Media Update

Boy it's been a while! Today I received the journal that I have been waiting for: Down the Rabbit Hole: An Analytical Study of the Media. It's a great read, and very educational. To help establish the point of education, here is a music video that talks about the lack of liberal arts in schools today. Thank you Tom Chapin!

Merry Christmas!!

Here are a couple videos in celebration of Christmas!

And one for finals (although the song is about midterms)

Items That Have Changed the World As We Know it - Wikis 19-23

19. Paper - Although it was the Egyptians that created papyrus around 2400 BC, the Chinese have been and always will be the ones credited with the invention of paper. Invented in 105 AD, the new invention became the world's most crucial way of communicating with the outside world (because until now there was only writing on walls, stones, and in dirt, or word of mouth. Paper now allowed the entire world to write down things and be able to take them long distances. What did this mean? It meant that you could now send mail if you wanted to (although the mailman had not been invented yet).

20. Light bulb - Not exactly used for media (unless flash photography is considered), but nonetheless it changed the world. The light bulb was invented in 1879 by Thomas Alva Edison, who worked on continuing Ben Franklin's idea that electricity existed, and could someday be harness by mankind. It is said that Mr. Edison nearly 3000 different ways to get the light bulb to work. He finally did (who says losers never win?) and changed the world forever. Not only do we credit him for lighting our world and proving that we could invent electronics (he later invented parts for the radio as well), but he is also the man credited with inventing the first electric company. Thank you Mr. Edison for your contribution to history, and for taking our money.

21. Phonograph - This was an equally important invention of Thomas Edison, for it led to later invention of the record player and electric voice recorder. Edison created in 1878 a machine that would not only record sound, but also play it right back to you perfectly. Edison's prototype was actually made out of tin foil, and it played back the song "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Thomas Edison truly was the "Wizard of Menlo Park."

Final Journal Article

Political Biasness in the Media: Who Do YOU Trust for Your News?  By Andrew Schreyer

        Since the invention of the television, people have been getting their news and information from various news outlets on TV. And while they all have an ultimate universal goal of presenting Americans with the news of the day, there are some other motives behind the scenes that you may not be aware of.  One of the main motives is getting viewers involved in the dreaded and feared world of politics. How are they doing this? Well, they are achieving this by having somewhat strange people on the air who do nothing but present opinions. While some of the stuff we see on their show is news, everything else is just fluff. The point of all of this is to reveal the truth, showing what the fluff really is and who delivers it the most. Since there are so many media outlets these days, we will focus on the two networks most notorious for their bias: FOX News Channel, and MSNBC.

        The first network we will look into is the notorious FOX News Network. Launched in 1996 thanks to the creator Roger Ailes, the network has been conservative in all things news and opinion since the very beginning. Although Ailes is the founder of FOX, he is not the owner. The real man in charge is Rupert Murdoch, owner of the world’s biggest media empire. Well, Mr. Murdoch has always denied any biasness that people see on FOX, even if it is apparent to least informed viewer. Murdoch stated during an interview with Salon on March 1, 2001: “I challenge anybody to show me an example of bias in FOX News Channel.” (Ackerman, 1) FOX is known for having some of the most biased anchors ever to step foot into a news studio. One of those anchors is Bill “We’ll do it live!” O’Reilly. Host of The O’Reilly Factor on FOX since 1996, Bill has been taking shots at those who disagree with him, and he does it with pleasure. He also has had a history of not knowing when it is time to stop talking. And while news anchors are supposed to neutral and unbiased, Bill has always sided with the conservatives and has been biased. Just watching his first two shows from this month, Bill has had a total of 17 guests, with 16 of them being conservative in political stance, and only 1 liberal. That is supposed to be fair and balanced? The obvious bias that Bill has is only exceeded by the words that come out of his mouth. Some of the things he says are lies, and others are just plain wrong. Citing one statement from one of his shows on July 7, 2000: “That’s my advice to all homosexuals, whether they’re in the Boy Scouts, or in the Army or in high school: Shut up, don’t tell anybody what you do, your life will be a lot easier.” (Ackerman & Hart, 2) In that statement alone Bill bashed gays on the air and showed how he feel about gay rights, thus by extension being partial instead of impartial. If you thought his delusions of granger were getting any better, think again. Since then Bill hasn’t really improved much, still making a complete fool of himself at times, and still unaware of when he should just stop talking.

        Bill O’Reilly is not the only crazy anchor you would see on FOX News since its inception in 1996. In fact, one man tops him by a long shot, and that man is Glenn Beck. Beck is best known for his tenures on FOX and CNN. He started on CNN in 2006, but then left in late 2008 for FOX, where he stayed until June 2011. Beck’ s show was always different from the others on FOX, being that it was in front of a live audience, and many of his shows were lectures rather than broadcasts. Beck, just like his pal Bill, has also opened his mouth on the air and said things that were not necessary. What’s worse is that he has opened his mouth on other shows. On a broadcast of Fox & Friends that aired July 28, 2009, Beck was speaking about how President Obama handled the wrongful arrest of Dr. Henry Louis Gates, when this statement came out of his mouth: “This president, I think, has exposed himself as a guy, over and over and over again, who has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture. I don’t know what it is.” (Calderone) Beck stood behind that remark for over a year, but then on August 29, 2010, Beck had a change of heart. During an appearance on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, Beck stated that: “It shouldn't have been said. I have a big fat mouth sometimes and I say things and that's not the way people should behave. And it was not accurate." He then immediately followed that with “He's not racist, he's just a Marxist." (Sheridan) 

        Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck are by far the two anchors on FOX who have received the most attention on other networks, mainly on those who do not share FOX’s conservative beliefs. There is one other anchor on has contributed to media mogul, and that man is Neil Cavuto. He is the host of Your World with Neil Cavuto on FOX News Channel, and although he is not as vocal as some of his colleagues on the network, Cavuto has done enough to be considered as biased. He is known the best for his stand on immigration, and the people that he books on the show to discuss the subject. One of his most frequent guests is Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce. Pearce has a record for making inflammatory remarks about immigrants, and while the worst may not have been on Neil’s show, the fact that Pearce has said what he has said makes this fact disheartening. Not long after the passing of SB 1070 in Arizona in April 2010, Pearce made a comment comparing immigrants to “cows with mad cow disease.” (Colleluori) What’s make this worse is that Cavuto never mentioned anything about Pearce’s dubious past on the air. In addition to that, of the 77 guests Cavuto has had on his show discussing immigration since April 2010, 84% have had an anti-immigration slant. (Colleluori) There is one bright side to all of this, and that is the fact that Cavuto has admitted to being biased on the air, but also has informed his viewers that if they disagree with him, that’s just fine.

        While FOX may be clearly biased on the conservative side of the spectrum, MSNBC is unfortunately also very biased, but on the liberal side. The network was established by NBC executive Tom Rogers in 1996. At the start, it was strictly a network that delivered news as it happened, but as time went on, and ratings began to fall, MSNBC began to follow suit with FOX and began to deliver political news. Once this started, there was no going back. MSNBC quickly became a fierce competitor in the ratings war, and made itself out to be a liberal sided network, although they have frequently had conservatives on the air. They have also had conservative hosts, as well as moderate hosts, as a way to balance things out, plus their liberal hosts are not afraid to point out flaws in liberal based politicians. However, even considering all of this, the network proves itself to be more biased than balanced.

        The man who can be considered responsible for the spark that lit the political fuse at MSNBC is Keith Olbermann. Although he left the network in January 2011, he is still remembered for what was the most popular cable news show for 3 years straight, Countdown with Keith Olbermann. On his program, Olbermann made no friends with the conservative FOX anchors, often putting them as some (or all) of the three nominees for his “Worst Persons in the World,” a segment that often had as his number two story out of five during his broadcast. Two people from FOX is especially chewed up during his tenure were Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck. Olbermann called O’Reilly out numerous times, and things got so bad between the two that O’Reilly eventually banned Olbermann from ever appearing on his show (and did it on the air two!). Olbermann gave him the nickname “Bill-O the Clown” as a reference to him saying things that were downright foolish. Beck meanwhile suffered at Olbermann’s mouth by being called “Harold Hill” and “Lonesome Rhodes.”  Needless to say, while Olbermann presented the day’s “news” with a sense of humor, he has made some comments on his show that were controversial. One that still stands the test of time is from his broadcast on September 13, 2007. Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards had purchased airtime to deliver a commercial like message as a response to President Bush’s troop surge in Iraq. Following the commercial, Olbermann told guest Rachel Maddow “I don’t want to be diverted by talking about commercials in the middle of the show but, Rachel, why on earth did he buy that commercial? I don’t think I’m saying anything unknown to the audience; I don’t think he would have gotten a hard time from this particular network. Why on earth did we do it that way?” (Sheppard) Olbermann publicly admitted to the network being liberally biased, and also questioned the network’s decision to run the ad in the same evening. The more incredible thing was the executives from his network did nothing to him for saying it. Olbermann was able to get away with saying many controversial things during his tenure on the network, which caused the network to receive much criticism from the right about him. Nonetheless, Olbermann eventually left the network in 2011, bringing the war between FOX and MSNBC to a bit of a ceasefire. Olbermann currently is working for Current TV, still hosting Countdown, and still picking at FOX, but in a less over the top way.

        MSNBC has proven to be less biased than FOX, hands down. But when of your anchors calls out the Sunday morning talk shows for being too conservatively biased, something is wrong. Rachel Maddow, host of the show that is named after her on the network, did just that. On May 9, 2011, Maddow made a comment on her show criticizing talk shows on all networks that air on Sunday mornings for being “conservatively biased.” Quoting her from her broadcast: “The Sunday shows are supposedly the apex of political debate. The pulsing, throbbing heart of what’s going on in American politics. Is the biggest story in American politics right now retirees from the Bush administration and how they feel about stuff, plus Dick Luger? Honestly this is the roster, this is Sunday morning in all its thundering seriousness?” (Easley) Now even though that may be true to some degree, the problem with that statement is the fact that her network is biased as well. Playing the blame game is not necessary in this situation. Admit that your network has biases first, and then call out others.

        As you have read, FOX and MSNBC are both guilty as charged when it comes to being biased. This bias not only affects what they present, but how they present it as well. In addition to that, this bias can create rifts between anchors, as in the case with Olbermann and O’Reilly. The question ‘Can’t we all just get along?” comes into play here. Their one-sidedness has affected their ability to properly do their job in the first place, and that job is to bring Americans the news. The important stuff is the actual news story, and all of the commentary is the fluff. Americans today should stand up and plead that the networks go back to being neutral, like all news anchors are supposed to be. In the mean time, it’s time to decide. Who will YOU trust for your news?

Works Cited

Ackerman, Seth. "The Most Biased Name in News." Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR). N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1067>.

Ackerman, Seth , and Peter Hart. "Bill O'Reilly's Sheer O'Reillyness." Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR). N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1070>.

Calderone, Michelle. "Fox's Beck: Obama is 'a racist' -  - POLITICO.com." Politics, Political News - POLITICO.com. N.p., 28 July 2009. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0709/Foxs_Beck_Obama_is_a_racist.html>.

Colleluori, Salvatore. "How Neil Cavuto Encapsulates Fox's Anti-Immigrant Bias | Media Matters for America." Media Matters for America. N.p., 27 Oct. 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://mediamatters.org/blog/201110270010?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MediaMattersForAmerica-CountyFair+%28Media+Matters+for+America+-+County+Fair%29>.

Easley, Jason . "Rachel Maddow Calls Out The Media's Conservative Bias." PoliticsUSA. N.p., 10 May 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <www.politicususa.com/en/rachel-maddow-conservative-bias>.

"MSNBC - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSNBC>.

Sheppard, Noel. "Keith Olbermann Admits MSNBC Is Liberally Biased | NewsBusters.org." NewsBusters.org | Exposing Liberal Media Bias. N.p., 15 Sept. 2007. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2007/09/15/keith-olbermann-admits-msnbc-liberally-biased>.

Sheridan, Michael. "Glenn Beck: I shouldn't have called Obama 'racist,' he's really just a liberation theology Marxist - New York Daily News." Featured Articles From The New York Daily News. N.p., 29 Aug. 2010. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-08-29/news/27073976_1_liberation-theology-glenn-beck-fox-news>.

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MSNBC and Their Liberal Views - Wikis 14-18

14.  Chris Matthews - Host of Hardball on MSNBC since 1997, Matthews has always been one to side slightly with liberals, and although he will invite conservatives to his broadcast to try to even things out a bit, he has still proven himself to be somewhat biased. According to an interview done in  November with Larry Elder, Matthews said that if the political spectrum were a football field, he would be on the forty yard line to the left of the fifty (slightly Liberal), therefore admitting that he is not neutral on the airwaves. Below is the video of his interview with Larry Elder.

15. Rachel Maddow - The only female primetime anchor on MSNBC and host of her self-named show, Maddow has broken one of the key rules of journalism, and that is to not let your emotions get in the way of your reporting (I mean commentating, sorry!). How has she done this? By admitting on the air that she is a lesbian. That's right. While on the air, she has several times referred to her being gay and not being afraid to talk about it. This has blurred her capability to discuss stories about gay rights, considering the fact that she is an avid supporter of them and that this is also publicly known. In the end however, she appears to have the highest rated show on MSNBC to date since she debuted in September 2008. Her reporting is to the point, and to the left. See for yourself...

16. Keith Olbermann - Formerly the host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann until January 2011, Olbermann can be considered as the man who started it all on MSNBC. When he debuted his show in April 2003, conservatives around the country immediately disliked him. Liberals went absolutely bananas over him, and thus the progressive movement in the media began. Olbermann clearly showed that he was very liberal, often taking shots at conservative reporters, most notably Bill O'Reilly. He started out as being funny on the air, only being serious when the time called for it. However, as news became more serious over the years, so did he. One segment that he always had during his run on the show was his Worst Persons segment, in which he called out three stories that he felt needed to be criticized. Below is probably one of my favorites.

17. Ed Schultz - Host of The Ed Show on MSNBC since April 2009, Schultz has been a very outspoken guy on the network. In fact, he may one of the most outspoken anchors in all of television today. He is quite the progressive, taking over for the slot Olbermann left behind at the start of the year. He is the perfect fit for the slot because of his progressive nature and his left sided views. Schultz has done some gutsy things on his show, from having a live Twitter feed on the screen, to having a nightly cell phone poll, and even doing live shows from the Occupy movement. As far as I am concerned, he is just another anchor who commentates on the news rather than presenting the news.

18. Joe Scarborough - Another liberal...wait! He is a conservative! Yes sir, this man is the only conservative on MSNBC. He was added to the mix in 2007, probably as a way for MSNBC executives to show that they are the true "fair and balanced" network. Unfortunately, one conservative show does not make a network balanced. His show Morning Joe is anything but balanced. The man has been known for his right side views, and also has at times not thought about what he said. One time being the day he said the f-word on the air. Since it was live, it could not be bleeped out, and he went on not even aware of what he said. As a result, the show is now seen with a seven second broadcast delay. So, let us now enjoy journalism's biggest screw-up.

Lecture Critique

Throughout this week you have lectured us on pretty much everything we have talked about in class this semester. You have given us a clear picture on why the study of media is so important to our lives. However, you have made some statements that to me do not make any sense with the rest of your lecture. In addition to that, these same statements also seem to not be completely true. I have evidence that provides proof that there is some fiction behind your theories.

                First off, you have stated that you have a theory and that is “We are the media of the angels.” Considering what we have learned about media this semester, and what the definition of the word media is, I am afraid that your idea is not correct. The singular form of the word media is “medium.” The word “medium” originates from the Latin word “medius” or middle.  Media are the storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data. (3) So, if we were to translate your theory, you would be saying that we are the storage and transmission channels used to store and deliver information or data of the angels. That is quite fascinating, but still not correct. If we as humans were to be considered media of the angels, than that would be saying that we are artificial, because any media used to communicate is artificial. Spoken word was unfortunately NOT the start of media; ideographic writing was the start of media, according to a book by William McGaughy entitled Five Epochs of Civilization. (2) That is the difference between human communication and mass communication.  And, since humans are real things, not artificial like you want to believe, you theory has been debunked, but I am not quite done with you yet.

                Let’s look closer at angels for a moment. Because you have stated earlier on that the world and everything on it was created by God, than you must also realize that God created the angels as well. According to biblical research done by Dr. Paul Eymann and Dr. John Bechtile, angels were created sometime between the creation of the heavens and the creation of the earth. (1) Angels also do not have bodies like us humans do, but instead they are ministering spirits. However, they can take on the appearance of a man when the occasion demands. So, they in terms are artificial, not humans. Also, they are under the control of God, and carry out certain tasks. These tasks include: worship and praise, revealing, guiding, providing, protecting, delivering, strengthening and encouraging, answering prayer, and caring for other believers at the moment of death. One final note about angels is that when they appear, they often are not visible, but they can be if the time is right for them to be.

                So, if you look at all of the evidence I have presented to you, you can clearly see that your theory that “We are the media of the angels” can’t possibly be correct. Angels are real, like humans, but have capabilities that humans don’t have. Sorry, but the myth you have present can be considered busted. We should change your theory to “Angels are the media of humans.” All in all though, your lecture seemed pretty good. There are other things I would like to point out, but maybe it would be better to do that in person versus in writing. I certainly hope you have seen the error you have made here, and I would like to see you correct that, but that is your decision, not mine. You don’t have to believe me, but you can’t argue with facts.

Works Cited

Eymann, Paul, and John Bechtle. "ANGELS - What does the Bible teach about angels? • ChristianAnswers.Net." Christian Answers Network [Home] • Multilingual answers, reviews, ministry resources, and more! • ChristianAnswers.Net. Christian Answers Network, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. <http://www.christiananswers.net/q-acb/acb-t005.html>.

McGaughey, William. Five epochs of civilization: world history as emerging in five civilizations. Minneapolis, MN: Thistlerose Pub., 2000. Print.

"Media (communication) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_(communication)#cite_note-0>.

MLA formatting by BibMe.org.

FOX News: The people that make it what it is -- Wikis 9-13

This next batch of wikis all are about FOX news, in preparation for my paper. Here, we shall examine the dingbats on FOX who claim to be presenting to you the news.

9. Bill O'Reilly - Host of the The O'Reilly Factor and their most popular anchor on the station. Bill-O claims that his show has been the number one rated cable news program for the last 10 years, with no program coming close. He claims to be presenting the news with some investigative reporting thrown in for fun. He also states that he has a "No Spin Zone." He is famous for his outburst on the set of Inside Edition more than a decade ago, and his ongoing war with former MSNBC and now Current TV news anchor Keith Olbermann. In addition to his show, he is also a best selling author, and has a radio show that airs daily.

10. Sean Hannity - A guy truly full of himself, Sean hosts the self-named show on FOX entitled Hannity. Being at FOX since 1996, he is considered a senior member of the FOX family, and has been nicknamed "The Manatee"  by competitors. Like his counterparts, he too claims that he presents the news in a "fair and balanced" way He also claims that he is second in the ratings (but the numbers say other wise) just behind Bill-O. In addition to the show, he too has a daily radio show, and has written two best selling books.

11. Glenn Beck - The strangest and most disturbed anchor to ever poison the air waves, Beck is a former member of the FOX family, being on the air there from October 2008 til June 2011. In three years, he managed to become the most heavily criticized, and disgusted person to ever appear there. Known for his strange delivery of the "news," his shows often were more of a lecture than a news show. He even had a chalkboard on the set. He was also the only person there to ever have a live audience. Prior to polluting FOX's airwaves, he was on CNN from 2006 til 2008. Since leaving FOX, he has launched GBTV, an internet site where he produces an internet version of Glenn Beck, the same show he hosted on FOX and CNN. He is famous for his 9-12 Rally in 2009, as well as numerous other rallies and he is also a best selling author. He too hosts a daily radio show as well.

A simple photo just won't cut it here: I will let this guy speak for himself (or attempt to at least)

12. Neil Cavuto - Host of Your World with Neil Cavuto, Mr. Cavuto has been doing more commentating than presenting the news ever since he first appeared on the network in 1996. He has said several racist comments on the air over the years, and he has also tried to depict himself as a financial guru. This resulted in him being named the senior vice-president of Fox Business Channel. He also stared hosting a radio show abut money in 2007.

13. Rupert Murdoch - The CEO of News Corp. and owner of FOX News, Murdoch has on several occasions defended what his network does (i.e. fabricating stories for political gain). But, he has been honest, and also ADMITTED that they have done so. Murdoch has also been caught doing some pretty dirty things, such as wiretapping. This was done in order to blackmail people for information, as well as get stories for his vast media empire. Since the wiretapping scandal back in June however, Murdoch has seen part of his empire crumble before his very eyes, and charges are still pending for the media mogul. But, enough talk, let's listen to him try to explain what his network actually does.