Facts, Fallacies and Fears of TABLOIDIZATION

"Mainstream journalists should not "emulate the seedier tabloid tactics," Kurtz admonished in a March, 1999, column. The only thing Kurtz and Steyn agreed on is that tabloids did a better job covering the O.J. Simpson trials than the mainstream press.

I agree that tabloid news should never interfere with - or considered as - news with journalistic integrity and so I'm like many others, that when I hear The National Enquirer got it right, I am disappointed - when I shouldn't be. The truth should be valued and celebrated. It's when the tabloids are too busy spreading rumors and sensationalizing juicy stories that we shouldn't give them any credit for.

With that said, tabloids - in my opinion - shouldn't be held responsible or taken seriously on a daily basis. If anything, their rumors, speculations and research can - and should - be used by other, serious journalists as grounds for further investigation. That's the only time I can think of this sort of information coming in handy. And not the stories about Lindsey Lohan being a lesbian or Britney Spears going to rehab.
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An interesting side note: The other day, an article written by Steve Friess for the New York Times titled, "The Final O.J. Story for Dominick Dunne" accompanies the idea behind sensation in the media. However, in this case, it's from the inside - out. Usually, subjects - like celebrities - are attempting to avoid tabloids exploiting their stories for sale.

Not Dominick Dunne. He was honest about his disappointment when his latest O.J. Simpson trial wasn't slapped across every newspaper and TV screen. I guess he got a little too used to the idea during his murder case - and now, a few stolen figurines just isn't as juicy. Ironically enough, Dunne is retiring after this case.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/fashion/21dunne.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=O.J.&st=cse&oref=slogin

A glass of your daily news.

Reality, in terms of it being infiltrated to the masses, is often directed to them through the news media. Understandably, it is effected along the way. The old saying, "Don't kill the messenger" applies here. However, the messenger most definitely should be held responsible. Information, like acid rain (if you will), hits a variety of effecting sources as it travels to it's final destination: the news consumer. Acid rain is no pleasant way to think about your "truth-gathering" media sources, but in my opinion, we should never be so comfortable as to take in the news believing that 100 percent of the time it is pure. Just like our water.

So basically, I agree with the existence McComb's Agenda-setting Theory, 1972. He says:

"Newspapers and TV news, even the tightly edited pages of a tabloid newspaper or internet web site, do considerably more then signal existence of major events and issues."

"Throughout their day to day selection and display of news, editors and new directors focus our attention and influence our perceptions of what are the most important issues of the day. This ability to influence the salience of topics on the public agenda has come to be called the agenda-setting role of the media."

While it's frightening to think that this is all being down out of our control, it's imperative to continue to analyze, question and consider the fact that the news isn't in our hands. It's been touched by hundreds of people, memories, biases and motives before it's printed in our paper and consumed along with our morning coffee. Or not consumed. Unfortunately - the part that is most disturbing to me - is the content that is left out, never seen, never heard. That's what we should be working towards, as journalists and story-tellers: to telling the truth *as best as we can*, and not let anything slip away.

(Picture above taken by Adam Polessli, called "Acid Rain", found on Flickr)

A Year in the News

As the Project for Excellence in Journalism addressed in their 62-page report, "The State of the News Media", the battle to be the top story in American news media this year has been brutal. The two top players: The Iraq war and the dueling campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, completely dominated. No issue was more apparent, and noting it came to no surprise to me. What did come as a bit shocking, was their findings that celebrity topics like Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears were not as broadcast as we all complained them to be. That give a little hope, maybe making up for the pattern of saturation of news content in the media today and the tendency to keep news consumers devouring under a handful of stories at a time: "almost one-third of the overall newshole for the year [accounted for] U.S. foreign policy and U.S. politics and elections" alone. Having said that, the topics are without question the most important. However, in a society where news sources are already, and obviously, biased (a.k.a FOX News) and citizens are unknowingly taking in this information - without questioning it - that's when the problems of ignorance and miscommunication begins. And isn't news...all about...communication?

What picking Palin means for green

An article published in the New York Times Sept. 2 written by Thomas L. Friedman speaks directly to college students about how both presidential candidates are handling the "green" issue in their campaign. It's focus is mostly Sarah Palin's past neglectfulness but more importantly it reminds us not to be so easily swayed - on ALL issues - by politicians' empty promises and speech writers' ability to paint a picture prettier than reality.

Check it out at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/opinion/03friedman.html?em

Switching Gears, and onto the "Politics" of Palin... politics, right???

So as I attempt a graceful return back into an American academic lifestyle, so does my blog. For assignments issued through my senior journalism course Issues and the News, I will be producing posts about...Issues... in... the news throughout the entire fall semester. First up, Sarah Palin. What a way to start off the year.

I'm going to preface this post with saying that while I haven't been 100 percent in keeping up with American politics while abroad, I have tried my best to log onto computers whenever I could and I think I have stayed somewhat on top of it. Having said that, I don't know if it's my never-ending jet lag that has me dazed enough to say the first positive thing I've said about Senator John McCain - but damn, that adorable brunette with bangs is the best decision he's made all year.

If McCain wants to be treated like a celebrity - which his Democratic rivals have insisted upon painting him as (and his lifestyle, including Barbie Wife, has only supported) then the scandals the media has scrounged up from Palin's past and present life to sprinkle on top of the rest of the campaign issues (which are often, actually issues) are working in his favor to get the celebrity attention the media is giving all the candidates this year.

However, the past weekend has proved that Palin may take the cake. A pregnant daughter engaged to a boy-band look-a-like hockey player, an untold past of heated actions like firing a brother-in-law who may have threatened the family's well bring, and a husband who may (or may have not) been involved in a political group attempting to remove their home state of Alaska from the whole of America - well done McCain! Celebrity treatment granted. At least from the media.

Now, of course feeding the gossip-hungry news teams across America was not the reason he picked Miss (Wasilla Pageant) Palin as his VP. And it's definitely NOT to win over the Clinton crowd. That would be too obvious.

However, it MAY JUST BE former Tennessee Senator Fred Tompson's favorite Palin characteristic that won over McCain:

"She's the only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field dress a moose," said Thompson at the Republic National Convention Tuesday night. 

At the end of the day, let us not forget that. Moose: They will be properly dressed.

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(On a more serious note, and probably the only one I will make for this post - because my only response to the rediculousness of peaking around Palin's past for dirty little secrets and smearing the choices (be they bad or good) of her teenage daughter all over every source of our news' top headlines for consecutive days... days... on end, is... that it has been, rediculous.)