Here it is, your moment of Zen

It is undeniable that all news stations today are bias in some way or another. Think about who owns these stations. They are not owned by non-profit organizations whose only job it is to provide you with accurate and unbiased opinions. News stations and programs are owned by people and those people want their views to be reflected in what they produce. Take for example Fox News. This station is owned, like many things, by Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch has been known to be a supporter of the Iraq War. As such this was reflected in most of the coverage of the war. Just after the war started The New York Times observed "The war has illuminated anew the exceptional power in the hands of Murdoch, 72, the chairman of News Corp… In the last several months, the editorial policies of almost all his English-language news organizations have hewn very closely to Murdoch's own stridently hawkish political views, making his voice among the loudest in the Anglophone world in the international debate over the American-led war with Iraq."

To compare two news events I researched the Indonesian Tsunami of 2004. The Fox News article can be found at Fox News and the CNN story can be found at CNN News

Right away in the Fox news article the journalist is concerned mostly with the dollar amount assigned to the damage and the loss of American lives. Not that the loss of American lives is unimportant. However, the CNN article gives an overview of how it happened, how many people died and from what countries they were from and many other points like the recovery process and the after effects. While both articles make valid points, they tend to show bias. Fox news has a more ethnocentric focus, whereas CNN presents a more global view of the incident.

In Rachel Smolkin's article, What the Mainstream Media Can Learn From Jon Stewart, she observes the differences between Mainstream media and The Daily Show on Comedy Central. It is true that because The Daily Show is presented as comedy and not a strictly news show, Stewart has much more leeway than traditional newscasters. He is able to present news more truthfully and less skewed or biased because it will be more accepted because it is in a comedic setting. Traditional newscasters do not feel the freedom of opinion to state the truth as they see it or the truth period. They are overseen by a larger corporation with their own goals and agendas.

The Daily Shows take on the story of the Tsunami in a different way

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Stewart observes the selfishness of some people in the media focusing the attention on them while the people of Indonesia are the one suffering.


Rhetorica.netgives an definition of media bias and the different types that exist. The site lists Commercial bias, Temporal bias, Visual bias, Bad news bias, Narrative bias, Status Quo bias, Fairness bias, Expedience bias and Glory bias. With all these different types of bias out there it is impossible for a person or a network to remain totally unbiased. A person can try and most likely will, but corporations are who rules the tv stations.

In terms of comedic news programs having more truth or more unbiased opinions, yes that may be true. Comedy has always been given a certain amount of leeway to mock and satire subjects of immediate and political importance. Take for instance the long running sketch show Saturday Night Live. This show has been satirizing political prominent figures and events.

The day when the media is unbiased may never come. On the bright site we will always have those like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to make us laugh at the obvious.

Medium IS the message

Marshall McLuhan’s statement “The Medium is in the Message” is difficult to understand but not impossible. The fact is that he is not talking about a spoken or written message at all but the message that consumers create by using the medium. For example the light bulb is a medium that changes the was we live, allowing humanity to see at night, changing the way we see the world around us and they way we interact with it. By this example it is the new meaning or message that is important and not so much the medium itself.

In regards to technological determinism, McLuhan’s “Medium in the Message” statement directly relates to it. Technological determinism means that technology determines how we live our lives. In the case of the light bulb, this medium helped to dictate how much later peoples lives went into the night. Before the light bulb not much else happened after the sun went down. The only light to brighten your way was a candle. With light bulbs, stores could stay open later, people could socialize later and do numerous other things they would not have thought to do at night before. Although this form of technology determined how we live our lives, we determine how other forms will be used.

With forms of technology such as the cell phone, the consumer determined how it would be used. At its conception the cell phone was just that, a cell phone. It was used to make and receive calls. Today however, by the demand of the people, the cell phone is more than just a cell phone. It is now used as a camera, a way to send text messages, a portal to use the Internet, and a way to send and receive e-mail messages. The original intent of the cell phone changed upon what people wanted it to be. This is what can be called and unintended or unanticipated consequence.

In Mark Federman’s article “What is the Meaning of The Medium is the Message?” he states, “But it is also often the case that, after a long period of time and experience with the new innovation, we look back and realized that there were some effects of which we were entirely unaware at the outset” One form of technology that has evolved over time is the computer. Originally the computer was used for calculations and other non-recreational activities. Today however, the personal computer is used for everything from communication to games and work.

In his article “Understanding Radio” Marshall McLuhan discusses the Kennedy-Nixon debates that were both televised and aired on the radio. The effects of the two mediums were show clearly in this instance. Those who watched the debate thought Kennedy won, those who listened on the radio believed Nixon to be the victor. By watching the debate people were won over by Kennedy’s good looks, tan and charm. Nixon however did not appear as attractive, wearing a suit that made him blend into the background and appearing pale and sick. The radio debate though was based only on the arguments and facts of the debate and therefore those who listened called Nixon the winner.

McLuhan believed like many do today, that print culture would soon end and we would develop an “electronic interdependence”. He postulated that mankind would move from individualism and fragmentation to a collective identity. This idea spawned the term global village.

Another point concerning the way technology is used that McLuhan makes is of the differences between radio and televison. Radio he says is a private, intimate and direct form of technology. This makes the listening experience personal and meditative. While with the emergence of TV in the 1950s teenagers began to display a more tribal, collective signs.

When it comes down to it, whether we influence how the technology is used or if the technology determines how we live our lives, depends solely on humankind.

Don't Panic

I’m not going to say this assignment was easy but it wasn’t exactly hard either. However it was interesting. Having fallen asleep early the first Saturday night of spring break, I decided to have my media free day on Sunday to get it out of the way. After finishing one book and starting another one, I had discovered that unlike I had planned, I was not going to be able to just read the whole day, no matter how much I love to. Sunday became a day to do chores my boyfriend and I had been avoiding. Without the television to distract us (mainly him) we were able to clean out closets and rooms much more efficiently than if we would have had the TV on in the background. It was then I realized more than before that technology has become a much bigger distraction in our every day lives than it has ever been before. Yes, technology helps us do many things but it hinders us as well. I will admit, it would have been nice to be able to have some music to do our work to, but it did not kill us to go without. Even a simple trip to Wal-Mart for craft materials to keep me occupied for another stretch of the day was a challenge. I was sure to steer completely clear of the media department and all its electronics. However when we went to check out there were TV screens mounted on every register and my boyfriend had to warn me not to look in that direction. Technology is everywhere! Other than being outdoors all day, it is almost impossible to escape from.

Toward the end of the day I found myself getting a little antsy to turn on the television. I had been working on a craft project for a few hours and wanted to take a break for a few minutes. Sitting in the living room in silence was not my idea of a break though. I wanted the TV on! It had been easy to go without my cell phone, video games and even my computer for only the day, but I have been a TV junkie for as long as I can remember. I’m the girl who always falls asleep with the television on. More recently though, and more so after this assignment, I have been turning it off when I go to bed. But Sunday night I was itching to turn the Television on and I did right when my 24 hours was up. I am definitely a TV addict. Movies as well, I was dying to go to the movies but I’m pretty sure it qualified as banned even though it wasn’t on the list. So there it was, TV is my media Achilles heel. Even now writing this essay I have a movie going on the dvd player.

I had expected this assignment to be ok as long as I could keep myself busy. There were all kinds of things I had wanted to do that day. But there was time in between those project and chores that usually would have been filled with a little TV time, Internet time or music that were the hardest. Today many things have been made more easy for us by using technology such as the recent decision by Metro to post all its bus and rail schedules online. However technology is hurting traditional means of communication at the same time it is helping. Newspapers all over the world offer online aspects to go along with their printed versions. However the lack of subscription is killing traditional print in some cases like the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, a paper that had been around for 146 years and has just recently printed its last issue. If you address the absolute necessity of these aspects then I would come to the conclusion that none if any of it is absolutely necessary. Without computers we could still get our news through newspapers and television. Without Metro schedules listed online you could find them in printed materials. I don’t need to check my email everyday, but I do out of habit. And if I leave my cell phone at home nothing bad is going to happen, but having carried a cell phone for so long, I have the fear of “what if” without it.

Howard Gardner stated it best in his article “The End of Literacy, Don’t Stop Reading, when he wrote “But now, at the start of the 21st century, there's a dizzying set of literacies available -- written languages, graphic displays and notations. And there's an even broader array of media -- analog, digital, electronic, hand-held, tangible and virtual -- from which to pick and choose. There will inevitably be a sorting-out process. Few media are likely to disappear completely; rather, the idiosyncratic genius and peculiar limitations of each medium will become increasingly clear. Fewer people will write notes or letters by hand, but the elegant handwritten note to mark a special occasion will endure.”

I think the process of sorting out is the key idea here. Many people, mostly young people of my generation, have completely surrendered their lives to the technologies they use. I know friends whose cell phones never leave their hands. They are always texting, always needing to stay in contact with other people. What did we do before this technology? We interacted with people around us. Now we interact with people over our cell phone while ignoring the people that are in front of us. Why this constant need to be in constantly in contact with everyone? I find it quite relaxing to turn the ringer off on my phone and not think. But, we need to find a balance between being in constant contact and being totally out of reach.

As one of Danna Walker’s students said, "I think we have over-media medicated ourselves," she said. But "I don't feel ashamed at all. It's part of our culture. And, I am completely addicted to it. I mean, the media fast was pretty much impossible for me. As long as our generation maintains a level of personable skills and we remain responsible, I think that we're okay. It's fine. It's not an epidemic. It's okay. It's okay." But it is not ok. When you look over and the student next to you can not put his cell phone away for one class or the student in front of you won’t stop playing World of Warcraft long enough to take notes or even pay attention during class, it is a problem. If we don’t learn to change our habits concerning media then it will become an epidemic.

Speech Vs Writing

In this new millennia new technologies are emerging everyday. With these new technologies come new forms of literacy both speaking and writing. Both forms are constantly changing and evolving however I believe that because there are so many different ways in which to write, that it is the superior form of communication.

I do not believe that speech is not evolving. Everyday new words are added to our vocabulary. However with written technologies it gives us a way to store our words and our histories. Writing technologies also allow us to review, correct and analyze that which we are trying to communicate. There are endless ways to communicate in written form. With the creation of a written alphabet humanity was able to start keeping a record of their history. Without a written record of history humanity may have been doomed to repeat past misstates and that is one reason why I believe writing is the superior form of communication.

The most memorable form of written technology may be the Gutenberg printing press invented in the 1400s. This technology not only allowed to us to keep histories more easily but to make it more easily accessible. Howard Gardner made this point as well in his article. “The 15th-century printing press disturbed those who wanted to protect and interpret the word of God, but the availability of Bibles in the vernacular allowed laypeople to take control of their spiritual lives and, if historians are correct, encouraged entrepreneurship in commerce and innovation in science.” “The invention of the printing press and the emergence of readily available books, magazines and newspapers allowed untold millions to extend their circle, expand their minds and expound their pet ideas.” (Gardner) As Walter Ong stated in his article Orality, Literacy, and the Modern Media “How could you ever call back to mind what you had so laboriously worked out? The only answer is: Think memorable thoughts. In a primarily oral culture…..you have to do your thinking in mnemonic patters, shaped for ready oral recurrence.” Therefore without a written language we would not be able to strategically and analytically solve problems and keep histories. It would be left up to only our fallible human memories.

By making the list in class on Tuesday I was able to see that everyday I use numerous forms of writing. I use my reading/writing skills at work to search databases for books, text using my phone, write emails, makes many different types of lists, blog (outside of this one), check facebook, read for pleasure and do many other visual tasks related to reading and writing.

Writer Susan Jacoby argues that literacy is on a downward slope. “First and foremost among the vectors of the new anti-intellectualism is video. The decline of book, newspaper and magazine reading is by now an old story. The drop-off is most pronounced among the young, but it continues to accelerate and afflict Americans of all ages and education levels.” While it is true that much of the youth today do not read an actual newspaper. They do access numerous newspapers online while perhaps cross-referencing the subject through google. Although we may not subscribe to a hard version of a newspaper, we are still aware of what is going on around us. I believe that Jacoby is stuck in a past era in time. Today we are accessing the written word in new and innovative ways. We are able to purchase E-books online without ever having to leave the comfort of our living rooms; we can read news articles from other countries online as soon as they are publish. It is unfortunate that Jacoby is to snobbish to see past what she is most familiar with to new ways of thinking.

Unfortunately I think that because we have come to be dominated by our forms of written communication, we are become less social and more isolated from each other. We use text messages instead of talking over the phone; we send emails and spend more time on the Internet and not with the people around us. Our technologies have begun to isolate us. I believe that if we are to continue as a people we need to find a healthy balance between our speech and our written communications.

Blog # 2 Communication

Communication has not always played as large a role in my life as it does now. Cell phones were a new technology when I was still young, and I did not receive my first one until just before I graduated from high school. Now however it seems as if it is impossible to go a day without using some new form of communication.

I never liked talking on the phone for long periods of time as some people do, and with the discovery of texting I do not have to anymore. Given the choice I now send short text to ask simply questions. However if the situation calls for it, I will call a person for a more in depth conversation. I find that misunderstandings however, can come from both forms of communication. Text messages can be cut short, misspelled or its intentions can be misinterpreted. The same can be said for talking over the phone. A tone of voice or sarcastic phrase can be misconstrued. In the end I find it easiest to communicate face to face. However cell phone, text messaging, email, instant messaging, and, social networks make it incredibly easy not to.

Emails I find are the best way to communicate with professors and organizations. Instead of interrupting them with a phone call, emails allow the recipient to respond to you when they decide to. I can easily go a day or two without checking or sending an email because I mostly use it for just that; emailing a professor or receiving updates from school listserves. I do use email to keep contact with friends in other states because easier to email someone on the opposite coast rather than try to figure out a convenient time to talk over the phone. Sending email seems to have replaced letter writing because it can get a more immediate answer. I find now that I used Facebook and Myspace in a similar way that I use email.

Like most people I found my way to Lipstick Party, Friendster, Myspace and most recently Facebook through friends. I joined whatever the latest networking site was at the time to keep up with my friends. When most of your friends are on a networking site like these and you are not it is a common thing to feel left out. I believed I would not spend much time on Facebook when I joined however, now I post pictures, send messages and check out what other friends are doing almost daily. One of the best uses that I have found for the site is to send messages through it to people whose email addresses I may not have.

I have recently experimented with live voice chats on my Mac as well. This feature I find like the cell phone. I do not like to chat live just like I do not like to talk on the phone. This voice chat is an extension and evolution of the instant messenger. The traditional instant messenger though is possibly one of my favorite forms of communication. With an instant messenger you are able to have multiple conversations, do various computer and online tasks as well as send media such as pictures, video and sound other these applications.

There is one last form of communication I had almost forgotten; the blog. Along with this blog I also have been using Live Journal for quite a few years. I had forgotten about it because I think of it as a sort of outlet, something that I use to rant in randomly or to post pictures of events for friends and family to look at. When I had more time I would write in it regularly. However these days it is hard to find time to keep up with it. I believe that people like me are where early perceptions of blogs came from. I have no formal journalistic training yet I can use my blog like anyone else to voice my opinions on any different subject. “The emerging stereotype of bloggers has mostly amateur writers using easy-to-use software and committing ‘random acts of journalism.’ ” (Carroll) With the use of blogs becoming more and more popular and newspapers and other traditionally published journals and magazines wanting to keep up with the media and technological trends, many publications are turning to the web and the use of blogs. Those who do turn to blogging are more likely to keep up with the changing times by allowing the community to more easily interact with the media and the news.


Carroll, Brian. "Ulture Clash: Journalism and the Communal Ethos of the Blogosphere Brian Carroll, Berry College." Into the Blogosphere. 16 Feb. 2009 .

First blog

Greetings and Salutations all! Prepare to read randomness about me! My name is Caitlin and I come from a very small family. I've lived in Prince George's County my whole life with my immediate family that consists of me and my parents as well as my older sister and her family. My sister just got married and had her first child last year who is now a year old. I am his godmother as well as aunt and he is my favorite little person.

I and a super senior at UMBC having just changed my major from graphic design to American studies. I will (fingers crossed) be finished at the end of the fall 09 semester.

My favorite color is pink, my favorite band is Coheed and Cambria and my favorite foods is lots. For a laugh check out the my favorite webcomics Questionable Content or xkcd.

I have two cats and a dog. They run the house.


I am not totally addicted to facebook and myspace, only partially so. I think I am fairly technologically competent but still hope to learn lots more from this class.