Friday, April 27, 2007
Fair and Balanced
Media coverage in our modern world has bias. It is nearly impossible to report the news without it. As consumers, we are given a choice. Who do we watch and why? I enjoy watching a myriad of different news sources for different reasons. Fox is my favorite for political commentary. NBC is my number one choice for domestic news. On international issues I often look to new sources outside of the United States such as the BBC. Recognizing who I trust and who I don't is important. CNN and CBS are not my favorite because I feel their perspective comes more from the left. That is all well and good if you are a viewer who expects that and aligns with that particular perspective. This is the freedom of choice. Watching news is not the only method in which to discover information. Reading is a actually a relaxing outlet for me to catch up on current events. Magazines and newspapers certainly have a similar bias to that of the major news conglomerates. For example, I would never read The New York Times because they lack credibility in my eyes due to their passionate pursuit of a political agenda. The Washington Post is more up my ally. In an ideal world, the news could always be trusted and the print we see in the paper could as well. However, this not being the case- it is the responsibility of the consumer to make well educated choices about what they tune in to and to hold the news conglomerates accountable. I feel that in this day and age where controversy abounds, no one can truly say that they are fair and balanced. It is a daunting challenge, but as consumers we must have the deft ability to sort through the coverage and find the facts ourselves. With this being such a time consuming task it is easy to see why so many Americans watch news for entertainment or become distracted by the superficial world of entertainment. This trend certainly needs to change and it is up to all of us to make that transition into a more media savvy realm.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Spin Doctors
Today everyone has their own agenda and objectives, including the news corporations and our nation's most powerful decision makers- politicians. Human nature directs each of us to act in our own self interest, however what happens when this course of action invades upon the greater good of our country and local communities? Is it possible to find common ground? I say YES.
We can agree that access to information is essential. We can agree that both national and international news deserve coverage. We can agree that as consumers we have the power to make decisions.
These decisions include changing the channel when a news station covers only fluff. Another alternative would be to listen to NPR or BBC. In terms of advertising, you don't need to buy products showcased from the sources you find conflict with. Unless powerful news and entertainment conglomerates are hit with a strong economic message they will not shift their content because popularity and ratings rake in increased revenue.
The class discussion was fascinating today and my favorite part was when Dave announced he wanted to be conspiracy mastermind because it would be fun. I agree! Spin doctors must make bank in this day and age...
We can agree that access to information is essential. We can agree that both national and international news deserve coverage. We can agree that as consumers we have the power to make decisions.
These decisions include changing the channel when a news station covers only fluff. Another alternative would be to listen to NPR or BBC. In terms of advertising, you don't need to buy products showcased from the sources you find conflict with. Unless powerful news and entertainment conglomerates are hit with a strong economic message they will not shift their content because popularity and ratings rake in increased revenue.
The class discussion was fascinating today and my favorite part was when Dave announced he wanted to be conspiracy mastermind because it would be fun. I agree! Spin doctors must make bank in this day and age...
Friday, April 6, 2007
The Woes of Working
Yesterday we discussed harassment and discrimination in the workplace in context to our individual free speech rights. Tension saturated the dialog due to the sensitive and complex nature of our topic. Whenever religion, sexual orientation and identity collide there is sure to exist deeply rooted emotions.
In the text, "Outspoken" a fireman wished to read Playboy at the firehouse in which he worked and spent the majority of his work and free time. A female employee there was offended and according to the new policy, Playboy was not to be permitted in the firehouse. This lead to a series of messy litigation and personal attacks. I agree with Dave that often a more human method of solving problems would be to work out differences in a private communication session led by a conflict resolution professional. Although to me Playboy is not offensive, historically sexism has existed in the firehouse for decades so the changing shape of the workforce may ruffle the feathers of those already accustomed to power. Our seminar discussion was thoughtful and colorful. Many perspectives were explored.
The case of the employee at HP posting biblical scripture was even more heated. I feel that the diversity campaign posters were perhaps not the best possible way to extend the agenda of multiculturalism in the work place, but that does not excuse the employee's motive to disturb his homosexual coworkers. Again, in a perfect world this conflict could have been solved through communication and thoughtful dialog but unfortunately messy litigation ensued and the fundamentalist Christian employee was fired after twenty one years of service. No one wins when people's feelings are hurt and yet in the corporate world the well being of employees has not been treated as a priority.
In the text, "Outspoken" a fireman wished to read Playboy at the firehouse in which he worked and spent the majority of his work and free time. A female employee there was offended and according to the new policy, Playboy was not to be permitted in the firehouse. This lead to a series of messy litigation and personal attacks. I agree with Dave that often a more human method of solving problems would be to work out differences in a private communication session led by a conflict resolution professional. Although to me Playboy is not offensive, historically sexism has existed in the firehouse for decades so the changing shape of the workforce may ruffle the feathers of those already accustomed to power. Our seminar discussion was thoughtful and colorful. Many perspectives were explored.
The case of the employee at HP posting biblical scripture was even more heated. I feel that the diversity campaign posters were perhaps not the best possible way to extend the agenda of multiculturalism in the work place, but that does not excuse the employee's motive to disturb his homosexual coworkers. Again, in a perfect world this conflict could have been solved through communication and thoughtful dialog but unfortunately messy litigation ensued and the fundamentalist Christian employee was fired after twenty one years of service. No one wins when people's feelings are hurt and yet in the corporate world the well being of employees has not been treated as a priority.
The Woes of Working
Yesterday we discussed harassment and discrimination in the workplace in the context to our individual free speech rights. Tension saturated the dialog due to the sensitive and complex nature of our topic. Whenever religion, sexual orientation and identity collide there is sure to exist deeply rooted emotions.
In the text, "Outspoken" a fireman wished to read Playboy at the firehouse in which he worked and spent the majority of his work and free time. A female employee there was offended and according to the new policy, Playboy was not to be permitted in the firehouse. This lead to a series of messy litigation and personal attacks. I agree with Dave that often a more human method of solving problems would be to work out differences in a private communication session led by a conflict resolution professional. Although to me Playboy is not offensive, historically sexism has existed in the firehouse for decades so the changing shape of the workforce may ruffle the feathers of those already accustomed to power. Our seminar discussion was thoughtful and colorful. Many perspectives were explored.
The case of the employee at HP posting biblical scripture was even more heated. I feel that the diversity campaign posters were perhaps not the best possible way to extend the agenda of multiculturalism in the work place, but that does not excuse the employee's motive to disturb his homosexual coworkers. Again, in a perfect world this conflict could have been solved through communication and thoughtful dialog but unfortunately messy litigation ensued and the fundamentalist Christian employee was fired after twenty one years of service. No one wins when people's feelings are hurt and yet in the corporate world the well being of employees has not been treated as a priority.
In the text, "Outspoken" a fireman wished to read Playboy at the firehouse in which he worked and spent the majority of his work and free time. A female employee there was offended and according to the new policy, Playboy was not to be permitted in the firehouse. This lead to a series of messy litigation and personal attacks. I agree with Dave that often a more human method of solving problems would be to work out differences in a private communication session led by a conflict resolution professional. Although to me Playboy is not offensive, historically sexism has existed in the firehouse for decades so the changing shape of the workforce may ruffle the feathers of those already accustomed to power. Our seminar discussion was thoughtful and colorful. Many perspectives were explored.
The case of the employee at HP posting biblical scripture was even more heated. I feel that the diversity campaign posters were perhaps not the best possible way to extend the agenda of multiculturalism in the work place, but that does not excuse the employee's motive to disturb his homosexual coworkers. Again, in a perfect world this conflict could have been solved through communication and thoughtful dialog but unfortunately messy litigation ensued and the fundamentalist Christian employee was fired after twenty one years of service. No one wins when people's feelings are hurt and yet in the corporate world the well being of employees has not been treated as a priority.
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