Media | Media on War

Information Flowing

December 28, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Modernity is marked by technology and the pace of life seems to be ever increasing. Together, these two factors have changed the media drastically. Information is flooding homes through televisions, workplaces through computers, and pockets through cell phones. It is pouring into peoples’ heads faster than they can possibly process it. The difficulty of the news used to be the sparse mechanisms of information and the single-view points they articulated. Now, however, the news surrounds society. Indeed, it can be hard to ignore. Now, the difficulty is not whether the news reaches you, but which information you choose to fish out of the information sea swirling at your feet. But, it’s hard to know how to filter information in a world where the media outlets are seemingly inexhaustible. What is real? What is right? What is wrong? What matters?

The twenty-four hour, multiple-front battle today’s news media is waging is not easy to fight through. Many outlets see a consumer and cater their news accordingly. Others are simply not reputable. In any case, the age of excessive information puts the reader, or the viewer, or the person receiving the broadcasts in a new and interesting position. In quantities unlike ever before, a consumer of information now has to take some time and decide what amongst the endless news they deem meaningful and true. At a glance, this appears to be taxing and unfortunate for the viewer, but a slightly deeper look shows that this opens new doors as well. With a little diligence and thoughtfulness, a person can now set up their own media filters. The news model of today can be personalized to previously unimagined levels, allowing for newfound levels of knowledge.

With a little bit of effort, what appears to be an over abundance of news can in fact allow a person more real, legitimate information than ever. All people have to do is take the time to make it work for themselves.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Information, Media, Mobile phone

Don’t Forget the Reporters

December 22, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

The television flashes images into living rooms around the world. The news comes in short bursts of devastating pictures and catastrophic stories. When war is the subject, the pieces regularly make the viewer feel sympathy for the cause, or more specifically the sympathy for the soldiers on camera. However, it is not only those soldiers that are risking their lives and putting themselves in dangerous situations daily. The footage of these soldiers is taken by reporters who are, in many cases, right there with them in the line of danger.

While the correspondents of war zones are not always in the most highly dangerous positions, they are certainly not free of the rigors of war. They are regularly faced with the same horrendous imagery as those in the service. Unlike the military personnel, though, the media has been charged with capturing the emotion and the gravity of these situations. They are the ones who have to carry the mood back home to the public, who are comfortably watching from their sofas. In many cases, this can be as mentally burdensome as actual combat.

Why then, are reporters putting themselves in these incredibly risky situations? What is it that draws them there? While this can only be completely answered on a personal level (everyone is driven by different things) it is fair to suggest a few generalities. Journalists are, as a group, focused on retrieving and reporting the best stories. This is what journalism is. So, it stands to reason that these war correspondents are simply pursuing the story as far as they can. They are putting themselves at risk to show these war stories to the general public. By spreading the word and gaining the empathy of the people, the horrors of war become much more real and the world becomes more informed. These correspondents put themselves at risk in order to bring a high level of transparency to the world.

Filed Under: War Tagged With: Correspondent, Media, Soldier, War correspondent

Ethical Reporting

December 16, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

The media in any country carries a large responsibility. In many ways, they control or at least filter the information that the public hears and believes. Through what stories an outlet chooses to report, and the manner in which they report them, the media can easily tweak the information one way or another. They have a strong sway on how people see the world and they need to use that power responsibly and ethically. This is especially true when reporting on foreign relations and wartime activities. With the action happening overseas, the bulk of the public will never see firsthand what is really true. In many ways, this is a good thing. It means that the public is not in the war zone. But, it does make it even more important that the media report it properly, and completely.

There are basic ethics designed to help keep the news honest and helpful. These are not always easy to utilize, however, as ethics are not a black and white situation. The media, like any person, has to do their best to try to follow a code as well as possible.

Perhaps the most overarching element of media ethics is the search for truth. A media outlet must do their best to report only solid facts. In turn, they will be doing the public a service and maintaining their own integrity. It is the media’s responsibility to make sure that in telling the truth they keep themselves separate from those they cover, and not allow themselves to be directed or pushed by any outside party. By remaining true to a few small principles, the media can provide worthwhile news to the public they serve. They can create a culture of thoughtfulness and debate based on real facts instead of sensationalism. In a war setting, this can greatly aid the public in making informed decisions about serious matters.

Filed Under: Educational Reference, Media Workers Tagged With: Ethics, Journalism, Media, Media ethics

The Use of Social Media in the Media

November 22, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image via CrunchBase

Journalist, sports-writers, and news organizations can not chase a story. As a matter of fact, there is little room to verify a story. This is because the nature of their reading audience has changed. There used to be a time when the public expected their stories to be digested in the morning with the paper. This ability to wait out the story allowed writers to let the story develop and to find out exactly what the story was before reporting on it. This is no longer the case.

The job of a writer in this day and age is to report on a story almost as quickly as they receive information. There is no time for a story to develop. A lot of this has to do with the use of social media as a viable news source. Sites like Facebook, and more specifically Twitter, have helped to perpetuate the 24 hour news cycle that has been growing all over the world since the explosion of cable television in the late 80′s and early 90′s.

This constant feed into a news source has put a lot of added pressure on journalists. There is so much more room for error now that there is a constant hunger for news from their readers. This means when a writer gets a line on the story they have to make an almost instantaneous decision on whether to let the story out then and there. This means they have to make sure their sources are more reliable than ever before.

Journalist are judged these days on the stories they break as opposed to the quality of the stories they cover. With social media fueling the need for these breaking stories there are more errors in the news then ever before. But the use of social media will continue to present benefits and challenges to journalists.

Filed Under: Media Workers Tagged With: Facebook, Journalism, Media, MSNBC, Social media, Social network, Twitter, YouTube

Religious Leader Calls for General Ethics In Media

November 17, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

When it comes to media outlets and what they are and aren’t allowed to say there are very few guidelines. Of course there are the several bad words that can’t be uttered on TV during certain hours and certain images that can’t be shown when kids might be watching but what about what the media is allowed to say and isn’t?

There are no general guidelines when it comes to the ethics that a news station needs to follow. In fact, it’s no holds barred when it comes to what media outlets will and won’t say especially when it comes to politics and scare tactics.

The Pope, the leader of the Catholic Church, has called for a standardized form of ethics when it comes to the media and what is shown. With the advancement of the various media outlets and what can and can’t be accessed, media workers are almost like powerhouses when it comes to the type of ethics that they follow.

The Pope continues to talk about how media workers owe it to the general public to report news as it is with the medium of neutrality to it that allows people to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. There is no need for a powerhouse media outlet to use scare tactics and lie to the general public in order to induce fear and panic.

The Pope has called for a general guideline to be drawn by media outlets all over the world to ensure that everyone is following the guidelines. What would be similar to the bio-ethics guide would be in existence in the media outlet and forms. This allows the public a bit of a guarantee that what they are reading, seeing or hearing is true, authentic information and no skewed views of the world around them.

Filed Under: Media Workers Tagged With: Business, Catholic Church, Ethics, Mass media, Media, Organization, Philosophy, Pope

The personal choice of a media worker

November 14, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

Being a mouthpiece for the public’s news isn’t easy. There are a lot of issues and problems that come with it. There is the responsibility that you have to report what is happening and what is making news without allowing personal beliefs to come into play.

One of the most important things that a media worker needs to learn is to allow personal beliefs to be put to the side. Very few reporters have the luxury of working for extreme media outlets that allowed them to express things such as “The War is fake” or other items. Instead they must report the facts the way the facts are.

This can be extremely hard when there are issues that are extremely sensitive in nature. Many media workers are forced to make a decision on whether they should report the issues in a neutral way or pass on a career opportunity.

There is no right or wrong answer for a media worker to follow. The ethics issue and reporting on what is right or wrong in the world can be a bit tough. It’s more about personal boundaries and what feels best for a media worker. Some media workers can take the challenge and report on issues with no problems, however there are some that have problems with violating personal ethics.

Knowing where to draw the line when you are a media worker will allow you to work in a safe comfortable environment that allows you to report on what you want and when you want to. Just remember that if you are reporting on something that doesn’t feel right it will clearly come across on print and screen that you did not want to report on that in the first place and could possibly taint the way the public reads the articles.

Filed Under: Media Workers Tagged With: Business, Information technology, IPad, IPod, Laborer, Mass media, Media, Venezuela

Media Workers and the Unknown Bias

November 13, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Many reporters, media workers and news casters are the only way that the general public gets their information about the world’s events and what is happening in the world. That means that the way that the media worker presents the story can really play an impact on what the person believes or doesn’t.

The news and newspaper are trusted media outlets that many people turn to as their trusted source of information. This type of thinking puts a lot of pressure on a media worker to be able to present that story with as must neutrality as possible. There can be no sharp tone to their voice, no condescending note when they are talking to others and certainly no aggressive measures while reporting the story.

This can be an incredibly hard thing to do especially when a media worker has such strong views on something. Say a person is required to report on the war in Iraq, but they do not currently believe that the war should be allowed to continue or even given the green light as far as funding and ability. They must cover this story or face termination.

Most news reporters will go out there and report the story to their best of their ability as a neutral source. However, they really are showing what side of the story they are on. There are non verbal communication skills that go into this type of story. Say a reporter cuts someone off, turns to the side a bit or talks quickly. These are all signs that they did not want to be there and that they are forced to portray a story that they did not want to.

The general public begins to pick up on these items and their ideas are influenced by what they see on the tv. So while a bit of bias is not intended it happens anyway and the public’s opinion could be quickly swayed by it.

Filed Under: Media Workers Tagged With: Business, Iraq War, Mass media, Media, Media bias, New York Times, Reporter, United States

Forms of Media for Media Workers

November 12, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image by shakingwave via Flickr

Many years ago it used to be that when it came to the type of media that workers could work in the options were limited. There was print newspapers and an occasional handout of sorts but that was it. Soon radio followed and after that television. Currently there are a half dozen types of media outlets that let a person choice what type of media that they work in.

Here are the various forms of communication which are considered media and the various types of jobs that are available for them.

Print Newspapers. Print newspapers are probably the oldest form of media outlets out there for a person to work in. They have been around for 100s of years and are responsible for the line of communication between the public and direct events that are being held. Newspapers have a wide range of workers from reporters, writers, editors and even photographers. There is a wide range of jobs available for those looking to work in print.

Television. TV started developing as a form of media in the early 1930s when people viewed it as a form of moving radio. Some of the first broadcasted items are that of the news worthy headlines so that people would get the information that they needed and wanted. TV has a large variety of workers from writers, producers, researchers, cameramen, newscasters and other people. There are plenty in front and behind the camera jobs that are available.

Internet. The Internet is quickly becoming one of the most used forms of media. It is even occasionally replacing that of the newspaper or even TV. Some TV media workers actually streamline the news online so that viewers can see what is being telecasted on TV. There are many jobs available on the media aspect of this when it comes to the Internet. There are web developers, camera crews, newscasters, writers, editors and producers.

Filed Under: Media Workers Tagged With: Business Services for Media, IPad, Mass media, Media, Newspaper, Printing, Services, Television

Media Workers: Who are They, What do They Do?

October 12, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

When it comes to the different types of media forms out there, there are a lot of different varieties to choose from. There’s TV, radio, newspaper, magazines and even the Internet. All of these are media outlets and all of these have hundreds of workers working behind the scenes to bring you the news and information that you need.

Here is a look at the various types of media workers out there and a little bit about what they do.

Reporters. Many media forms hire reporters to research all the news stories that they bring you. These reporters head to the scene of the action and get the scoop on the story that they want to bring you. There are reporters that work both in front of the screen and behind the scenes. Reporters can work for newspaper, TV and Internet forums.

Camera Crew. The camera crew is every bit as important as the reporters. Although they are not directly responsible for the type of news that you get, these people bring you the sights and sounds of whatever news piece is being shown. Camera crews can come in the form of still shots for newspapers and magazines as well as live action film for TV and Internet.

Writers. In some cases writers and reporters are the same. In the case of TV news there are actual writers who write up the news story for the newscasters to read off of. The research and information gathering is all done beforehand and fed through a prompter in the newsroom.

Newscasters. These are the people that serve as a sort of mouthpiece for the news. They read the various stories that are written and give you the facts and information directly. Rarely are newscasters responsible for the research of the stories or the type of stories that are put on the TV.

Filed Under: Media Workers Tagged With: Arts, Mass media, Media, News program, News style, Newspaper, Reporter, Services

How Do You Become a News Reporter?

October 12, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

You’ve seen all those reporters on the local and national newscast. They bring you the top stories of the day and provide you with the most up to date information on weather, news and even sports. They even become a part of your daily routine and a part of your family. However, the main purpose of their job is to bring you the news the way that you want it.

With all the appeal that being a reporter has it might be a career choice that you have. So how does one become a news reporter?

Here is a quick guide to help you become a news reporter.

Attend College. Of course there is no college degree in news reporting but there is in journalism. A journalism degree will show you exactly what you need to do to become a news reporter. It can also help you network so that you get in with the various TV stations in the area.

Work on Local Shows. Many local tv stations have local TV shows. Try and gain an internship with them so that you can get in with the local station.

Intern on Local News Sets. Interning is the best way to gain a world of experience. This allows you to see what the professionals really do and how they work. It also allows you to get your name out there and that you are interested in this line of work.

Work on College News. Many college and high schools have news programs just for the students. Work for them as a news reporter and you’ll be able to gain experience. You’ll also be able to try your hand at this type of career. The experience that you get from them is very valuable and can help you when you set out in the career field.

Filed Under: Media Workers Tagged With: Academic degree, Intern, Local TV, Media, Newspapers, Reporter, Television channel, United States