Lousy candidates
-- In the dark -- don’t know how I feel … it’s all dishonest, what’s the point?
-- Crooked, vicious and annoying
-- Annoying –- undecided who I really trust
-- Ridiculous –- competitive -– enemies. I don’t really pay much attention to it.
-- Annoying -– tired of it –- tired of hearing all the ads, especially on the radio. Not sure how I feel about it.
-- Illinois government is screwed no matter what.
-- Corrupt -- stupid –- sexy ’lexi [Giannoulis]
What can the media do to make things better?
One good answer: I think it has to start with the people who are running. [True. But does it let us off the hook as media professional?]
Reframing the question(s): What, if anything, can the media do to cope with an increasingly partisan, divisive climate of opinion? [There's a larger question behind this, too: Is our increasing partisanship part of the same phenomenon as the market segmentation that has us reading -- or watching -- increasingly targeted publications like Runner's World, Pizza Today (I'm not making this up), ESPN or the Home Shopping Network)? Hmmm. If we broaden out the question like that, would it help us pull things together for the final exam? Just askin'. Or not.] One answer is Fox News' ... to consciously reflect the point of view of a market segment (e.g. conservatives) and give "fair and balanced" news and commentary that validates their world view. Another answer is the kind of grant-funded media outlets like The St. Louis Beacon, that appeal to a market niche that wants "objective" news and commentary from experienced professional journalists.
But each of these is an answer and not the answer.
Here, for the sake of convenience, are the questions I posted ahead of time for today's class discussion and the red-letter hints that accompanied them: What can the media do to change this kind of environment? What should they do? How can they balance that with their need to make a buck? You've seen the questions before. You'll see them again. You may even see them on your final exam. Hint hint.
2 comments:
One thing the media can do is maybe make a rule of allowing a candiate to only allow so many bashing commercials and turn to talk about what they are going to do to make things better not how the other person is worse
The media can become the watchdog for the commercial being put on air. They could observe and decide whether that commercial gives correct and useable information. They could make the media a place to receive valuable information for the surrounding communities, instead of the annoying, ridiculous, corrupt messages that are aired today.
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