Journal/ism/ist

          What is Journalism and who are Journalists? Journalism is defined as "the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues, and trends to a broad audience. Journalism dates at least from the Acta Diurna of Rome (a series of public announcements that can be considered the prototype of the modern newspaper), but it was not until the 15th cent. that the invention of printing made possible its rapid growth. Daniel Defoe has been called the first journalist, as distinct from a writer. Modern journalism, however, began in the latter years of the 18th century with each venture serving, as it does in many countries to this day, as the proponent and voice of a political party or social group. Even in the 19th cent. journalists, despite their increased liberties in England and the United States, were largely controlled by political parties. " However, there is much variation in journalism but the overall idea is to inform the people. Jouralism covers government, business, arts and entertainment. Job fields include editing, photojournalism and documentary.
          A Journalist, on the other hand, collects and distributes information about current events, people, trends and issues. The work a Journalist creates is reffered to as journalism. As stated online, "Reporters are one type of journalist. They create reports as a profession for broadcast or publication in mass media such as newspapers, television, radio, magazines, documentary film, and the Internet. Reporters find sources for their work, their reports can be either spoken or written, and they are often expected to report in the most objective and unbiased way to serve the public good. A columnist is a journalist who writes pieces that appear regularly in newspapers or magazines."

" It's Just a Movie"

          Is it just a movie? Many of us have argued or asked the same question that Smith mentioned in chapter 1 "

The question arises almost every semester. My introductory media classand I will be hip deep in analyzing the details of a particular film, andthen a hand will creep up, usually from the back: “Aren’t we readingtoo much into this? After all, it’s just a movie.” Taking a deep breath,I then launch into a spirited defense of our analytic activity." This may not seem like much of a deal but it is actually is an important topic.

          If we look too much into movies now days imagine what kids are thinking when they see these movies about the devil coming out and taking over people or movies about the world supposedly ending in 2012. I believe that there are some movies out there that we should pay very close attention to but some movies are just for fun and amazement and those movies are just messing with your head if you read to closely into them.
          I believe that this is one of the reasons why television shows and movies have ratings for them. I remember we had this conversation in class about how real movies and shows are now days and what happens when litlle children watch them. We were arguing about if it should be the director of the show or movie's fault or the parents. Many of us agreed that it is the parents. If they continue to let their children watch these movies then they know what they are getting themselves into. On the other hand the directors could cut back some on their plots. But the question still remains what is it that we can do?

"Real" Media

            My assignment is to identify and closely examine a media form or program or piece of writing that I feel is "real" to me and that affects me in an emotional way. The main show that is real to me is ESPN. I am so drawn to sportscenter because it has to do with everything I want to be in life.
          I always talk about hopefully making it proffessional in football or basketball. When I tell people this they also reply with the same question. Do you have a backup plan and what is it? This question is always asked because chances of making it pro are slim. The actual statistic of making it the the NBA is 1 in 1 million. My chances of making it pro in football are a little better. But my backup plan is to become an ESPN analyst or broadcaster. This is the main reason I watch sportscenter so often because I imagine myself either talking about the new upcoming superstars or me being talked about as one of them.  I also watch it so I can look closely at what it takes to become an analyst. I look at what teh host talk about today and how well they talk and know about the subject they are commicating about. This is a major reasons I am a communications major. I am trying to get an early feel on how to communicate fluently in front of large crowds and even on television.
          This show is "real" to me because it tells the truth. It talks about coaches' gameplans and upcoming games, athletes, and they even have segments that help you you improve your game and your IQ on the field or court. I will continue to watch this show and continue to work my way on the show. I hope that one day you guys will see me. Maybe as the new face of ESPN.

Concerns of Media

          This assignment was to interview a parent on how they feel about media today and to get their feel on how media is affecting their children. I decided to interview the mother of my high school friend and get her opinion on the topic at hand.
         
          First off do you think that media has more of a positive or negative effect on your children?
I would have to say that media has both a positive and negative effect on my children. Just to answer the question I am going to lean more towards negative. Television , for one, puts so much emphasis on being the best or having the best things or looking the best. I just don't want my kids, especially my younger children, to grow up thinking that they have to be beautiful or rich just to be successful. That's just not true which is why I lean more towards negative.

          How do you determine what your children may or may not watch and is there a certain time limit that they have on watching television?
I try to limit my children from watching lots of TV. I encourage them to join as many extracurricular activities as possible to keep them busy. This includes playing multiple sports at school and joining a number of clubs and organizatinos. This keeps them extremely busy throughout the week and when they get home for the day they are busy studying. They might cut the television on when they are studying but they are so focused on getting their work done so they can get sleep that they rarely pay attention to the show. Majority of their free time like on weekends they are at a game, playing the xbox or wathching games on tv.

          Which media products do you consider good or healthy for your children and which ones are you concerned about?
I really like the Nick channels and disney channel prograns and the shows for family and kids but my children tend to sway from those as they get older. But the shows that they mainly watch, like sportscenter and fox sports, I do consider healthy because it is dealing with sports which they play. On the other hand, I don't like when they watch family guy or south park. I just believe that those show have to much violence and profanity for kids, especially my children, to be watching.