Chapter 8: "Picture This: The Ethics of Photo and Video Journalism"

"Our unwillingness to allow visual journalists the same conventions as print journalists says something fundamental about the role of visuals in the news." - page 196, Chapter 8: "Picture This: The Ethics of Photo and Video Journalism"
 - In one of our very first classes at the beginning of the year, we looked an image presented in Case Study 1-A where two girls, a two year old and her 19 year old godmother, were falling from a fifth-floor fire escape. In looking at this image, we discussed the ethical dilemmas presented by the Boston Herald photographer deciding to shop and shoot the pictures, and whether or not it was ethical for the newspaper to run the picture of such a traumatic scene. The class was relatively divided, with some saying they would publish the picture and some saying they would not. If you take this story and convert it be told solely through print journalism - that is - written up as a story, then does an ethical dilemma still exist? Many would argue no, because the newspaper is reporting on a story that occurred within the city, largely due to faulty fire escapes. It's a sad story regardless, but when you show a picture that rawly depicts the heat of the moment, it's hard not to feel a deeper disturbance when you're eye-witnessing two girls potentially falling to their death, with one actually dying, than it is to just read about it in the newspaper. It is a dilemma such as this that explains why a quote such as the one in this chapter makes so much sense. Visuals are simply worlds different than words - they tell stories that often stay with us long after we've stopped looking. Journalism holds immense power, but it also holds different types of power - kinds that dare us, alarm us, stop us in our tracks, and make us feel emotions that we might not have thought possible. It is all in the perception of what we see - that is the key word: "see"; we are born seeing before we speak and read, it is our nature to respond more deeply to visual cues than it is to verbal or printed cues. I think that realization offers innate importance when understanding the ethics of photo and video journalism. I could go on to debate the ethics of the certain case studies presented in this chapter - all of which present grappling situations, but I felt it was more appropriate to entertain a reflection of this quote and give a bit of insight into how visuals can truly transform the news we absorb.

Chapter 7: "Media Economics: The Deadline Meets the Bottom Line

To think that the media has now joined the ranks of the "power elite" is astounding. No longer are they necessarily below the political officials they interview, but they are on the same level. In essence, the media has a very similar caliber of power to these political officials; among other things, both the media and political officials can portray a representation of constituent groups in society and influence the goals and values of society greatly - two powers that hold innate value. To say that the mass media has become "a ruling class within a democratic society" (162), is not an understatement. They control what news we hear, how we hear it, and how we respond to it. News creates dialogue, dialogue gives way to opinions, and opinions shape our beliefs and sometimes, or eventually, our values. When it comes down to it, is it safe to say that the media shapes our personal values?? This would be a great question to discuss in class. Furthermore, not only has the media joined the high ranks, but it has entered into a state of what the authors call "hyper-competition". (Sounds like what our entire society as come to: fast-paced, dog eats dog, and never simple!) In economic terms, hyper-competition is when supply substantially exceeds demand so that producers operate at a financial loss. In terms of communication, the media has created much of this effect by the availability of information through the Web. It was crazy for me to read how when competition among sources reaches hyper-competition, many media organizations lose almost all of their profits, if not entirely. Who knew such an essential, sought-after, buzzing industry could go bankrupt just to stay afloat and keep feeding its' absorbers (us) the information. When so many people depend on the media, you'd think it wouldn't be struggling. What represents an even more slippery slope is that with such hyper-competition, ethics starts to be called into question. If this is what the economics of media look like now, what will be its fate? Will there be reforms, policies, reorganizations? One of my biggest concerns is, if print publications become completely taboo, then will the information on the Web be harder to obtain (aka, not free, must have a subscription, etc)? The quote that opened up the beginning of the chapter says it all, "I think the biggest challenge my generation is going to face is to convince people my own age that news is worth paying for. We've never done it." Definitely a lot of food for thought as always...

Chapter 6: "Mass Media In a Democratic Society: Keeping a Promise"

March 12th, 2014
To think how far the media has progressed over the past century, decade, years, and even months is mind-blowing. The cliche phrase, "instantaneous information at the touch of our fingertips" is often overused, but for good and obvious reason; it accurately defines the current level for which modern technology has reached. Perhaps even crazier, is how much of an effect this type of technology and media has on our country's political sector. Even MORE, is how much journalists have an effect on what we hear and how we hear it. I've never thought of it like this before, but the American society truly places full responsibility in the hands of the journalists and reporters who give us our information. As the chapter emphasizes in its' discussion of the radical, monitorial, facilitative, and collaborative roles, the media has multiple roles for ways of behaving! So we don't just trust them with one thing, but with many - granted that they are utilizing such normative roles. It's somewhat alarming in a sense, because we are so quick to accept what we are told. And why wouldn't we be? It's news, we say, how can someone screw up the facts? But what many people don't realize, is that a journalist's job is not all that easy - it comes with liabilities, tough ethical and situational decisions, uncomfortable situations, taking into account the people they use to report and the people reading or listening at home, and the responsibility to give people their news. The fact that it's not an easy job is something I've come to realize the further I get into reading this book. One of my favorite quotes from the chapter that best emphasizes this fact comes from page 147, "Journalists covering a national election have almost as much at stake as the candidates they cover." Frankly, that is just incredible to me. I guess I never truly thought about how much a reporter or journalist has at stake when covering events that are deemed crucial to society. What I really liked about this chapter (maybe because I'm a political junkie), was how deeply it explored the various sectors of what goes into (and comes out of) politics and the role the media plays in it. This chapter really and truly got me thinking about not only the collaboration of media and politics, but the fundamental qualities that form the basis of democracy and its role in society.