(Oct. 4)
EVENT NOTE: For those of you on the Logan campus, please try to attend the Morris Media & Society Lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 5, noon-1:15 p.m. by Alicia C. Shepard, journalism, author (of a new book of Woodward & Bernstein) and the ombudsman for National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. Where and details to come.This week we start to pick up after the first one-third of the semester, and step into examples of the press role in society. We've already looked at the chapter on newspapers in the text, but we’re not finished with that important example of the dominance of news media in the public marketplace. Although newspapers are declining in their influence in the Internet Age, the importance of verifiable information to an informed society is more vital than ever.
In fact, Dr. Ted would submit that the discord of public and political debate these days has a parallel in the fragmentation of the mass media system—which with the advent of the Internet (did Al Gore really invent it?) and the Web, social media, e-mail, blogging and more individual opportunity for participation is less “mass,” less “mediated,” and less “systematic.” What do you think?
In Washington, political partisanship and obstructionism have never been greater, say some political insiders in the press and government (some congressmen—all of whom are up for reelection next month—are so disgusted with gridlock in Washington that they aren't running). A similar fragmentation is apparent in the information system that educates and holds together informed citizens in a free and participatory society.
There was a time when more than 70 percent of all American households subscribed to at least one daily newspaper, and when about the same percentage of all adult Americans watched at least one of the three network evening newscasts—ABC, CBS or NBC. Today, too few of us subscribe to daily newspapers to make many of them financially viable, and even fewer Americans watch the TV news.
The irony of the information age is that, although there is more information at our fingertips than ever (literally, through our keyboards), we seem to be less well-informed today than ever (remember the Pew Center news quiz?). Although the global information system now is more small-d democratic than it once was, because individuals can find their own “news” of interest on the Web, we also see an accompanying loss of a sense of the American community or commonality of interest.
Back when everyone read a daily newspaper, and at least 70 percent of us watched one of three evening newscasts, we all were on the same page, knew the same news, had the same things to talk about at work. Sure, a lot of the world went un-covered when our sources of information were so limited, but at least we all (your parents, maybe, but probably your grandparents) had the same information and the same community of concerns. Today, we each have our own access to news, which is enormously democratizing, but there are fewer central players in the news business that can process and make sense of all that flood of news for us: The credible gatekeepers, like The New York Times, are less dominant than they once were, and so we are left on our own to make sense of the world. Help! Where, in this brave new electronic world of information on-demand, can we get together to talk about issues of common interest? No wonder Washington is paralyzed.
• Read Folkerts, Ch. 6, “Radio”
• Read essay by Dennis & Pease on “Radio—The Forgotten Medium.” This is the introduction to a special issue of Media Studies Journal, of which Pease was editor; the material refers to chapters that were republished as a book by the same name. Even though some of the references in this introductory chapter are a bit dated now, the central premise remains true today: Radio, the sometimes forgotten stepchild of the mass media, is still quietly what many regard as the most enduring and pervasive of mass media. Despite computers, the Internet and new gizmos and gadgets (iPads?), radio is still a central part of people’s lives around the globe, and perhaps the most reliable and essential communications tool in times of emergency and catastrophe. When the power goes out, a radio can connect us to the world; when earthquakes strike Haiti or the Indonesian archipelago, stricken communities still come together over radio to share information and exchange new developments about the emergency and relief efforts. Radio, as Garrison Keillor says, is a wonderful friend in the dark of night.
• More to come
• Blogtalk: Weekly comment on the readings, the WORD, or events about the mass media or the press.
• Quiz
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Radio is one thing that I think is timeless. If you have any type of imagination you can enjoy radio. I use it for everything from the latest music to sports casts. I actually had to give up my satellite dish last month and since baseball season has started I've had to rely on the radio for my games. I don't know what I'd do without it.
- April 17, 2010 12:06 PM
- James Bennett said...
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To counter the nostalgia of Radio and its heritage I have found the convience of just downloading my faviorite Radio shows via Itunes and listening to them at my convience. Not only do I not have to worry about increasingly growing commericals but I have the ability to listen to such such at whichever time I can. So I say this with no disrespect towards radio rather a viewpoint of its growth and media availability
- April 20, 2010 2:37 PM
- Anonymous said...
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(this is Lauren M). I can't say enough about radio and NPR in particular. I don't have a TV and radio is my entertainment. It goes on when I walk in the house after work and doesn't go off till I go to bed. If I am at home on the weekends it is on the majority of the time. Is it pledge drive time again??
- April 22, 2010 4:22 PM
- Cassie Gunnell said...
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Radio! There is something to be said about hearing a voice and the opinion and not seeing the person behind the voice that I love. For some reason, I do get distracted with gestures and facial expressions as well as how the person may dress and that all goes into the impression I get walking away...Radio makes all those distractions go away and allows me to focus on the subject. I am an avid listener or Dr.LAura, Rush and KVNU, for local news...I love the convenience of having it in my car, because I am a soccer mom of 3 and I am constantly running three kids from one end of town to the other. If there is a freedom that I enjoy and wish to protect is that of free speech and expression on the radio especially. I rely more on the internet than the newspaper, more on radio than t.v. and I would really miss the talk radio and such. It is a tremendous influence and media source in my life!
- April 23, 2010 5:41 PM
Did anyone go see Alicia Shephard presentation on Tuesday? I'm in Tooele, so how was it?
ReplyDeleteYeah, how were the presenters?
ReplyDeleteI don't think radio was ever dead, but I do understand how people would think information radio might be. My age group, if they were like me, probably grew up with at least one parent who listened to AM radio. I HATED it! I've grown up being overly saturated in entertainment that radio was for just that, entertainment. It's unfortunate, but when I think of getting news I never think of radio as the place to get it. That thought may be derived from the fact that I comprehend better when I can put a voice and a picture together; it keeps me more actively involved. So while I love the radio for music and gossip, I'll have to attempt to expand my horizons and try it out for solid information.
--Chelsea Ebeling
I really like when Alicia Shephard said, "It’s certainly not that journalism is dying, only that delivery systems and public habits are changing." I would prefer that news be delivered in multiple mediums rather than just soley over the t.v. It is so much better to be able to look up online what's going on rather than sitting infront of your t.v. at 5 or 10 every night to get the news. She seems like she would have been a good speaker to sit and listen to, maybe next time I'll make it.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that Alicia Shepard stumbled upon her passion. I always love to hear an underdog story and how following your passions can indeed take you to your dream career; her story is an amazing motivational story for me. It's also a good reminder for us all that nothing is erased from the internet, and to be careful about what you put out there because it can always come back to haunt you, good or bad, tomorrow or ten years from now. I also think that media need more ombudsmen to help keep objectivity and fairness in what is reported. It's a shame that I couldn't make it to Logan to hear what she had to say in person, but from the articles I read and the bits and pieces I heard on the radio, Shepard had a lot of enlightening things to say and it truly would've been a delight to be there.
ReplyDelete--Chelsea Ebeling
How awesome would the job of an ombudsmen be!!!! Maybe I have just stumbled on my passion. As Alicia said, Facebook and Twitter is such a lucrative place for infomation, but NOT a reliable place for information. As i was on Facebook last night reading people's comments, there were actually a lot of comments that were made that were so uneducated. It is a sad day when people use sources like facebook and twitter as their main "gatekeeper" of information. They are great places to be nosey and in a sense eavesdrop. Journalism will never die like Alicia says, as long as we keep our priorities and ethics high. I agree so much on the aspect that I think sometimes journalists jump the gun to get the story first instead of all the facts.
ReplyDeleteA memory I have as a kid is always waking up to my dad reading the newspaper. He still to this day can't function without his dose of daily news. I tell him all the time he’s stuck in the past. Then, there’s a side of me that misses those days that people relied on such things like the paper and radio to learn of the things happening around them. I feel like today there are less people like my dad who enjoy reading the paper. Not many households even subscribe to a newspaper anymore. Now days there's online news and much more convenient ways of finding out what's going on around us. Alicia Shepard is right, "public habits are changing".
ReplyDeleteI liked reading Alicia's thoughts about social networks. And I really think everyone these days could use the reminder that what we post on the Internet is completely out their for the world to see.
ReplyDeleteAlso, how cool is it that she and her husband lived on a sail boat??
“If you get the chance to live overseas, do it. I wasn’t making a mistake by not finishing college in four years. Do internships to learn what you like and don’t like. Go find out what your passions are.” I am extremely envious of all of the amazing things she has experienced throughout her life. Also, I have to agree with Annika, living on a sailboat sounds amazing! I also liked it when she said, "...over time, it will be the trusted sources that will endure." What a comforting thought! I hope that is the case.
ReplyDeleteNicole Murray
I like what Kai said about growing up to her Dad with a newspaper, it reminded me of my childhood because my Father would subscribe to the Standard-Examiner and I always looked forward to reading it everyday, especially in the summer when i had no school so i would wake up and read it. It sad that it's changed now to where we get the news immedietaly and the newspapers have thinned out in homes.
ReplyDeleteSheldon Hill
Alicia C. Shepard is amazing, I relate to her, she does what she wants and follows her passions. One of the funny things that I ready is her experience of going sailing for 3 years, me and my wife have talked about it and I have got more then 300 sailboat designs that I want to build. One of the most interesting things that I read was the part about the NPR’s ombudsman witch until today I have never herd of. I never new what they did, it was interesting that she finds biased comments in the radio and what bothers client. I think it is neat that she is on contract with NPR and that she can advise what she feels would be best. My job has been that way for me for the last few years as an Inspector, we do not answer to any of the manufacturing so we are open to make the right ethical decision and can not be swayed by a corporation. One other thing that sparked my interest was how she encouraged her student's to go out and experience life and travel the world. For the most part I think that students that think if they have play time, that they wont get ahead in life, but the most exciting things that have ever happened in my life were definitely unplanned. Probably one of the things that she talked about that will stick with me was her quote at the end of there talk "I haven’t been selfish about things, but life is short" she said. "I volunteer and give back, but I did not have a master plan."
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible person Alicia Shepard is!!! Not only does she have an amazing history (sailing the South Pacific for three years and living in Japan), but she promotes ethics that are worth more than gold. Think of her work ethic at the San Jose Mercury, "I thought, 'I am going to make you want to beg me to stay.'" That kind of hard work and dedication is so admirable. She offers advice to be careful what you post on the internet and the value of your reputation. She promotes ethical journalism: "If you are serious about journalism, be serious about being an ethical journalist in all you do," Shepard said. "One thing I am certain of, over time, it will be the trusted news sources that endure." After seeing her integrity and what she represents, I have an enormous amount of respect for the importance of ethics in journalism.
ReplyDeleteBreck Perkins
While reading the article and links provided about Shepards’s visit I couldn’t help but think that something is seriously wrong with me. I consider myself a young barely educated adult, but I don’t have a problem listening to NPR. I can relate to the stuff on the radio. Sure sometimes I turn it off so I can chat with my husband instead. I’ll even admit that sometimes I get sick of hearing, “Obama this…” or “Obama that…” However when it comes right down to it there’s a lot of stuff for me to relate to.
ReplyDeleteI’m specifically referring to this article http://www.current.org/audience/aud1017npr-opportunities.shtml. For the life of me I can’t figure out what is wrong with admitting that you don’t know what they’re talking about on the radio? Isn’t that how we learn? Isn’t that how we grow? I’m not (usually) afraid to ask questions and research more into things. I’m lucky that I have an intelligent husband that can fill me in on a lot of things. Even if I didn’t though, there’s still google, or a dictionary.
I guess it all comes down to this: What do young people have against learning?
Erica Abbott
It’s amazing how someone can fall into a job and have it fit them so well. Alicia Shepard is a very articulate woman who seems to get a neutral point across to a large mass of people. She does have a very tough job working for the Nation Public Radio as ombudsman, and seems to do very well at keeping her responses neutral to keep the public calm and satisfied. She states that the best way to make sure that you are protecting your name for future employment opportunities is to THINK about what you are going to put on the internet for the public to use as they please. Also the source where you obtain your news makes a huge difference in how accurately informed you truly are, it’s always a good idea to get your news from many different sources. She states that it is her job to make sure that everyone at NPR holds themselves accountable; after all she is the one that will look into it when there are complaints or comments on a person’s opinions while on the job or better yet in the public eye. It was very interesting to hear how she handles the stresses of her demanding job; she seems to be able to view the story from both sides, which is vital to her job. I wish I could have been on campus to hear her speak.
ReplyDeleteKendra Davis
As the song goes Video killed the radio star. It would have been very interesting to experience the radio shows from what seems like long ago. I hear stories from my grandparents about them tuning into their favorite radio show on long drives through nevada. I personally do not listen to much radio unless it is sirius. Some of the talk shows are pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading all these comments on Alicia Shepard I am intrigued with how inspirational she has been to all of you. I wish I could have been on campus also. One thing I have identified in each weeks of the blogs in the need of credibility of journalist. Alicia hits on it again by saying "One thing I am certain of, over time, it will be the trusted news sources that endure." I think that social networking sights are only going to become more popular, because as humans we organize and categorize things and even networking sights are refining how they do business.
ReplyDeleteChasity Woolley