Welcome to NEWSTOP
With all the talk today about the bailout of Freddie and Fannie, again the American people are lost in the shuffle. What are the options for the American people? And will the government be bailing them out as well. Is this good practice?
Photo By Scherie Murray SumFest Jamaica W.I.
What is news? News is information that is interesting and has impact within a given proximity. Current news often dictates our lives and the lives of those around us. No matter what the situation, we want our broadcast news.
However, I want an ethical news story; one with no spins or affiliations.
There are many news outlets including CNN, CNBC, BBC, E!, FOX, MSNBC, NY1, News 12 and even ESPN. Most news outlets feature breaking news, morning news, sports news, entertainment news and evening news. From the weather forecast in the morning to start your day to the score from your favorite teams’ football game; news is their whether you want it or not.
Today’s broadcast networks provide many mediums to deliver us our daily doses of information. This now creates a situation where we have to try to determine whose news is the best? How do we choose our biases when deciding which network we would like to watch? Is it whoever has the best screen effects or the most attractive anchors? Or is it the broadcast that features the zaniest deliveries?
We learn a great deal from the film “Broadcast News” about media ethics. With what is happening in the world today, let’s take some time now to analyze how similar and how different the film “Broadcast News” is and how it reflects today’s broadcast practices.
Holy Hunts character Jane, is a News Producer and she does not stand for unethical practices. The movie features a scene where the characters Jane (Holy Hunt) and Aaron (Albert Brooks) were on reporting live during a night siege in Nicaragua. Both Jane and Aaron risked their lives to deliver breaking news.
On the same excursion there was another scene where there was a soldier putting on his new socks and the photographer instructs him to put on his boot. Jane immediately stopped them and told the soldier that the choice was his to make, whether he wanted to put on the boot or leave it off. They were not there to create news.
News is much more censored and sensationalized today in contrast to the film “Broadcast News” of 1987. Not much like what we see today with our on scene correspondents, both Jane and Aaron risked their lives to deliver us remote breaking news. The question still remains however; how much of it can we believe and how much of it is doctored to make it more interesting?
Today our news is often just as graphic as some of the scariest horror movies we have seen. People are less conservative and like to see a little more blood and guts. The language that is wallowed is much stronger and display more vulgar undertones. Nowadays through the passive voice, anchors are more apt to share their opinions.
Some broadcast stations today have a tendency to deliver news based on bias, spins and affiliations to certain people, organizations and/or political parties. There is no denying that this has possibly gone on for a long time, but with competition for strongholds in a booming marketplace there seems to be less shame in letting it be known who or what they favor.
We the People
The world watches in wonder as a revolutionary presidential election unfolds. A female Vice President or an African American President will receive your vote. It is the year 2008 and a time for CHANGE as some might say. However, is it the same old politics as usual? And, would UNITY be better message?
Questions are still unanswered as we are just a couple of weeks away from the most defining moment of our time. Will the real candidate who is rallying for the people please stand up? There have been many speeches about the war in Iraq, Sarah Palin and family and the economy, but little about the future of every day people.
For the time being—in an effort to contain what is left of his dignity, Mr. Bush in a prime-time address warned Americans of the possibility of a long and painful recession. He also urged Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee and Senator Jonh McCain, the Republican presidential nominee to act quickly to avoid an even greater economic disaster.
Never before has President Bush publicly displayed such an effort of unity. Surprisingly, the government stepped up to the plate to bail out some of the country’s largest financial institutions. The tight lipped bill makes me nervous and the government again is making decisions behind closed doors that will ultimately affect the people.
As an alternative, Congress should come up with a plan to bailout every American instead of hasting a bill that will allocate some 700 billion dollars to bankrupt financial companies. The economy will see a tremendous boost when people can control their own money as opposed to the government controlling it for them. The plan for the people should include the opportunity to start anew.
As each party focuses on their agenda, we the people will continue to highlight what is most inspiring and most important about the journey ahead. Today, we are within reach of a goal that seemed unprecedented just two years ago.
History is in the making and it is not going to be easy. So talk to your neighbors, knock on their doors, make phone calls, and turn out to the general election in record numbers to support this movement for unity. The candidate who is really campaigning for the people is you. Every day people raising their voice for a better life.<a
Theme: Rubric. Blog at WordPress.com.
