Fox News and Obama Administration

The Obama administration is denying Fox News certain coverage of white house operations, because it claims that Fox News is a propaganda machine.

I feel like it is impossible for an outsider to gauge whether or not something that claims to be a news organization is a propaganda machine. Yes, everyone can have their opinions but until you are inside the organization and see what information is being chosen to published and what information is not, you cannot say that a news organization is solely a propaganda machine.

I believe that there is harm to our democracy when an administration shows favoritism to certain news organizations while excluding others from coverage. It is not the government's job to decide who and who cannot have access to coverage. The media should have a right to have access to coverage, it keeps a variety of news organizations, representing various viewpoints, afloat.

It is likely that past administrations have showed favoritism with news organizations, however, I feel as if it was not widely publicized. I am not sure about that past administrations had denied access.

I feel that the Obama administration should not be able to exclude certain media organizations because I feel that every media outlet, no matter how questionable, should have the right to be informed to produce news. I feel as if a variety of media organizations are necessary in order to keep a public forum open and make sure that a variety of viewpoints are represented. I hope that the Obama administration reconsiders its decision and allows Fox News coverage once again.

Blogging About Blogging

Poorerthanyou.com, a blog geared toward college students and people in their 20-somethings, is financial advice without being boring. The audience is obvious because it is stated right next to the title.

The mission of this blog is to give poor college students and 20-somethings advice on how to save money and make money. Stephanie, the author, gives advice on how to save money and how to become financially successful in the future. She pulls stories from different websites and leaves her own thoughts on the matter, she reviews books, and tries to receive as much information as she can on financial issues to help out herself and her readers.

The blog is both factual, by providing information and links to studies that have been performed, and opinionated by offering her own thoughts on the matter.

One thing that the author really focuses on is making the blog enjoyable to read. In most cases reading about financial matters is boring. Stephanie attempts to add humor and make the blog understandable to the average person. 

Poorerthanyou.com a lot different than a magazine article, but in a good way. The blog adds a face to the writing, you can imagine the person behind the writing and it makes the content a lot more interesting.

The blog's presentation is very simplistic, which I think fits with the blog. Since Stephanie is trying to make complex financial issues simple, the simple layout works for her.

Stephanie's headlines are hugely helpful, she gives a very clear picture about what you are going to read before you read it. Which is great, because people want information that is relevant to them. 

This blog is great way for college students to learn how to better handle their finances. I think that all you would need to write a blog like this is to read A LOT and then write on it. She is just filtering the information and presenting what she thinks is most relevant in a way that is easy to understand.

Ethics Blog

Today more and more news organizations are reporting on superficial topics, such as celebrity gossip and fashion trends, rather than focusing on topics that are shaping the world around us, such as foreign policy and environmental trends.

I believe that the primary function of news is to inform the public, not to entertain them. 

It is understandable, however, that news industries are more concerned about driving a profit. Today it seems as if the majority of people are more concerned with celebrity gossip than they are with world issues. In order for newspapers to survive they must report on what the people want.

The news today is like skipping dinner and going straight to dessert. Dinner is what fills you up, gives you energy and nourishment but it often doesn't taste as good as dessert. So people just skip dinner and go straight to dessert, they enjoy it without realizing that they are becoming unhealthy as a result. Likewise, skipping world affairs and going straight to gossip is slowly poisoning our society.

Whether or not it is ethical is a different question. While it is a bad thing that news organizations are focusing more of their resources into celebrity gossip, it keeps them alive. And without news organizations people would be ill-informed and likely believe anything that is spouted out at them.

I believe that the problem is not with news organizations, rather, society itself. Society drives the news by deciding what kind of information they are going to consume, and because newspapers cannot force people to consume their information, they must produce topics that please the people.

They say that in order to change an alcoholic's behavior, you have to start with the inside out. You can't  change an alcoholic by taking away his booze, he will just want it more. Rather, you have to get inside his head and make him want something else more, a better life. 

I believe it is the same way with society, you have to get inside society (I believe through the education system) and make it want to be well informed. You can't just throw news at them that they don't want.

Dummy

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