Pen to Paper: What's the Agenda?
There are so many unusual shows on television these days. If you flip through the channels on any given day or night you will undoubtedly stumble across a show about a group of people, from a major city in America, living their lives in front of cameras - why? Well, they do get paid, they do attain some kind of celebrity from the show and if they are really business savvy they can parlay their new found success and money into an empire.
It may sound like I have an aversion to Reality Shows but I don't. I sit down and watch like everybody else (personal favorites are Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Real Housewives of New Jersey)
NEWS FOR ENTERTAINMENT
What I take offense to are the shows and publications that are masquerading as "News" sources. To my knowledge the "News" is supposed to supply the public with impartial information not salacious stories, half-truths and unsubstantiated "facts."
I recently read an article that accused Beyonce of lip-syncing the National Anthem at the Inauguration this past Monday. The article (under the guise of quoting Rep Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky) went on to ask for Obama to resign over this lip-syncing debacle - President Obama should resign over Beyonce's alleged lip-syncing, really? Is this news or is this entertainment?
I went back and read this authors previous articles and they all appear to be injected with the writers own agenda. One article informs the reader of Fox News Channels decision to shut down for "routine maintenance" on Inauguration day (at 11:30 am ET). The article goes on to quote Fox News President's reason as:
When I googled this particular story it did come up under other "reputable" news sources but in actuality this "news" story was written as a joke by the author, HUH?????
While yet another article covered President Obama's Inaugural Address and explained how Republican Senators intend on using Obama's speech as a guide to stop him. THe House Speaker, John Boehner (R-Ohio) is quoted as saying:
I get it... its satire but why go to all the fuss of writing an article that is basically fabricated -- unless of course you are a fiction writer.
PEN TO PAPER
One of my acting teachers taught me that when reading material you should figure out "what made the author put pen to paper" in other words - why is this author writing this, what is the motivation behind it?
The author of these articles appears to be reporting the news but what he is really doing is standing on his soap box pushing his own agenda while putting his own slant on the "news". We have freedom of the press, yes, but I do feel the producers of high profile shows and editors of National publications should be a little more responsible.
I am only using this one author as an example - there are many examples of News Reporters mis-representing information and/or reporting information that is inaccurate. Just google "Sandy Hook" and you will find conflicting reports on the number of gunmen to how many guns were used in that horrific killing spree.
There is a difference between reporting the news (whether in print or visual media) and reporting a personal, whimsical take on the news just as there should be a difference between watching Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show" and tuning into say Fox News but sadly the distinction is becoming less and less obvious.
The responsibility swings both ways however, we as a society need to be more critical and analytical in what we choose to observe and absorb.
IMAGES FUEL THE MIND
What we read and watch leaves an impression on our minds. Sitting in front of a TV all day getting a steady diet of "Reality" shows is the equivalent to eating fast food 24/7 - so not healthy. Most people watch television and read articles without any level of discernment. We need to become a society of critical thinkers, we need to make conscious choices as to what we will accept into our minds and what we will reject just as much as we decide between eating a green salad or a slice of Pizza.
It may sound like I have an aversion to Reality Shows but I don't. I sit down and watch like everybody else (personal favorites are Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Real Housewives of New Jersey)
NEWS FOR ENTERTAINMENT
What I take offense to are the shows and publications that are masquerading as "News" sources. To my knowledge the "News" is supposed to supply the public with impartial information not salacious stories, half-truths and unsubstantiated "facts."
I recently read an article that accused Beyonce of lip-syncing the National Anthem at the Inauguration this past Monday. The article (under the guise of quoting Rep Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky) went on to ask for Obama to resign over this lip-syncing debacle - President Obama should resign over Beyonce's alleged lip-syncing, really? Is this news or is this entertainment?
I went back and read this authors previous articles and they all appear to be injected with the writers own agenda. One article informs the reader of Fox News Channels decision to shut down for "routine maintenance" on Inauguration day (at 11:30 am ET). The article goes on to quote Fox News President's reason as:
“We wanted to pick a time when we were positive nothing would be happening that our
viewers would want to see.”
viewers would want to see.”
When I googled this particular story it did come up under other "reputable" news sources but in actuality this "news" story was written as a joke by the author, HUH?????
While yet another article covered President Obama's Inaugural Address and explained how Republican Senators intend on using Obama's speech as a guide to stop him. THe House Speaker, John Boehner (R-Ohio) is quoted as saying:
"He praised the President for citing such specifics as hiring math and science teachers, building roads, and reducing health-care costs" and then said “Now that we know that’s what he’s got in mind for his second term, we can hit the ground running to stop him.”
I get it... its satire but why go to all the fuss of writing an article that is basically fabricated -- unless of course you are a fiction writer.
PEN TO PAPER
One of my acting teachers taught me that when reading material you should figure out "what made the author put pen to paper" in other words - why is this author writing this, what is the motivation behind it?
The author of these articles appears to be reporting the news but what he is really doing is standing on his soap box pushing his own agenda while putting his own slant on the "news". We have freedom of the press, yes, but I do feel the producers of high profile shows and editors of National publications should be a little more responsible.
I am only using this one author as an example - there are many examples of News Reporters mis-representing information and/or reporting information that is inaccurate. Just google "Sandy Hook" and you will find conflicting reports on the number of gunmen to how many guns were used in that horrific killing spree.
There is a difference between reporting the news (whether in print or visual media) and reporting a personal, whimsical take on the news just as there should be a difference between watching Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show" and tuning into say Fox News but sadly the distinction is becoming less and less obvious.
The responsibility swings both ways however, we as a society need to be more critical and analytical in what we choose to observe and absorb.
IMAGES FUEL THE MIND
What we read and watch leaves an impression on our minds. Sitting in front of a TV all day getting a steady diet of "Reality" shows is the equivalent to eating fast food 24/7 - so not healthy. Most people watch television and read articles without any level of discernment. We need to become a society of critical thinkers, we need to make conscious choices as to what we will accept into our minds and what we will reject just as much as we decide between eating a green salad or a slice of Pizza.
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