Conflict of Interest

On Thursday there was an very interesting view brought up about what news the media should report on and the responsibility of the American public as well as media sources to separate news from entertainment. It was said that the responsibility of the news station was to report news and only news, and anything else, such as who Justin Timberlake is dating, can be looked up independently by people who are interested on the Internet. While I understand this opinion, it just isn't possible. people seem to forget that stations such as CNN, MSNBC, and Fox news are businesses as well as news sources. In order to stay on, they need ratings a viewers. As sad as it is to say, if they reported only news people would stop watching because there will always be other stations that keep you updated on the newest styles or who's dating who. As a business they are obliged to do what they need to do to make money, but they also still have a responsibility to not devote all their coverage to silly, unimportant topics, and to keep the public aware of what is going on in the world.

Al Qaeda critiscism could actually have opposite effect then expected...

It seems that the harshest criticism Obama has received has been delivered by Al Qaeda's second in charge. Being compared to people such as Malcolm X and Colin Powell, Al Qaeda has called Obama a house negro who is the direct opposite of an honorable black man whom is doomed to a legacy of crime and failure. He also badmouthed Obama's plans for Afghanistan and Iraq, telling him to follow through with his statements to send more troops into Afghanistan while pulling out of Iraq because "the dogs of Afghanistan have found the flesh of your soldiers to be delicious, so send thousands after thousands to them". Even after the election, I still hear people relating Obama to a terrorist and how he is really in league with terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Iraq. After Americans read this message to Obama, it may actually unite them behind him after seeing him so harshly criticized by a common enemy.

To read the full story: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/19/obama.alqaeda/index.html

Magic wall

Figured you'd get just as much as a kick out of this as I did.

Just Business

So, CNN has a new comedy news show hosted by D.L. Hugley, and I must admit it is pretty funny, but some may ask what place does a show you would expect to see on Comedy Central have on CNN? CNN is supposed to be a news network where one can tune into and find out whats going on in the world, but what are you supposed to think when you turn to it and see a stand up comedian with his own show? Personally, I look at it two ways. First, while CNN is a news network, it is also a business that wants to make money, and with the popularity shows such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report up so high, it would be insane for a business to miss out on grabbing its slice of the pie. After all, it is a business. Secondly, haven't we seen a rise in the interest of young adults in politics because of this satirical look at the worlds events today? This has seemed to be an effective way to catch the interest of young Americans while also increasing the number and range of viewers. CNN has made a smart move in creating this show, and I think we can expect to see a continued rise in the interest young people have taken towards politics and the world in general.

Cheer up

So, last night I was monitoring the election coverage between Fox news, CNN, and MSNBC (with a little comedy central in between). Now when Obama was announced the winner it seemed like everyone was happy, not about who won or lost but about being a part of history. I was also very impressed and by the speech given by McCain. Then I flipped to Fox, and I swear everyone looked like someone had just died and they were attending the funeral. All the other stations were showing footage of the White House and all the people cheering and partying across the country, but you turn to Fox and you see the definition of depression. I mean come on, cheer up, its not the end of the world. Why not be happy to be part of history.

Salvation??

So, gas prices have dropped quite a bit. They aren't cheap by any means, but they are manageable, and much better than $4 a gallon. So we are saved right? There are no problems, I can manage to pay $2.50 a gallon, so we have no more problems right? But wait, wasn't it just a week ago that everyone was all for destroying our dependence on foreign oil by funding and researching alternative fuel and energy methods? I know its human nature to ignore a problem until it begins to affect us, which it did, but its also human nature to forget about a problem as soon as it ducks its head down again. This can be proven by the 17.5% drop in alternative energy stocks. Although gas prices may not be as high as they were a week ago, we shouldn't forget about what we went through, and how important it is for America to sever their dependence on foreign oil. It absolutely blows my mind how easy it is for us to forget about our problems as soon as we feel we can shove it back under the rug again. I only hope that we can take a step as a country to prevent future crises.

Dangerous Public?

The election which we are a part of has seemed to open the eyes of the American public. Politics and government seems to be gaining popularity amongst the people, which in turn makes them want to learn more about it. While it may be refreshing to know that not all of the American Public are idiots, is this really a good thing. What i have noticed is amongst people educated in politics is a lot of paranoia and doubt about how the government is run or the actions the government may take. It is much easier to control a populations of uninformed, naive people than it is to control one that is educated. The problem with this is that the public may lose interest with cooperating with the government. I mean nobody wants to work with someone they don't trust. So while the ratings are up on major news stations, is this really a good thing for the government and media in a long run? Or would it be better to live in a nation of easily manipulated people. allowing to government and media to do what the feel they must do to keep things together?

Putting all the eggs in one basket

Today, if you tune into any form of media, you will be flooded with information regarding the upcoming election, scandals about the candidates and their families, or whether they like chicken or tuna. While all of this is extremely important, it seems like it's all their reporting on, and it's overshadowing many other important topics, such as how the U.S. military has pulled out of the Anbar province in Iraq, which is roughly 1/3 of the country. Or how Gustav may have missed New Orleans and the Levy's held up, but it was still the third strongest hurricane to hit the U.S., caused roughly 96% of the oil production to came to a halt resulting in a spike in gas prices, forced around 1.9 million people to be evacuated from the Louisiana area, and how most of the people who didn't evacuate are still without power or help from the government. I know that knowing about all the dirt on each candidate is important, but don't you think there are other things going on that deserve more that 10 minutes of airtime in the span of a 24 hour day?