rating system that is set in place now, allows the parent, or adult in charge, the ability to deem what is appropriate for their family, and what is not. By placing restrictions on ratings, and listing them, it allows a better peace of mind for those with families. I do not think it's necessary to change the rating system, as time goes on, the rating system changes on it's own to fit the values and morals of the generation at large at the time. While small changes are necessary for growth, a large change to our rating system, such as no rating system at all, could be detrimental to the population of viewing audiences.

Chapter 12: Public Relations and Framing the Message; Friday, April 2nd

QUESTIONING THE MEDIA

17.)What do you think of when you hear the term public relations? What images come to mind? Where did these impressions come from?

(response to question #17) 

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) offers this simple and useful definition of PR: “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.” To carry out this mutual communication process,the PR industry uses two approaches. First, there are independent PR agencies whose sole job is to provide clients with PR services. Second, most companies, which may or may not also hire the independent PR firms,maintain their own in-house PR staffs to handle routine tasks, such as writing press releases, managing various media requests, staging special events, and dealing with internal and external publics.When I hear the term "public relations" I think of, the relationship between the media, and the public. Or, in a simpler way, the media's way of relating to the public. News broadcasts, newspapers, and magazines come to mind when I think of Public relations. I believe that these images came from years of growing up watching the news, and TV and hearing the term over and over again. As well as my preconceived notions of the term; The term itself, "public relations" is pretty self explanatory. Other terms and images that come to mind, are promotion, event planning, and advertising. These terms, unlike the images I used before, represent the more personal field of public relations, for instance, being a personal assistant, an editor or a co-producer, or writer of a magazine could stem from this field. Overall, I believe that the term "public relations" is best understood through the advertising, and promotion, as well as event planning. 

18.)What might a college or university do to improve public relations with homeowners on the edge of a campus who have to deal with noisy student parties and a shortage of parking spaces?

(response to question #18) 

Im assuming that, most colleges, and or universities have to deal with this problem, or something similar. If I was the president of a college, or university and wished to improve relations with homeowners on the edge of campus who have to deal with noisy student parties and a shortage of parking spaces I would first, propose a meeting. Then, as a result of the meeting, and the interest it would provoke in the homeowners, as well as the students; I would propose a fundraiser, in order to raise money for an expansion on parking. Next, I would propose a second fundraiser for a separate building, or area on campus, away from the residents not affiliated with the school, for parties and other gatherings, to cut down on noise complaints. 

19.)What steps can reporters and editors take to monitor PR agents who manipulate the news media?

(response to question #19) 

Much of this antagonism, directed at public relations from the journalism profession, is historical. Journalists have long considered themselves part of a public service profession,but some regard PR as having emerged as a pseudo-profession created to distort the facts that reporters work hard to gather. Over time, reporters and editors developed the derogatory term flack to refer to a PR agent. The term, derived from the military word flak,meaning an antiaircraft artillery shell or a protective military jacket, symbolizes for journalists the protective barrier PR agents insert between their clients and the press.Today, the Associated Press manual for editors defines flack simply as “slang for press agent.” Yet this antagonism belies journalism’s dependence on public relations. Many editors, for instance, admit that more than half of their story ideas each day originate with PR people. In this section, we take a closer look at the relationship between journalism and public relations, which can be both adversarial and symbiotic.Another cause of tension is that PR firms often raid the ranks of reporting for new talent.Because most press releases are written to imitate news reports, the PR profession has always sought good writers who are well connected to sources and savvy about the news business. For instance, the fashion industry likes to hire former style or fashion news writers for its PR staff, and university information offices seek reporters who once covered higher education. However, although reporters frequently move into PR, public relations practitioners seldom move into journalism; the news profession rarely accepts prodigal sons or daughters back into the fold once they have left reporting for public relations.Nevertheless, the professions remain co-dependent: PR needs journalists for publicity, and journalism needs PR for story ideas and access.