News and the Media

1.Who determines the news or sets the agenda?
a.FCC
b.A Handful of mega-media corporations. They determine what music you hear, stories get published and what sides of the story you hear.

2.Why do we need a media that specifically represents difference interests of people of color? Aren’t those interests everyone’s interests? What can be done to increase the mainstream media’s interest in other topics and concerns? Aren’t those interests everyone’s interests?
a.Chicago has one African American owned radio station (WVON). The fact that she is African America makes a difference in how listeners view the station. She wants to educate first. They cover things that you won’t hear on other stations, like stations that are focused on music to the urban community. They also focus on important issues that African Americans need to hear and that are not being spoken about on other radio stations. White America needs to pay attention to what the station is saying. The rest of America has been playing “catch up” to the station, but should be able to hear it earlier; these white stations just don’t listen. They also persuade their listeners to listen because they show different sides of a story. Like the story where white students hung nooses from trees, and got suspended. But the black students got criminal charges. The listeners who heard it were shocked because they had not heard anything about it. They tell stories that are passionate to their audiences, and most of the time it has no relation to the “white media” so they don’t show it. Also, most radio stations don’t interview African American’s and other minorities as much as whites so they miss so many opinions and perspectives. When the FCC held a conference, minorities overwhelmingly showed up to tell them that they don’t ever broadcast their voices and when they do, they get the story wrong. They are fighting for a fair and balanced media system. They are trying to make the point that their issues can be related to everyone in America, and that they are just trying to respect the fair and balanced society that supposedly exists. Also, minorities in female are very slimly represented. That’s why the WVON is so powerful. She is a strong woman that is trying to voice opposing perspectives on stories that may or may not be broadcasted in newspapers, television and radio stations. The FCC continues to ignore the problem even though several proposals have been sent to them. Not only that, but one member of the chair wants to make the big companies who own this media even bigger, which will make it even harder for minority media to survive. WVON is trying to explain that this has changed from an educational form of media to a simple business transaction. Has big media gotten to big? If they have, how can small media survive and grow to gain a good public? These radio stations that are simply trying to educate, are getting thrown under the bus because big companies are wiping them out. The FCC isn’t helping these smaller companies because they are being pressured by the big companies. Therefore, a small portion of news stories are being published and broadcasted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iEwSinozuk&feature=PlayList&p=949D3A870ED0C093&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=3


3.How was the war initially reported by the media?
a.The media had a huge impact. The big stories had to do with the war and the opposition of the war.

4.What has the media covered recent social protests? Jenna Six – Proposition Eight
a.Now, there is very little broadcast on people who oppose the war. Only 2 minutes of broadcast was televised on a protest that occurred in 6 places all over the nation. 4,000 soldiers are dead, but the media doesn’t think it is important to show protests on the war. Now, you don’t hear about how many people die, where and how our soldiers across the ocean. The only thing that seems to be on TV is on Iran instead of the killings and war going on in Iraq.

5.Was the media beneficial for the Civil Rights Movement?
a.Yes, they made a huge impact on the civil rights movement because the government responded by making life changing laws. The protests that people were involved in made a huge impact on the way the government and the world saw on issues such as race and gender inequality. All of those laws were passed due to the media broadcasting those protests by the people.

6.Your thoughts and reflections on setting the news agenda, minority media and the media and reporting the war.
a.Media has made a huge impact on our society. Unfortunately, the media is not always portrayed through all points of views and not all sides of a story are heard. The news we see, read and watch are usually the ones we believe and will take away thinking that is the whole truth which is not always the case. Take the war for instance; we rarely hear about the war because the news media had made it irrelevant. But isn’t the war one of the biggest things happening in our nation? The war and the protests that went along with it used to be all the news, now we are lucky to get a few minutes dedicated to it on television. Sure newspapers make somewhat of an effort to include national and international affairs, but if you only watch television, you are losing the story entirely. Not only is the war being lost, but voices from minorities are being lost as well. These minority men are women try to make their voices hear through any media they can, but their small media outlets are being crushed by big business corporations. Their voice is being less and less heard and that is creating the “one-sided” effect. One side of the story is heard and the viewers believe only that side. Minority media outlets try to make a difference by speaking directly to that minority on issues that affect them. Media outlets are put in place to educate, but with the one sided filtering system, how much are we really learning?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxEkj40bRII&feature=related