The Ethical Dimensions of News and Entertainment

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  Sometimes our generation has difficulty distinguishing the difference between hard news and entertainment news. Therefore, finding truth in reporting is becoming increasingly more difficult. 
  

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Major events today are not only covered by major sources of "hard news" such as CNN or ABC.  We are exposed to information by other sources including infotainment channels and documentary films. 

Can we always expect to be presented with truth and facts? Sources outside the realm of hard news are not always held to the same ethical standards as traditional outlets. Therefore, the validation of facts and reporting accuracy standards are not necessarily existent at the same level. 

The case of the Malaysian plane crash is an example of this widespread and controversial reporting of "facts" and "news". The event was covered by numerous outlets,  coming from many different perspectives. Each have very different motivations, goals, and loyalties when providing information. 

Hard news, for example, is concerned with giving accurate, up-to-date, factual information. CNN, Fox,  ABC, and the New York Times (to name a few who covered the story) each reported in a similar manner. We knew the who, what, when, where, why, and how, after just a few minutes of reading or watching the coverage. When reporting on the missing flight, the audience was immediately presented with facts and relevant updates. We could keep up with the status of the search through these up-to-date reports. 

Infotainment news channels, on the other hand, took on a different approach. Although "real" news exists as the basis for the information, it comes across as either satirical, entertaining, or amusing.  Infotainment programs are coming under heavy criticism by some "fact seekers" as a result of this approach. Rather than making their number one aim to provide the facts, we are presented with more opinion oriented news. In the case of the missing Malaysian flight, many sources reported in a humorous light; even going as far as making jokes about the event. On the negative extreme, infotainment channels can been seen as unethical, biased in their reporting, and in violation of the journalistic code of ethics. Yet, with such high ratings and a large following, can they be blamed for they way they tell stories? After all, we are the ones making these channels popular. 

Documentary films as news sources bring up another dimension of ethical debate. Is an intentionally dramatic portrayal of an event ethically acceptable as a form of news? In my opinion, documentaries as a means of creating awareness for social issues is important and necessary. If the aim is to expose people to an event or issue, visual communication is often times the most effective way to spark interest and discussion. In the highly stimulated and image-dense world we live in today, we need to be entertained or told a story in a memorable way in order to keep information top-of-mind. Traditional news sources are falling behind in this realm. Documentary film makers have to keep in mind that, as a result of this trend, they must hold ethical standards in order to maintain their credibility as a form of news. 

While there is still a line between hard news and infotainment, current media trends are blurring the distinction between the two. Entertainment and traditional news sources have undeniably been merging together in the past couple of years. We, as constant consumers of information, have to be even more aware where we can place our trust in obtaining information. Just as we expect media outlets to uphold their ethical standards and stay true to their loyalties, we too have to think critically and seek out the truth for ourselves. 

Subliminal Advertising

        Subliminal persuasion in advertising is one of the most interesting and controversial topics in the industry today. We are processing so many messages and forms of advertising on a daily basis, so it is unusual to spend a lot of time looking at one particular image. Yet, if you take a closer look, the hidden meanings can be revealed. Many subliminal signals go undetected by the human eye, however, they are perceived and understood on the subconscious level. Could there be a truth in the belief that a significant amount of the power of persuasion lies in what we aren’t consciously aware of? 

        Looking at some of the most recognizable company logos of our time, with an understanding of the subliminal messages and symbols, we can uncover new meanings regarding their purpose and aims. FedEx’s logo, for example, uses a concept known as negative space to create shapes where there appear to be none. The use of white space has been carefully designed to reveal particular symbols relating to the company. Looking carefully at the space between the capital E and the lower case x, we can see an arrow pointing to the right. Directly correlating to the purpose of FedEx as a business, the arrow symbolizes efficient movement and progress. 

Amazon’s logo depicts a similar technique. Firstly, the yellow curve resembles the smiling mouth of a smiley face, perhaps suggesting happiness and customer satisfaction in association with their website. Also, the arrow moves from the letter a to z. The overall significance of this placement is that Amazon is promoting their business as having the resources to provide you with anything you might be looking for. Products from a to z will be made available to you if you go to amazon.com. Although we do not make such connections consciously when looking at logos, these connections are made on a subconscious level. In our mind we are constantly looking for relationships between images and visual clues to make sense of all the visual persuasion in our world.

        Each of these logos employs visual techniques that subconsciously persuade us of the legitimacy of the company. What is hidden within messages acts as a powerful component of the overall persuasion. Although such subliminal advertising is often viewed as unethical, controversial, and manipulative, I think it is a significantly effective tool of persuasion. 

DOLLAROCRACY $$$$

Dollarocracy: How US Democracy is being sold to media and abused by money

US elections are becoming controlled and predictable enterprises that are managed by a new class of consultants who wield millions of dollars and define our politics like never before. This new power does not just endanger electoral politics,  it is a challenge to the DNA of American democracy itself. The reality that the future path of our free and democratic nation is being formed by a few people (in the category of the wealthiest of the wealthy) is a scary thought. 

Looking to the past for a point of comparison, in 1907 the Tillman Act made it "unlawful for any national bank or corporation to make a money contribution in connection with any election to any political office." Elections were then protected until the post-war boom came about. The culture of politicized business in the 1950's created a channel that funneled increasingly vast sums of money-for-influence directly into the electoral cycle. So the problem of unfair and corrupt media politics exists, and we are dealing with it today. 

The authors of Dollarocracy, Nichols and McChesney, tell us that on a per capita basis, “less than half as much time and money is devoted to journalism today as was the case twenty-five years ago.”

Loose media laws are allowing partisan political commentary and negative ads to be presented as news. Balanced and informed political news and discourse is then put to a halt.  Instead of a healthy discourse on what candidates stand for, and how they might lead the country, we learn only of their character flaws as presented by the less than honest moneyed backers of their opponents. Media outlets with opposing views fire accusations and lies back and forth until America gets frustrated to the point of no return. This is the so called "liars paradise". Our confusion and anger then makes us vote for a candidate who is the lesser of two evils, rather than the better of two intelligent people. 

Nichols and McChesney quote a remark made by Justice Rehnquist in 1978 citing Chief Justice John Marshall: “A corporation is an artificial being, invisible, intangible, and existing only in contemplation of law.  Being the mere creature of law, it possesses only those properties which the charter of creation confers upon it, either expressly, or as incidental to its very existence.”

Corporate America is hijacking the election process. Nichols and McChesney support a prescription that is encouraging the growing movement to amend the constitution to overturn Citizens United; a call for more political robust broadcasting; and an appeal to make voting a constitutional guarantee. We have to "refuse to be ridden by a booted, and spurred favored few." The relevant funders are becoming the shape shifters of our country. It should be the other way around. The remaining citizens should have all the power. 

In my opinion, there is a glaring problem. In 2012 the presidential candidates and relevant funders spent 2.3 Billion in the presidential race. Meanwhile, 30 countries have an annual GDP smaller than that amount. Isn't it common sense that this 2.3 Billion should be put towards solving the global poverty problem? Or at least, isn't it common sense that there are better ways to spend 2.3 million dollars than lying to America and hijacking our freedom in democracy. 

The United States has experienced fundamental changes that are dramatically detrimental to democracy. It appears as though the clock has been turned so far backwards that advances made in the progressive era, a century ago, now stand in danger of being wiped out. Voters' ability to define political discourse has been so diminished. 

Are we heading in the direction of a dictatorship of wealth? We have lost the republic dependent on the people alone. We have to protect constitutional rights and ensure voting rights for all people. We have to immediately combat this problem of America moving towards becoming a nation of the super rich, by the super rich, and for the super rich. 

We have to change the direction of the fate of our country! 

What Twitter Can Teach Us

Welcome to the Twitterverse!

According to an article titled "10 Great Uses for Twitter" by Daniel Nations (FOUND HERE: http://webtrends.about.com/od/twitter/a/why_twitter_uses_for_twitter.htm) we can accomplish great things via the rapid paced social media platform.


These include:

1. Microblogging
2. Quick Answers
3. Finding a job
4. Keeping up with the news
5. Arranging lunch with friends
6. Helpful outbursts, or in other words, screaming your rage

7. Keeping up with your team

8. Finding out what people think about the latest movies

9. Becoming involved with politics

... and last but not least

10. Fun and games

The Media Writing class I am taking at Marquette this semester required us to create twitter accounts (which I had already done previously), follow each other, and have tweeting interactions. We all used the same hash tag at the end of our tweets (#MWrSp141) so that we could easily identify the people from class and respond to them.

A number of the great uses for Twitter put forward by Daniel Nations applied to the tweets from our class. We talked about sports, movies, daily activities, happiness, frustration, and news (to name a few). Required to tweet a couple times a day, we really had to think about what we wanted to share and converse about. I noticed a lot of random thoughts. Twitter seems to be an extension of someones mind. There doesn't have to be a context or reason for a statement. I would say this is one of my favorite things about Twitter. You can say what you think whenever you want. Then it's out there. Everyone is connected and has the ability to interact and respond to each other.

Occasionally, opinions can become very aggressive. There is such a thing as "twitter fights". I didn't notice any hostility in our class tweets. Spending more time on Twitter over the past couple of weeks did, however, open my eyes to the craziness and intensity of opinions over the internet. I think some people become a more extreme version of themselves on the internet, if not an entirely different person. People can tweet whatever they want. Sometimes what they include in the 140 characters is a thought they would never dare to share in real life, as their "real" self.

The internet, and Twitter, is a sphere of competition for attention.
Why do we tweet? What is the purpose of Twitter?
We want people to know what we think because, to us, it's important. Everyone wants to appear to be more funny, intelligent, or insightful than the person next to them on their twitter feed. It's a never ending cycle of word wars. We want to be noticed and "heard" online. Other forms of social media, such as Facebook, instagram, and tumblr, have the same purpose; to share and be seen.

Real life interactions aren't enough anymore. Especially in our generation (the Millenials), we are increasingly expecting more from the internet and technology, and less from human interaction with each other.

My favorite aspect of twitter is being able to connect with professors, students, inventors, activists, writers, photographers, or anyone I'm interested in hearing from on a daily basis. Twitter is a great tool for networking and sharing ideas. Overall, I believe it is an interesting and growing platform for useful discussion and learning.

... and the occasional random, angry, or goofy tweet is always ok.

Greetings!

Hi ladies and gentlemen!

My name is Emma Petit and I am an Advertising Major / Photography minor / Peace Studies minor at Marquette University.

My plan is to use this blog as (yet another) social media platform to spread my thoughts and opinions to the minds of others!

I will most likely be writing about experiences living abroad, my love/ hate relationship with the advertising industry, issues of global importance, good coffee, inspirational people, and other things that happen to enter my brain on a day to day basis.

Here is a brief autobiography:

• born in Illinois
• have three younger siblings and two parents who are all wonderful human beings
• moved to London, England and leaned to love the rain
• moved to Akron, Ohio and went to Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts
• moved to Sydney, Australia and went to Ravenswood School for Girls
• graduated with an International Baccalaureate Diploma! 
• moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for college and experienced severe climate shock
• moved to Rome, Italy for a semester and spoke Italian to Italians 
• moved back to Milwaukee and continued speaking Italian to confuse people
• here I am
• who knows where I'll end up after I graduate! 

I am a global citizen who is passionate about improving, learning, writing, photographing, documenting, seeing, traveling, reading, thinking, and enjoying! My eyes are always open to seeing the world with new and interesting perspectives (except when I sleep my eyes are usually closed). 

I hope all of you lovely humans out there in the wide world of the Internet enjoy and learn from my posts! Please share your ideas, reactions, and opinions with me in return!

Emma

Advertising Research: The New Trends

Advertising research is so important because now, more than ever before, the influence of technology and the internet is making significant changes to the way consumers buy. Advertisers continually seek and develop new ways to reach out to people. In this age of technological supremacy, such outreach has become faster, but also more competitive. The primary methods of advertising in the past are no longer currently in the lead. People spend a large amount of time on the internet and interacting on social media, rather than reading magazines and listening to the radio. This means that the Advertising industry is facing new challenges and opportunities with the increase of internet use and the explosion of new media choices. So we need more RESEARCH!

Advertising research is completely essential because of:

1. Competition! Managers have to find a way to position their business to be successful among such a multitude of changes (technology is accelerating this dynamic!)
2. The Internet! Web analytics and Behavioral research can measure and evaluate consumer use of specific websites. 
3. Parity Products! Marketers and Advertisers need to build a brand image to put their product above other parity products 
4. The explosion of media choices! So many choices, so little time
5. Changing consumer markets! Resulted in a need to conduct frequent population audits and understand the mindsets of different groups. 

The BAD vs. the GOOD of Ad Research:

WEAKNESS: 
Advertising research can run into some ethical issues, especially with new  developments in behavioral targeting online. The idea that individual consumer movements can be monitored is alarming and concerning for some people. 
Also... research measuring advertising effectiveness relies on responses to questions about what consumers think and feel. Yet, these responses are sometimes swayed by the consumers opinion of what the research wants/ is looking to hear from them. 
#bad

STRENGTH: 
The future looks bright! many new and developing online research tools are increasing the breadth and depth of information available. Advertisers are now coming up with new ways to really understand the emotions and personal insights of the consumer (which is essential!) Ethnographic methods, in particular, help researchers gain a deeper understanding of people and culture.. and what they need. This is what advertising/ marketing/ communication is all about!! 
#good