Questioning the media ch. 11

Q2:  Why are so many people critical of advertising?

A:  Advertising in today's society has had many affects on the way people look at themselves.  It has a tendency to control peoples actions and motives when looking for particular products.  It also exposes the vulnerabilities that lie inside people.  Children are among the most influenced by advertisements.  People tend to be so critical of advertising because it has such a controling affect.  Many people feel that something unavoidable shouldn't have such an influence on society.  It gives people ideas of how people should look, what they should eat, and what their motives in life should be.  Many people feel that these values at stake should not be compromised by for the sake of others greed.

Q4:  Should advertising aimed at children be regulated?  Why or why not?

A:  I think that advertising aimed at children should be regulated.  At a young age, people are unable to distinguish fact from reality.  Children perceive everything they see or are told as real and have trouble using good judgment.  If an advertisement on television is appealing to a child, they will do whatever they can to get their parents to get whatever is being marketed.  Without regulation, children may be convinced to partake in questionable activities, or have superficial thoughts engrained into their heads.  As long as products marketed towards children are in their best interest there should be no problem.  However, when things such as alcohol, tobacco, or sex are involved in anything that may be deemed as appealing to children, it is not right.  Children should only be exposed to harmless and monitored media.

Q6:  Would you be in favor of regular advertising on public television and radio as a means of financial support for these media?  Explain your answer.

A:  I do feel that advertising in public media is necessary.  In order for media to receive adequate funding, they must sell their empty space.  Television and radio rely heavily on this kind of income.  Money from advertising goes towards quality production of programs, which draws viewers, and in turn causes companies to compete for space.  This benefits everyone.  The audiences get what they tune in for, the producers profit, and the advertisers draw customers.  This circle of production, self perpetuates itself.  Personally, I feel that this proves to be very healthy for the economy.  It gets people spending money, and satisfied with entertainment at the same time.

Questioning the media ch. 10

Questioning the Media Ch. 10.

Q1:  What are your earliest recollections of books?  Do you read for pleasure?  If so, what kinds of book do you enjoy?

A:  My first books were short stories that my mom would read to me.  One of my favorite things was for her to read me a bedtime story, and then I could lay in bed and imagine it until I fell asleep.  As I got older and learned to read myself, I became fascinated with Goosebumps.  These novels were scary but also interesting at a young age.  Today, I dont mind reading but my taste has changed form those imaginary fantasies.  I enjoy reading non fiction books about society and basically anything that I can learn and benefit from.  I fined it most interesting to come from reading a book with increased knowledge of a particular subject.

Q3:  If you were opening up an independent bookstore in a town with a major chain, how would you compete?

A:  Being the aspiring entrepreneur that I wish to be, I may one day be opening an independent bookstore.  In order to compete with major bookstores, I would have to provide an atmosphere that was more appealing than the other ones.  Some of the other bookstores have coffee shops, but I could include a more extensive coffee shop with a smoothie bar and bakery.  I would give the potential buyers a very quaint atmosphere to relax in.  This could include large comfortable couches, and perhaps a fire on cold days.  With this I would create an environment that didn't even compare to the chains.

Q4:  Imagine that you are on a committee that oversees book choices for a high school library in your town.  What policies do you think should guide the committee's selection of controversial books?

A:  If I were in control, I would most likely not ban any books from a school library.  I feel that classic literature should not be kept from student just for containing a few bad words or sexual innuendos.  I have been a part of classes that have banned parts of certain books for this reason and I feel it is not right.  Unless we are talking about books with actual graphic pictures, that by law you must be 18 to view, I feel that at the high school no works of literature should be banned.  At this level most all children have been exposed to what they will find, and if not, they have been too sheltered.

Questioning the media ch. 9

Q1:What are you earliest recollections of magazines?  Which magazines do you read regularly today?

A:  My earliest recollections of magazines is probably when I read Sports Illustrated for Kids. From about the time I was 6 or 7, sports in general captivated my interest.  Being too young totally understand the full context of professional organizations, SI for Kids abbreviated some of the top stories and made them more interesting for a younger audience.  I also remember many of the advertisements being for games or sugary cereal.  Today, I read the normal version of Sports Illustrated as it covers the major events in sports with great detail.  However, the ads are not so innocent as they tend to focus on an older audience and promote alcohol and sex.

Q2:  Imagine that you are the marketing director of your favorite magazine.  What would you do to increase circulation?

A:  If I was the marketing director for my favorite magazine, which in this case is Sports Illustrated, I would do whatever I could to sell the most copies.  I would advertise on  major sports networks such as ESPN and during major sporting events on other networks.  This way I could reach out to the largest target audience possible.  One way I could increase circulation is to provide incentive for current customers to recommend people.  This way I could create a large network of customers.  I feel that once sports fans would get a copy of my magazine, they would be hooked.

Q3:  Do you think cable, the internet, and other specialized computer technology will eventually displace magazines?  Why or why not?

A:  I do not think any new technologies will displace current magazines.  The whole idea of a magazine is to have a portable form of literature in a specialized subject, and be able take it anywhere.  With technology and computers you can't necessarily do that.  Sure you can look something up on the internet, but you cant have hundreds of articles to flip through on an airplane.  Plus magazines offer graphics, cut outs and posters that likewise cannot be produced with technology.

Questioning the Media Ch. 8

Q1: What kinds of stories, topics, or issues are not being covered well by mainstream papers?


A: Mainstream papers today are only focused on whatever will sell. That is why information or news that certain groups would find interesting are not published to the mass media. Publishers are looking for whatever the most people will find interesting so that they will buy the papers. Topics like this include, foreign sports, small town oddities, and historical documents. Foreign sports would not sell because people are only concerned with what is in their culture. Whats going on across seas may be a sport not even known about in the US, therefore has no effect on Americans. Small town oddities are great for local newspapers, but people would not be able to relate to them through huge mainstream papers. Finally, people are only concerned about what is happening in the present, hence the term news paper, and would seek other sources of historical information.


Q2: Why do you think people aren't reading newspapers as frequently as they once did? What can newspapers do to increase circulation?

A: With all of the modern forms of news today, people do not need only to resort to newspapers. Back in the day, newspapers were the only form of communication that could get information out to the public. Sporting events could not be watched on TV, they had to be read about in the papers, unless one could actually attend. The same goes for any breaking news, whether it be politics, sports, business, or just big events. Today's technology not only allows us to bring a live news feed in to our living rooms with TV and radio, but with a click of a button in the office we can see the latest world updates. Newspapers can serve as a portable news device, but other means of communication are cheaper and require virtually no material. In order to increase circulation, I feel that newspapers could just broadcast certain stories in their articles rather than allowing them to be told via other means of communication. This would allow for people to have to buy newspapers to hear about certain events.


Q3: Discuss whether newspaper chains are ultimately good or bad for the future of journalism.

A: Newspapers tend to be biased and to not always tell the full story. In order to sell, they must contain credible information but it must be interesting for an audience. This type of information tends to become talked up by writers in order to make it sound more dramatic to readers. Also, sometimes a writer's opinion comes into play, depending on his or her views, and the general views of the newspaper. Newspaper chains could all carry similar values with them bringing readers a one sided story across the board. Though some people may find that a certain paper has validity, it story may differ from another. If an oligopoly emerges in newspapers, they could virtually control the news being reported. The small time news papers can sometimes be most reliable as they are not always just trying to sell papers, but relay news in a reliable form.