The American media last week reported on a surreptitiously taped speech of Mitt Romney in which he appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters. Was the media within its rights to do this? Secondly, in the same speech he spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians, yet this was edited out and not presented to the public.
Comment on this in terms of the topics we are doing in class: news writing and Print media. Comment on the ethics, responsibility to readers, integrity and professionalism in writing and all other main considerations in writing a news story that would sell. You must allude to the local issue of Section 34
Word Limit - 250 - 300 words
Remember, if you post your comment please wait sometime for it to be uploaded.
The media was created as a forum where public issues are to be presented. It is by this means that the citizenry of a country and by extension the world are made aware of matters that may directly or indirectly influence their lives. The news and other features that are covered by the media are very important. So important at times if certain laws are not gazetted they are not in effect.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Mitt Romney debacle, the media was well within its rights to make public such a travesty. Firstly, he is a public figure and his speech was made in a public arena. The media was simply doing its job. Secondly, whether 47% or one percent, such thoughts should remain private. Though he is entitled to his opinion he is aspiring for a position to serve all Americans. Perhaps he being candid was best. The listening public would then see him for who he truly is; someone who is unable to lead a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
The omission of the Palestinians remarks may have been a PR tactic. Presently, the Middle East is a very sensitive topic. The derogatory comments made by Mr. Romney may have been omitted in the hope that the current president faces a series of backlashes for his own actions regarding the Middle East and thus appear more likeable in the public eye.
The formation of opinions should be left up to those who are receivers of the media’s message. The media is to present the public with unbiased facts in its entirety without outside influences. Regardless of the severity, the moment that this is compromised, the media has failed in executing its job. This could lead to dire consequences. Consequences which may include the exoneration of guilty parties, which Section 34 nearly achieved. A grave injustice almost transpired if one media company had not noticed the gaffe. Had it run its course, it would have wreaked havoc in the judicial system.
It is imperative therefore that the media be free to capture and disseminate information of public importance without fear or favour. It is the eyes, ears and voice of society and in order for the truth to be heard it must be allowed to do so no matter who or what is captured in the headlines.
Darion Fraser
809004236
I like your style of writing (personal opinion) and your sentence structure. Yes, the media has that responsibility to the media to give unbiased and accurate information about the happenings of a particular nation. During election is not a time to withhold critical information such a possible US president's views on the war in the Middle East. The public should be able to voice their opinions.
DeleteN'yasha Cabrera
811000731
I would like to disagree with what has been said in the second paragraph of your argument, "...his speech was made in a public arena." I am not sure where you sourced your information, but, from what I have gathered, Mitt Romany's statements were not at all made in a public arena. He had made these remarks at a private fund raiser, where he was discussing campaign strategies and ideas. The event being private is most likely the reason for his candid form of speech; had he been in the public eye, he would have chosen to hold back on those thoughts. This is what has caused the controversy, the fact that the media has chosen to leak the parts of the video that shows the presidential candidate in a light which the public is not accustomed to seeing.
DeleteCorn, David. "http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/secret-video-romney-private-fundraiser." www.motherjones.com. September 17, 2012. (accessed September 30, 2012).
MakAskil, Ewen. "http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/18/mitt-romney-secret-video." www.guardian.co.uk. September 18, 2012. (accessed September 30, 2012).
Empress-Zena Tafari
810000577
*Mitt Romney
DeleteEmpress-Zena Tafari
810000577
The leaked Mitt Romney fundraiser video addressing the 47 percentage of USA voters, the report of his subsequent Palestine peace comment and lastly the fiasco of events preceding the Section 34 of the Indictable Proceedings Act in Trinidad and Tobago, are simply evidence of the manipulating power of the media on the public through their skilled writing techniques. This time I congratulate the media on their successful attempts to underhandedly capture and then publicize the “private affairs” of the Republican Presidential nominee.
ReplyDeleteThe bravery to produce an “inside scoop” headline story, turned out to be an eye-opener for the United States (US). This issue presented, was relevant to all citizens of the U.S. and it reported of the current activities of the US political campaign 2012. Newspaper companies seized the opportunity to capture the interest of the public by strategically editing and adjusting the video clip according to a release on September 18th by Nation Public Radio. This stir up of the controversial subject and a political conflict, contributed to the winning news articles posted over the last few weeks. Some may call these schemes craft. But aren’t we readers benefiting from the sourced information still?
I think that the choice of the media to pay little attention to Romney’s comment on Palestine-Israel conflict was intended. Understanding their audience, the media avoided highlighting international affairs, as the average American is simply not interested in foreign issues beyond the Pacific Ocean.
Similarly to the US, our local media networks in Trinidad and Tobago have taken advantage of the commotion surrounding Section 34. To Trinbagonians this issue has the potential to impact our daily lifestyles as it is the law and the media has fulfilled its responsibility of alerting readers of the problem. Local newspapers have milked numerous stories from this one issue and have generated quite a sustained topic issue.
The media knows how to create a ‘newsworthy article’ which would become a hot-selling headline. I see that sometimes their invasive nature across privacy boundaries can be positive in getting the truth to readers. The relevance, timeliness and proximity of the issue to the reader is critical in captivating interest.
References
Peralta, Eyder.2012.“Mother Jones Releases Full Unedited Romney Video.” National Public Radio,September 18.Accessed September 28,2012. http://www.npr.org/
Donalee Pierre
810002489
I liked your comments,it was very accurate.
DeleteKERON Floyd
811003072
The purpose of the media is to relay an unbiased message to the audience. The responsibilities of the media are to inform, to educate and to entertain via news. News is any report of events that has already occurred. However, the extent to which the news can report depends solely on the laws enforced at that instant in time.
ReplyDeleteReflecting on Mitt Romney’s speech, he is a public figure, speaking in a public location. I believe in this case, the media was doing its job, that is, informing the citizens of the United States of America (US) and in turn the world of a public event that had occurred. His dismissing of voters was wrong and unprofessional; this should have been kept a thought! In addition, he commented on the Palestinians and the media chose to ignore that piece of information. That action could have been a tactical one to protect the US from attacks by the Middle East. These events should show the public that Mitt Romney is not an eligible candidate to resolve issues for and on behalf of them.
I would definitely praise the media for their job, as they stirred up emotions and generated conflict amongst the audience as this is also the case in Trinidad and Tobago with Section 34. This law affects all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. Various media houses have seized the opportunity to maximize profit as this headline has found its niche in the news because it is a recent event and it involves prominent persons in society. For example, the Express says “Section 34 Controversy, Volney did it”.
The media definitely knows how to play with our emotions, stir up conflict with only the use of a headline leaving the audience wanting more. The effects of media can be both positive and negative but it gets the truth or somewhat of the truth to us (the audience).
Ornella Sohun
808000547
I agree with your comment. The media was just serving its purpose in informing the public of the `happenings` occuring both locally and internationally. I think that it was just poor on Mr. Romney`s part considering that he is a public figure and even though everyone is entitled to their own opinion, he could have just kept his thought out of the public`s reach.
DeleteThe reports made by the media would definately influence or be trusted by the persons who reads them since the media provides newsworthy articles. They do this by reporting on `timely` events; both the section 34 issue as well as the speech made by Mr. Romney are both recent/current events. Another tactic employed by the media is prominance where they reported on `higher ranked/classed` individuals like Romney and proximity which was exercised by the fact that the issue of section 34 affects the entire public of Trinidad and Tobago;this issue employed `closeness` to the public.
References:
1. Prime Minister`s statement on the `Section 34` issue. 21st September,2012. < http://www.news.gov.tt> 30th September, 2012.
2. TYT shows. Mitt Romey`s 47% Secret tape breakthrough. 30th September, 2012. < www.youtube.com>. 30th September, 2012.
United States (US) Presidential hopeful and the Republican candidate Mitt Romney, is making his second attempt at office after an unsuccessful campaign in 2008. After a good start in 2012 his campaign took a sharp blow after a video surfaced from Mother Jones that captured Mitt Romney speaking to donors, where he made several counterseal comments about the “Palestinian Problem” where he stated that peace in the middle east in not possible and that they (Palestinians) had no interest whatsoever in peace, which was received negatively worldwide. He also made damaging statements concerning sum 47 percent of Americans who he said are victims and are dependent on government which also didn’t fare well with the general public.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the media had all right to publish the video, being that Mr. Romney is a Presidential hopeful and speaking at a public event should have being more knowledgeable and anticipated such activity. Further more in his press release he made no attempt to apologies but simply stated that he could have being more elegant. Similarly this was done by the present government in T&T where no one apologized or to responsibility for their mistake in Section 34 issue.
This news story is particularly interesting and likely to have a lot of headlines not in the US but worldwide because the USA general elections has an effect on most if not all countries in the world. In addition to this the story generates controversy which will sell a lot of articles. Writers and publishers must also remember to be unbiased in their work and present in the best interest of its readers. In my opinion it was very unethical and unprofessional for Mr. Romney to make such statements and also not to present a proper apology or explanation.
Darien Jones
810002377
The purpose of media is to express opinions and points of view, educate a population through factual content and information, and persuade views and listeners to buy a product or think a certain way and to entertain an audience, as in video games or movies.
ReplyDeleteIt is clearly seen that media is all about attraction and aims at getting attention from a population, however it is based on factual events and can face major problems of lawsuits in a case like this, Mitt Romney to Barrack Obama and his supporters. Commenting on is unethical remarks to Hispanics and black people of the American nation, he shows that he is not willing to accept the responsibility for Americans and would favor citizens based on ethnicity.
Where Barack Obama sees that operations and the USA in general should be run under controlled conditions, Mitt Romney sees another view. He may not be wrong but based on the comments occasionally spews to the public, he is distinguishing “his” people from the rest of America. And that in itself shows division in what is supposed to be a strong nation. The media plays a mediated factor in terms of broadcasting via television, and can have influential inputs in the printing of press. With acceptance of his statements, Mitt Romney is showing no responsibility as a public figure and in capabilities of potential to hold Americans in his hands and showing the care for the Nation that Barack Obama currently provides.
In summary, like the media, people are attracted to benefits in life, and with a well explained democracy and more benefits to the USA in the Obama campaign, media typically has no influence over manipulation of messages form the Democratic leader and the Republican leader for the race to election.
DEON M-J YEARWOOD
811000450
The media has the right to communicate on issues that would affect a large percentage of any population. One of the main responsibilities of news writing media is to inform the general public on current issues. Therefore, Mitt Romney’s situation was clearly newsworthy and the American media had every right to report. However, good judgment was executed by the Media in excluding the comments made on the Palestinians due to the political sensitivity of such area.
ReplyDeletePrint media should adhere to good journalistic principles for effectiveness. Ethics are maintained in news writings on the basis of accuracy. Factual statements must be given in writings so that reports would be considered genuine. This is achieved by making reference to the five W's (Who, What, Why, When and Where) and H (How) in the early paragraphs of the news story. Also, brevity and clarity are important aspects in journalistic writings because they make reading more effective. Hence, short sentences and simple words are easier to decode by the reader. Moreover, integrity is very critical and therefore, print media contents should strive to include objectivity and quotations in order to eliminate biases. Professionalism in writing would occur once the aforementioned principles are followed.
Furthermore, there are important factors that would make newsworthiness such as timeliness, impact, proximity, conflict, prominence, relevance, progress, novelty and human interest. For instance, the ongoing parliamentary corruption within Trinidad and Tobago is such an event of newsworthiness because of its potential impact on each citizen of the country. As a result, it is the media duty to report on such issues in order to keep the general public inform.
In closing, print media should perform their duties by considering the journalistic ethics, responsibility, integrity, professionalism and the criteria of newsworthiness. Hence, news would be easily sold to the general public.
David Quamina
811000845
References:
Porter, Jeremy. 2010. “Five Ws and One H: The Secret to Complete News Stories.” August 5. Accessed September 28, 2012. http://blog.journalistics.com/2010/five-ws-one-h/.
2008. “BASIC principles of online journalism: B is for Brevity.” February 14. Accessed September 28, 2012. http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2008/02/14/basic-principles-of-online-journalism-b-is-for-brevity/.
http://hipbaze.com/stream-6lack-free-6lack-album-deluxe-edition-zip-download/
DeleteMitt Romney’s comment on the Palestinians and the 47% voters reminds me of the statement made by Zimbabwe President about Jamaicans that left them outraged. Politicians should always be careful of all that they say in public and private because it can be used against them in the future. Despite the fact that Mr. Mitt’s comments were not made on the campaign forum, he should be fully aware that whatever he says outside of the four walls of his home could come out to light and haunt him during elections. He not only has the Palestinians angry at him because he considers them as only for war but also the citizens of the United States especially those who in fact depend on the government grants.
ReplyDeleteSection 34 was recently altered. This amendment left persons in the country asking questions for which they wanted answered from the present administration. Due to questions raised by the country, it left a minister out of a job and several ministers apologising to the country. This clearly states to me that the altering of the section was one of two things; a huge mistake on behalf on the persons involved or an attempt to change the present section for their personal reasons.
Thanks to the media we as citizens should be made were of the wrongdoing of politicians. The media is in all right with any action that they take in educating the public of the considered misconduct of any citizen, politician or otherwise. Something could be ethical but not legal and vice versa. So when the media provides information to the public the information could in fact be legal but not ethical.
JACKIE CHANDLER
810001807
The media largely involved in the Mitt Scenario is Mother Jones and is known for its success in reporting liberal news concerning political, among other issues. It began with a magazine, went on to create a website referred to as motherjones.com and also launched programs on motherjones radio.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the media was within its right to publish this video because persons would want to know what type of person that is running to become leader of their country and this is why persons do background information research and continue to scrutinise every aspect of people running for president in America. So that, since the news media’s job is to inform the public of important current events in order to generate awareness, they utilize means available to them in sourcing their information. Therefore, if they received a video form someone present at the donors fundraiser where Mitt Romney was, surreptitiously recorded or not, I do not find anything wrong with that in this case. In addition, to support this, Mitt Romney told the media to play the whole video. This is seen in his statement "I hope the person who has the video would put out the full material” (Corn 2012). Hence, he has no problem with the entire video being played and revealing all that he has said.
On the other hand, the fact that the media left out the issue with the Palestinians looks at news style of writing and journalist style, where “journalists judge (what) would be of interest to their readers” and so this is what they write on (Ganpat 2012). One criteria is proximity, which shows that the 47% American comment is a local issue and so would have some effect on local persons giving this news greater value than that of the comment on the Palestinians. Therefore, the media retains the right, based on their criteria, to decide what valuable news to them is.
Although persons have a responsibility to read things that are of value to their well being, the general public would instil trust in the authority that was given to the justice minister to make the best decisions for the nation. Consequentially, the average weary citizen would easily bypass the flaw in the section 34 law that was created putting trust in the minister’s authority. The media as mentioned earlier reports based on set a criteria so that this local issue was given the forefront. I do not see in any way that they were unethical in performing their function and brining the message forward so that the public may be informed. The media maintained professionalism as it brought forth swiftly all the issues surrounding the section 34 issue from beginning to closer. According to the Encarta Dictionary, professionalism involves being in a paid job which expects certain “standards of skill and competence”. The media also seemed to uphold its integrity in reporting all the relevant information, since it reported the minister’s flaw in the section 34 law which was later confirmed by the Prime Minister, dismissing him from his post.
Corn, David. WATCH: Full Secret Video of Private Romney Fundraiser. 18 September 2012. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/watch-full-secret-video-private-romney-fundraiser (accessed September 29, 2012).
Ganpat, Wayne. “News Writing Journalist Style.” News Writing Powerpoint Presentation. St. Augustine: University of the West Indies, 1 September 2012.
Jenelle Nicome
810002151
The main objective of the media is to inform the public,to be critical of the government and our society,to improve their professsional,personnel and social lives as well as entertain and make a decent profit along the way.
ReplyDeleteDespite this,the Mitt Romney issue in which he dismissed 47% of the voters,I feel that the media had the right to publish the video as the American people should know how their Repbublican canidiate thinks about them.Everyone is entitled to their opinion but not because you are against a particular topic you are entitiled to say what ever you want at any given time ,there is a time an place for everything. Romney was out of line,he is a disgrace and embrassment to the country an everything it is built on.Now Romney is learning the hard way to think before he speaks about those he is asking to vote for him.
On Sunday,July 29,2012,Republican candidate Mitt Romney once again voiced his opinion where he delivered a speech concerning the economic sucess in Israel while on the next hand criticizing the Palestinion economy.My opinion on this issue is that the media had a right to ban the video as certain individuals are still sensitive about the particular topic.In order to stop further controversy amongst the palestions and members of the U.S it was best of them to curb the video from being published.
In conclusion the media is the one who influences the public and they sholud not be baised in presenting their informatoin , but they sholud be responsible to how much and in what way they are putting their message across,they should not be opinionative.Similarily with the trend of Section 34,the media has influenced the public view by making it seem as though the politicans were being very cunning in making it appear as though the government was running to pass section 34 for some seeming unscrupulous reason.The media needs to be very careful in what they say as well as what an how much they tell about a particular topic.
References:October 8,2012,Doug Nelson.Romney"47%" talk stirs up bourgeois debate over role of government.
www.dailypaul.com.Election 2012Ron Paul 2012.
Elesha Caton
ID#811000121
Media and by extension newspapers are a vital source of information and have a responsibility to the people they represent. They have to ask questions, scrutinise, and be ethical in the dissemination of information. According to the Journalists Code of Ethics (“As of June 26, 2012, The Office of the Prime Minister, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago listed on its website Journalists shall scrupulously report and interpret the news, taking care not to suppress essential facts nor to distort the truth by omission or improper emphasis. Journalists shall recognize the duty to air the other side and duty to correct substantive errors promptly. They shall not in any manner ridicule, cast aspersions or degrade any person by reason of sex, creed, religious belief, political conviction, cultural and ethnic origin.”
ReplyDeleteIn recent incidents Mitt Romney the “GOP” candidate was filmed in a video making belittling comments concerning 47% of the voters. While in Trinidad the section 34 debate keeps raging on. The issue I am addressing is the responsibility of the media to publish this video without the candidate’s prior knowledge and the timeliness of the delivery of the information on section 34. I do believe that the media was correct to publish this since the primary obligation of any media house is to present information that is accurate, fair, comprehensive, interesting and timely without interference from any body be it political, religious, ethnic and so on.
The media acts as a watchdog for wrongdoing and as such should always try to seek the truth and provide fair and comprehensive and timely accounts of events and issues. Personal and professional integrity should always be a cornerstone of a credible media house.
References
Canadian Newspaper Association
http://www.newspaperscanada.ca/about-newspapers/statement-principles
The Office of the Prime Minister, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. “Prime Minister’s address at the closing ceremony of the International Press Institute”
www.opm.gov.tt/media_centre.php?mid=14&eid=217
Sloan, Allan. “Mitt Romney and the 47 percent, joined at the hip”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/mitt-romney-and-the-47-percent-joined-at-the-hip/2012/09/26/0a32946a-072a-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_story.html
Cristal Bassaw
04734327
http://hipbaze.com/stream-6lack-free-6lack-album-deluxe-edition-zip-download/
DeleteThe media is a way in which news can be spread throughout an audience or even on a larger scale like a country, etc. the Mitt Romney video addressing 47% of the US voters along with his speech in which he spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians was in my opinion brilliant of the media to exposure the people that are leaders for their unfairness and equality to all. After revealing this information to the public, newspapers writers and the media on the whole saw this as a way to capture the attention of the US citizens, thus contributing to an increase in sales although at the same time educating the public of the unfairness and disregard to ethics.
ReplyDeleteI think the media stayed within its rights when it came to presenting this news to the public. They were intelligent in not highlighting the disrespect to the Palestinians as that could cause religious issues to arise. The media clearly analyzed their audience direct to as little attention being paid to the disparaging of the Palestinians by Romney because the news was solely directed to the US public to let them know of the doings of Mitt Romney, and mainly concentrated on that topic.
The media generally uses any little information to produce an article that would sell, as in the case in Trinidad and Tobago which regard to Section 34. With it being changed, a minister was asked to leave his job. The media in this case presented the news of Section 34 like there were unhand business being done. I for one applaud the media for their work as they allow the public to know the truth at times to what is going on, so that in this way the citizens can make better choices when selecting someone to represent the country.
Ramiz R.S. Rajack
811001005
In the overly exposed world of social media, privacy seems non existent and it’s no wonder that people are unsure of the ethical responsibilities of today’s media houses. What we read, what we see to what we hear is controlled by the media, their opinions become our opinions and if they don’t print it, we don’t know it. With this power over society, it’s only logical that media houses abide to some sort of moral fiber of media ethics. It is impossible to standardize rules to which every media house must abide by however in most cases they successfully achieve some moral rationale. Nonetheless, media stories are not immune to external political forces, entrepreneurs and celebrities who tend to sway stories from the truth or omit the truth. A perfect example came after, the controversial exposure of the Section 34 Act in the Justice System; a law which saves persons of criminal charges after a ten year time lapse once no trial has begun. The particular media house was in all their rights, to uncover the wrong doings of the present governing body; by which the implementation of the Section 34 law saved former financiers and businessmen Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson from extradition to the United States on fraud charges. Imagine, if this story wasn't reported and just swept under the rug because these laws affect not only politicians but everyday working people like you and me? Another example splashed on international papers was the omitting of believed to be racial comments on the Palestinians and the Jews made by US Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney. Instead, his remarks on the “Sharp tongued ladies of The View’ made it to the front pages where his Public relations personnel quickly stated her candidate was taken out of context. The consequences faced in the latter case were easily avoided however the severity of repealing justice legislation can not be taken as lightly. All in all, it’s clear the powerful role media played in both examples, with regards to media ethics and the responsibly they have towards the public and what they believe the public has a right to know.
ReplyDeleteReferences
1)Andre Bagoo, “Section 34 simply wrong” Trinidad and Tobago Newsday September 29 2012, accessed September 29 2012, http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,166896.html
2) Lisa De Maraces “ Mitt Romney and the sharp tongued women of the view” The Washington Post September 19 2012, accessed September 29, 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/tv-column-mitt-romney-and-the-sharp-tongued-women-of-the-view/2012/09/19/4172
3) Sam Stein, “Mitt Romney Video: 'Palestinians Have No Interest Whatsoever In Establishing Peace” The Huffington Post September 18 2012 accessed September 29, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/18/mitt-romney-palestine-video_n_1892862.html
Sorcia D'Arceuil
809001858
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; (Madison 1789) According to this law, one must agree that the media was within its rights to do what was done in the Mitt Romney secret video controversy. However once must question the media’s integrity and professionalism in terms of the reporters journalism ethics and responsibility to their readers.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of journalism ethics, one cannot help but to wonder at what means are some people willing to go to cover something that’s news worthy? I mean, unless a person is like the Kardashians who sells their personal life to the media, therefore it’s just to say a public recognised person is still entitled to have some level of privacy. This video was taken in a closed door meeting, a private meeting. By looking at the video you can see the desperation in capturing the exclusive footage.
Additionally, journalists’ responsibility to their readers mainly is to provide full coverage on the present issues at hand. Just like how the Mirror was the first to cover the Section 34 fiasco in Trinidad and Tobago. As the issue draws major concerns, journalist from all the major organisations made it their duty to cover the controversy from all angles and areas. Other obligations are those “common elements including the principles of — truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability — as these apply to the acquisition of newsworthy information and its subsequent dissemination to the public.” (Wikipedia n.d.) From watching the clip from various news and blog sites such as B.B.C news, and motherjones.com, it was concluded that accuracy and objectivity were compromise. That is to say they edited the video, thereby only showing the more polemic areas of the video. This can cause viewers to misinterpret what Mr Rommey message, as they did not see the full length of the video.
Brandon Murphy
811005940
Reference
Madison, James. U.S. Constitution. 1789. http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_Am1.html.
Wikipedia. Journalism ethics and standards. n.d. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism_ethics_and_standards.
Being a politician himself, Mr. Romney should not have been dismissive of those voters. At that point of time trying to increase your votes and winning the election should be of most importance. Not being on the other side. The impact of his address can therefore loose many of his potential voters. As we all know local news have greater value to the media than international issues. Especially there is a massive effect on a population. The media covers every aspect of it. The media do have the right as it’s their job to bring the people the news and ‘happenings’ of the country. Mr. Romney statement may have been dangerous and should have been careful with his words. However it was a public forum where he was allowed to voice his remarks and concerns. Another side to this is that the media do have a way of making changes to certain stories to catch the attention of audiences, as we all long for juicy headlines. This however we may not know for sure.
ReplyDeleteThis also brings about the issue of the Palestinians whom he spoke about. He criticized the Palestinians economy and also mentioned the economic success in Israel. My outlook on this matter is that the media had all the right to disallow the continuity of the video as it is highly regarded as a controversial topic. Countries such as Afghan, Israel and Pakistan have always been a main target to the US eyes. Being a US politician making this statement can broaden the gap between these countries. On the other hand some may think they had the right to publish the video as it brings the truth behind the political arena. His words again can affect his potential voters and show that he may not be an appropriate government representative.
Trinidad and Tobago Issue of ‘Section 34’ is of great importance for future constitutional amendments and for good governance. The section 34 fiasco smells of deception and corruption as it unearthed the evading possible penalties of the Piarco Airport scandal. Now that the public knows ; thanks to the media; that the government and opposition are willing to pass laws which would assist persons facing jail would want section 34 for their cases. The media knows how to capture their audience attention as they use these juicy issues for their stories. I commend these agencies as they have brought about awareness of section 34, since this law affects T&T citizens.
Shikshamani Dubay
810000221
Media refers to the technologies used to convey news to large number of persons by mass communication. However newsworthiness is determined by its, the timeliness, proximity, possible future impact, prominence, conflict, consequence and shock value (CyberCollege 2012).
ReplyDeleteI think that American media found the surreptitiously taped speech of Mitt Romney in which he appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters (Communication Skills for Professionals (AGEX 3004). 2012) found it news worthy.
The story is timely because it was reported shortly after was taped. The report deals with Americans, so it is in proximity and therefore would be of interest to the Americans. It has possible future impact because it will undoubtedly affect the way some Americans judge his character. Mitt Romney is a prominent person and the fact that the report would encourage conflict and conflicting thoughts makes it news worthy to the media.
This issue could be alluded to the local issue of section 34 which has made news for the entire month of September and is still making new. This issue is news worthy because it is in close proximity; it raised conflict, will have future impact, is about prominent persons and has great shock value.
On the other hand the section of the speech, where Mitt Romney spoke in a disrespectful way about the Palestinians was not included in the report because they are not in proximity and therefore it will not be of interest to the readers.
On the contrary, I believe that the report was a breach of ethics because the speech was taped with secrecy. However I also believe that reporters have a responsibility to the reader to provide them with valuable information to keep them in the know and alert them about issues that might affect them in the future.
Malika Simon
810000431
Communication Skills for Professionals (AGEX 3004). September 25th, 2012. http://communicatorskills.blogspot.com/2012/09/question-of-week.html#comment-form (accessed September 29th, 2012).
CyberCollege. 2012. http://www.cybercollege.com/newscrit.htm (accessed September 29th, 2012).
In today’s society the media would do anything to get a successful story. That attitude and sacrifice are the key factors in newswriting and print media. Newswriting attempts to answer all the basic questions about an event-(who, what, when, where, why and also often how) of the opening article. News stories can also contain one of the following important characteristics relative to the intended audience. These characteristics have an effect on humans and draw their attention to the article.
ReplyDeleteMembers of the public are required to be extremely careful in their word of thought when giving public speeches, as the media are highly skilled in twisting their words around to attract readers and viewers, especially famous people in society. Mitt Romney, a current candidate for the upcoming election in America was surreptitiously taped while giving a speech where he stated he was dismissive of 47% of the voters and also in the same speech he spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians. This was an ideal topic for the media to publish as they knew it would have an effect on almost 50% of the American population which would make the article a success. The media was within their rights to publish this as they truthfully exposed Mitt Romney sincere thoughts and true belief to the world as this tape was edited and concealed from the public eyes.
The media was rather profitable when publishing this article as they knew it would affect most of the Americans as the article heading would attract both the member following politics and the non-followers. These are some of the basic skills news writers use when publishing an article.
Also in another country around the globe, continuing on the same political views, the media exposed some members of the parliament as they were guilty of curry favor. This was noticed after the chief justice passed a law to please his associates. He changed the current law so that all the court cases his associates had can be discard. The public was notified of the corruption due to the media as they played a major role in sharing the information.
It can be concluded that the media has its benefits and disadvantage but most times they are just exposing the public to the true views and belief by certain members of a society.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_style
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1efM2mYNocM
http://mediacareers.about.com/od/thenecessaryskills/a/WritingSkills.htm
In today’s society the media would do anything to get a successful story. That attitude and sacrifice are the key factors in newswriting and print media. Newswriting attempts to answer all the basic questions about an event-(who, what, when, where, why and also often how) of the opening article. News stories can also contain one of the following important characteristics relative to the intended audience. These characteristics have an effect on humans and draw their attention to the article.
ReplyDeleteMembers of the public are required to be extremely careful in their word of thought when giving public speeches, as the media are highly skilled in twisting their words around to attract readers and viewers, especially famous people in society. Mitt Romney, a current candidate for the upcoming election in America was surreptitiously taped while giving a speech where he stated he was dismissive of 47% of the voters and also in the same speech he spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians. This was an ideal topic for the media to publish as they knew it would have an effect on almost 50% of the American population which would make the article a success. The media was within their rights to publish this as they truthfully exposed Mitt Romney sincere thoughts and true belief to the world as this tape was edited and concealed from the public eyes.
The media was rather profitable when publishing this article as they knew it would affect most of the Americans as the article heading would attract both the member following politics and the non-followers. These are some of the basic skills news writers use when publishing an article.
Also in another country around the globe, continuing on the same political views, the media exposed some members of the parliament as they were guilty of curry favor. This was noticed after the chief justice passed a law to please his associates. He changed the current law so that all the court cases his associates had can be discard. The public was notified of the corruption due to the media as they played a major role in sharing the information.
It can be concluded that the media has its benefits and disadvantage but most times they are just exposing the public to the true views and belief by certain members of a society.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_style
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1efM2mYNocM
http://mediacareers.about.com/od/thenecessaryskills/a/WritingSkills.htm
Dareem Moore
811003089
I believe that the American media was well within its right to release the surreptitiously taped video of Mitt Romney’s speech where he appeared to be dismissive to 47% of voters and disrespectful to Palestinians of the Middle East. Commenting on what was said; he should have been more discrete in his comments especially when the media would be highly critical of the comments of all campaign members at this time. Whilst the media omitted his remarks on the Palestinians, reports have revealed this information to the public still. In the heights of American elections being six to seven weeks away, all voters should be fully aware of whom they are voting for to represent their country. Consequently, it is simply the job of the media to publish newsworthy information and issues like this to the general American public. News about events gearing up towards the general elections in the U.S. are timely- that is it carries the “what’s going “factor and is news that would be aired and published daily and weekly, the impact on American voters is great simply because numerous persons would be affected by the new elected person chosen for presidency and Mitt Romney’s remarks about the Palestinians could potentially stir up conflict and war with the Middle East. As a result, this point reiterates the fact that the media were well within its rights to publish what they did. In response this, Romney stood by the comments he made in his taped speech however, he also revealed that what was published did not fully reflect his true remarks. In my opinion, it may be a little too late because damage has already been done and he could have already lost a number of potential voters. This situation is no different from the Section 34 scandal in Trinidad. Reality is that citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have grown tired of being “left out”. As a result, various groups in Trinidad have lobbied with the Opposition to demand answers regarding the truth behind the decisions being made by the present Government. Claims have been made that the media has “sized up” the Section 34 issue to create propaganda. Contrary to that belief, the media’s responsibility with regards to communication is to inform, instruct and entertain all news, not omitted news to the general public about what’s going on in the country. It’s about time.
ReplyDeleteShaniece Mitchell
811000364
References:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19637631
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/watch-full-secret-video-private-romney-fundraiser
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/JACK_ATTACKS_MEDIA-171639871.html
Media, although it casts a negative light from time to time, it definitely has become an important part of everyday life for most people. It is vital part of broadcasting information to the world. It can play a big role in how the message is received by the audience as well.
ReplyDeleteConcerning the situation with Mr. Mitt Rooney, I think that, his own words were to his detriment. At a time, as delicate as elections, why would you choose to quote something despairingly to almost 50% of the population? I know that he probably wanted to get out his views but its half of his potential votes. In the first place, before the media even came in to play, Mr. Rooney made a bad judgment on his part, he knew fully well, the amount forms of media would that would be there. With his actions, he could have anticipated the impact it might have had. However, in some cases the media can be so underhanded and blatantly disrespectful by changing up what the entire meaning of what people really want to say. Sometimes you may have no way of knowing the truth about certain things. What does that fall under? Freedom of press? With all this said, the man still has freedom of speech and the media also have the right of way to deliver these messages to the public. Although people tend question some of their ethics because the media has been known to pull some stunts. All in all I think that the media was well in their rights to publish the information about him.
Moving on to the local fiasco, of section 34 ACT, it is situations like these, that we must be most thankful to the media for. So much probably happens without the public knowing, but it great to see that the media was able to bring something like this to light. It just goes to show how dishonest people can be and the media is just there to expose them for what they really are at times. Why should there be laws for citizens to follow when these politicians and their friends seem to believe they are above the law and pull a stunt like this. Clearly they are not citizens too, if they felt could have gotten away with such an act.
In the end, there are two sides to every coin, and the media can be very underhanded themselves, but in these cases, more than ever they had the right to deliver their messages to the public and the public has the right to know.
Shani Woodsley
811001191
I believe that the American media was well within its right to release the surreptitiously taped video of Mitt Romney’s speech where he appeared to be dismissive to 47% of voters and disrespectful to Palestinians of the Middle East. Commenting on what was said; he should have been more discrete in his comments especially when the media would be highly critical of the comments of all campaign members at this time. Whilst the media omitted his remarks on the Palestinians, reports have revealed this information to the public still. In the heights of American elections being six to seven weeks away, all voters should be fully aware of whom they are voting for to represent their country. Consequently, it is simply the job of the media to publish newsworthy information and issues like this to the general American public. News about events gearing up towards the general elections in the U.S. are timely- that is it carries the “what’s going “factor and is news that would be aired and published daily and weekly, the impact on American voters is great simply because numerous persons would be affected by the new elected person chosen for presidency and Mitt Romney’s remarks about the Palestinians could potentially stir up conflict and war with the Middle East. As a result, this point reiterates the fact that the media were well within its rights to publish what they did. In response this, Romney stood by the comments he made in his taped speech however, he also revealed that what was published did not fully reflect his true remarks. In my opinion, it may be a little too late because damage has already been done and he could have already lost a number of potential voters. This situation is no different from the Section 34 scandal in Trinidad. Reality is that citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have grown tired of being “left out”. As a result, various groups in Trinidad have lobbied with the Opposition to demand answers regarding the truth behind the decisions being made by the present Government. Claims have been made that the media has “sized up” the Section 34 issue to create propaganda. Contrary to that belief, the media’s responsibility with regards to communication is to inform, instruct and entertain all news, not omitted news to the general public about what’s going on in the country. It’s about time.
ReplyDeleteShaniece Mitchell
811000364
References:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/watch-full-secret-video-private-romney-fundraiser
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19637631
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/JACK_ATTACKS_MEDIA-171639871.html
The purpose of the mass media is debatable. The primary objective and purpose of the media is to inform, educate and entertain the largest possible audience. Others see it having a “hypoderitic needle” effect. In short-term, it is the idea that the makers of media messages can get up to do whatever they want us to do (Charles, 2010).
ReplyDeleteWith respect to Mitt Romney’s speech in which he dismissed 47% of the voters, in my opinion it was right of the media to publish the video as to inform the citizens of the United States of America about Romney’s concept of them. Responding to the leaked video on Monday night at a press conference in Costa Mesa, Romney stood by what he said in the clip, but he admitted he could have been more eloquent at the time the video was shot (Bartz, 2012). Everyone is entitled to their opinions, however, it was disrespectful of him to say his views right there and then.
Furthermore, Romney stated his views on the Palestinians by condemning their economy and also about the economic success in Israel. However, the media did not take action upon this since it is a very contentious topic. A reason why this topic was hidden so that the US can be protected from attacks by certain countries. Once again, his words of thought may distress his possible voters and allow citizens to think he is not allegeable government representative.
With regards to section 34 in Trinidad and Tobago the media has also created a stir of emotions influencing the citizens of the country to make it appear that the government wanted to pass it. This form helped maximize profit in media houses in headlines. In conclusion, the media can be both advantageous and disadvantageous at the same time and need to be more precise and factual about a topic.
References:
Charles, K. 2010. Mass Media. August 12 2010. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:AJtDVuEF1OYJ:www.digitaltermpapers.com/b4250.htm+the+purpose+of+the+mass+media&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=tt (Accessed: September 30, 2012)
Bartz, J. 2012. “Palestinians slam Romney remarks as absolutely unacceptable.” http://rt.com/news/romney-palestinians-remarks-peace-450/ (Accessed: September 30, 2012)
Sharmila Ganpat
809002681
ReplyDeleteMedia houses allow communication to flow liberally and privacy is nonexistent. They are the most influential vehicles of mass communication. These hegemonic bodies produce ideologies that instruct the audience to act a certain way. The news decoded by the audience shapes the audiences’ thoughts about society especially when one of the factors that determine the worthiness of an article is prominence. Prominence seeks to understand how important an event, situation or person is and who are involved. For instance according to the speech which Mitt Romney spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians, the US presidential candidate stated that his remarks were ‘"inelegant" but he did not retract the points he had made.’ (BBC News). As a person of his position in politics, his comment raised a lot of questions in the minds of voters. I think the media was within its rights to expose Romney so that voters can better understand whose hands they are putting their future and their country’s well being into. In local news the senate president, Mr. Hamel-Smith was also within his rights to expose the Section 34 which was amended in the Senate and then passed in both Houses. He explains that he also takes personal responsibility for the legislation “which allowed persons to escape liability for crimes that are more than ten-years-old”. I believe that this issue which has been brought to light has informed citizens about flaws made by the current government. It also informs citizens about the lapse in duty by politicians and the jeopardy it could have put innocent citizens in. The use of the proximity of local news, prominence of famous people, the use of catchy headlines, relevance and conflict are all marketing strategies used by gatekeepers as a vehicle to expose stories in which its audience should be informed about.
Andre Bagoo, “Section 34 simply wrong” Trinidad and Tobago Newsday September 29 2012, accessed September 29 2012, http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,166896.html
BBC News US & Canada, “Mitt Romney secret tape of Florida speech” 18 September 2012, accessed September 29 2012, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19634262
Mother Jones, “SECRET VIDEO: Romney Tells Millionaire Donors What He REALLY Thinks of Obama Voters”, accessed September 29 2012, http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/secret-video-romney-private-fundraiser
NAME: WHITNEY PRISCILLA KATWAROO
I.D : 810001472
A leaked video held at a private fundraiser could jeopardize Mitt Romney’s efforts for presidency. In the video he says that forty-seven per cent of the American public will vote for Obama no matter what. They are dependent on the government and pay no income tax. These statements affect Romney’s credibility as a presidential candidate and have subjected him to much criticism. The media was within its rights to make this video public information.
ReplyDeleteThe voters have a right to know who they would be voting for. As a politician he is putting himself in the public eye. Everything he does will be heavily scrutinized. Every statement he makes affects the voters’ decisions. The media has freedom of speech and the voters have a right to know this kind of information. Romney is a potential president after all and he basically dismisses half the voting population. He should have conducted himself differently. The press was simply doing their job which is to inform the public. The part of the video where Romney spoke about the Palestinians was intentionally kept from the public. The media knows its audience and this is a sensitive issue for Americans. Proximity is the main issue at hand in this case. The public would be more concerned about information that would directly affect them. The Palestinian issue is a foreign matter.
With respect to the section 34 issue, the media was doing the audience a justice for exposing this information about the government. This kind of news is of great interest to the public. It reveals certain details about the leaders of the country. This story ties in with all the factors needed for a page 3 article particularly conflict, prominence impact and relevance.
References
1)“Leaked video jeopardises Romney's bid for US presidency,” 27th September, 2012. (Accessed 29th September, 2012).
2)“Romney says Palestinians have 'no interest' in peace,” 19th September, 2012. (Accessed 29th September, 2012).
3)“Prime Minister's statement on the "Section 34" issue,” 20th September, 2012. (Accessed 29th September, 2012).
Ivana Parsotan
810003896
The purpose of the media is to express their views and opinions get the current news out to the public. In the Mitt Romney speech the media reported it to the public as they are supposed to do. They are within their rights because they are just doing their job as reporters. His took place in a public arena and the media was just bringing the events in a public figure's life to the public. He dismissed voters and this was a very unprofessional thing for him to do, the public needed to know of it and it is the media's job to get it out there to them. They need to inform the public of his actions so that the voters would be able to make the right decision when voting in the elections.
ReplyDeleteWhen Mitt Romney commented on the Palestinians, the media did not broadcast this to the public , they may have chosen to do this as a method of their way of broadcasting. They may be trying to protect the US in the sense that if they drew attention to a sensitive topic like that it would have gained unwanted attention and may have proven to be dangerous for the US.
The media needs to catch the public's attention and newspapers need to write in a way that will cause some uproar in order for them to be successful. This is the case with their style of reporting and broadcasting the controversial issue of Section 34. They definitely caused some conflict in their reports, articles and headlines in the past few weeks and this is commendable on their path because they have done their job well as reporters.
Vijaya Singh
811002001
One of Trinidad’s media, Trinidad Express, published an article about Mitt Romney’s (candidate for the president of the United States) speech dismissing 47% of voters. The speech was secretly recorded and made public. Concerning the America media, it was both good and bad to make it public. It contained information relevant to the US public and is a form of freedom of speech. On the other hand the video was done without permission. The article published in the Express mentioned the comment from Romney about the Palestinians which was not included in the video in You Tube.
ReplyDeleteIn analysing the article in the newspaper, the writer chose a newsworthy story. It was published approximately 2 days after the incident, was straight to the point, related to a conflict in politics and would affect voters and their choice of the future American president. The world would get to know the true personality of Mitt Romney. People should realize that Romney is not president material if he targets the Palestinians with reckless comments and he does not show equality to all races. The writer presented facts by quoting from Romney’s speech. There was interaction with the reader making them think when saying that Romney was an Obama voter since he didn't pay taxes yet he claimed that non tax payers were the current Obama supporters. Similarly to the section 34, Volney used his knowledge of law to money launder; Romney was manipulating the law to not pay taxes. Other factors that made the article newsworthy was that it was easy to read with few political terminologies, the sentences were moderate in length, the article kept the reader’s attention until the last line and finally; the writer took both sides of the debate by neither bashing nor promoting Romney displaying true journalism.
References
(Trinidad Express Newspapers, Is Romney one of the 47%? 2012)
(Newsday,Inquiry into section 34. 2012)
(You Tube,Leaked! Mitt Romney on Obama voters. 2012)
Beena Ramkissoon;
810003839.
Albert Camus said it best in saying that “a man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.” Hence, ethics how it relates to the world of news writing and print media gives way to the fact that it is preposterous to expect reporters to be assertive towards authorities in relation to their expectancy to possess morals and courage to refuse participating in political purposes programs.
ReplyDeleteTherefore presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s standpoint on the 47 percent of Americans whom feel as though they are entitled to support from the government as well as his disparaging regards to the Palestinians; left him in a position to be exposed once his words were spoken.
Now the release of Romney’s taped session as it concerned the 47 percent and their dependence as a factor of their supporting Obama leads to the understanding of the medias responsibility to the readers. This responsibility of the media is to attract and hold the reader’s attention, restricted to the consideration of the public’s welfare. Embodying the freedom of the press which relates the unquestionable right to discussion what is not explicitly forbidden by law; where the articles are to be warranted by its contents.
In comparison to omission as it relates to his statements referring to the Palestinians, which would stand to bring about controversy and it stands an insignificant factor on the welfare of the audience, even though it display his ignorance of his surroundings as a possible leader. As it relates to the local issue of section 34; the omission was appropriate simply because controversy may possess very tangible effects on the country as it refers to the tainting of the perception of the public’s trust in the government.
References
Huff Post Politics. Mitt Romney Video: Barack Obama Voters ‘Dependent On Government.’ September 19, 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/mitt-romney-video_n_1829455.html (accessed 27, September 2012)
eHow. Ethics of Print Media. January 31, 2012. http://www.ehow.com/about_6239171_ethics-print-media.html (accessed 28, September 2012)
BrainyQuote. Ethics Quotes. 2001-2012. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/privacy.html (accessed September 28, 2012).
Yeshantai Thompson
810004022
The American media was right to report on the speech of Mitt Romney. The media has the right to transfer issues that would affect a large percentage of any population. One main function of the news writing media is to inform the general public about current issues. News is the communication of selected information on current event, which is presented to the general public. The omission of the Palestinians remarks may have been a tactical one to protect the US from conflict involving the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteSection 34 states that, the media stirred up emotions and generated conflict amongst the audience. This law affects all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. The media definitely knows how to play with our emotions, stir up conflict with only the use of a headline leaving the audience wanting more. Due to questions raised by the country, it left a minister out of a job and several ministers apologizing to the country.
Print media should follow good journalistic ethics for success. Shortness and simplicity are important properties in writing because it makes reading more applicable. Thus, short sentences and short paragraph are easier to decode by the receiver. Integrity is very important in writing. Print media should include quotations to eliminate biases. Once all ethics are followed professionalism in writing would be achieved.
Newswriting attempts to answer all the basic questions concerning an event (who, what, when, where, why and also how) of the opening news story.
Finally, ethics, integrity and professionalism in writing news story will ensure news to be sold to the general public.
Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/mitt-romney-video_n_1829455.html
Geselle Leacock
811100490
Many views were given concerning the controversial tape of Mitt Romney’s speech at a private meeting. It often makes us question to what means do journalist go through to get a cover story. The issue of ‘freedom of the press’ has to be considered because the media does have its rights. However, the fact that the tape was recorded surreptitiously to Romney’s knowledge sparks certain concerns. Nonetheless, the issues raised in the recording showed Romney’s true feelings towards certain issues. As such media houses thought that this uncut version of the Presidential candidate’s speech was newsworthy enough for not only the voting public but everyone interested worldwide.
ReplyDeleteHis speech covered some controversial topics such as the “47 percent” of voters that will vote for Barak Obama no matter what because they are the ones that don’t pay taxes and are dependent on the government. He also commented on the topic of the Palestinians where he said that they were not interested in establishing peace. Some print media choose to publish this part of the speech while others choose not to. As a result of these two points made we could understand why the media broadcasted the speech. They gave many an inside scoop of the Republican candidate running for President as media is the only source where people can retrieve information.
The speech is newsworthy mainly because of prominence, conflict, timeliness and human interest. All these factors can account for the release of this recording by the press media. The timing of the release of this information is crucial during the Presidential Campaign as Mitt Romney possibly would lose some votes. This issue can also be linked to the “Section 34 Indictable Proceedings Act” in Trinidad and Tobago. This issue has been the main focus of all print media from various angles. Despite the fact that it has been in the news for weeks now, it’s still newsworthy due to prominence, conflict and timeliness.
References:
Wikipedia, “Freedom of the press” September 28th, 2012, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_the_press#Freedom_of_the_Press
Mother Jones, “Watch: Full Secret Video of Private Romney Fundraiser”, September 28th, 2012, http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/watch-full-secret-video-private-romney-fundraiser
Politifact, “Mitt Romney says voters who support Barack Obama are “people who pay no income tax”, September 28th, 2012, http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/sep/18/mitt-romney/mitt-romney-says-voters-who-support-barack-obama-a/
Morissa Rodney
811000467
At a fundraising dinner, Mitt Romney was secretly filmed. In the video which surfaced recently, Mitt Romney said that 47% of the American public will vote for Barack Obama no matter what, because they pay no income tax and they're dependent on the country. Even though this video may jeopardise Romney's bid for running for presidency, I think the media was in their rights surfacing the video. Citizens should be aware if the person whom they a voting for. Between an interview carried out by Liam Cochrane and Tom Switzer, Tom Switzer said " The problem with Romney is that he's prone to making silly comments". In the video Romney also made indelicate remarks about the Isreal and the Palestine. Some may argue that they shouldn't have edited the video since the purpose of the video was to jeopardise the Mitt Romney's position in the upcoming elections. However,those remarks won't have been any interest to the readers.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to the Section 34 issue, it is somewhat similar to the Mitt Romney situation. In Trinidad and Tobago, it have been the story for the past month and journalist were able to derived several other issues from it. One has to keep in mind that the media is capable of stirring up one's emotions. While, it maybe causing conflict readers' tend to want more. With respect to Section 34 issue as well as the Romney situation, I think its right that media exposed certain issues. Citizens have the right to know what's goin on in their country
References:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/mitt-romney-video_n_1829455.html (Last accessed on 30th September, 2012)
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Lessons_from_Section_34-171449571.html (Last Accessed on 30th September, 2012)
Shivani Sinanan
810001322
The media are within their rights to make public the video that surfaced with Mitt Romney. He is an "American businessman and politician who is the nominee of the Republican Party for President of the United States in the 2012 election", so anything he says with respect to politics is news. This readers/listeners that saw or heard the video, I'm sure a small % of the 47% may change their minds towards whom they are voting for after hearing the video that surfaced. The media has a duty to the masses, to express, educate, persuade and entertain, they did just that.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to what we were doing in class this news story has timeliness (Close to the presidential campaign), prominence (He is a presidential candidate), Conflict (This can change votes). This news story is mostly interesting and likely to have a lot of headlines not only in the US but worldwide because the USA general elections. In addition to this the story generates controversy which will sell a lot of articles. Writers and publishers must also remember to be unbiased in their work and present in the best interest of its readers.
With the Section 34 matter the media was doing the same as in the Mitt Romney comments. They informed the public on what was going on.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19634262
Shane Tennia
807002418
In the video of Mitt Romney being dismissive of 47% of voters and being disrespectful to the Palestinians has gotten a lot of attention, by many people of the United States, it was recorded without his knowledge and released to the public. The videos sparked the attention mostly because it contradicted what he for his election promises. This congressman denied that the full video has not been released and his words were manipulated in some ways, to make him look bad. These comments were uncalled for, he is entitled to his opinion but as a public figure this statements made him look bias and these biases can affect the relationship with other countries. The media has an important purpose to inform the public on what is going around them. In this case the media choose to highlight the issues with the 47% voters more than the Palestinians issues, as it is a sensitive topic. His Words in the video on Palestinians are “committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel” was not highlighted in some media areas some news channels, YouTube, and papers choose to leave it completely, this was to not make American looked biased to the Middle East issues, as Mitt Romney is a contender to be President if he wins. The media houses choose to highlight the 47% voters because of the upcoming election, they showed a video of an important public figure being bias and disrespectful, and in this case they did their jobs of being informative. In the matter of the section 34 in Trinidad and Tobago for weeks every headline, newspapers was something in regards to Section 34. Some media houses choose to make the government look bias and they were trying to help out Ish and Steve in their cases. A lot of people were upset, confuse on what Section 34 was really about. In concluding the media has a right to expose important public figures on their bias to allow the citizens to get a sense of who they are electing a leader of a Country, as it is their choice to pick sense from nonsense.
ReplyDeleteLaura Rajaram
809002156
I believe that the American media was well within its right to release the surreptitiously taped video of Mitt Romney’s speech where he appeared to be dismissive to 47% of voters and disrespectful to Palestinians of the Middle East. Commenting on what was said; he should have been more discrete in his comments especially when the media would be highly critical of the comments of all campaign members at this time. Whilst the media omitted his remarks on the Palestinians, reports have revealed this information to the public still. In the heights of American elections being six to seven weeks away, all voters should be fully aware of whom they are voting for to represent their country. Consequently, it is simply the job of the media to publish newsworthy information and issues like this to the general American public. News about events gearing up towards the general elections in the U.S. are timely- that is it carries the “what’s going “factor and is news that would be aired and published daily and weekly, the impact on American voters is great simply because numerous persons would be affected by the new elected person chosen for presidency and Mitt Romney’s remarks about the Palestinians could potentially stir up conflict and war with the Middle East. As a result, this point reiterates the fact that the media were well within its rights to publish what they did. In response this, Romney stood by the comments he made in his taped speech however, he also revealed that what was published did not fully reflect his true remarks. In my opinion, it may be a little too late because damage has already been done and he could have already lost a number of potential voters. This situation is no different from the Section 34 scandal in Trinidad. Reality is that citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have grown tired of being “left out”. As a result, various groups in Trinidad have lobbied with the Opposition to demand answers regarding the truth behind the decisions being made by the present Government. Claims have been made that the media has “sized up” the Section 34 issue to create propaganda. Contrary to that belief, the media’s responsibility with regards to communication is to inform, instruct and entertain all news, not omitted news to the general public about what’s going on in the country. It’s about time.
ReplyDeleteShaniece Mitchell
811000364
References:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/watch-full-secret-video-private-romney-fundraiser
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19637631
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/JACK_ATTACKS_MEDIA-171639871.html
The media can be defined as communication channels through which news, entertainment, education, data, or promotional messages are disseminated. Media includes every broadcasting and narrowcasting medium such as newspapers, magazines, Television, radio, billboards, direct mail, telephone, fax, and internet.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of the media is to transmit an unprejudiced message to the audience. The responsibilities of the media are to inform and to entertain via news. News is any report of an event that editors judge would be of interest to their readers. However, the extent to which the news can report depends exclusively on the laws enforced at that immediate time.
In the case of, Mitt Romney speech, where he appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters; I believe that the media had the right to publish this. I say this because he is an elective to represent the American people and it is important for them to know what he thinks about them. Some outraging Palestinian leaders suggested his comments were racist and out of touch with the realities of the Middle East. I also agree with this as he was being over the edge unethical in his critiques.
This matter could allude to the local issue of section 34 which has made news for the entire month of September in Trinidad. Section 34 states that, the media stimulated emotions and generated conflict amongst the audience. This law affects all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
Additionally, I believe that the report was contravened of ethics because the speech was taped with secrecy. However I also believe that reporters have a responsibility to the reader to provide them with valuable information to keep them in the up to date with issues about Mitt Romney as he is an elective to represent the country. Because of his insensible behaviour to disregard some of his potential voters, the numbers may decline as they would not want to vote for him again. Furthermore, he may lose other potential voters because if he can talk bad of some people, who are the others for him to not disrespect?
Regarding the section 34 issue, the media was doing the audience (the public) a huge favor for revealing this information about the Mitt Romney. This news is of great importance and interest to the public. It discloses particulars about the potential leaders of the country and this indeed is vital.
REFERENCE
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/30/mitt-romney-palestinians_n_1718496.html
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2487435
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Lessons_from_Section_34-171449571.html
SHANYSE TAYLOR
811000107
I believe that the American media was well within its right to release the surreptitiously taped video of Mitt Romney’s speech where he appeared to be dismissive to 47% of voters and disrespectful to Palestinians of the Middle East. Commenting on what was said; he should have been more discrete in his comments especially when the media would be highly critical of the comments of all campaign members at this time. Whilst the media omitted his remarks on the Palestinians, reports have revealed this information to the public still. In the heights of American elections being six to seven weeks away, all voters should be fully aware of whom they are voting for to represent their country. Consequently, it is simply the job of the media to publish newsworthy information and issues like this to the general American public. News about events gearing up towards the general elections in the U.S. are timely- that is it carries the “what’s going “factor and is news that would be aired and published daily and weekly, the impact on American voters is great simply because numerous persons would be affected by the new elected person chosen for presidency and Mitt Romney’s remarks about the Palestinians could potentially stir up conflict and war with the Middle East. As a result, this point reiterates the fact that the media were well within its rights to publish what they did. In response to this, Romney stood by the comments he made in his taped speech however, he also revealed that what was published did not fully reflect his true remarks. In my opinion, it may be a little too late because damage has already been done and he could have already lost a number of potential voters. This situation is no different from the Section 34 scandal in Trinidad. Reality is that citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have grown tired of being “left out”. As a result, various groups in Trinidad have lobbied with the Opposition to demand answers regarding the truth behind the decisions being made by the present Government. Claims have been made that the media has “sized up” the Section 34 issue to create propaganda. Contrary to that belief, the media’s responsibility with regards to communication is to inform, instruct and entertain all news, not omitted news to the general public about what’s going on in the country. It’s about time.
ReplyDeleteShaniece Mitchell
811000364
References:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/watch-full-secret-video-private-romney-fundraiser
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19637631
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/JACK_ATTACKS_MEDIA-171639871.html
The speech that Mitt Romney made whether it was made in a private reception or not the public has a right to hear it. Mitt Romney is a candidate that is running for President and the public whether they are voters or non-voters have the right to know the man who may be their future President. Mitt Romney was just quoting the facts when he said that 47% of voters will vote for Barrack Obama no matter what. He is just voicing his opinion and this generally happens during the election campaigning period, each candidate attacks the other in their speeches. However, in my opinion Mitt Romney is not thinking clearly because he is attacking the public and most importantly the voters who he will want to vote for him.
ReplyDeleteI totally support the media in choosing to bring to light the part of the speech concerning the voters and not the part about Palestinians. Recently the video that was made by America demeaning the Muslims caused the riots and a lot of other issues and if the part of Romney’s speech about the Palestinians was aired then another set of riots would have taken placed. Therefore the media acted correctly in this circumstance.
Concerning the issue of the Section 34 act in Trinidad and Tobago, if it was not for the media the general public would not have known about the act. This is what the media should be doing bringing the issues to light Too much happen that the public does not know about and the media is supposed to inform the citizens about the decisions made by the Government on our behalf. Well done Trinidad and Tobago media.
Solan, Allan. “Mitt Romney and the 47 percent, joined at the hip” http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/mitt-romney-and-the-47-percent-joined-at-the-hip/2012/09/26/0a32946a-072a-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_story.html
Andre Bagoo, “Section 34 simply wrong” Trinidad and Tobago Newsday September 29 2012 http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,166896.html
Isaac Lakhan
811001059
In the reflection of Mitt Romney’s speech where he appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters, I think the media was within their rights to show it to the public. Mr. Romney is after all a public figure thus anything he says and does would affect public drastically. Especially since he is going up for elections. The public has a right to know how he thinks if he is could possibly be their leader. I agree that the comment he made about the Palestine should have been edited out because, this may have caused a riot or an up roar. In this case he just did not say 47% but however singled out a particular group which can be very detrimental.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the media’s responsibility to the public in this case was very good. The media choose not to combine problems of internal affairs with that of international relations because of the kind of attention that they wanted to bring to the issue. The media knew that this was a huge story to bring into the public eye and they did it without any reservations. The played with the audience emotions and made them aware of only want they wanted to.
In Trinidad and Tobago the section 34 issue acted just like the issue of Mr. Mitt Romney. It brought light to the public on a matter that might if not seen publically would have been swept under the carpet and thus more lawlessness would have been done.
References:
1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/23/romney-defends-campaign-republican-complaints?newsfeed=true
2) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/18/mitt-romney-secret-video
MAHESHAWARIE MAHARAJ
810001384
I believe that the American media was well within its right to release the surreptitiously taped video of Mitt Romney’s speech where he appeared to be dismissive to 47% of voters and disrespectful to Palestinians of the Middle East. Commenting on what was said; he should have been more discrete in his comments especially when the media would be highly critical of the comments of all campaign members at this time. Whilst the media omitted his remarks on the Palestinians, reports have revealed this information to the public still. In the heights of American elections being six to seven weeks away, all voters should be fully aware of whom they are voting for to represent their country. Consequently, it is simply the job of the media to publish newsworthy information and issues like this to the general American public. News about events gearing up towards the general elections in the U.S. are timely- that is it carries the “what’s going “factor and is news that would be aired and published daily and weekly, the impact on American voters is great simply because numerous persons would be affected by the new elected person chosen for presidency and Mitt Romney’s remarks about the Palestinians could potentially stir up conflict and war with the Middle East. As a result, this point reiterates the fact that the media were well within its rights to publish what they did. In response to this, Romney stood by the comments he made in his taped speech however, he also revealed that what was published did not fully reflect his true remarks. In my opinion, it may be a little too late because damage has already been done and he could have already lost a number of potential voters. This situation is no different from the Section 34 scandal in Trinidad. Reality is that citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have grown tired of being “left out”. As a result, various groups in Trinidad have lobbied with the Opposition to demand answers regarding the truth behind the decisions being made by the present Government. Claims have been made that the media has “sized up” the Section 34 issue to create propaganda. Contrary to that belief, the media’s responsibility with regards to communication is to inform, instruct and entertain all news, not omitted news to the general public about what’s going on in the country. It’s about time.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/watch-full-secret-video-private-romney-fundraiser
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19637631
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/JACK_ATTACKS_MEDIA-171639871.html
Shaniece Mitchell
811000364
The media in its role play the part of informing of issues of relevance as it relates to public issues, by use of the mass media, they can therefore build a story that strikes the attention of the intended readers.
ReplyDeleteWhile opinions vary as to the extent and type of influence the mass media, its agreeable that the mass media who are impartial in their undertakings is a permanent part of modern culture.
From a political standpoint the media helps influence what issue voters should be aware of in elections and what criteria they should use to evaluate candidates.
While the media can shape public opinion, it has greater influence in communicating to both voters and non-voters issues that not just are news worthy but what can grasp the reader’s attention from “ the get –go.”
Mitt Romney in his run –up as an election candidate in a speech which were underhandedly captured in a video at a closed-door fundraising event, has gone viral in the public domain for which he is currently being scrutinized after commenting by being dismissive of 47% of the American population which he deemed are government dependent and pay no income tax.
The media are will within their right and are simply doing their job by being truthful are analyzing if these candidates are truly genuine or not. Any statement made by anyone of high prominence in society is deemed public knowledge and therefore should be hidden from the public domain.
Additionally, whether the media objective was for profitable gain they also are informative to the general public on directing readers attention on what is the prevailing issue.
In comparison, alluding from the now contentious local section 34 Administration of Justice Act, that pervaded not only every nook and cranny locally but also captured some attention from the international media. The media took the opportunity to take advantage of the issue and so it fit to make the public aware of inaccuracies by government ministers by use of catchy headlines by various news agencies and as a result has influenced the psyche of the population.
The issue regarding Romney’s comments on the Palestine in my view commenting negatively on their livelihood of the Palestine people should not have been made public since it portrays a negative outlook of America towards the Palestines. These comments won’t insulting to Palestinian’s alone but insulting to the entire Muslim Ummah calling them crazy fanatics The media should have been cautious in this regard and part this part of the video should have been left out since it could have resulted in repercussions.
The media’s role is to inform the public issues that are public interest but should be cautious and responsible as some issues are deemed inappropriate.
Reference:
Peralta, Eyder.2012.“Mother Jones Releases Full Unedited Romney Video.” National Public Radio,September 18.Accessed September 28,2012. http://www.npr.org/
MacAskill, Ewen 2012. “Mitt Romney Under Fire After Comments Caught On Video.” The Guardian, Tuesday 18 September 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/18/mitt-romney-secret-video
Nathaniel Theodore
809000034
I believe that the American media was well within its right to release the surreptitiously taped video of Mitt Romney’s speech where he appeared to be dismissive to 47% of voters and disrespectful to Palestinians of the Middle East. Commenting on what was said; he should have been more discrete in his comments especially when the media would be highly critical of the comments of all campaign members at this time. Whilst the media omitted his remarks on the Palestinians, reports have revealed this information to the public still. In the heights of American elections being six to seven weeks away, all voters should be fully aware of whom they are voting for to represent their country. Consequently, it is simply the job of the media to publish newsworthy information and issues like this to the general American public. News about events gearing up towards the general elections in the U.S. are timely- that is it carries the “what’s going “factor and is news that would be aired and published daily and weekly, the impact on American voters is great simply because numerous persons would be affected by the new elected person chosen for presidency and Mitt Romney’s remarks about the Palestinians could potentially stir up conflict and war with the Middle East. As a result, this point reiterates the fact that the media were well within its rights to publish what they did. In response to this, Romney stood by the comments he made in his taped speech however, he also revealed that what was published did not fully reflect his true remarks. In my opinion, it may be a little too late because damage has already been done and he could have already lost a number of potential voters. This situation is no different from the Section 34 scandal in Trinidad. Reality is that citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have grown tired of being “left out”. As a result, various groups in Trinidad have lobbied with the Opposition to demand answers regarding the truth behind the decisions being made by the present Government. Claims have been made that the media has “sized up” the Section 34 issue to create propaganda. Contrary to that belief, the media’s responsibility with regards to communication is to inform, instruct and entertain all news, not omitted news to the general public about what’s going on in the country. It’s about time.
ReplyDeleteShaniece Mitchell
811000364
References:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/secret-video-romney-private-fundraiser
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19631430
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/JACK_ATTACKS_MEDIA-171639871.html
In the world today, the media has become a major part of everyone’s life. Its main purpose is informing their audience of newsworthy events that may impact them. The issue of privacy and personal boundary is rarely obliged by media. Therefore the exposure of the secret tape involving Republican candidate Mitt Romney should not be of any shock. The journalists tend to write stories that would sell and in turn maintain the integrity of the newspapers. In my opinion informing the Americans was the right thing to do, since it broadcasted what Mr. Romney truly thought about that 47% of the voters. World wide the media has a responsibility to their readers for providing the news that impacts everyone.
ReplyDeleteWith reference to the speech, I think the media deliberately edited out the part he said involving the Palestinians since it was a form of tactic regarding presenting the audience with particular issues. That is, election is approaching and making his speech public would obviously have an impeccable impact on the outcome. Therefore, withholding his words was necessary since it does not relate to the matter at hand. Journalist would definitely have a time to make such matters publicized. They tend to focus on the events that are current in order to captivate their readers’ attention.
Locally a similar event occurred, that is, with Section 34. The media involvement allowed for all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to become knowledgeable about the issue.
Print media generates across a large audience therefore allowing for reliability and unbiased reporting. It has become necessary that they be given the right to make public the relevant information that may be deemed as vital to the citizen’s of the country.
Nesha Mangroo
809001431
The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter-Thomas Jefferson 1787
ReplyDeleteThe media can be used for various purposes:
Advocacy, both for business and social concerns. This can include advertising, marketing, propaganda, public relations, and political communication.
Entertainment, traditionally through performances of acting, music, sports, and TV shows along with light reading.
Public service announcements and emergency alerts
It is the main means of mass communication and is regarded collectively
Print Media should follow good journalistic ethical practices to be successful, credible and true to their purpose. In Mr Romney's case the video may have been taken without his knowledge but the media has a responsibility to give truth to the public. What the American media did was report the relevant truth but at the same time not add to the existing tension between the Muslim community and America especially with the Innocence of Muslims issue. Also these comments do not affect the welfare of the voters nor will it sway voters away from the Obama campaign and hence not relevant. However it does have the potential to be another story as seen in the Gwynne Dyer article.
Newsworthiness is defined by the timeliness, proximity, significance, prominence, conflict, novelty and human interest of the story. Like the Section 34 issue affecting Trinidad and Tobago the "Mitt Romney versus the 47%" story is newsworthy in all characteristics except probably for novelty. Every time a new spin is found on either one it is kept relevant by the media appealing to our want for bacchanal(conflict) making people ask for more information on the issue affecting them. Although newspaper houses seem to tend to print things for the sole purpose of selling copies, their duty to the public would never be achieved; faux pas like these would go unnoticed and we would all go along with whatever the government says or vote for someone who is not in the slightest concerned for our well being.
Dyer, Gwynne . " Is Romney one of the 47 per cent? | Trinidad Express Newspaper | Commentaries ." Trinidad Express Newspaper . http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Is_Romney_one_of_the_47_per_cent_-170923311.html (accessed September 30, 2012).
"Factors in Newsworthiness." CyberCollege Index Page for Free TV Production and Mass Media Course. http://www.cybercollege.com/newscrit.htm (accessed September 30, 2012).
"Mitt Romney Video: Barack Obama Voters 'Dependent On Government' (UPDATED)." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/mitt-romney-video_n_1829455.html (accessed September 30, 2012).
Richardson, India. "Ethics of Print Media | eHow.com." eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you. | eHow.com. http://www.ehow.com/about_6239171_ethics-print-media.html (accessed September 30, 2012).
"Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt : ." Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt : Daily News from Trinidad and Tobago . http://www.newsday.co.tt/politics/0,166713.html (accessed September 30, 2012).
"What Makes a Story Newsworthy?." Media College - Video, Audio and Multimedia Resources. http://www.mediacollege.com/journalism/news/newsworthy.html (accessed September 30, 2012).
What is the truth and where is the line to be drawn between censoring unnecessary information and tailoring a report in such a manner that it is overtly misleading and who ultimately makes that decision? Does the editor… the journalist? Or should the public?
ReplyDeleteDue care and diligence should be taken when information is imparted to the public. “Journalists should be as transparent as possible about sources and methods so audiences can make their own assessment of the information. Even in a world of expanding voices, accuracy is the foundation upon which everything else is built--context, interpretation, comment, criticism, analysis and debate.” (Stverak 2012). So that the information is not misleading for example saying that 85% of the population watches TV6 7pm news can be misleading if you only surveyed 20 people, because 20 people is not a representative fraction of the population yet the statistic is correct.
To often what journalists produce is a direct result of their own person opinions, biased as they may be and not a true representation of the facts.
And for the life of me I cannot understand why some people in public office seem to hold the belief that the viewing public is not discerning and in many cases act like we’re down right stupid. A typical example is this section 34 fiasco. I’ve heard many angles of this story and even listened the PM’s speech in which she announced the removal of Mr. Volney from the position of Justice Minister yet I have not had the key question of how such a thing could have happened in the first place answered. Are we to believe that the parliament; opposition and government alike were duped by one? I personally I think that something’s amiss.
Bibliography
Jairam, Seenath. The Law Association's Statement on Section 34. September 18, 2012. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/The-Law-Associations-Statement-on-Section-34-170218566.html (accessed September 30, 2012).
Rambharat, Clarence. Section 34 sinkholes. September 24, 2012. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Section_34_sinkholes_-171078611.html (accessed September 30, 2012).
Stverak, Jason. ALEC and Misleading Journalism: A Case Study. April 26, 2012. http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/04/27/ALEC-and-Misleading-Journalism-A-Case-Study (accessed September 30, 2012).
Shallon Jessop
809000504
It is the responsibility of a journalist to produce information for the general public which is deemed 'newsworthy'. This means that it has to be of sufficient interest or importance to the general public. It was most appropriate for the media to bring into hindsight the video of the US presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, where he seems to suggest that 47 percent of the US population are incapable of providing for themselves, and will therefore, always depend on the government. This is newsworthy because it provides important information to the public and therefore, affects how they think of Mr. Romney and ultimately his chances for the upcoming elections. Although freedom of speech is a right given to all Americans, as a public and notable figure, he should have been more concerned with how he worded his statements, so as to avoid any bias; likewise, his comments made about Isreal and the Palestinians. It was wise though, for the media to edit and in some cases completely leave out these comments from their reports since it is such a sensitive topic. Widespread knowledge of the comments made could have not only led to increased and violent riots/ protests, but also regard America in a negative light. Also, Ronmey's personal views may have been taken as the general view of most Americans.
ReplyDeleteAs what was done with the Section 34 issue in Trinidad, the media plays a vital role in informing the public. It is crucial that they provide information that can affect a country (or its economy) to the general public so that they are not only enlightened about current events, but can also allow them to make better and more informed decisions about their states' future.
Summer Gervais
810003843
The agenda setting theory of media which was put forward by McCombs and Shaw, the media says what people should think about and how they should think about it (Griffin, 2006). According to this theory, the media focuses attention on certain events and place them within a frame of meaning. This is what the media did in the case of the secret tape that leaked Romney’s speech that dismissed 47% voters. The media wasn’t right or wrong in producing the tape but rather served its function of informing the public. As gate keepers, however, they have control over the selection of content discussed in media. They decide what events to allow through media gates on the basis of what they regard as ‘newsworthy’. So, since the atmosphere in the US is about upcoming elections, the media did not see in fit to include the rest of Mr Romney speech which tackled Palestinians.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to Section 34 in Trinidad and Tobago, the same explanation applies. The news houses correlated the information to the public in a way they thought necessary. If the issues were not brought forward by the media, the general public may not have known about Section 34. Because the media as this ability to decide what is newsworthy, they have created a public that is not able to think critically and many people believe all that they hear or read in the media. Thus, it is the responsibility of the reader to be more critical of news reports and engage in in-depth research and active reasoning before coming to an absolute conclusion. The media also, must accept responsibility to report in a manner that is deemed ethical since the public deemed on them for information.
References
A First Look at Communication Theory. 7th ed. New York: McGraw Publishers, 2006. Print.
http://communicationtheory.org/agenda-setting-theory/
YouTube ‘Mitt Romney Leaked Fundraiser Video (Full Video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PGNN8DG5F8 Accessed September 29th
Kervelle Liverpool
808012462
Today there seems to be no restrictions on what the media reports. Especially If the news is hot and it would attract many viewers regardless of who It affects and how it impacts the person of the viewers. With the case of the surreptitiously taped speech of Mitt Romney in which he appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters I think the media was right in bringing this information to the public as this might be important information the public needs to know if they are to decide on whether they would vote for him or against. I think the media acted rightfully in the action they took as they had the public’s interest in mind.
ReplyDeleteDuring this same taped speech he spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians which were edited out. I think this can be good and bad. Firstly it would be bad as it is covering up what kind of person he is and how he thinks and knowing if he is a man of integrity and honor is a vital key in deciding votes in the upcoming elections. Secondly it may be a good thing the left it out as it may prove to have been offensive to Palestinians and maybe result in a much worldwide problem so it was a good idea in that sense to omit it from the speech. In the end it all comes down to the media and what they show as it can have many consequences as it result of it
References
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/18/mitt-romney-47-percent-full-video-_n_1893615.html
Chris Selman
811003509
Considering that the tape was unauthorized being done not to address the public. I believe the America Media was without rights to publish the tape and more so edit the tape removing original contents without the authorization. The statement made by the Republican presidential nominee, Mr Mitt Romney, “that nearly half of Americans back President Barack Obama because they are government-dependent "victims" who believe they are "entitled" to health care, food and housing and not paying federal income tax’’ shows the level of integrity in his character as a Public leader.
ReplyDeleteAll professionals will agree when making statistical statements addressing people of different denominations, ethnic groups, cultural groups, etc, there must be proven research to support your claim. The statement made by Mr. Mitt Romney exercised a high level of unprofessionalism considering the response from the Obama campaign and the recent research which was conducted and released based on the statement.
Yes! We would agree when writing news stories for sale to the public, if required, it must be edited to clearly identify points, be entertaining and to remove unnecessary words or words that are not appropriate for general public publish. However by undertaken such actions and decisions it must be done by the authorized personnel’s only, given the authority to release the message in whatever channel to address the general public.
Student Name: -Kerry Jones
Student ID# 811002090
References
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/mitt-romney-47-percent_n_1916159.html?utm_hp_ref=elections-2012
http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/5058a20578c90a0f660001a9
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-mitt-romneys-47-percent-poll-20120925,0,5822326.story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8lnrWmWesE
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/martin-bashir/49200944/#49200944
As an election candidate for a position that the world sees as the most powerful position in existence, Mitt Romney should have been cautious about the Palestinians. I am glad that the tape was released as it shows the public where his thoughts lie. If he really thinks that 47% of the people are not his problem then it puts doubts as to where his loyalty lies. In his speech, he openly disregards them, "My job is not to worry about those people..."I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives." Isn’t it his job to look after all Americans should he win the election? Is he saying that since he cannot sway them to vote for him that he shall not be concerned about their safe-being? Or is he judging them based on their current economic state? I think in this day and age where every little action of people in the spotlight can be uncovered, he should not have made such damaging recording if he never wanted it to surface. And I also think that as a member of the human race he is not suited to judge and discriminate or belittle any one particular ethnic group. We do not reserve the right to judge one another no matter our status.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to our local political scene, Mr. Volney was wrong to activate Section 34 in such an under-handed manner. The Prime Minister was right in her actiosn to terminate his position as it would reflect badly on her part. In essence she could not allow him to use Section 34 as an escape route for certain individuals.
In both cases, it is a responsibility of those in charge or those seeking governing positions to hold people at standards or to invalidate people due to some personal idealogy. It teaches us that we still have to regards fellow humans as humans, species of our kind an dnot belittle them based on standards we deem justified. In role of leadership you have to take charge of all those who fall under you, no matter what position they may be in.
NELISHA HOSEIN
809001830
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/23/romney-defends-campaign-republican-complaints?newsfeed=true
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/18/mitt-romney-secret-video
The media has a responsibility to the public- to provide accurate, true and credible information. It creates a stage where matters of public interest can be presented. Withholding such information decreases the effectiveness of communication.
ReplyDeleteIt is the media’s duty to the public to publish all issues at hand. The media was therefore absolutely right in publishing Romney’s opinions about the 47%. Romney is a presidential candidate; they ought to know how he feels about poor people! Why make such statements knowing that its publication is always a potential threat? Why make such statements knowing that your freedom of speech is now suppressed?
I also think that his statements should be clear and that no one else should have to come to his rescue to try to explain what he meant when he could have done it initially.
War in the Middle East has always been a sensitive topic where presidential campaigning is concerned. Why then would the media omit such news? Omitting such important information by the media, could allow a similar situation to occur as that of the section 34 scenario. His statements would not make him lose many votes, "Nobody ever lost a U.S. election by beating up on the Palestinians," (Blake Hounshell). After all, he did make such statements in a Republican party; they too support this barbaric view of the Palestinians.
Romney should not give differing views in private and public settings; he loses his accountability and integrity. Furthermore the media should be unbiased and allow the public an equal opportunity to express their opinions.
References:
Ewen MacAskill. “Mitt Romney under fire after comments caught on video.” The Guardian. Online Edition. The Guardian UK. Tuesday 18th September 2012. September 29th 2012.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/18/mitt-romney-secret-video
Sam Stein. “Mitt Romney Video: 'Palestinians Have No Interest Whatsoever In Establishing Peace.'” Huff Post. Online Edition. The Huffington Post. September 18th 2012. September 29th 2012.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/18/mitt-romney-palestine-video_n_1892862.html
David Horsey. “Mitt Romney's straight talk insults Brits and Palestinians.” Top of the Ticket. Np. August 1, 2012. September 29th 2012.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-romneys-straight-talk-20120731,0,6092373.story
N'yasha Cabrera
811000731
Recently there has been much controversy and debate over a tape released by “Mother Jones” a nonprofit news organization magazine. The tape which contained remarks made by the Republican candidate Mitt Romney was reported to be missing 1-2 minutes of recording at a critical point during the tape. The tape was cut off before Romney could finish his answer on the 47% of Americans who do not pay income tax and aren’t able to properly support themselves. David Corn of “Mother Jones” had later updated on the website that the full tape recording would be released. However late evening on Tuesday 18th September, 2012 William Jacobson of The Legal Insurrection blog obtained a comment from Corn, which basically said he was forced to update his original post on the “Mother Jones” website, saying that there was indeed 1-2 minutes of recording missing from the tape and as of such no full video can be released (which was promised in the previous post).
ReplyDeleteIn accordance to news writing and print media, information to the public should be accurate, clear and specific to name a few. The information provided by the writer of “Mother Jones” was misleading and unclear hence raising suspicion on the validity of the magazineS'report, as well as on the degree of truth to the information presented. The magazine hence failed in its delivery of precise and clear information and broke its promise to the public. News media pioneer James O’keefe pointed out that there is much hypocrisy in mainstream media and agrees that the matter is ofcourse a conspiracy aimed at covering up the portrayal of a Republican in a bad light.
Out of the matter then arises, ethical issues in our disregard to the regulations and laws surrounding material released in the news and print media to the general public. Stephen King referred to “the job of fiction” is to find the truth inside the story’s web of lies which is contained in fictional writing. The sole duty of a writer to reader is to present factual information and if this very principle cannot be uphold then we as forced to discover what truth lies in the midst of the fiction which defeats the whole purpose behind print and news media.
References
• http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/09/19/Mother-Jones-Admits-Romney-Tape-Missing-One-or-Two-Minutes
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19634262
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism_ethics_and_standards
• http://benyagoda.com/show-story.php?id=122
• http://www.motherjones.com/about
Tammy Thompson
811002623
Recently there has been much controversy and debate over a tape released by “Mother Jones” a nonprofit news organization magazine. The tape which contained remarks made by the Republican candidate Mitt Romney was reported to be missing 1-2 minutes of recording at a critical point during the tape. The tape was cut off before Romney could finish his answer on the 47% of Americans who do not pay income tax and aren’t able to properly support themselves. David Corn of “Mother Jones” had later updated on the website that the full tape recording would be released. However late evening on Tuesday 18th September, 2012 William Jacobson of The Legal Insurrection blog obtained a comment from Corn, which basically said he was forced to update his original post on the “Mother Jones” website, saying that there was indeed 1-2 minutes of recording missing from the tape and as of such no full video can be released (which was promised in the previous post).
ReplyDeleteIn accordance to news writing and print media, information to the public should be accurate, clear and specific to name a few. The information provided by the writer of “Mother Jones” was misleading and unclear hence raising suspicion on the validity of the magazines’ report, as well as on the degree of truth to the information presented. The magazine hence failed in its delivery of precise and clear information and broke its promise to the public. News media pioneer James O’keefe pointed out that there is much hypocrisy in mainstream media and agrees that the matter is ofcourse a conspiracy aimed at covering up the portrayal of a Republican in a bad light.
Out of the matter then arises, ethical issues in our disregard to the regulations and laws surrounding material released in the news and print media to the general public. Stephen King referred to “the job of fiction” is to find the truth inside the story’s web of lies which is contained in fictional writing. The sole duty of a writer to reader is to present factual information and if this very principle cannot be uphold then we as forced to discover what truth lies in the midst of the fiction which defeats the whole purpose behind print and news media.
References
• http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/09/19/Mother-Jones-Admits-Romney-Tape-Missing-One-or-Two-Minutes
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19634262
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism_ethics_and_standards
• http://benyagoda.com/show-story.php?id=122
• http://www.motherjones.com/about
Tammy Thompson
811002623
The mass media enlightens the public on certain key issues and is able to expose any corruption, inefficiencies or deficiencies within a government, public or private sector. They also highlight social problems in society and therefore make the public aware of these phenomena.
ReplyDeleteThe media is therefore in right standing to make the public fully aware of the actions and speech of Mitt Romney. In this case, this is just a factual deposition being made to the public resulting in slight uproar as these were to be the same people who are going to be affected by his actions. This is a piece of information which should be shared because 1. Mitt Romney is currently in the public eye and 2. It affects his position in the upcoming elections. Mitt Romney was just an example of how what you say and do could affect one’s own future endeavours. Similarly the population of Trinidad and Tobago is currently being affected by the Section 34 clause and media has a right release such story to the public.
However with regards to Romney’s unfavourly statements on Palestinians which was omitted from press release, this was a good stance by the media. There are currently Israel-Palestine peace talks taking place. This release to the public would have created a moral panic. Although complex sells stories, it could have created a major disruption in the peace talks and would have made some citizens subtle to the topic. I also think that the media did not believe in revealing Mitt’s unethical behavior as a candidate for elections.
By knowing what to publish in a timely fashion, I think the media would continue to achieve proficiency and reliability.
Kherdine Sandy
811000828
Ref:
The Editor, “Why Romney is Slipping”, The Opinion Pages, New York Times, September 24, 2012, accessed September 30, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/opinion/why-mitt-romney-is-slipping.html?_r=1&
One of the major roles, the media plays is bringing forth unbiased current issues which make citizens of a country aware of matters and issues which are taking place that can have an effect on their lives.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Mitt Romney’s speech which was made in one of his private functions, the media had the right to make the speech available to citizens of the U.S and international readers. Mr Romney, yes, is entitled to his own opinion but as a public figure campaigning to run for president he should expect scrutiny with such a statement that “47 percent of America benefit from the programs of the current government” which the media highlighted in the clip which was used to inform the relevant public or citizens. Later on in Mr Romney’s press release he showed no empathy but stated he should have been more eloquent. Similarly, if it was not for the media having brought to the attention to the readers of Trinidad and Tobago the controversial issue on Section 34 and questions being raised, it may not have been dealt with as it was in that manner, leading to the subsequent resignation of the justice minister and the continued investigation of the matter.
In Mr Romney’s speech he also spoke negatively about the Palestinians in which the media omitted from the video. This approach was very strategic as to prevent the US from coming under attacks from the Middle East. Also the media wanted to capture the attention of the U.S citizens and not highlight issues of which is not relevant to them.
The media brings across articles which is of suitability, timeliness and relevance which captures the reader’s attention whether they have to go beyond their limits to do this.
Shaneece Ayen
811002378
I believe that the media had every right to publish the video. The purpose of the media is to educate the public and in this case Romney is running for Presidency for one of the most powerful nations in the world. The media has every right to publish it or it will be considered as depriving society of valuable information. How such a man of Romney’s stature makes a statement such as “Palestinians are committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel,” and expects the media to do nothing? The media didn’t publish the video however in attempt to avoid stirring up more problems with countries in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteRomney’s not only made disturbing comments about people outside his country, but in recent times he has attacked Americans as well. Romney made a speech where he dismissed 47% of the voters and I agree with the media to publish it since it shows people what their Presidential hopeful think of them. It shows the true side of a politician and not just the false promises but instead the actual character so people would have a better idea of whom they are dealing with. Someone with experience like Romney should have known better before making such comments. Instead of an apology he supported his message but believed that he should have changed the way he said it since he thought he should have been more eloquent. This shows that he sticks to his views and doesn’t regret what he said. With regards to Section 34 believe that the media was doing the public a favor by revealing the truth to them. The purpose of the media is to inform, not to hide the truth.
Refrennces
Jewish Journal, Palestinians insulted by Mitt Romney’s comments, September 19th 2012 Accessed September 30th: http://www.jewishjournal.com/live_from_the_arab_spring/article/palestinians_insulted_by_mitt_romneys_comments
"Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt : ." Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt : Daily News from Trinidad and Tobago . http://www.newsday.co.tt/politics/0,166713.html (accessed September 30, 2012).
"Mitt Romney Video: Barack Obama Voters 'Dependent On Government' (UPDATED)." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/mitt-romney-video_n_1829455.html (accessed September 30, 2012).
Bheemal Ramlogan
810004091
Surreptitious and disparaging were the two words used to describe US presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Firstly the fact that Mr. Romney is vying for the most influential position in the world would suggest he is aware that the media practically "lives with him". That being the case I believe the media was in all rights to televise the statements concerning the 47% of Americans spoken about and their decision to withhold the other part of the speech concerning the Palestinians was unfortunate however everyone has an agenda even the media. You seldom hear the true thoughts of politicians and focus should be placed on what is not said for example the national issue on section 34. There were many angles but again why was it called early? Who are to benefit from such a move? One of our former prime minister; Mr. Basdeo Panday said politics has a morality of its own and I totally agree with him. It is merely a game of who can win the larger percentage of the voting population by any means necessary.
ReplyDeleteThe media acts as the gatekeeper between the public and the news, their decisions on what goes through although questionable at times takes into consideration the effects on the population after all information is power. I believe in light of current issues the dissemination of Mr. Romney's statements the 47% over the Palestinian remarks would be more pertinent to Americans. More Americans would readily take up the case of his thoughts on them rather than the Palestinians. Similarly the media's angle on Jack and Rowley concerning section 34 sensitized the public. One can argue though that the scale of being ethical and fair may have been tipped a bit in both cases depending on the desired effect of both media.
Word count: 298
BBC News, Mitt Romney secret tape of Florida speech,accessed 30 September, 2012, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19634262
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Rowley_meets_unions-171639791.html
ID #: 810005195
Name: Ronald Williams
The American media is by all means within its right to publicize . By abiding to the first amendment of the U.S constitution which states no law should be made that abridges the freedom of speech, or of that of the press. It may be argued that the media should be subjective of what they present to the public and in the manner in which they do it.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of the events taking place concerning Mitt Romney and his presidential campaign I highly praise the press for bringing closed door events to the eyes of the public ,seeing public figures for who they are. Mitt Romney running for U.S presidential elections should not be anyway other than himself in the eyes of the public as well as the world hence, the editing was wrong. Being in his position, the comments made about the 47% of U.S voters is highly unprofessional. some may argue that something is better not said . With respect to the comments made regarding the Palestinians, it may clearly indicate that Mitt Romney now have a history for creating international controversies. This may also pose a threat in harming American worldwide interest. Given the facts, it is now within the American population to decide who is the most eligible person to be the next U.S president.
Regarding clause section 34 indictable proceedings act, many say that it is a direct threat to the country’s democracy whereby the parliament and in extension the citizens are deceived by it. In comparison to the Mitt Romney issues it can be alluded to be almost the same as it may cause controversy and also may cause the loss of people’s interest in the government.
In conclusion, the media plays a very important role in exposing what is not seen by the public, I support their work and their continuous attempts to make the public aware of current situations both locally and internationally
1) Hamil-Smith: Section 34 was flawed, last modified Sept 28th,2012, http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Hamil-Smith-Section-34-was-flawed-171868711.html
2) Mitt Romney: ‘Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace’,last modified September 18th 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/mitt-romney-palestinians-have-no-interest-whatsoever-in-establishing-peace/2012/09/18/5e185a12-0183-11e2-b260-32f4a8db9b7e_story.html
AMIT MAHARAJ
807004063
“Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the U.S. media.”
ReplyDeleteThe media(mass), according to Wikipedia, is all the media technologies that are used to reach mass audiences and to transmit information electronically. The purpose of the media is to entertain and educate the masses. But who controls the media?
In my opinion, the media is like any entity here on this earth; its main purpose is to survive. Whether a story, such as the one on Mitt Romney was to educate the masses with information that seeks their best interest, as it allows them to make a more informed decision when electing government, there is still a twisted purpose in there aswell. The media must survive, so stories such as this, sells, so it exploits it. As Jim Morrison says, Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.”
The media’s main aim then becomes, controlling the masses and has evolved quite effective at doing it. I believe that the media does not have “morals or ethics” and did not “hush” Romney’s comment on Palestine-Isreal conflict for any moral reasons. The media withholds information initially, so that the masses would yearn for the whole truth, therefore making the information highly demanded, and then release it, and thus, gain more.
I am not disputing the fact that the media may have initially had a purpose that was for the betterment of the masses by educating them about the issues of government and such, but, as time progressed and the media become a gold mine, this precious resource had to be captured, controlled and exploited; just as all resources humans get their hands on. This is also the case of the local media networks in Trinidad and Tobago, which has found in necessary to get a piece of the action surrounding section 34.
Arielle Seerattan
809003139
References
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/media.html#yXvKqz1W2CfmD8Mv.99
Mitt Romney: ‘Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace’,last modified September 18th 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/mitt-romney-palestinians-have-no-interest-whatsoever-in-establishing-peace/2012/09/18/5e185a12-0183-11e2-b260-32f4a8db9b7e_story.html
Delete809003139
News must be captivating and interesting in order to be successful. The news reporters that published the interview with Mitt Romney certainly achieved their goal by publishing a story that is interesting and also controversial. The media sought to fulfill its responsibility to readers by providing them "the scoop", the latest 'juicy' story that appeals to most American citizens. Although the newspaper was not completely unbiased and indifferent in its report, it accomplished what it sought out to do, and that is, gain a wider audience, while maintaining its current audience. Some may dispute on whether the material was ethical or not, but the media had full rights to the footage of Mr. Romney and published the unaltered video footage, which did not display him in any way different to the way he composed himself in the interview. However, their report on his remarks were judgmental and critical, as were the reports by other news and media teams.
ReplyDeleteNews can be manipulated from a political standpoint, where political parties can alter and project the image they wish to be noticed in a political issue. This can also be the case in the Mitt Romney controversy, where the media may be against his views and his campaign and seek to bring him down or display him negatively in a momentary lapse in judgment. This can be applied to the Section 34 case in Trinidad and Tobago's news where the political parties are displayed as wrong in their decision making, but the whole story is not known. Both parties may use the media to downplay their influence on the negative results of the case and portray wrongful information. It is the responsibility of the reader to choose what he or she wants to believe in or see as truthful.
LEANDRA RAMOO
811003474
REFERENCES:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/romney-controversy-points-power-viral-video-17288396#.UGipZ03A8Qg
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/romney-told-donors-private-fundraiser-17287587#.UGipjU3A8Qg
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/watch-full-secret-video-private-romney-fundraiser
The media is the primary conduit of information and it serves to make the citizens of a country well aware of everything that is news-worthy and of prime importance to society. In the case of Mitt Romeny’s 47% fiasco and pessimistic remarks on the Palestine peace problem, it is right that this tape was leaked because in the fairness of the political climate, voters really need to know the truth about the people who they are voting for.
ReplyDeletePoliticians have the best disguises when it comes to portraying themselves in a certain manner and as such, anything which would serve to bring out their true colors deserves to be made public. Being the President of the United States comes with great power and it is necessary that the trust of the voters is not misplaced.
This video shows that the media is fulfilling one of its major roles and that is the provision of information. Due to the content of the video and its relevance to the current tense political climate in the US, this video highlights the main considerations in writing a hard hitting and news-worthy article.
It highlights the conflict of the political climate and sets back Mitt Romney greatly in the elections as his comments were directed towards a particular group of American citizens (proximity). His comments are only scandalous because of his prominence in the American society and this means that this story is ripe for the picking.
In Trinidad, we are facing our own fiasco with the Section 34 issue which allows anyone to escape liability for crimes that are more than 10 years old. Again, the media was right to present this to the public because it is essential that we are aware of the consequences of this, as well as the unfairness of this “law” as seems that it would primarily benefit two UNC financiers — Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson.
The media is of prime importance in any society as it is responsible for helping citizen to be educated about their rights as well as the people who represent them. If there is corruption in the government- like this Section 34 scandal- or issues of transparency and integrity of political candidates, it is essential that the public know so that the matters can be dealt with swiftly and justice be served.
Ananya Annamunthodo
810002422
SIDDIQ RAMJOHN
ReplyDelete811100004
I must agree with my fellow colleague that the media do retain information from the public and also the media has the right to bring fought unbias information.
In my opinion i believe that the media had every right to report on Mitt Romney's. The media has a responsibility to readers in providing them with accurate and credible information. The media also has a right in educating and providing the public with information in an attempt to keep them up breast and aware with what is going on throughout the country. With that being said the media has to ensure the information provided is accurate and well investigated hence maintaining their integrity and professionalism. In the speech of Mitt Romney I understood that he was dismissive of a number of voters and I am quite pleased with the move of the media in mentioning that to the public. As a result of that the public would be able to analyse Mitt Romney's speech and have their own political views after being provided with all the relevant information.
However I understood that later on in his speech, he spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians and for some reason that was not made aware to he public which brings into question the integrity, credibility and professionalism of the media. After having gathered my information from the report in which the media presented it tells me that there are double standards in the media and they alone can choose was they present to the public. The media was trying to cover up the remarks made by Mitt Romney about Palestinians and that to me is unprofessional and bias behaviour. In my opinion after having clearly seen the obvious intent by the media to cover up, I would lose my faith and would have a difficult time in believing what the media reports in the future.
reference... http://www.tutor2u.net/business/strategy/business.ethics.issues.html
The aim of the media is to report events that they consider to be of interest to their audience in an unbiased manner.
ReplyDeleteThe media was in complete rights to release the secret video in which a prominent figure, the Republican Presidential Candidate, Mitt Romney exhibited contempt for 47% of American voters. It was a factual event, even though it was intended for the wealthy donors at a private speech. The timeliness was appropriate as it enabled the average American citizen to get an insight of the true opinions and intentions of the politician. He stated that the 47% of voters who voted for President Barack Obama solely scrounge on the government. This is newsworthy material as it fosters conflict amongst voters by them feeling offended. The speech has a significant impact not merely on the 47% of voters but on all the American citizens. Therefore it is the responsibility of the media to present all newsworthy material to their viewers.
Romney claimed, “Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace, and that the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish.” It was unethical for the media to manipulate the content of the speech by including and excluding their preferences. The blatant disregard of the commentary relating to the Palestinians proved a lack of integrity and professionalism. It is certain that it would have antagonized the Palestinians but it is the responsibility of the media to project the whole truth without bias.
The media commendably held its responsibility in informing the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago about the promulgation of section 34 and the repercussions. The past justice Minister, Herbert Volney, is a prominent person in politics and the law addressed affects all the citizens in Trinidad and Tobago. This, in addition to the others is also deemed as newsworthy material.
Reference:
Corn, David. “WATCH: Full Secret Video of Private Romney Fundraiser.” Mother Jones, September 18. Accessed September 29, 2012.
Crystal Mc Comie
811000887
In general the main aim of the news media is to keep their audience abreast of current issues and occurrences. On the other hand this information should be accurate and un bias. With respect to the Mitt Romney case, I think that the media was in the right to expose the words and statements that came from the Republican. I say so because although he was not aware that they were in any sense present it did show the citizens of the United States of America (US) who Mr. Romney really is on the inside and that his main concern was not the people and their well being but attaining power. Although people, especially celebrities and public figures complain that the media is a bit harsh on them, in this case I think that the people of the (US) had a right to know how much Mr. Romney cared for them or lack there off. Los Angeles Times headline “ Mitt Romney's '47%' comment alienated undecided voters: poll” that headline would not have been enough to get me to read the article, but it did give enough information for me to understand what the issue at hand was. Further reading revealed certain quotes of Mr. Romney’s that did drive the message home such as that 47% of the American people act like “victims” who are dependent on government and are “unwilling to take responsibility for their lives.”
ReplyDeleteThe guardian revealed these statements "My job is not to worry about those people.”
"All right, there are 47% who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to healthcare, to food, to housing, to you-name-it," he said.
He added: "These are people who pay no income tax."
As a person who has the power to choose a father of the nation I live in I would want to know what he really thinks about his soon to be children. And the above statements clearly would put an undecided voter’s mind at ease as to whom to vote for.
In terms of the local issue with section 34, I don’t know how just it was to fire Mr. Volney just because himself and Mr. Galbaransigh were friends. I mean the stories exposed to the public by the media especially in this case were subjected to a great deal of interpretation by individuals. On the other hand exposing the story that they were friends should not have led to him being fired. I say so because the decision to pass the act was already unanimously voted upon.
In both cases it was good that the public was made aware of what was taking place in their judicial systems. On the other hand in the case of Mitt Romney’s case, that was purely factual, but in the local case the public was left to have their opinions. In the local case the story sold because of the fact that locals like “baccahnal” and with the Mitt Romney case the issue was current and affected the citizens directly.
By James Rainey, 25th September, 2012. “Mitt Romney's '47%' comment alienated undecided voters: poll” Date accessed, 28th September,2012. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-mitt-romneys-47-percent-poll-20120925,0,5822326.story
Ewen macAskil, 23rd September, 2012. “Mitt Romney defends 'very effective campaign' amid Republican complaints” Date accessed, 28th September,2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/23/romney-defends-campaign-republican-complaints?newsfeed=true
Ewen MacAskil, 18th September, 2012. “Mitt Romney under fire after comments caught on video” Date accessed 28th September,2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/18/mitt-romney-secret-video
Clarence Rambharat, 24th September, 2012. “Section 34 sinkholes” Date accessed 28th September, 2012. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Section_34_sinkholes_-171078611.html
Patricia Lewis
810002205
The America media displayed great understanding of news worthiness. In news writing, every writer seeks to get their article on page three of the newspaper. Therefore there is competition between journalists. With that in mind his writings could either be accepted or rejected by the gatekeeper. This is all driven by an audience who demand gripping stories. The American media showed class and experience.
ReplyDeleteThe media was right to report on the truth. The speech gave the media, a great story to write on. Mitt’s speech may not have been reported earlier in the year, but because election is in November in America it was taped.
Some factors are important for new worthiness. The media knew that the speech was timely, knew that it will have an impact on citizens, it was about Americans, it had prominence and it was relevant. What a news headline, Mitt dismissive of 47% of the voters.
It was a good media strategy to edit Mitt comments about the Palestinians. The citizens of America had no interest in the Palestinians because they weren’t engaged in war. Not at all timely and relevant as it doesn’t benefit or harm the voters. It will be a wasted report because if it doesn’t appeal to the reader, it wouldn’t be sold.
Similarly, Section 34 was also based on newsworthiness. Factors such as timeliness, impact, proximity, conflict and relevance was overcome. The T&T media is aware that politics is unstable in T&T and Section 34 is big enough a report to engage many. Also, the current government is under scrutiny by the public. Once the audience is engage in a subject, then media seeks stories to meet their needs. Section 34 is so great a story that journalists are relaying the story long after it had happened, the story is still sold.
References:
Ria Taitt, “Law body blames Govt for Sec 34 crisis,” Daily Express, September 18, 2012,4.
“Declare us Not Guilty,”Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, September 11, 2012,3.
KERON FLOYD
811003072
With the much anticipated general elections this November many issues have been highlighted with interest to the public. While the politicians have invested time and money to secure their voting numbers the media on the other hand plays and instrumental role in providing coverage and information to the public on the current development which may enhance their ability in making such informed decisions. It is considered that journalists are the gatekeeper of news reporting, they judge what is of interest to their readers and viewers, therefore news must be timely; meaning current events applicable to present issues what is, must be useful in terms of how the information will affect the readers or viewers. Impact must be applied because of size of population which will be affected. News becomes interesting when the scoop involves prominent persons.
ReplyDeleteIn the case Mitt Romney present candidate for the US elections and videos tapes obtained in relation to the candidate President Obama the media acted within their rights in obtaining and presenting the tapes to the public. According to the United States laws the media can present anonymous tapes or videos on matters of public interest and the party or parties involved have a right to contest the accuracy of such information. With the present situation of presidential candidacy this video is timely with the elections date approaching, it is useful because it allows voters to make inform choices and the person of prominence involved is the candidate for the present election adding great impact to its delivery. The other video clip of Mitt Romney’s speech on the Palestinians was not presented to the public because of the timeliness of the information. With the Palestine being an issue especially with upcoming presidency, the impact the speech geared towards potential voters are of greater interest to the public because of the issue of elections.
The local issue of section 34 controversy where the issue has been in the interest of the public when it applies to the majority of the sector also applies to the writing and reporting of news. This section makes allowances for white collar crimes and not for the many categories of crime now done in the public domain. This section gives precedence to issues of crime that can be resolved without stiff law enforcement. The media has a responsibility to the public on information that will affect them. This allows the journalist to truly be the gatekeepers of the information presented to their audience
Shirlan Rameau
811005616
References:
Peneberg, L Adam, New York University Journalism Handbook for Students. Ethics, Law and Good Practice. Department of Journalism, New York University 20 Cooper Square New York NY 10003
http://journalism.nyu.edu/assets/PageSpecificFiles/Ethics/NYU-Journalism-Handbook-for-Students.pdf
Seetahal, Dana. 2012. The Scandal of Section 34. The Trinidad Express Newspaper. Accessed September 29, 2012 http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/The_scandal_of_Section_34-169864216.html
Media can be defined as communication channels through which news, entertainment,or promotional messages are disseminated. Media is the public's main source of information. It focuses on new information, there is no control on how much information is given. This however is less trusted than personal sources.
ReplyDeleteThe extent to which the news can report depends exclusively on the laws enforced at that immediate time, for example ethical laws.
In the case of, Mitt Romney's speech, where he appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters; In my opinion the media had all right to publish this story. Mitt Romney is an elective to represent the American people, he is in other words a popular figure. His views and opinions are vital in his campaign and should be recorded and scrutinized with a fine teeth comb.
I am not surprised that this story was headline news. The topic was one of conflict, prominence, timely and of human interest. All characteristics that make news newsworthy.
Palestinian leaders suggested his comments were "racist and out of touch with the realities of the Middle East". I believe that Mitt Romney has already selected his audience and does not really take heed in his speeches because what he articulates comes across as disrespectful and callus. I believe that Mitt Romney is targeting anti Muslims. He draws and grasps the attention of a wide American primary audience. He focuses on their psycho graphical and subject background characteristics in order to obtain their votes and gain their support.
This ironic incident could allude to the local issue of section 34 which is the main topic on news for the entire month of September in Trinidad. Section 34 states that, the media stimulated emotions and generated conflict amongst the audience. This law is vague and widely has an impact on Trinbagonians.
Addtionally the taping of the speech caused grave conflict and local interest, which I say could have been done spitefully by the media in order to "sell their story". Which gives them all right, however they should also be considerate towards the influence that the have on their audience.
References:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/30/mitt-romney-palestinians_n_1718496.html
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/JACK_ATTACKS_MEDIA-171639871.htm
Media can be defined as communication channels through which news, entertainment,or promotional messages are disseminated. Media is the public's main source of information. It focuses on new information, there is no control on how much information is given. This however is less trusted than personal sources.
ReplyDeleteThe extent to which the news can report depends exclusively on the laws enforced at that immediate time, for example ethical laws.
In the case of, Mitt Romney's speech, where he appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters; In my opinion the media had all right to publish this story. Mitt Romney is an elective to represent the American people, he is in other words a popular figure. His views and opinions are vital in his campaign and should be recorded and scrutinized with a fine teeth comb.
I am not surprised that this story was headline news. The topic was one of conflict, prominence, timely and of human interest. All characteristics that make news newsworthy.
Palestinian leaders suggested his comments were "racist and out of touch with the realities of the Middle East". I believe that Mitt Romney has already selected his audience and does not really take heed in his speeches because what he articulates comes across as disrespectful and callus. I believe that Mitt Romney is targeting anti Muslims. He draws and grasps the attention of a wide American primary audience. He focuses on their psycho graphical and subject background characteristics in order to obtain their votes and gain their support.
This ironic incident could allude to the local issue of section 34 which is the main topic on news for the entire month of September in Trinidad. Section 34 states that, the media stimulated emotions and generated conflict amongst the audience. This law is vague and widely has an impact on Trinbagonians.
Addtionally the taping of the speech caused grave conflict and local interest, which I say could have been done spitefully by the media in order to "sell their story". Which gives them all right, however they should also be considerate towards the influence that the have on their audience.
References:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/30/mitt-romney-palestinians_n_1718496.html
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/JACK_ATTACKS_MEDIA-171639871.htm
Shamiah Cumberbatch
811100504
Simply put the role of the media is to report news factually and without bias. In today’s society there are no grounds that the media will not explore in the case of news worthy events. Therefore, what makes a story news worthy should be considered. The event of Mitt Romney dismissing 47 percent of voters, contained characteristics of being timely, prominent, and appealing to human interest all of which are elements that makes a story news worthy. This is so as it is in the midst of the presidential election concerning remarks made by the candidate Mitt Romney which would affect the 47 percent of voters that he claims, “I’ll never convince”, as well as everyone else who would now judge him based on the taped speech.
ReplyDeleteMacAskill, (2012) stated “He (Romney) said he had been speaking "off the cuff" and describing his comments as not "elegantly stated". That is when he had to deal with the 47% of voters video. This statement would now project Romney to be hypocritical in the eyes of the citizens as what was said in private is being casually brushed off when asked to comment on in public. The media therefore took full advantage to bring the story to the public similarly to what the media houses did locally in Trinidad highlighting the case of section 34 resulting in criminal cases being dropped having not undergone trial within a ten year period. This event was definitely news worthy as it caused conflict that is in appealing to human interest. The occurrence was also timely and prominent to the country thus capturing the wider audience.
Comments on the Palestinians, which were also made on the taped Romney video was left out by choice as the case was not as important to the American citizens and was not the major part of the speech that would have affected their voting choices.
It can therefore be said that the media played an integral role in bringing the story across by the most professional means they could have in order to capture their audience.
• MacAskill Ewen, Romney suffers fresh blow in second day of fallout from leaked video, The Gaurdian, Washington, Sept 2012
• Corn David, SECRET VIDEO: Romney Tells Millionaire Donors What He really thinks of Obama Voters, Mother Jones, Sept 2012.
• Spence John, Lessons from Section 34, The Trinidad Express Newspaper, Sept 18th 2012.
• Taitt Ria, I would not have voted for bill. The Trinidad Express Newspaper, Sept 25th 2012
Amanda Raghoonanan
ID# 811000855
The media of course has to exercise responsibility,integrity and professionalism in their messages. I believe that they have done so in the case of what is being referred to as Senator Mitt Romney's "47 percent" speech. A secretly recorded video of the senator revealed him saying that forty seven percent of Americans would vote for President Obama no matter what and he went on further to say that they see themselves as victims and think they are entitled to food, housing, healthcare etc. In the same video senator Romney allegedly spoke disparagingly of Palestinians. I believe that the media exercised caution, responsibility and good judgement in this censorship as it may have led to catastrophic consequences such as diplomatic unrest. The media has done their job in terms of investigative journalism and educating the masses on a matter which is very controversial.
ReplyDeleteLocally, the Section 34 issue has been sufficiently covered by the media houses. The issue is centered around a law amendment being passed amid independence celebrations which 'protects' non-blood criminals against extradition as long as ten years has elapsed since the date that the crime has been committed. This new law would see two men who are known financiers of the current government walk free from their charges of fraud and embezzlement after pocketing over a billion dollars of the country's revenue in the guise of building an airport. The media's coverage of the incident has enlightened the general public on the incident and has sparked a review of the new law.
Cy Sarjeant
809002229
Media is generated as a type of forum communicating information, important events and public issues to a wide audience via various mediums such as radio, television, and new-papers and internet. Media keeps one up-dated and aware of the most current events taking part in the country or by extension the world that may directly or indirectly have an influence in their lives.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of the surreptitiously taped speech of Mitt Romney reported in last week American media, in my opinion the media was well within rights in making it public since the media were simply doing its job. Mitt Romney, being a public leader, aspiring for the rights to serve all Americans was honestly expressing his views allowing the public to decide whether he has the capabilities and governance skills to lead a government for the success and growth of an entire nation.
Regarding the case where the media edited the same speech and omitted his remarks on disparagingly of the Palestinians may have been due to media tactic. The reporter in the media may have omitted this in such a way to “play up” conflict since this is a profound topic. The media is responsible for presenting the public with unbiased facts and reports however once this is comprised; the media have failed in executing its job, there by leading to consequences such as the discharge of guilty parties, which Section 34 nearly achieved. The grave of the judicial system almost emerged if this mistake had not been noticed by a particular media company. Media is the voice of society allowing the truth to be heard no matter the consequence.
References:
“Section 34,” last modified 18th September, 2012 (Accessed on the 30th September, 2012)
Kavita Rampersad
809000630
Once again the media has swayed the public into believing what they want them to believe both internationally and locally through the leaked Mitt Romney video dismissing 47% of the US voters, the Palestinian comments and the debacle of Section 34 Act of Trinidad and Tobago.
ReplyDeleteThe media played an important part in the way the message, of Mitt Romney dismissing 47% of US voters as dependants on the government, was conveyed. Romney himself made a statement that the media should not have reported what he said because he made his statement in a closed door campaign meeting which was not supposed to be leaked but it is the responsibility of the media to bring forward news to the public no matter the circumstance and how the public responds to it, it is up to them. It is also ethical for the media to present news without partiality but most of the times they are bias, as seen in Romney case because out of his entire speech they zeroed in on his 47% statement and they changed the video to suit their liking and if it was presented in the full context intended it won’t have the same meaning.
On the other hand I think the media focused little attention on the Palestine comment because it won’t have a great impact on the people of US but still it is definitely not professional to omit comments made by Romney even if it is not in the countries favour or it puts the country in a bad light.
Similarly, local media houses have gain a great interest in the Section 34 Law. This law has a great impact worldwide and the media has done an “ok” job in investigating the situation bringing the news to the public’s attention. What the media failed to bring to the public’s attention was that the law was passed by all members of the parliament and also it is said that some of the newspaper houses locally are potentially biased for example many say that the Guardian is anti- government so when they are reporting they’ll make it seem as if the government is not good.
The media developed a habit of selling a hot headline rather than selling the entire facts and I think that in society today, media ethics and professionalism are becoming scarce.
Darielle Hamilton
811003701
The media is very skilled at twisting and manipulating news to catch the attention of the public. An example of this can be seen in the leaked Mitt Romney video where they intentionally left out the peace comment but focused on him being dismissive of 47% of the voters by saying they will vote for Obama regardless. This is quite a good technique since Americans will be more intrigued with news that is happening locally rather than internationally because local news would affect them directly.
ReplyDeleteThe issue however, is whether the media was within its rights to manipulate the facts before presenting it to the public. It should not be an issue if certain points in a news story is highlighted or ignored once the facts are not altered. There is benefit to creating these eye-catching news articles. They catch the public’s attention and as a result, we become aware of what is taking place.
The skill of manipulating news stories is no stranger to Trinidad and Tobago’s local media. Evidence of this is the Section 34 fiasco. This is an important issue as it can affect our lives. The media did their job of presenting the news and making us aware of the satiation, regardless if they milked out a few angles of the story.
For an article to become newsworthy, it should fit the following criteria: accurate, timely, relevant and in close proximity to the target audience. These factors are the key in getting the public interested to read the article.
Nathan Maharaj
810002242
References
Sloan, Allan. “Mitt Romney and the 47 percent, joined at the hip”-http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/mitt-romney-and-the-47-percent-joined-at-the-hip/2012/09/26/0a32946a-072a-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_story.html
News writing and print media is one way in which communication is shared. News is a report of events which has happened so that it would capture the interest of their readers. In order for journalists to decide what makes something news worthy, the piece has to have Timeliness, Proximity, Conflict, Impact, Relevance, Prominence, Progress, Novelty and Human Interest.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of the taped speech of Mitt Romney, it is speculated that this tape was recorded unknowing to Mr. Romney. However, was the media of the right to record and report this information? It is of personal belief that this was not the right of the media to publish the statements made. The fact is that this is an utter disregard for his privacy and lack of respect since it was not consensual.
It is understood that in news writing, journalists do what is needed to be done in order to sell their articles. With this article, Timeliness, Impact, Conflict, Prominence, Relevance and Human Interest. The information was recent and had the factor of “scoop” which impacted numerous people in America and incorporated some type of conflict or “stir it up”, for example, the secret tape. This topic is very prominent since Mitt Romney is a candidate for Presidency.
The issue of the Indictable Proceedings Act 2011 (section 34) was first for Impact since it affected greatly in numbers, then timeliness because it is recent and is reported for a number of weeks which under politics creates conflict and now it is both conflict and prominence because it surrounds WHO it affects and how big the story is and will become.
The media has the right to report the truth, accuracy, objectivity and information which can benefit humans but sometimes this “freedom of the press” is abused.
KADIENNE HENRY
811000072
References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism_ethics_and_standards - Journalism ethics and standards (Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia)
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_the_press - Freedom of the press (Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia)
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_ethics - Media ethics (Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia)
When the media relays a topic of interest it is supposed to be fair. The Lead message must capture the reader’s interest; make us want to read more. Commenting on Mitt Romney speech that is a public figure, I think that the media was doing a good job by relaying the necessary information that should be known to the public especially to American citizens as he could possibly be the next President of the United States. Romney’s dismissal of voters was not a good move on his part, also the comment made about the Palestinians was thankfully left out by the media. This did not look good as a candidate but we need to remember everything the media may leave out or write about always has an angle to it.
ReplyDeleteThe Section 34 law affects all even down to Trinidad and Tobago citizens. I would say that the media definitely did a good job in relating the news. Playing on people’s emotional side is done no better than by the media especially when they place a headline leaving persons wanting more of the story. This is a great tactic to get person involved in what is happening in today’s world. Crossing boundaries may be necessary sometimes in order to get the news out to the people this can be seen by some as a positive move or a negative one.
Kimberly Bunsee
811001068
In terms of the topics done in class and with respect to the issue of Mitt Romney’s comments, I think that it is in the right of the media to bring forward the tape and the media isn't responsible keeping there readers informed and up to date with everything especially with things like elections, because one of the media biggest responsibility is keeping their readers interested an entertained an not educate. However, as the US elections being right around the corner the timing was appropriate since this would impact everyone and keeps the readers interested. Yes some people may think that the media is inappropriate, but Politics created a huge mass media as it interest almost everyone as it deals with their representatives, therefore keeping the media in business.
ReplyDeleteTONY RAJ
ID#: 811002627
The media is the gatekeeper between the public and the news. The media should provide accurate, relevant and credible information for the public and not be bias. The greatest form of communication between people is the media. The media has a major role in communication as it brings forth unbiased and current issues that can affect the people in a region or area or even the world. The media is also important as it brings out corruption and scandals to the public so that an organization can work better or be shut down.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to the Mitt Romney video, the media have done what is best for the nation which is provide evidence of disdain from the presidential candidate of about half the US population. He made a comment stating that if he was Mexican, he would win the election already. All f this was said at a private party which means he thinks that he can say whatever he wants at anytime about anyone. He also stated that this portion of the population see themselves as victims. This story was gobbled up by the media as it is a scandal and Mitt Romney is a presidential candidate in the US so this makes it news worthy.
About this 'Section 34' fiasco, this has been in the media in Trinidad for sometime and it affects the entire public. The section has some flaws that enables offences such as fraud or corruption over a period of time to be dismissed and trials on these offences to be redone due to faulty equipment or mistakes in the proceedings. The media made the public aware of it and it got the Minister of Justice to be sacked. The media was accurate and credible in these reports of this matter.
References:
http://rt.com/usa/news/romney-disdain-half-americans-370/
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Hamil-Smith-Section-34-was-flawed-171868711.html
Ricardo Bahadoorsingh
809001829
It is the role of a news reporter to report information that is newsworthy, information that would catch the reader’s attention. Conflict and human emotion are two newsworthy factors that normally draw the reader attention. These are the two newsworthy factors found mainly in this article. The fact that Senator Mitt Romney was dismissive and criticized the views of the public serves as a form of conflict as since he is supposed to be representative of the people, this would indeed appeal to human emotion. In my opinion it is very unethical for Senator Mitt Romney to dismiss the views of the voters. However it is not considered unethical or even unprofessional by the reporter because after all, it is his job to report such information, that is, information that is newsworthy. Newsworthy articles are the ones that sell, the ones that are read. Also, it shows that the reporter has integrity seeing that he censored the remarks Senator Mitt Romney make about the Palestinians as this could have caused major protests or even diplomatic unrest. With respect the Section 34, even though there are many articles published on the topic people are still unaware as to what Section 34 is about and as such the media such try using different means of getting the message across as it is a very important issue affecting the society. Never the less the Section 34 issue is newsworthy as it is timely and it appeals to human emotion and as such is worth being reported.
ReplyDeleteTONYA-LEE PHILLIP
811004397
The media has an obligation in delivering timely and accurate information to the public that enlightens them on issues that can have a tremendous effect on their daily lives. With regards to the media’s revelation of Mitt Romney’s speech, they are justified in publishing the video as it highlights his sentiments about a significant portion of the public. As a presidential candidate he should have been more meticulous with his statements since it has a negative impact on potential voters which in turn affects his success in the upcoming elections.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to the media however, in revealing this video to the public the article proves to be newsworthy considering its impact on the audience and the geographic size and number of persons affected by Mr. Romney’s statements. This can have a detrimental effect on his success in the elections since the public is now aware of his disposition. The proximity of the matter to the audience especially in light of the on-going electoral campaign, the prominence of Mr. Romney in the campaign and the relevance of the issue, not only for the 47% of voters that were dismissed but to the other potential voters also make the article momentous. In addition, the conflict factor of the article with respect to the media’s omission of Mr. Romney’s statements about the Palestinians proved to be a tactical approach due to the sensitivity of the area.
This event can be alluded to the local issue of “Section 34 Indictable Proceedings Act” where governmental corruption and false claims that often go unnoticed are revealed to the public by the media.
Kristal Maharaj
811002589
The media has an obligation in delivering timely and accurate information to the public that enlightens them on issues that can have a tremendous effect on their daily lives. With regards to the media’s revelation of Mitt Romney’s speech, they are justified in publishing the video as it highlights his sentiments about a significant portion of the public. As a presidential candidate he should have been more meticulous with his statements since it has a negative impact on potential voters which in turn affects his success in the upcoming elections.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to the media however, in revealing this video to the public the article proves to be newsworthy considering its impact on the audience and the geographic size and number of persons affected by Mr. Romney’s statements. This can have a detrimental effect on his success in the elections since the public is now aware of his disposition. The proximity of the matter to the audience especially in light of the on-going electoral campaign, the prominence of Mr. Romney in the campaign and the relevance of the issue, not only for the 47% of voters that were dismissed but to the other potential voters also make the article momentous. In addition, the conflict factor of the article with respect to the media’s omission of Mr. Romney’s statements about the Palestinians proved to be a tactical approach due to the sensitivity of the area.
This event can be alluded to the local issue of “Section 34 Indictable Proceedings Act” where governmental corruption and false claims that often go unnoticed are revealed to the public by the media.
Kristal Maharaj
811002589
The role of the media is to broadcast unbiased information to the public. News is any report of events that has already occurred. However, the extent to which the news can report depends solely on the laws enforced at that instant in time. As a public stature, Mill Romney’s statement and actions were unethical and racial. It was also stupid of him to disrespect the Pakistanis as they are already at war with them or that side of the world. Something like that would only rekindle the battles between the countries. The media in this instance recognized the fault made by Mr. Romney and anticipated the repercussions that would shadow it, therefore they eliminated his statements. In terms of ethics, the media here tried to cover up the wrong made in the basis of “the greater good”. But because they just edited out the wrong, the problem will still arise because for people are still offended. The source of the message, that being Mr Romney did not correct his wrong. The media should have made him make a public apology.
ReplyDeleteIn comparison to Section 34, the media played a role of judge and jury. They had an integral role in the exposure of Section 34, for “the greater good”, when the government tried to hid the fact that the bill that was passed was different from the original bill. This was an act of fraud and because of the media’s action, the Prime Minister had no other choice, but to explain the situation, which resulted to one man taking the fall for everyone.
In other words, the media in one situation tried to cover up the situation and in the other situation the media exposed the situation. Therefore, the media may decide to report the story as is or they may choose what they want to post.
Krystle Gay
811005894
REF:
-http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/JACK_ATTACKS_MEDIA-171639871.html
-The Editor, “Why Romney is Slipping”, The Opinion Pages, New York Times, September 24, 2012, accessed September 30, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/opinion/why-mitt-romney-is-slipping.html?_r=1&
Headlines are usually the key thing to grasp the reader/viewers’ attention but in this case it seems to be the content and the issue to which it relates to. Yes there are some people that have needs and may not be able to take care of those needs and the government is there to help (function of government) but to say “no matter what” he does, 47 percent of the population is going to vote for Obama because they are “are dependent upon government” abc news September 17. This is his opinion and is what he said in a closed meeting to donors of his party. This video/news was leaked to the media by someone at this meeting who is remaining Anonymous for legal reasons.
ReplyDeleteWas the media right for reporting this information? In my view, no and yes. Yes in regard that it is the Medias’ role to bring these sought of information to the public and in so doing continue to inform the public on its’ development especially as it relates to politics. No with respect to the way in which it was handled and portrayed. The media could have gotten a response from Mr. Mitt Romney before showing the video to the public well at least that goes according to freedom of speech/expression and it is his opinion which is not against the law.
At the end of the day, it’s the reaction from the people that will determine on how far the story goes as with all news and that also would follow under freedom of expression/speech. The only one at fault is the person who taped the meeting since it was not consequential and the media since it my opinion it’s a breach or moral and ethics.
"Mitt Romney Video: Barack Obama Voters 'Dependent On Government' (UPDATED)." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/mitt-romney-video_n_1829455.html (accessed September 30, 2012).
Rajendra Kissoon
808000262
Concerning the surreptitiously taped speech of Mitt Romney in which he appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters. I think that the media was well in their right to publish this video because they were not only doing their job but being fear to the republicans, since the main purpose of the media is to give a journalistic presentation of truth and fact to the public, whether it be bad or good. It is by means that the citizens of a country are made aware of the issues that directly and indirectly affect their lives
ReplyDeleteIn Mr. Romney’s speech he was very racist and disrespectful, because the fact that he didn’t want the video to be recorded goes to show that obviously there was something discriminative he had to say. How can anyone vote for a man that belongs to a cult that believes that Jesus buried golden plates in America. Mormonism is Romney’s principle concern, if elected president his impartiality is undermined and his policies suspect to criticism of bias due to superstition.
The fact that he can say that 47% black people don’t pay taxes and that they wouldn’t vote for him was quite disturbing to me. I give the media props for exposing this man, and allowing the public to see who they would be electing as their future republican, a man who is supposed to be representative of his country. Considering the fact that he is a public figure, comments like that should not be made, especially at a public speech, such travesty should be kept to himself.
On the other hand, the media was wrong and unprofessional for omitting the part of the speech where he spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians; this should have also been presented to the public. What the media is doing here is that they are not giving the citizens a fair choice of opinion presenting piece meal information. Truth and in fact they are forming the opinions of the public, which to me is bias and selfish.
By doing that consequences may arise leading to the exoneration of guilty parties, which Section 34 nearly achieved.
REFERENCES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnB0NZzl5HA
Prime Minister`s statement on the `Section 34` issue. 21st September,2012. < http://www.news.gov.tt> 30th September, 2012.
Porter, Jeremy. 2010. “Five Ws and One H: The Secret to Complete News Stories.” August 5. Accessed September 28, 2012.
http://blog.journalistics.com/2010/five-ws-one-h/.
Esther James
810000658
I believe that the media of any country has the right to deliver a fair and unbiased report of whatever is happening in that particular country. News must be charismatic and appealing in order to be triumphant. At the end of the day it is the journalist’s liability to bring into being information for the general public which is deemed 'newsworthy'
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think that the media was right to reveal the video on Mitt Romney speech about the 47 percent” of voters that will vote for Barak Obama no matter what because they are the ones that don’t pay taxes and are dependent on the government. and for bashing the Palestinians in the Middle East. However, with respect to that last point I believe that he was fully aware of what he was saying and could have also been targeting another audience in the Americans population. Sometimes the media blow things out of proportion just to raise conflict and to get people in the public all worked up and even questioned each other judgment.
On November 25, 2011, an amendment to Section 34 was introduced in the Senate stating that the statutory ten-year limitation would run from the date on which the offence was dedicated. Following announcement of the act on August 31 by President George Maxwell Richards, Galbaransingh and Ferguson petitioned the High Court seeking to have the fraud charges against them dropped. On December 20, 2011, the United States Embassy in Port-of-Spain expressed disappointment in Ramlogan’s decision not to appeal the ruling barring the businessmen’s extraditions.
Kim Mungroo
811100242
References:
Andre Bagoo, “Section 34 simply wrong” Trinidad and Tobago Newsday September 29 2012, accessed September 29 2012, http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,166896.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/mitt-romney-video_n_1829455.html (Last accessed on 30th September, 2012)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19637631
Similarly to advertisers, reporters and people who work for the media use tactics to grip the public’s attention. Their main agenda at the end is to increase sales (i.e. have more people buy their newspapers and watch their news station) and at the same time not tarnish their reputation as a reporting entity of the mass media. They report current events that would affect the public at present time and appeal to people said emotions.
ReplyDeleteIn relation to the governor Mitt Romney’s speech, it can be argued that the media has a right to inform the entire American state of Romney’s speeches. It is needed election season and at this time at all public speeches is considered fair game. The voters and public had a right to know how the candidates’ thinks about them so they themselves would have an insight as how to vote and which candidate is deserving of their vote. Mr. Romney’s speech was geared towards 47% of the population who he claimed don’t pay taxes and as such is not dependent on the government to take care of them. It was generally said that Romney is outdated with reality due to his wealthy status.
The people expressed discontentment at this part of his speech as this 47% includes retirees, teenagers and middle classed people who work hard to make a living. This was seen in recent polls were he has fallen behind President Obama. In my opinion the part about the Palestinians in his speech was very irrelevant and as such has no pressing right to be placed in the Medias report. With regards to section 34 the public has a legal right to know about the countrys’affairs through the news and print media. This way the average citizen is knowledgeable and has a rightful say.
REFERENCE:
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Hamil-Smith-Section-34-was-flawed-171868711.html
KECHIEL PAUL
811001426
Mass media is simply, forms of communication that are designed to reach vast audiences. The main function is to inform, entertain and educate the general audience without any personal contact between the senders and the receivers. In my opinion, the American media did nothing wrong in releasing the video clip of Mitt Romney’s dismissing 47% of American citizens. The media was doing their job informing the public of the real thoughts behind Mitt Romney who is a presidential candidate. I think this would give the citizens the chance to see the true colours of someone who claims to want the best for the country in moving forward but dismisses almost have the country. This video clip turned out to be quite the fiasco as he also mentioned that the Palestinians were committed to destruction and there was no sign of peace being accomplished. I think that the media did the right thing by exposing the words of someone who claims to be for the people. On the contrary, it is reported that the video was secretly taped and exposed which in itself is a breach of ethics however, this alone triggers the thought of why was this meeting done in such a manner of secrecy…..what else is he hiding? With respect to the Section 34 issue in Trinidad, the role of the media was also fulfilled in the same sense in that they informed the public of what was taking place within the government. It was necessary and important for media to highlight such stories but, sometimes they may get carried away and develop such a spin on things that causes the audience to engage in conflict or even to portray the matter at hand in being conflicting. This is where the question of integrity comes in to play and media personnel should remain mindful of their duties and try to fulfill them with as much respect and professionalism as possible.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19637631
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Lessons_from_Section_34-171449571.html
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/watch-full-secret-video-private-romney-fundraiserttp
Amanda Rampersad
809100063
The media is designated to the provision of information, current affairs and entertainment to the population of a country. In relation to the media, there are some expectations by the public for the media to consider. The content of the information broadcasted from the media should be unbiased and reliable. With the Mitt Romney issue that was not the case when he spoke about the palistinians. The media omitted the part of that speach that could change the thoughts of potiential voters. This in an attempt to showcase the "moral nature" of Mr. Romney.
ReplyDeleteAs for the news worthiness of the story I agree totally with the American media's contribution to allert the public of the 47% dismissive labling of the voters by Mr. Romney. It was indeed timely due to the American election comming this November. Further the story was also full of conflict, this took the form of Mr. Romney's dismissive comments to the 47% of voters. The Story did indeed achieved its impact, it was a story that readers cared to read as it impacted a great 47% of voters.
As for the section 34 issue which suggests that crimes past a ten year period be disreguarded is in fact a great story, it is relevant, timely, prominent and has a high level of impact. The effect of this story however is a political issue because this issue works to the benefit of a politician. Journalists know that readers are in fact lovers of a good politiacl story especially those published in the newspaper.
Keon Cudjoe
810100150
Reference:
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Rowley_meets_unions-171639791.html
Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He is the nominee of the Republican Party for president of the United Sates in the 2012 elections. Recently a video surfaced (leaked) which captured Mitt Romney speaking to donors, where he made several slurred comments about “Palestinians”. His comments about the Palestinians were; “they were not interested in establishing peace”. The battle with the Americans and the Palestinians is an on-going issue. Mitt Romney comments concerning sensitive foreign policies should reflect sound professional judgment as a Presidential hopeful. Such remarks can affect US international trade relationships in the Middle East and protract the peace talks.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, Mitt disparaging about the 47% of the Americans who are dependent on the government for health care and food, and that they should take care of themselves reflects him and the Republican in an unsavoury light. His best chances at the Presidency as a second-time nominee may be undone. He needs this said “vulnerable group” to win the elections.
As it relates to section 34 of the administration of justice (indictable proceedings) Act 2011 in Trinidad, I think that there are improvements needed to be made to the act. Acting President Timothy Hamel Smith said it “was fundamentally flawed and it was wrong for legislation to passed an act without addressing white collar crimes such as corruption and money laundering”.
In Trinidad, the major issues are corruption and money laundering. Due to the issues of section 34, the Minister of Justice Herbert Volney was fired by the Prime Minister for misrepresenting the judiciary’s opinions on the issue.
However, people have to be responsible for what they disclose to the media, as the media is noted at times for using sensitive and national safety related information to exaggerated stories to hype sales and personal agendas.
References
1. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Lessons_from_Section_34-171449571.html
2. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Hamil-Smith-Section-34-was-flawed-171868711.html
3. http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2012-09-26/manning-section-34-i-would-have-broken-ranks-pnm-vote
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney
5. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/09/18/161357331/mother-jones-releases-full-unedited-romney-video
Kerri Puckerin
811100631
The purpose of the media is to express an opinion or point of view, educate through factual content and information, persuade viewers/readers and listeners to buy a product or think a certain way and to entertain by movies etc. In this case with respect to Mitt Romney being be dismissive of 47% of the voters the media has all right to broadcast this and inform the public about the person they may be voting for to be president although he may be factual/speaking his mind about his statement. Of course as gatekeepers this was also a hit story for news reporters and writers as it is a little more than a month before the elections which is perfect timing to gain alot of public attention. The part where he spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians in which it was edited out to avoid further conflict with the Palestinians or it was not as important. Romney was wrong for what he said but he was speaking his mind which is affecting is campaign although he admitted he could have said it a more gentle way.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to section 34 it’s basically the same situation in terms of writers and news catching the public’s attention at the right time as the opposition was looking for all forms to discredit the government for bad spending money for independence celebrations and also in front the budget. As it was done secretly this was a perfect situation to further discredit the government for a minor mistake which was made. Many stories said that the person/persons who discovered everything was bias towards the government knowing that the government would look bad and knowing that the public will just take it and “run with it”. Readers show do more research on topics as the media is sometimes incorrect and bias just to make their story a hit.
In both cases it shows the power of the media to influence the public on making decisions. Readers should take into consideration that there are more than one side of a story. The media should live up to their purpose but also do it in the truthful way.
References: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/mitt-romney/9559659/Mitt-Romneys-message-is-good-it-just-needs-restating.html
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/30/3831317/commentary-a-53-percenters-memo.html
http://ckg.runckc.org/Home/Module-III--MEDIA--TECHNOLOGY/session3/activity-two-four-main-purposes-of-media
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Section_34_sinkholes_-171078611.html
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Lessons_from_Section_34-171449571.html
KERON SPRINGER
808014702
The media is the single most important method of relaying news to the public; it makes the public aware of local, regional and international matters which are rather important or simply informative. It has the ability to cover large audiences and spread word with minimal time needed. A modern world without media will struggle to survive in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteMitt Romney is a well-known figure with documented aspirations, therefore any public comments that are made by him will almost immediately be conveyed to society by the media; in my opinion the media is well within its right to do this, especially because it was taken from a public speech. Freedom of speech is important, however, when trying to attain public confidence one must know how to satisfy the public; undermining a fraction of persons which can ultimately determine whether you acquire your position or not is not an intelligent move. Therefore, I consider Mr. Romney rather foolish in his statements and not worthy to be a leader of such a powerful country. The media not including the comments on Palestine may have been to simply avoid sparking more controversy between the USA and the Middle East.
The media’s purpose is to provide impartial details which then allow the followers to develop their own opinions. A biased media does not perform its job and could create awful problems at times. The media should always be free to inform and the media should be well protected; little to no restrictions on what may be printed as long as it is truthful. The exposure of ‘Section 34’ by local media was ‘the media doing its rightful job’. Making the public aware of the issue and created a murmur which stopped injustice from occurring.
Mikhel Pitman-Gilkes
809004264
PART 1:
ReplyDeleteAccording to New World Encyclopedia Freedom of the press is the guarantee by a government of free public press for its citizens and their associations, extended to members of news gathering organizations, and their published reporting. It also extends to news gathering and processes involved in obtaining information for public distribution. Not all countries are protected by a bill of rights or the constitutional provision pertaining to Freedom of the Press.
In relation to freedom of the press the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the United States of America states:
“The government should not have the power of suspending or executing laws, "without consent of the representatives of the people,". A legal defendant has the right to be "confronted with the accusers and witnesses, to call for evidence in his favor, and to a speedy trial by an impartial jury of his vicinage," and may not be "compelled to give evidence against himself." Individuals should be protected against "cruel and unusual punishments", baseless search and seizure, and be guaranteed a trial by jury. The government should not abridge freedom of the press, or freedom of religion ("all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion"). The government should be enjoined against maintaining a standing army rather than a "well regulated militia"
In consideration of the statement in the bill of rights concerning the freedom of the press it is my opinion it was within the media’s right to expose Mitt Romney’s dismissive statements concerning 47% of the voters in the United States. The way it was done by the media is questionable. Furthermore, the editing of his indifferent speech concerning the Palestinians is even more questionable. This leaves me to conclude “What was the American media’s agenda?” Was it honest concern to tell the truth to the people of a potential candidate for the upcoming elections or was it a bias political agenda in favour of Obama at work? Why did they fail to expose his words concerning the Palestinians in the same speech? Was it to save their image in the eyes of the World and the Middle East after the outcry concerning the movie “Innocence of Muslims” and the riots it caused?
Mitt Romney stated that the 47% who voted for Obama did not pay income tax, are dependent on government, believe that they are victims and believe the government has a responsibility to care for them. Mr. Romney is a political figure who is a potential candidate in the United States upcoming election. This is why I think what the media did was right in exposing his speech. To whom much is given, much is required. He is representing the American people, all 300 million plus and it is important that a certain level of transparency exists on the part of governments and political figures in any society. He lives in a democracy that is dependent on a system of, by the people, for the people and of the people. Thus his statements of the 47% isolated or stereotyped that percentage of potential voters of the population. It is important the public knows his viewpoints and how he thinks in order to decide whether to vote for him or not. And the media is responsible for bringing this message across to the people and letting them understand and know the reality of both parties. Whether it’s an election ploy, bias or not it is still the right of the media to deliver the true intentions of both candidates to the public in an ethical, responsible, and impartial manner. A lot of the statements he made rings in a level of truth but at the same time the generalizing of the statement in relation to 47% of the population is wrong. This so in the absence of statistics to qualify that all 47% does not pay income tax. He has no statistics to prove that all 47% of the Obama voters do not pay income tax.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Name: Jovienne Lawrence
I.D: 01072604
PART 2 CONTINUED:
DeleteThe same can be said of section 34, because of the freedom of the press and the awesome investigative reporting of the media it became public knowledge causing the Minister of Justice to be removed. Leaders must be held accountable for their actions. When corrupt governments try to cover up or pass laws that are unacceptable or detrimental to society, transparency and accountability becomes of most importance. No Government is above the law.
The parallel of the Mitt Romney issue and Section 34 is that the actions and decisions of leaders and governments affect nations and people. Therefore the importance of the freedom of the press to do proper investigative reporting and share and reveal the actions and decisions of political figures heads, leaders, and officials are important because it affects nations and people’s way of life. Freedom of the press to hold governments and leaders responsible actually protects our democracy and how we live. If they are aware of the messages communicated to them by the media through print, writing and other forms and believe that it is against the interest of them, they can protests, talk, stir up discussion causing leaders to change their actions, alter their ways or modify their speeches. This is how balance is achieved. Granted the media can destroy but it can also build and affect change in a positive way. There are negative aspects to media and yes they do have agendas but at the same time the media is a form of check and balance for these political figures.
In closing I leave with the statement by Thomas Jefferson 1787, “The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” He basically states that it is better to have government with media, and if there are no media then there should be no government.
References:
“Freedom of the press,” New World Encyclopedia, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Freedom_of_the_press
“United States Bill of Rights,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights ,
Name: Jovienne Lawrence
I.D: 01072604
Journalism in its widest sense should be responsible, professional and unbiased. The incident of the leaked Mitt Romney video has raised many flags and concerns amongst the American and International communities. The media is the tool which informs the public of the current events and issues affecting them directly.
ReplyDeleteThe media in its fundamental role as dispersers of the wealth of information should use responsible journalism as its guiding mantra. There was an unequivocal breach of the basic right of privacy of Mr. Romney. The speech was done in a private capacity. The very nature of the video shot by a hidden camera underscores the private nature of the function. The media should only be allowed to broadcast public events in an effort to preserve one’s right to privacy. Although the media appraised the readers and electorate of the nature and campaign of Mr. Romney by his speech, it was unethical to breach his privacy.
The nature of the video lacked integrity in all its sense as the filming was done in such a covert manner. Professionalism was also absent as it shows the level in which the media would stoop to bring a sensational story to light for their own financial and popularity gains by gambling their morality. However, flags can be raised to show the level of political influence which clouds over the ‘independence’ of the media. In such a society any legitimate threat to the independence of the media shows that our right to privacy is not respected or protected.
Contrastingly in Trinidad and Tobago, respect must be done to the media for responsible journalism by revealing the dangers and threats to the criminal justice system. The both cases are distinguishable as it shows the media breaching a right to privacy versus the media highlighting a public matter.
1) http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/mitt-romneys-47-percent-pay-income-taxes/story?id=17263629#.UGjhKE37JvJ
2)http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/The_scandal_of_Section_34-169864216.html
Hana Hosein
810001434
Scandals involving public officials have often captured world attention and results from the deteriorating ethical behaviours of them as they indulge themselves into all sorts of malpractices. Therefore there is a genuine demand that the media strengthens ethics, responsibility to readers, integrity and professionalism; in order to protect the public and the resources of a country. Strictly speaking, these concepts are interrelated and their sum total shows that there are no clear-cut boundaries between them. Therefore the existence or lack of any of them will either positively or negatively impact on the other. This automatically implies that a well-balanced public figure in terms of performance and respect must possess and/or put all of them in practice.
ReplyDeleteWillard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician who is the nominee of the Republican Party for Presidency of the United States in the 2012 elections. This position has automatically granted him permission to be scrutinized in every aspect by the public media. In the recent scandal involving a speech of his being secretly taped and publicized, I am in full support of such action taken by the media because it is the right of every citizen to know the full character of who they are voting for. However, I disagree with the media for editing out the section of the speech in which he spoke despairingly of the Palestines as it prevents the public from experiencing the full wrath of Mr. Romney. In my opinion, the surfacing of these stories should give the voting population a greater insight into their Republican candidate and hence influence their choice at the polls.
In relation to the uprising of the issue relating to Section 34 in Trinidad and Tobago, the media was able to bring to light vital issues and answers to questions concerning the government that the public was ought to know. It is now left up to the citizens to decide who and which government they would feel safe being governed under.
References:
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Section_34_sinkholes_-171078611.html
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un-dpadm/unpan038789.pdf
http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/21942#.UGi5n5gSf_E
Tahlia Ali
810003512
The role of the media is very simple. It is there to provide accurate and relevant information to the public without any bias in one's favour. The release of this video was unfortunate as it was at a private fundraiser for Mr. Romney at a Florida mansion. Nevertheless, the release of this video was very critical of Mr. Romney as it drew criticism just a few weeks before the US presidential elections which has dealt him a huge blow especially in the nine swing states.
ReplyDeleteThe media was within there rights to show the US population what could be in store for them if Mr. Romney is elected as President.He said that 47% of Americans would vote for President Obama no matter what and that they claimed to be the victims. He also said that the 47% do not pay their taxes and that the Obama administration would want to tax the rich. It seems as though he has written off nearly half the country and would help the 53% but then he would be President and not the United States President. His statement on Palestine was geared to appease Jewish donors by implying that Palestinians were inferior to Israelis because of their supposedly backward culture, glossing over the decades of suffocating military occupation.
With regards to the Indictable Proceedings Act (Section 34), this could be linked to the video leak with Mr. Romney in that it has highlighted the agenda of the government in it's alleged ploy to prevent the financiers from being extradited to the Us to face criminal charges. Therefore the media was right in highlighting the government's corruption and to make the public aware of how the country is being governed.
Kendell Assue
809000589
The media main role is to spread information to the public. It put the spotlight on the current issues and news of a country. I believe that the reporters were well in their right to publicize the speech of Mitt Romney at his fundraiser. Everyone has a job and they were just doing theirs. Mr. Romney needs to ask him if he is doing his job. He deliberately rejected voters because of their social class. How can you be a applying for a job that is aimed to serve citizens yet you despises 47% of them? I applaud the media for exposing him for his unprofessionalism and arrogance. Imagine if the pubic had no clue and voted him president,47% of the country would have been just ignored. In addition, all the services such as free food and welfare may have been stop and poverty may have increased. The media just help the US in making the right decision on Election Day.
ReplyDeleteThe media seems to be professional and not trying to sabotage Mr. Romney since they omitted his views of the Palestinians. The US and the Middle Eastern countries already has a very shaky relationship, especially now since the making of the Anti-Islamic video. This contributed to a lot of uproar and rioting in Islamic countries and the death of US citizens and other individuals. It already a dangerous issue for the US and you are still insulting these individuals. Therefore, the death of those innocent people was all in vain.
There was an issue in Trinidad and Tobago which led to the dismissal of a member parliament. The MP breached the section34 law and the media educated the public. If the media wasn’t at work this would have been ignored and this MP would continue to mislead our country.
Daily Express Newsday
Abcnews.go.com/politics
Tessa Blackman
(810000095)
Media is known as a medium for commentary information and facts on popular topics and interest that captivates and satisfies the wants of the audience. Examples of this include, newsletters, television, magazines and so on. Its reasonability is to present the best, current and informative facts while simultaneously entertaining and informing the audience.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Mitt Rodney, it is the reasonability of the media to report all the political and public actions done. Through the media, the audience can know and understand a person of interest. Mr. Rodney is campaigning for the position of president which is a very influential position which dictates the outcome of the nation. As such all information presented by the media is therefore relevant. However, due to the disclosure of this unethical edited speech, riots and other forms of violence were avoided.
As for issue of Section 34 in Trinidad and Tobago, the media revealed this issue as an issue of controversy and breach of trust by the government. This was a piece of legislation which affected all citizens and as such was within all rights to be reported. The manner in which the issue was reported however, was influential as to change and/or question the integrity of the government, thus showing the influential power of the media.
Hence, is the media within its rights to publish such issues, based on the components of having the required elements of a good selling news story? My opinion is yes, the media is within all rights to publish these stories as it not only sells but, also satisfies the media’s reasonability to inform the audience about such issues and events.
References:
1. “Mitt Romney defends 'very effective campaign' amid Republican complaints”, The Guardian, last modified Sunday 23 September 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/23/romney-defends-campaign-republican-complaints?newsfeed=true
2. “News Media”, Wikipedia, last modification 14 September 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_media
3. “Full video of Mitt Romney comments released”, NY Daily News, last modification Thursday, September 18, 2012. http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-09-18/news/33931867_1_mitt-romney-obama-campaign-gop-donors
Kavita Butkoon
809002079
The media is a very important tool in communication it reaches a large audience in a short space of time. The media communicates to the public what it wants the public to know. According to the Agenda Setting Theory by Maxwell McCombs & Donald Shaw the media tell you “Not what to think, but what to think about”. The media in the case of Mitt Romney clearly tried to show that he was being racist without actually saying that he was. The media dwelled on the parts of his speech that may have sounded racist or inappropriate and made it available for the public.
ReplyDeleteThe media is known for sifting out parts of a story and giving it a twist to make it “news worthy” and this is the job of the media. By making the video open to the public the media is making his candidacy a bit difficult but the media have the right to inform the public about the both “good and bad” of any of Mr. Romney’s statements. However the media may not be as accurate as one will like about an entire story but these “gate keepers” do report to the public what they think is worth reporting and the statement about the Palestinians clearly got the attention of many persons. This I think would have a significant impact in the elections because the media clearly played on the emotions of the public.
Mitt Romney’s speech can be alluded to the local issue of “Section 34 Act” where governmental dishonesty and bogus claims that are over and over again go unnoticed are exposed to the public by the media.
LAURA GADAR
809002529
Reference:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/30/mitt-romney-palestinians_n_1718496.html
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/comm321/gwalker/effectsmedia.htm
C. Rambharat, 24th September, 2012. “Section 34 sinkholes” Date accessed 29th September, 2012. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Section_34_sinkholes_-171078611.html
The American media was right to report on the speech of Mitt Romney. The media has the right to transfer issues that would affect a large percentage of any population. One main function of the news writing media is to inform the general public about current issues. News is the communication of selected information on current event, which is presented to the general public. The omission of the Palestinians remarks may have been a tactical one to protect the US from conflict involving the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteIn section 34, the PM also ignored the conflict of interest issue with the ex-Minister’s elections campaign manager being among those who would benefit, and she ignored the fact that the AG, being intimately involved in the Piarco matters, had a responsibility to steer the Government through these rising conflict of interest waters. This case is similar to the one in the US, where statements that would resolve in conflict being omitted.
Print media should follow good journalistic ethics for success. Shortness and simplicity are important properties in writing because it makes reading more applicable. Thus, short sentences and short paragraph are easier to decode by the receiver. Integrity is very important in writing. Print media should include quotations to eliminate biases. Once all ethics are followed professionalism in writing would be achieved.
Newswriting attempts to answer all the basic questions concerning an event (who, what, when, where, why and also how) of the opening news story.
Finally, ethics, integrity and professionalism in writing news story will ensure news to be sold to the general public.
Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/mitt-romney-video_n_1829455.html
Geselle Leacock
811100490
Media are known as the storage and transmission channels or tools used for storing and delivering information. It is often referred to as equal with mass media or news media, but at the same time may refer to a single medium used in communicating any data for any purpose.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to the taped speech of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, I believe that the media was well in its rights for letting the public be aware the contents of such video. Even though the speech took place at a private fundraiser and this view was brought upon by a question from a donor, Mitt Romney should have been more careful of his opinions. He had told a small group of wealthy contributors what he truly thinks of all the voters who support President Barack Obama. (Corn, 2012) Indeed the media had all rights for exposing such facts to the listening public since they needed to be aware of what is going on and the truth in his campaigning, his true identity and reasoning.
Mitt Romney had apparently also made comments in which he spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians, however the media choose to conceal this from the public. Omission of this may have been due to the media’s knowledge on the consequences of leaking such information, such as evoking attacks from the Middle East.
It is the media right to present the public with unbiased facts. If the media fails to conduct such actions then sever problems can occur as well as ominous consequences. A heated topic currently is the one on Section 34, in which guilty parties where nearly dismissed from justice. Injustice might have become apparent if a media company had not noticed the error of judgment and in the long run would have caused chaos within the judicial system.
In the end it comes down to the freedom of the media to obtain and distribute information to the public being unbiased and factual. They help the truth to be heard in society with any means possible which is greatly appreciated and needed by the people.
References:
Corn, David. "SECRET VIDEO: Romney Tells Millionaire Donors What He REALLY Thinks of Obama Voters | Mother Jones." Mother Jones | Smart, Fearless Journalism. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/secret-video-romney-private-fundraiser (accessed September 28, 2012).
Rebecca F.R. Sukal
809001960
The writers of the section 34 and Mitt Romney speech both used the same tactics of gaining the reader’s interest. In addition, the inverted pyramid style of writing was used, either in the first line or paragraph which contained the leading facts and as the story continued more details were included. Thus, the headlines jumped out at the reader attracting them to the story based on the phrasing. A header like those used on both stories would relate to the reader’s sense of conflict. Hence, heading would sometimes divert from the topic at hand, while the story primarily dealt with (section 34) would be directed to the feature story, this was done to create alteration and prevent boringness of headlines. The writers displayed prominence in both stories as they can be seen all over the newspaper and internet, where these stories are repeatedly seen in the media, thus, proximity. The writers ensure they reached all possible readers as they published web comments which would attract the computer literate population, which also grasped the reader’s interest as this is timeliness and impacts on everyone. On the other hand, human interest was also noted on an emotional appeal as a mother was displayed on the front page of the newspaper crying because of her son, due to section 34. While the Mitt Romeny story also received bad publicity, as he is portrayed as having a “Palestinan problem.” In addition, the media had rites to report on his actions, due to the fact that he has a high position in American society. Thus, this story would create captivating interesting. Both stories would spread throughout the public in frenzy, this is why writers would find them news worthy and would in turn publish them to the media.
ReplyDeletePhebe Ramayah
811000694
The Media has a duty to society as a major deliver of news and information, to be impartial as much as it can, and broadcast news as fair and unbias as possible.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of the statements made by presidential hopeful mitt romney about 47% non tax paying blacks. Such a statement is in fact his opinion and he is entailed to it. However it should be noted that such as comment could be see by many as offensive. And We must also remember he made such comments in the public domain. An area which the media is fully entitled to cover and report on.
The media thus cannot be wrong in its actions to air such a story, as damning as it might seem it is still the truth. The wider american population has all right to know mr. Romney's views on blacks and tax paying after all he wants to represent them. This can and does influence the final decision of many undecided voters. Romney or any other presidential candidate should not be allowed to make such offensive statements in a semi closed environment and think that he can get away with it.
With respect to the Palestine Issue, it is clear in this case that the American Media acted bais in there reporting of this story. It can be seen from impartial onlookers that the story that aired on the news channel did paint romney in a negative light and so his true view on the Palestine matter was not represented. If this is a key issue for some voters then they are being fooled by the media and most importantly they thinking is being influenced because they have not been fed with creditable information on which a voting choice can be made.
If we say the media has a moralistic duty to provide the population with credible, facial news then in this matter it clearly has not done that. Thus it is very easy for anyone to accuse the news administration of things like political interferons. The Print and Digital Media needs to provide clear, facial news and all of it not pick and choose what they think may sell papers or rake in views. Elections change the course of Countries, the Issues discussed by those who seek Power are very influential to the people who seek to elect them. And must be reported on as there are made and not be subjected to change.
ESTHER JAMES
The media is one of, if not, the most powerful channel of communication capable of shaping the thoughts and perceptions of individuals. It controls what news is made public and what is kept in the dark. With regards to controversial issues related to politics, therefore, they have the ability to manipulate the emotions and reactions of citizens and persons worldwide by feeding them the political propaganda or withholding information altogether. This media power is seen in their highlight of the Mitt Romney private speech being leaked to the public, the omission of his controversial comments about the Palestinians and our local media flooding the news with proceedings on the Section 34 issue.
ReplyDeleteAs transmitters of information, the media is supposed to give unbiased, objective information to its readers while at the same time respecting the boundaries of privacy. Although Mr. Romney’s speech was made in a public forum, the fact that he was taped secretly shows that some level of privacy had been breached. This is a serious ethical issue that needs to be considered, i.e. how far will the media go to obtain “juicy” information for their readers? Also, the media chose to withdraw comments Mr. Romney made concerning the Palestinians. While we can speculate as to whether it was done to protect him or the U.S. on the whole by preventing added conflicts between the U.S. and the Middle East, the media displayed outright bias by choosing to withhold this from the public’s eyes.
It also portrayed questionable integrity and professionalism by making public, a video that had been made without acknowledgement by authorities. On the other hand, with respect to our local issues concerning Section 34, the media is not withholding information but instead publicizing every detail related to the proceedings, thus allowing the citizens unbiased information about a topic which is under discussion in almost every household.
Leean Ramdass
809000194
The media is supposed to be unbiased in their report and conveying of a story, but in some cases this is not always the case how a reporter chooses to phase a statement or play with words to direct the story in the way they want it to go. This could have been the case with the partial releasing of the statement made by US presidential Candidate Mitt Romney with his seemingly racial comment of if he was Mexican that he would have already won the race. I believe that it was an important issue to report to the public due to the president of the United States of America being one if not the most important head of states in the world so voting should not be taken lightly. The reporters were able to play on the emotions of the public by insinuating that his statement was racial this is a very insensitive topic even more so that his opposition is the first Black President of America. This acts also on that it’s a controversy and would be a strong topic to report on at the given moment.
ReplyDeleteCloser to home there was the local scandal very recently with the widely reporting of Section 34. The media had this story to the frontline for weeks due to its very controversial or as Trinidadians like to say ‘bacchanal’ this led to a nationwide uproar and the dismissal of the Minister of Justice very publicly even though he was willing to resign. His letter of resignation was rejected to him to be later fired.
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,166896.html
http://www.salon.com/2012/09/29/mexican_mitt/singleton/
shrees morgan
809003029
The prime purpose of the media is to provide information to the public. Important issues where the people are concerned are surfaced or re-surfaced. In some instances the media the media causes controversy by presented to the public twisted actual information and in others, they simply present the unknown.
ReplyDeleteThe Mitt Romney ‘private speech’ video brought to light by the media, in my opinion was a motive well done. “There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent on government, who believe that they are the victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, you name it, that that's an entitlement and they will vote for this president no matter what." This, his words were of his opinion and allowed the public an insight of a possible President of America, his thoughts of the people and beliefs. The video contained his Palestinian comments as well but this issue was not ‘blown up’ as much. The media acted wise in this matter. There are already issues at hand with Palestine. If more time is spent discussing and presenting the Palestine issues, it may lessen chances of the Americas and Palestine coming together in absolute peace. However another reason can also be due to the election period in the Americas. Spending more time on the 47% issue will only add to the profits of the media since it affects the Romney Campaigning.
Similarly in the local setting, the Section 34 issue has allowed citizens of Trinidad on insight of the negative it can possibly bring. In my opinion, this can allow greater injustice to citizens in an already ‘easy going’ law justice system.
Reference:
John King, 2012. CNN Chief National Correspondent: King: For Romney, how bad is this?
(30th September, 2012)
Nandini Maharaj
807004698
The media plays a major role in informing their audience about current issues that may be of importance to the people. It creates a platform where all news and events worth sharing are shared to the viewers. There may or may not be any limits to what is being shared here.
ReplyDeleteThe entire controversial video clipping of Mr. Mitt Romney and his comments regarding the 47% of Americans who are benefiting from the current government is a major issue that is worth sharing via the media. Although this recording was taken from a private function, Mr. Romney, being a man in the race for Presidency in the United States of America should have known that at this point, anything he says or does, be it in public or in private would run the risk of exposure to the world and run risk for his campaign. Do I blame the media for posting the video? No, I don’t. Every one of the American citizens have full rights to know the type of person who would one day may represent and serve them as a leader. Also, Mr. Romney has spoken negatively about the Palestinians. This portion of the video however was not broadcasted. However, the media used their discretion not to, as this might have brought war to the Americans. Mr. Romney should be more careful as what he says from now on as it may greatly affect his chances of winning the elections. The citizens use the information sent via the media to help them better understand what is going on around them and aid in making any decisions that needs to be made now and in the near future.
Similarly, in Trinidad, the most recent controversial story to explode all over the news and the mass media here was the Section 34 act. If this was not broadcasted through the media, the people of Trinidad would have been lost as to what goes on in Parliament and with the awareness that is has brought about among the citizens of Trinidad, the subsequent firing of the Minister of Justice took place. The entire fiasco is still in progress however.
Media plays a huge role in society and should be allowed to broadcast whatever important events or news that may be informative for the audiences’ knowledge.
1) "Romney In Secretly Taped Video: Obama Voters 'Dependent' On Government - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfwRyal5fVk (accessed September 30, 2012).
2) "This Seat is Taken - Mitt Romney's Secretly Taped Speech." FU - FairAndUNbalanced.com. http://fairandunbalanced.com/blog1.php/2012/09/18/this-seat-is-taken-mitt-romney-s-secretl (accessed September 30, 2012).
MEERA MARAJ
809001628
The surreptitiously taped speech of Mitt Romney was a follow up article concerning a report on a recent event. Its purpose was to educate those who did not attend to get an idea of the issue that took place. From the speech, Romney appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters; also he spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians.
ReplyDeleteThe impact here affected the Palestinians and the 47% of the voters. This is a political case and would hence result in conflict. Also, reporter write and convey their story in such a way as to ‘play up’ conflict. The proximity deals with the physical and closeness to the audience therefore this happening that occurred in the U.S. had great news value to them. Prominence is the major factor to this conflict because of the event that took place and the person involved, it was an eager conference to arouse and also because of its relevance which stirred up concern to the Palestinians and the U.S. This also arouse human interest the reason being the event touched human emotion and stir up curiosity hence another reason for the major conflict taking place.
Similarly, section 34 also aroused conflict in Trinidad and Tobago, because of its impact, it’s a local happening that have greater news value, it’s a big and important situation involving prominent persons and it arouse curiosity to the public. Section 34 happens to be an event that has occurred a decade ago and is still being sold by the media.
It is now in the interest of the reader to decide if the situation as blown out of proportion by the media or if there are reliable sources to back up what is being published. I believe that a visual of the taped speech would be a much reliable source of give a clear visual and hearing of the event that took place.
References
BBC New US & Canada. 2012. “Mitt Romney secret video reveals on Obama voters.” Accesses September 30, 2012. http:// www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19631430
KRISTY MAHABIR
810000758
Concerning Mr. Romney’s statement about the 47 percent being victims and depending on the government, I understand him and agree with him to a certain extent. Quoting from the late US president John F. Kennedy “My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” The 47% he speaks of are those who ask, “What your country can do for you?” These persons make themselves victims and depend on the Government for support in every way possible, these are persons who wish to be spoon fed all the time and do not get up and help themselves. This can be seen anywhere in the world, in Trinidad and Tobago for example persons below the poverty line continuously look towards the government for financial and other support and are quick to say “the government doesn’t care about us.” There are numerous ways the government tries to help; trade schools( plumbing, mechanical etc), classes for persons who cannot afford the usual, career building opportunities, there was a three day seminar this weekend in North and South Trinidad and also in Tobago. These are the foundations offered so persons can pick up themselves, better themselves and in return carry their country forward. These offers will not be accepted and the government will be bashed. These persons are inevitable and can be found in every society/ country therefore I understand why he said that he is not concerned about them; there will always be a 47%.
ReplyDeleteHowever the same 47% may be those in which he will be dependent upon for votes as every vote counts, persons will not take well to the statement made because it may make them feel inferior. The comment is very touchy and it is understandable why it was made in an enclosed environment with a relatively small audience.
With regards to the other statement made about the Palestinians and the media not reporting it, I do not know why it was not reported, maybe because of bias decisions towards Mr. Romney and figured he received too many negative reviews. The question was asked if the media was in its rights to report the initial statement. The media hardly ever does what is right, they are very unethical and reports what sells, therefore the slightest slip from a celebrity or a person in high position they will report as seen with the incident involving the ditches. The story about Mr Romney is ideal to them as elections are set to take place soon.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/mitt-romney-47-percent_n_1916159.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2gvY2wqI7M&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mvlGv8-8RU
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnfkenn109213.html
Chad De Matas
809005046
It is pretty clear that the American media story is indeed news worthy.However it is important that it is highlighted what makes the story newsworthy and then discuss why the media's report is newworthy.
ReplyDeleteProminence, timing, significance, proximity and human interest are the attributes that make the news newsworthy. To give some clearity each of these characteristics can be defined or described. Timing really refers to the fact that the media needs to get the news to the public as soon as possible or even sometimes better when the event actually occurs.
When it comes to the attribute proximity, the nearer the story (for example if an incident occurs or an issue arises within the country),the more significant it is. Prominence simply highlights the fact that famous people get more coverage just because they are famous. Significance refers to the number of people affected by the story. Lastely, human interest refers to those stories that appeal to emotions and evoke a response.
With all that being stated, we can now look into why the media's report is news worthy. Firstly, it is pretty obvious that what Romney said would have impacted a lot of Americans (especially the 47% he dismissed in his comments) since he was running against Obama for elections. This means that the news the media would bring to the public is siginificant. Moreover, Romney has become pretty famous due to the election campaigns. As a result the media would uphold its duty and pratice its rights to take coverage of the both leaders of the political parties (democrats and republicans). The media would keep a close eye on the two as they are famous and have impact. This highlights the attribute, prominence.
Furthermore, the story that is formed by the American media has appealed to the emotions of many and evoked responses as the citizens of the nation perception of Romney may have changed. In other words, human interest is created. The incident where Romney discussed with some of his collgues his diposition on what he regards as the extemporary Americans took place in a meeting in the U.S. This factor highlights that the media report also consist of the attribute, proximity.
Simarly in Trinidad, our local media has also met the requirments of ensuring that the news provided (relative to the flawed legislation, Section 34) to general public was worthy. This is so because human interest was created as conflict occured thereby evoking feedback and apealing to the emotions of the general public as in the case of the Romney being exposed.
Lastely, the American media acted professionally. They have choosen to edit out the part where Ronmey spoke about the Palestinians as the main story or issue has been covered and the comment did not directly attack American people as the other comments were. It was simply unnecessary to even mention tha particular comment.
I agree with your comment. The media was just serving its purpose in informing the public of the `happenings` occuring both locally and internationally.
DeleteHowever I think that it was just poor on Mr. Romney`s part considering that he is a public figure and even though everyone is entitled to their own opinion, he could have just kept his thought out of the public`s reach.
The reports made by the media would definately influence or be trusted by the persons who reads them since the media provides newsworthy articles. They do this by reporting on `timely` events; both the section 34 issue as well as the speech made by Mr. Romney are both recent/current events.
Another tactic employed by the media is prominance where they reported on `higher ranked/classed` individuals like Romney and proximity which was exercised by the fact that the issue of section 34 affects the entire public of Trinidad and Tobago;this issue employed `closeness` to the public.
KEIRAN BRIDGLAL
810001787
t is pretty clear that the American media story is indeed news worthy.However it is important that it is highlighted what makes the story newsworthy and then discuss why the media's report is newworthy.
ReplyDeleteProminence, timing, significance, proximity and human interest are the attributes that make the news newsworthy. To give some clearity each of these characteristics can be defined or described. Timing really refers to the fact that the media needs to get the news to the public as soon as possible or even sometimes better when the event actually occurs.
When it comes to the attribute proximity, the nearer the story (for example if an incident occurs or an issue arises within the country),the more significant it is. Prominence simply highlights the fact that famous people get more coverage just because they are famous. Significance refers to the number of people affected by the story. Lastely, human interest refers to those stories that appeal to emotions and evoke a response.
With all that being stated, we can now look into why the media's report is news worthy. Firstly, it is pretty obvious that what Romney said would have impacted a lot of Americans (especially the 47% he dismissed in his comments) since he was running against Obama for elections. This means that the news the media would bring to the public is siginificant. Moreover, Romney has become pretty famous due to the election campaigns. As a result the media would uphold its duty and pratice its rights to take coverage of the both leaders of the political parties (democrats and republicans). The media would keep a close eye on the two as they are famous and have impact. This highlights the attribute, prominence.
Furthermore, the story that is formed by the American media has appealed to the emotions of many and evoked responses as the citizens of the nation perception of Romney may have changed. In other words, human interest is created. The incident where Romney discussed with some of his collgues his diposition on what he regards as the extemporary Americans took place in a meeting in the U.S. This factor highlights that the media report also consist of the attribute, proximity.
Simarly in Trinidad, our local media has also met the requirments of ensuring that the news provided (relative to the flawed legislation, Section 34) to general public was worthy. This is so because human interest was created as conflict occured thereby evoking feedback and apealing to the emotions of the general public as in the case of the Romney being exposed.
Lastely, the American media acted professionally. They have choosen to edit out the part where Ronmey spoke about the Palestinians as the main story or issue has been covered and the comment did not directly attack American people as the other comments were. It was simply unnecessary to even mention tha particular comment.
References
http://www.mediacollege.com/journalism/news/newsworthy.html
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Hamil-Smith-Section-34-was-flawed-171868711.html
http://www.jdjournal.com/2012/09/19/romney-exposed-stolen-video-of-his-private-fundraiser/
Andre John
810001278
The media is the most popular persuasive and informative means of communication that stems interest from all audiences. Examples of these include the newspaper, radio, television and most popular, internet. It is mostly important in media that they inform and entertain, but usually the trouble lies with control over sharing of information and trust. (less trusted than personal sources). Interesting spectacles are strategically set up in various media arenas in order to attract audiences to take notice, whether interested or not. An example can be the case of Mr Mitt Romney of the United States.
ReplyDeleteThe American politician, who is a nominee of the republican party for President of the US, spoke at a secretly-recorded fundraiser which the media obviously made public. I honestly believe that it is the right for the media to make public because it is of the best interest of the Nation of America, in addition the wider audiences because of the world powers of the US in government affairs. Although the results of his statements making eye brows raise and 47% of his voters turning their backs is the people's views. There will be varying reactions and this cannont be stopped. But, the media's timeliness and impact can't. In contrast, due to the release of privacy made public, the value for media rises. The same can be said for the "section 34" fiasco that has been circling all forms of media.
The Heading of newspaper articles "Section 34" has built large interest from locals because of the known disorders of current governement. The name "Section 34" has been used in such a way that the media has spearheaded the name to highlight various conflicts within government. This too can even cause the current government future voters to turn their interest somewhere else (just as Witt Romney)
The media has used systematic strong headings to get the message out from both headlines, Romney & Section 34, together with strong body content and this has raised the listening and looking audience bar to a real high. In terms of whether certain audiences are affected due to religious or moral values, the media gets in the way to get the stories out and get them out strong.
Shimon Joseph
811001529
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/18/romney-donors-palestinians-peace-video
wikipedia.com/mittromney
http://repeatingislands.com/2012/09/22/trinidad-and-tobagos-justice-minister-fired-kamla-style/
When publishing articles, the media seek to highlight issues which they feel the audience will be interested in; newsworthy articles. They choose their stories based on timeliness, impact on the audience, proximity, conflict and relevance, amongst other factors.
ReplyDeleteWith elections in the air, leaking a video of a presidential candidate being dismissive of 47% of voters across the United States of America could not have been done in a timelier manner. Especially around election time, politicians need to understand that whatever they say, whether they believe that it is being said in private, can and will be used against them. Mitt Romney’s statements have the power to cause political conflict amongst the citizens in America, both for those who are supporting him and those who are not. The media chose to omit Romney’s statement about the Palestinians because they probably felt that this is not an issue that the public will be very concerned about due to the fact it featured an international body.
This video was packaged in a way that will attract of the attention of the media. It contained a public figure, running for the place of president, dismissing 47% of the citizens which, if elected, is expected to manage the affairs of. The media has done an excellent job in invoking thoughts of the citizens of America. This video can cause those who are supporting him, those who are not, and also those who have not yet decided to possibly think twice when choosing their next president.
The Section 34 issue in Trinidad and Tobago was highlighted by the media on the same grounds. It impacted the lives of the citizens as it dealt with the amendment of one of the laws. It was relevant, timely and showed progress within our system of laws. Similarly, it opened the eyes of Trinbagonians, causing them to think about what is taking place. Hats off to the media in both cases, where they managed to provoke the thoughts of citizens about topics that are relevant to their lives.
Corn, David. "http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/secret-video-romney-private-fundraiser." www.motherjones.com. September 17, 2012. (accessed September 30, 2012).
"http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/09/leaked-videos-show-mitt-romney-unscripted/." www.abcnes.go.com. September 17, 2012. (accessed September 29, 2012).
MakAskil, Ewen. "http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/18/mitt-romney-secret-video." www.guardian.co.uk. September 18, 2012. (accessed September 30, 2012).
Empress-Zena Tafari
810000577
I would say that the media was well within its right to release the taped speech of Mitt Romany. The purpose of the media is to inform on current events by announcing something newsworthy. The taped speech of Mitt Romney in which he appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters is a current event and includes a prominent person. The public would want to know what is happening in today’s world in respect to the leaders and future leaders as well.
ReplyDeleteThere’s also a case of conflict since it was Mitt Romany, a presidential candidate, stating his views on dismissing 47% of the voters, just as the conflict with the Section 34 Issue. It also peaks human interest because the viewers/voters would get emotional about this video. The video was released to the public while the Presidential Campaign is occurring.
Shiva Dupraj
806009095
Generally,the media are interested in stories that contain conflict,danger,celebrity scandal,or success/ failure.Thus,the media purpose is to convey an unbiased report of these stories to its country and the world at large.
ReplyDeleteWith reference to the speech made by United States (US)Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, last week, the American media had every right to report on the matter as the speech was made in a public arena. Some may say that the media required authorization to report on the taped speech,others may beg to differ.Currently,Romney is a prominent person of interest. Seeing that the US Presidential Elections are around the corner, any newsworthy information that helps in citizens making a decision to benefit them must be conveyed.
Yes! The media showed its loyalty to its readers by reporting on the surreptitiously taped speech of Romney, but also lacked integrity by omitting the part about Palestinians. I think the media was simply trying to reduce the risk of conflict between the two groups at the same time looking out for the interest of the United States.
With respect to the local issue of Section 34, the media of Trinidad and Tobago in its quest to stay loyal to its readers, reported on the September 2012 scenario in a professional way. This Section 34 issue was as news worthy and the Romney video because it holds the interest of the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, creates conflict among the Government and the Opposition, and it is timely because of the high priority matter before the Court dealing with Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson fraud case.
Reference List:
1) HUFF POST POLITICS THE INTERNET NEWSPAPER: NEWS BLOGS VIDEO COMMUNITY Carl Pope, Welcome to Romney-World -- The Speech You Should Have Heard About, September 28 2012. Date accessed September 30th,2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-pope/welcome-to-romneyworld th_b_1923562.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false
2) James Rainey, “Mitt Romney's '47%' comment alienated undecided voters: poll” September 25th 2012. Date accessed, September 29th 2012.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-mitt-romneys-47-percent-poll-20120925,0,5822326.story
3) Spence John, Lessons from Section 34, The Trinidad Express Newspaper, Sept 18th 2012.
4) Taitt Ria, I would not have voted for bill. The Trinidad Express Newspaper, Sept 25th 2012
Leslyn Alexander
811002435
The two stories the mitt Romney fiasco and section 34 of Trinidad are stories that affects everyone of that nation so the message published targets all the citizens of the countries. Mitt Romney a politician can have effects good and bad on the people that he represents and the constitution same with Trinidad and its altering of section 34
ReplyDeleteI agree on the way the media has published and broadcast their message as it was informative on issues that would affects the entire population of these regions.
These two feature stories needed much investigation for such articles to be published with government ministers being fired as the story was highlighted on the country media
The situation in the us and the way the media handle the situation was quite ok as they omitted sections on sensitive issues that affects countries of the middle east and the united states as mitt Romney is a presidents candidate in upcoming elections and releasing such news could have some serious effects with relationship with these nations
In the Trinidad situation on the amendment of the constitution the media went all out in their investigation causing parliament candidate to be fired
In both situations the reporting of these important news was informative to the targeted and affected persons and reporting was professionally done where information was willfully left out so that a major conflict would not arise from such publications
glen ramcharitar
808011448
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/The_scandal_of_Section_34-169864216.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhfmvuPHkZI&feature=relmfu
The issue of freedom of speech and ethics are primarily at home as it pertains to the media. Although the freedom of the media may be constitutionally protected and can be legally enforced, the exercise of that liberty by the media is a matter of individual choice and ethics.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the controversial speech that Mitt Romney gave, the media was well within their rights to predispose this information to the general public. The media’s main responsibility is to inform the mass audience and noting that the dismissive statement was made by a Presidential Candidate this requirement became even more significant. Personally the media portrayed an individual who was condescending, insensitive and biased which are characteristics that are not forthwith of a President. It was therefore essential that the media reveal this controversy to prospective voters in order to help them make an informed decision concerning the Presidential Elections.
The media was also precise in eluding the part where Mitt Romney spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians by acknowledging that in this particular scenario their main audience was the American Public and by extension potential voters. The media was professional in realizing that by displaying the offensive statements made by Mitt Romney against the Palestinians would just add to the controversy and further strain the adverse relationship between the two nations.
As it pertains to the “section 34” I believe the media was justified in presenting this contentious topic to the public, this was done in order to increase awareness of the controversy that was taking place where prominent individuals in society were using this legislation to their dishonest advantage. Through media involvement this legislation was amended and the individuals involved were branded and penalized.
References:
NowPublic: Mitt Romney Video: Barack Obama Voters 'Dependent On Government'. http://www.nowpublic.com/world/mitt-romney-video-barack-obama-voters-dependent-government-2982478.html (accessed Sep 24 2012).
Wikipedia: Media Ethics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_ethics (accessed Sep 24 2012).
REUEL THEROULDE
809004440
There is no doubt that the media is the most influential medium for communication. With that being said the media holds a lot of power with respect to how effective a message may be related, thus there are functions of the media that must be adhered to and circumstances which must be considered if we are to make concise judgment. In addition the media is important especially in relation to Section 34 of the Administration of Judgment Act of T&T, as the people deserve to know the important issues that plague society especially with the current political instability which may potentially violate their human rights.
ReplyDeleteIn relation to the 2012 General Elections in the US, I think that the actions of the media with respect to Mitt Romney’s remarks of the “47 percent of all Americans and the Palestinian peace settlement” is justifiable due to the fact that he is the Presidential Nominee and that his credibility and image depends on whether he would be elected. Of course any event like this is important and citizens will take a keen interest in the subject matter thus the media directed their cause to the public with the intention of surfacing the truth. In essence, the media was conducting what they were trained to do, that is, to educate and inform the public by whatever means necessary of any event that may pose change to their perception or constitutional rights because it was very unprofessional for Mr. Romney to express his views in that manner, especially for the post he is hoping to achieve.
With the respect to Palestinian peace settlement and the current tensions in the Middle East I would definitely support the media in editing the speech, due to the nature of this important event which not only affects the US but internationally as well. That was Mr. Romney’s personal opinion and thus should not have been geared towards any other cause outside the US to inflict political propaganda.
I do agree that the media can be controversial at times and may seem as a burden to others but when it boils down, it possibly is the greatest tool by which we can protect and exercise our constitutional rights and thus focus on the issues that really matter.
Riaz Ali
810004079
References:
Mark Drajem and Don Frederick, “Romney Remark That 47% Feel Entitled Was Misstep, Ryan Says” Bloomberg Business Week - September 30 2012.
Although the media has the right to present issues within and around the world, the issue of ethics and facts should be carefully considered before publishing.Print media should support writing principles,in this case journalistic principles, especially with a sensitive topic such as "Palestinians". In connection with Mitt Romney, the media was at full rights, to publicize this situation, given that its a sensitive speech and it was made in a public setting, the media had every right to "cover" it. The fault however in my opinion, was in publicizing the 47% of voters as it could have destroyed his career, damage his character and affect his ability to pursue the position to serve the citizen of America.The comments made about the Palestinians, may have been for controversial purposes, as in the eyes of the Palestinians it would not matter who said it, as long as they were American.The responsibility would have then fallen on the shoulders of the present leader of America.In light of the media's responsibilities, the media is supposed to present the facts with no bias or tampering. The interpretation of such messages is left up to the receiver. As long as their is no breach of privacy, the media is in full rights.
ReplyDelete811100596
Neikylle Gomez
The role of the media is to present factual information to the public so that they would be informed about issues occurring in the world that may directly or indirectly affect them. The media could be manipulative and biased at times but when the reported information deals with politics, they should get this information out in the public as factual as possible without any sort of editing taking place. At election time, the public would be interested in each and every statement made by politicians and in turn the media should not conceal any statement that they believe is irrelevant and would not affect the public in any way.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to the Mitt Romney's speech, this personality appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters which participated. Since Mitt Romney was elected to represent the people, his opinions as well as views are vital to the public as it would directly affect them.
Mitt Romney claimed "Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace and that the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish". I believe that the media shouldn't have edited the content of the speech to suite their preferences. Judging from the actions taken by the media, I would safely say that the media is a bit selfish in a sense that they want the public to receive what they think is accurate and worth their advertising time.
Hemvati Ramdath
808010645
The American media last week reported on a surreptitiously taped speech of Mitt Romney in which he appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters. Secondly, in the same speech he spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians, yet this was edited out and not presented to the public.
ReplyDeleteThe way the information was achieved was a bit underhanded but I believe the american media was well within their rights to report it. The media's job is not to protect those in power but to investigate and report to a broad audience (the public). However, once the information was made public, all of it should have been published. Failure to report the "whole story", has left it open to misinterpretations.
Effective news writing should be unbiased and of more interest to the reader than the writer. The topic is obviously one of interest to the American public but without the whole story can be seen as a ploy to lead the public in a certain direction. Had it not been for this leak of footage, much like Section 34 being brought to light, the public (American as well as Trinidadian) would never have been privy to the facts, which they are entitled to. Mr Romney is campaigning for U.S presidency and Section 34 is a law which was enacted on Trinidad and Tobago's 50th independence, both can affect a large section of the public. This is one instance where 'ignorance is not bliss'.
The media has done its job by bridging the gap between the general public and those 'in' power by making the public more aware of their (those in power) motives and intentions. Thus eliminating the ignorance and giving the public the tools needed to make informed decisions.
Kai Beckles
811100246
The media is an avenue to which unbiased covering and conveying of a story is done, but too often this is not always the case. A reporter is able to tip the scales of opinion a bit by the phases used or the playing of words to direct the story in the way they want it to go. I believe this to be the case with the partial releasing of the statement made by US presidential Candidate Mitt Romney racial comments stating that if he was Mexican of at least of Mexican heritage that he would have already won the presidential race. This is an important issue that needed to be reported to the public. Voting is a huge responsibility of the citizens of the United States and they use media reports as an avenue to helping them choose the candidate they would be supporting. Reporters sometimes use the emotions of the readers to achieve the attention of the public by reporting that the candidate’s statement was racial this is a very controversial topic due to the fact that his competition is the first Black President of America. In the media light in Trinidad and Tobago there is the local scandal of Section 34. The media were and still reporting this story for weeks! This was due mainly because of very controversial and questioning issues of section 34’s enactment. This led to the dismissal of the Minister of Justice
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/mitt-romney-helpful-to-be-latino_n_1891359.html
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2012-09-30/debate-continues-ag%E2%80%99s-role-section-34-fiasco
keron woodley
809002399
Mr. Romney was caught on tape saying that it was not his job to bother about 47% of America’s population because he believes that he will never win their vote. He believes that the 47% of voters are dependent on the government, are receiving free living expenses from the government, and therefore these people would definitely not vote the current government out of power. He therefore believes that it is his duty to show concern for the others who actually want change.
ReplyDeleteThe speech by Mr. Romney was recorded without his knowledge. Under Florida law, it is a crime or felony to record someone who has an expectation that they won’t be recorded (see link below).
Was the media within its right to do this?
The media (newspaper, news reports etc), has an obligation to the public to let them know the truth about what is going on. Politicians, or people in the limelight, such as Romney should always be aware of their surroundings and should always be careful of what they saying and who they are saying it to. However, if what Romney said in his speech was not recorded and distributed to the public, persons, and even potential voters would have had no clue as to what Romney had said. The media was in its right to do this because it directly affected people’s perception of Romney, and since the tape revealed Romney’s true feelings about the 47% of voters in America, it would allow individuals to decide if they really want him as a future leader. Our leaders are supposed to treat the entire population equally despite of where their allegiance lies. In this sense, the media had all right to reveal the tape to the public since it concerned the future of many people and directly impacted American people.
The part of Mr. Romney’s speech about the Palestinians was edited out and not displayed to the public because it did not directly affect the American public. News is seen as important to people because of its proximity, the number of people the event is impacting, the importance of the occurrence and sometimes the place. This is relevant because the news that was deemed more important for this American public is the news of Mr. Romney’s tape and what was said concerning them. However, what he said in the tape about the Palestinians and how their culture, which differed from that of Israel, is the reason why their Gross Domestic Profits is lower than that of Israel. The matter of the Palestinians was of less importance to Americans than what was said about 47% of their population; hence that part of the tape was edited out. It placed no relevance or interest in the current matter, nor did it affect the people directly, hence it was seen as unworthy news to them.
The local issue of the section 34 sees Justice Minister Mr. Herbert Volney being fired over a controversy issue concerning section 34. The law stated that if a person has not being trialed after 10 years of the committed felony, that person can be discharged of that felony. According to Mr. Volney, the law was placed to ensure that the backload of old cases and trials could be removed in order to deal with more current events. This issue is seen as a major controversy and scandal among the people of Trinidad and Tobago because of the fact that it affects these people and it is local news. Local news is always more important to the people since it has a major impact on them.
Reference:
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2012%2F07%2F31%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fromney-angers-palestinians-with-comments-in-israel.html%3F_r%3D1%26pagewanted%3Dall&h=JAQHJwIy3
http://www.newsday.co.tt/politics/0,166713.html
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2012-09-13/volney-repeal-section-34-poor-people-will-now-suffer
Lynette Dookhran
810002330
I agree. The media’s purpose is to supply the public witha information and is therefore a major channel of communication. The media is responsible and is somewhat their duty, to provide information to the public that would affect the lives and wellbeing of the citizens. The media was therefore in their right in exposing the story on Mitt Romney. For someone who is asking citizens to trust him to lead their country, he should have been a lot more careful in his words.
ReplyDeleteThe media may seem bias however, by exposing the truths on one hand, as they did when he spoke of the 47% of citizens and then editing the remarks made about the Palestinians, but the media was just being smart on their part; it is no time to cause a threat to the America. This is not to say however, that the media is never bias. As with anything, morals and ethics go out the window, for the right price. After all, who is in control of the media?
I maintain the view that the media has a right to broadcast anything, once it is for the betterment of its people. IN Trinidad and Tobago, the controversy of Section 34 Act, was shown to the public which resulted in some judicial chaos. I say, things like this happen. It is necessary as it “airs the dirty laundry” of the government and therefore allows citizens to make reformed and sound judgments when voting comes around in our country. Lets hope we make better choices this time around.
BBC News US & Canada. 2012. “Mitt Romney secret video reveals views on Obama voters.” Accessed September 30, 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19631430
Corn, David. "SECRET VIDEO: Romney Tells Millionaire Donors What He REALLY Thinks of Obama Voters | Mother Jones." Mother Jones | Smart, Fearless Journalism. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/secret-video-romney-private-fundraiser (accessed September 30th, 2012)
810003225
Annisa Phillip.
Most forms of media still require solid writing skills. Make your words come alive to be a more effective communicator.Writing news on politics requires a special set of skills. You have to know the issues and be able to cover an election without a script. But you also have to stick to your ethical standards and know how to avoid being used by the campaigns.
ReplyDeleteIn order for an article to the newsworthy of reading a reported must include the 5W's and the H. The role of the media is very simple. It is there to provide accurate and relevant information to the public without any bias in one's favour. The media was well within its territory to report on the other 47% of voters they are educating the public as to the statistics and it is from here that the public can form their own opinion.
The main role of the media is not to be opiniated therefore i do not think that the part with respect to the Palistines should have been eliminated.
With Respect to section 34 as it relates to Trinidad the media reported the facts on it and it was up to the citizens to judge if is was an abuse of power by certain members of the parliament
Simarly in Trinidad, our local media has also met the requirments of ensuring that the news provided (relative to the flawed legislation, Section 34) to general public was worthy. This is so because human interest was created as conflict occured thereby evoking feedback and apealing to the emotions of the general public as in the case of the Romney being exposed.
Shernelle Deonarine
807006267
The purpose of the media is to provide factual, unbiased information to the public, to which they have a responsibility and by extension the world, in matters that affect their daily lives and not the politicians of a country. Their duty is to investigate, and bring forward any information that may affect the lives of its people, so undoubtedly, the media was well within its rights to report and feature Mitt Romney’s speech on such a delicate, controversial matter.
ReplyDeleteMitt Romney is a Presidential Electoral Candidate which places him in the public eye which should give him the understanding that running for such a position requires his life to be an open book and whatever he says to be labelled ‘Public Access’. The ill-advised statements made about 47% voting for President Obama because they are dependent on the government and the belittling of the Israeli group when speaking to Palestinians was important information for the public to know. It sends a message that he simply does not care about the poor and have nothing in his plan to assist them and secondly, clearly does not care about the ill-effects his words may have on the countries of the Middle East. Being provided with this information, the media has fulfilled its duty as the have allowed citizens to see Romney for the person he really is, and the leader he will be.
Some may see the omission of the Palestinian’s comment as manipulating the public and compromising the credibility of the piece but I see this as the writer merely knowing his audience and sifting the information into ‘need to know’ and ‘nice to know’ as many are unconcerned by things beyond their boundary. However, this is not the case with Section 34 where the citizens of the public were sorely “hoodwinked” or duped by the headlines and style of writing of the writer. Perception many may say, nevertheless is the responsibility of the reader.
What these two stories have in common is that they have included elements of conflict, proximity, prominence and timeliness. While these are important elements in capturing your audience’s interest, it should not be done by compromising the writer’s ethics, neglecting their responsibility to readers, integrity and professionalism.
Refernces:
"Mitt Romney Angers Palestinians with 'racist' Speech in Israel ( Video)." The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 30 July 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2012. .
Support EasyBib! Try Premium!
Name: Sihle Mendoza
ID: 811002601
The aim of news media is to inform the public of current issues using accurate and unbiased information. Media tend to shape the general public’s views according to what the current issue is and how they deliver the message to the audience. If the media fails to present topics relating to current issue or choose to omit relating facts, they lose their credibility.
ReplyDeleteMitt Romney stigmatized the 47% of the United States’ Citizens as well as Palestinians. The media gave the public justice by releasing the tape of Mitt Romney’s speech. It was the right of every citizen to know what he said as he is the eligible candidate to be President of the United States. Although the media releasing Mitt Romney’s dismissal of the 47% may seem bias, it was for the best interest of the public to know the hidden agendas of the Presidential candidate. Furthermore, the media illustrates Mitt Romney’s stance as a Republican. There is a saying that things done in the dark eventually come to light; in the case of Mitt Romney, the media has shine light on to the controversial matter with respect to the dismissal of the 47% and the Palestinians, which are two topics that can start war.
Similarly the local media has released information about the Section 34 controversy. The average citizen does not know what the legislation section 34 refers to and with the help of the media, the general public learned. Section 34 essentially allows any charged citizen of any crime matter to be set free of their case is not trialed in a ten-year period. The current Government manipulated their colleagues as well as the opposition during the legislation process. However, with the help of the media, the section 34 legislation was prevented and justified.
Therefore the media plays an important role in informing the general public by use of accurate and unbiased material. The public then interpret the messages that the media delivers and thus the media influence and shape the beliefs of the viewers.
References
Mitt Romney: ‘Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishing peace’,last modified September 18th 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/mitt-romney-palestinians-have-no-interest-whatsoever-in-establishing-peace/2012/09/18/5e185a12-0183-11e2-b260-32f4a8db9b7e_story.html
Nicoli Rajcoomar
809004023
The media is the voice of the people and the medium that is used in many countries to bring the general awareness to the mass population. In the case where Presidential candidate Mitt Romney dismissed 47% of the voting population in a speech given at a fund raising dinner, that was later brought to the attention of the American population and the exclusion of the Palestine comments demonstrated the medias ability to choose relevant issue to the audience(the American population). The presidential candidate the person the population of a country has to select from to seek out the best interest of all the citizens of that nation. The manner in which the winning candidate would make decision for the nation is base on the individual beliefs and principle. So I do believe the media was not wrong in the reporting of a public statement of a prospective president of America. The statement that was made was a factual view held by Mitt Romney, and the voting population of America would considered very relevant information
ReplyDeleteAs in the case of the infamous section 34 which was unanimously voted for in the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, only then to be flawed. The topic was use as a political forum in our nations media where the government of the day was trying to renege on promised made to the population. Both stories have a political angle to them, so that immediately make them “the scoop “stories as in the Romney story it is mid campaign for the Presidential post. The Section 34 amendment glitch is mid Tobago election so both are very relevant to the time frame in which they were published. I believe in both cases the stories were played up to make them more relevant to us at the time. In the case of Romney speech the parts of Palestine were left out because it would not be of immediate interest to the voting population who are more concerned on daily issues. In the section 34 case the all the members of parliament voting were not publicized but the same said member speaking out on the issues were.
1) Triniada Express Newspapers The Law Association's Statement on Section 34
Last modified 18th September 2012
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/The-Law-Associations-Statement-on-Section-34-170218566.html
2) Managment today Mitt Romney dismisses 'government dependent' Obama voters
Accessed 27th September 2012
http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/features/1150475/mitt-romney-dismisses-government-dependent-obama-voters/
Faadia Faria Mohammed
807000641
The media has the power to influence our ability to think independently by feeding us captivating and compelling stories that consume us whether they maybe facts or fiction. One of the key ways in which they do so is through manipulation; by manipulating a story the media controls the decisions that have a drastic effect on any given society such as politics.
ReplyDeleteMitt Romney, US Republican presidential nominee, whether victim or perpetrator at the hands of the media, was recorded at a fund raising event giving a speech that described 47% of the US population as government dependent and that he rather appeal to 10% that were independent and did not feel the government was obligated to them. Of course a situation like this would cause for breaking news, with US elections quickly approaching. As an electorate reading this article or seeing this news cast, my opinion of Mitt Romney will automatically change and subsequently my decision to vote for him. But on further investigation, it was said that his speech was “un-cuffed” and “not elegantly stated” and the person behind the recording did not allow the public full access to what else was said in his speech. So how credible is the media? When they can contort the truth to shape your opinion and form biases against or towards situations.
Section 34 is a controversial issue that is said to be fundamentally flawed and has caused the law association to call for an amendment in the constitution. This particular section of the law in the eyes of the association has four major flaws that can be seen as a serious injustice.
Shanice Murray
410001400
The media is supposed to be an independent entity from all subjects, that is, Politicians, Religious groups, etc. Their main goal is to remain unbiased and unattached to any one subject, while presenting a truthful account of an event.
ReplyDeleteThe video that was made public of the Presidential Candidate, Mitt Romney, recorded his belief that 47% of the population of the US was not necessary for his successful election as President. This 47% of the population consists of those who are dependent upon the government and believe that it’s their right to be taken care of by the government. He believes that they will vote for the current president of the US. Therefore, he only needs to persuade the ‘rich’ for their votes.
The government includes both the governing, and the opposition members of Parliament. Therefore, when Section 34 was voted into the constitution, the entire government had a say. Thus, I think that it is hypocritical of the opposition to be against this piece of legislation since they once deemed it right for the country.
In conclusion, I believe that it was the rightful place of the media to expose the views of Mitt Romney, Presidential candidate; however it was not in the best interest of the public to omit his opinion on the Palestinians. As for the Politicians of Trinidad and Tobago, they need to keep records of their actions, as it is obvious: your past always haunts you.
Joanna Bhagwath
810001554
References:
1. CNC 3 News, http://www.cnc3.co.tt/news/warner-accuse-pnm-members-being-hypocritical-voting-section-34
2. CNC 3 News, http://www.cnc3.co.tt/news/pnm-and-trade-union-leaders-united-against-section-34
3. Trinidad Express, http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Hamil-Smith-Section-34-was-flawed-171868711.html
4. Youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slFZ8K2aBoY
In this case of the Mitt Romney's speech, the media had all rights to publish the story which they felt was appropriate. The article showed some characteristics features that lead it to be a headline news story featured on page 3 of the news paper. media also has the right to not present the public with some information.
ReplyDeleteConcerning the Palestinians, the media probably did not think that this piece of information was not news worthy being the reason it was not included in the page 3 article but on another page.
The article was presented in a timely manner since the US elections is in a few weeks and that it also impacts everyone and its close proximity.
Their was a local incident pertaining to the section 34. This story was the headline news on page 3 for majority of the September period. It is because of the human interest story which created conflict to get a feedback from the general public.
Nazirah Padarath
809005015
The media has the social responsibility to report information which impacts a significant percentage of members of a particular group (PTI 2012). It was their duty to report findings of information which directly impacts the nationals of America. Potential voters should know what Mitt Romney thinks about them and who they are really voting for. Considering the uproar created by the anti-Islam film by Muslims against America and Americans, the media would also be within their rights to refuse to further publicise content with could be considered anti-Islam views by an American public figure to protect themselves and others.
ReplyDeleteThere have been many newspaper articles recently reporting about events surrounding section 34 such as “Section 34 sink holes” (Rambharat 2012). The media should write clearly, concisely, words should be easy to understand by the general public. In this article the author used very long sentences such as those beginning in line 4 (40 words) and like 80 (63 words) making the article difficult to read. Words such as “pillorying”, “extradition” and “uncontroverted” would make this article even more difficult for the general public to read. It was indicated at the end of the article that the author is a lecturer and lawyer. This was reflected in his writing however, regardless of his profession, if writing an article for a newspaper which is sold to the general public, the article should have been written in a manner which would have been easier to read considering a vital part of communication is to know your audience.
Neisha Ramroop.
809003874
References
PTI. “Presenting facts basic duty of media: Antony.” Last modified April 23, 2012. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_presenting-facts-basic-duty-of-media-antony_1679732.
Rambharat Clarence. “Section 34 sinkholes.” Last modified September 24, 2012. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Section_34_sinkholes_-171078611.html.
As it is true that it is the media’s job to report anything that can be related as an important issue, I do not believe that the speech should have been edited. I honestly believe they had all right to report what Mitt Romney said when he dismissed 47 percentages of US voters. That part of his speech was important for voters to hear as it can be an important factor as to how they vote. However when they reported his speech, they should have reported the whole speech. The fact that part was edited leaves the question if anything else was edited out of his speech. Maybe he meant the dismissal as a joke? Maybe it isn’t entirely what he said? These are the things that the readers have to ask before completing giving in to this shocking report. The ethics of journalism comes under question here as we must wonder, what other stories do these newspapers and magazines edit to gain sales.
ReplyDeleteThe same could be said about the Section 34 fiasco that we have going on in Trinidad. How much of what is being reported is completely accurate and unedited. Has the government hid information? Is the report stressing only on certain points to make the government look bad? These are some of the question some of us need to ask before jumping into whatever direction our local newspapers decides to steer us. If we don’t then we allow anyone to use the local media to sway the views and opinions of the people, therefore giving the local media a dangerous power.
Leanna Sutherland
807004484
No infringement to the institution of freedom of expression in a democratic and free society must be countenanced. This freedom of expression, a prerequisite for the articulation and enjoyment of all other freedoms, ranks highly among the most cherished freedoms that enjoy protection under the Constitution. Left unchecked, press censorship invariably becomes the first casualty in any Marxist/Socialist or otherwise controlled state. It is within this framework that censorship and news management become the primary tools of any tendency toward dictatorship.
ReplyDeleteAs a consequence, the public’s right to know regarding disclosure of secret conversations, especially of a sensitive nature, becomes a sacred trust that must not be breached but protected in the interest of a free press whether Radio, Television or other components of mass media.
Had not a conscientious citizen video-taped the conversations between Mitt Romney and a crowd of fellow millionaire campaign backers, the public good would not have been served in allowing them an understanding of the sheer disgust with which Mr. Romney holds 47% of the mainly poorer class of the American society. He categorizes them as being dependent upon government and speaks as if they are not entitled to decent health care, food, housing etc, because in his one-sided estimation, they pay no taxes. Here Mr. Romney displays a gross lack of a sense of history and outright hostility toward the American poor and fails to connect these initiatives to the people of a different class.
Additionally, his ignorance on National security matters became exposed as he grappled with the "Palestinian problem" including his belief that peace in the Middle East is not possible and a Palestinian state not feasible. This inside information, available only to the select few who had paid for the privilege of experiencing the real Romney, revealed a hypocritical personality that is otherwise hidden from the public’s view and his inexperience and under-preparedness of handling international crises in a pragmatic way.
In similar vein, our own members of Parliament displayed a surprising unreadiness of office when confronted by a discerning public who demanded the right to know the real reasons behind in the recent Article 34 fiasco. It turned out to be one of the present administrations worst blunders.
Da Rosa Bigford
810003179
Reference :
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/54997485-68/romney-obama-ryan-debate.html.csp
Trinidad Express, http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Hamil-Smith-Section-34-was-flawed-171868711.html
Media has the power to engage and entertain, to create and destroy, to open spaces and close them. As this statement relates to current events both locally and in the United States of America, News writing and Print media, and how it presented the related news topics had total control of the picture they wanted to paint and how they wanted to reveal the related issues to the public through each medium. James W. Carney (1989), viewed communication, suggesting that one can look at media presentations as rituals to illustrate the ways in which the media function as a cultural form.
ReplyDeleteWith the major ‘buzz’ about politics and the elections currently looming on every news channel, radio and news paper in the US, Mitt Romney’s dismissive comments about the 47% of voters cannot be overlooked. The somewhat illegal means of presenting the information made by Mitt Romney for a specific audience that was wired globally, the media having this ‘power’ and information, how they presented it to the public and the angles to which they highlighted this print media relates to the culture, integrity of the individual and what the print media represents. Highlighting specifically so, how the media presents it.
As this also relates to the power of media, print and written, the issue of Section 34 in Trinidad and Tobago and how it is presented to the public is a clear indication of the power of media, the integrity of the media presenters as well as how the public should view the issue. Without the information being presented in a particular way by the media the major flaws of the issues would be overlooked and belittled, leaving the issue untouched and ultimately swept under the mat.
Jared J Bennett
810001484
As a candidate running for the position of U.S president, Mitt Romney was utterly wrong and disrespectful to the palestinians and the democratic percentage of there nation. The media had a right to expose him, nothing should be shrouded especially as time is drawing closer for elections. The people needed to know the perception of the person who could possibly represent them in the future. However the recording should not have been edited, everything should have been presented.
ReplyDeleteThis issue is of great human intrest and can cause a lot of conflict in every aspect including with the Palestinians because of his choice of words and manner. After all the media's purpose is to inform and make the public aware of what is occurring among them. In my opinion the media probably edited the tape since the palestinians could be of least concern since elections is in the air and the other content is more news worthy to the American and voting community. This situation is a similar one to the misrepresenting facts in order to secure the proclamation of section 34 controversy in Trinidad and Tobago. As a democratic country we all have the right to partake in the integrity, well being and development of the nation, and have a right to know exactly what is happening. It is the readers responsibility to know right from wrong and gather the correct information from what the media presents.
Shanice George
811001440
The purpose of the media is to present current news so that persons are made aware of public issues that are occurring. The work of the media is to inform the public and by extension the world of all past, present and future events, and by so doing the public then decide or realize how these news would affect them. The print media, though guilty of the invasion of privacy, in the case of Mitt Romney private speech, and also in exposing the events that led to Section 34 of the Indictable Proceeding Act in Trinidad and Tobago, was definitely well within its rights and well received by the public.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to Mitt Romney's speech, the media acted within its right in reporting the speech despite it being surreptitiously taped. The people need to be informed of his actions as he is a public figure in the running for elections and if successful would be representing them. In addition, his speech was presented in a public arena and so the media was simply reporting the events since it is the job of the media to do so.
Within his speech he should not have made any remarks in which he appeared to be dismissive of 47% of the voters. If it weren't meant for the ears of the wider public, then he should not have mentioned it. He is entitled to his own opinion, however he is running for a position to serve an entire population and therefore needs to act in a discrete and professional manner. It is the media's job to let the public know of these occurrences, whether they are positive or negative. In doing so, the media is presenting important information so that the public will be able to make an informed decision when voting.
The statement about the Palestinians may have been purposely omitted by the media as it is, at present, a sensitive issue. The media may have chosen to do this so that unwanted attention would not be placed on this issue in trying to protect the US.
The media's responsibility is to inform the people using unbiased facts about public policies and social and cultural issues, whether in a positive or negative light. This is evident in the coverage concerning Section 34. The media identified the discrepancy and highlighted it making people question the implementation of this Section. If this had not occurred persons who may have been proven guilty would have been exonerated.
References:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/09/18/161357331/mother-jones-releases-full-unedited-romney-video
Rayhaan Mohammed
808013362
The media is a communication channel through which news, entertainment, education or data is disseminated. I believe the media was within its rights to publish the taped speech of Mitt Romney as it was edited and despite the topic being a touchy one the media making the public aware of his actions was ideal.
ReplyDeleteMitt Romney’s speech on the 47% of voters that are dependent on the government and the speech critical of the Palestinians was handled well by the media. This situation portrayed the good ethics, responsibility to readers, integrity and professionalism in writing the media had. With the first part of the speech addressing the voters the media greatly broadcasted the news as the situation would address the vast majority. This addressed the issue of the medias responsibility to the readers, ethics and integrity as making the issue public could lead to a change in votes for citizens who didn’t agree.
On the other hand, one agrees with the media omitting the speech on the Palestines as this was a very sensitive matter and public awareness of the situation could lead to social unrest. Hence to conclude, the professionalism displayed by the media while publishing these stories was evident and sufficient. Public awareness was addressed while still holding true to good ethics
Samuel Hytmiah
811000554
The Mitt Romney video was probably released to the public not because the media is concerned that he has a disdain for 47% of the country, but because his comments would be seen as controversial by millions this and makes for a good story. Relating to what we have discussed in class, this story meets the majority of the criteria for being newsworthy. It has timeliness, since it deals with a very relevant topic in America right now – the upcoming elections. It is important and has impact because it affects millions of US citizens. It also stirs conflict, which arises from him offending many with his statements and potentially writing off almost half of the nation.
ReplyDeleteThe media was well within its rights to make his comments known to the public. A candidate running for President of the United States should expect that everything they say would be scrutinized and their lives viewed under a microscope. Some have noted the difference in Romney’s speech in this footage as compared to how he sounds at political conventions or debates. He appears to be calmer and more politically savvy. The video therefore allowed the public a truer insight into the governor’s thoughts, which may never have come forth in any political forums.
It is questionable that the media could be focusing on just a few comments and ignore or under report others such as those on the Palestinians. It is the media’s responsibility to report unbiased and factual information. The media might have viewed comments about the voters as more pertinent to the American public and decided to run with those since that would be more interesting to them. The same goes for the Section 34 fiasco. This is a situation that greatly affects the public and concerns the very laws of our nation. There needs to be a certain level of transparency with any government and the media has a responsibility to report such matters to the public.
References:
“SHOCKING LIBERAL VIDEO: MItt Romney thinks people can take care of themselves!,” last modified September 18, 2012 at 4:45 PM, http://www.glennbeck.com/2012/09/18/shocking-liberal-video-mitt-romney-thinks-people-can-take-care-of-themselves/.
“Mitt Romney's Secret "47%" video has set a new world record for the number of gaffes in one political speech,” last modified September 20, 2012 @ 10:34AM, http://www.forbes.com/sites/tjwalker/2012/09/20/mitt-romneys-secret-47-video-has-set-a-new-world-record-for-the-number-of-gaffes-in-one-political-speech/.
“ROMNEY REVEALED: LEAKED FOOTAGE SHOWS GOP CANDIDATE CLAIMING 47 PERCENT OF AMERICANS WILL VOTE OBAMA BECAUSE THEY WANT GOV’T TO TAKE CARE OF THEM,” last modified September 17, 2012 at 8:22pm, http://www.theblaze.com/stories/romney-revealed-not-going-to-bother-with-die-hard-obama-voters-because-theyre-dependent-on-govt-think-theyre-victims/.
“Section 34 simply wrong,” last modified Saturday, September 29, 2012, http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,166896.html.
Crystal Ramkissoon
04719856
The people wants the captivating stories and the news stories that is full of conflict is mostly page 3 worthy .When Mitt Romney speech was leaked by the media, of him stating that 47% for Americans don’t pay income taxes ,this just lead to the dismissal of 47% of the voters ,However these 47% are claimed to be fully dependent on Obama and his government, but what Mitt Romney fails to realize is that the 47% that don’t pay taxes are mainly children, persons collecting social welfare and the disable. However this statement coming from someone in running to be the next president stating, his job is to not worry about these persons, that’s wrong the government should have the interest of all persons not scattered by class. However the media has done its job by informing the public of what is hidden from us and this makes it news worthy. People have a right to know what kind of president they will be voting for. So why is this topic so newsworthy? Because it has all the right qualities that captivates readers, it’s timeliness, conflict ,impact ,proximity ,relevance ,prominence and human interest involves us since the people have the right to choose and vote for their future government. Did the media cross its limits since Mr. Mitt Romney wasn’t aware of him being videotaped at the fundraiser? No, the media have all right to publish this since video since it involved the public and informs the people of what’s taking place our leaders say behind closed doors .
ReplyDeleteAs for the same with section 34 indictable acts, the government was exposed by the media, having done so the section 34 proclamation came within the public eyes. The corruption that took place is now back lashing the government and Minister Volney is being used as a scapegoat for the corruption having lied to the government and affecting the people of Trinidad and Tobago. The question still lingers in the public minds is this a conspiracy. Which the PM has answered No.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's statement on Section 34 proclaimation
Story Created: Sep 20, 2012 at 9:19 PM
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Prime-Minister-Kamla-Persad-Bissessar-statement-on-Section-34-170602586.html
Kamla speaks on Clause 34 today
By Richard Lord, Thursday, September 20, 2012
http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2012-09-20/kamla-speaks-clause-34-today
Mitt Romney under fire after comments caught on video
The guardian ,Tuesday 18th september
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/18/mitt-romney-secret-videoan.co.uk,
Christopher Nathaniel
811000806
The term media is derived from medium, which means carrier or mode. Media is where it is specifically designed to reach a large audience or viewers. The media is playing an outstanding role in strengthening the society and its duty is to inform, educate and entertain people. In this particular case where the potential President Mr. Romney dismisses 47% of the nation as government-dependent is very offensive. I think that the media was within all its rights to do what they did by allowing the people to know exactly what kind of person Romney is. The main advantage of the media’s video is to expose the truth about Romney, from which it was a full footage of him speaking. Therefore no editing was done on the media’s part to persuade their views.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Romney was at a closed door fundraising event, he should have taken into consideration that certain things should not be said due to his state which is a potential president. He offended a large population because the people are poor. As a presidential candidate he is supposed to be humane and should be taking interest in the persons who are at the lower socio economic status. I think that the media did a good thing by editing out the part where Romney talked about the Palestinians. It is better that way because if it wasn’t edited out then that would have added more to the current situation where there are riots in the Middle Eastern countries. When reading the article on the news paper I realized that the paper was timely, it has a large impact on the readers and it has a great proximity to the audience. With regards to the section 34 Act it is clearly a similar situation in which Mr. Herbert Volney uses his power to mislead cabinet and to maneuver the law so that he would not have to pay taxes.
Amelia Gonowrie 811001043
References:
1. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentries/Lessons_from_section_34_171449571.html(Last Assessed on 27th September, 2012)
2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/18/mitt_romney-secret-video
Being a prominent person, especially in the United States where freedom of press is protected by the First Amendment, means that whatever you say or do will be published by the media. The media are well within their rights to do so particularly in this case where the subject is a candidate to become the US President. One of the main roles of the media is to inform the public, and in this case they are doing just that when they publicized Mitt Romney's statement (behind closed doors) about the people of the US saying, “are dependent upon government, who believe they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to take care of them. ...” The people of the US need to be as informed as can be about their candidate, and the media plays the main role in doing so.
ReplyDeleteMitt Romney also made a statement saying, “an unsolved problem” because the Palestinians have “no interest whatsoever” in reaching a peace agreement with Israel. This statement however was not released (although the would have been in their rights) to the public probably because of the negative impact it might have created between the United States and the Middle East seeing the statement was made by a possible future president. The media in this case should be applauded as they are sometimes associated with publicizing scandal and controversy just to boost sales/views.
The two statements made by Mitt Romney as well as section 34 of the Administrative of Judgement Act of Trinidad and Tobago both deserve media attention as they are all matters which affect the general public. The media has a pivotal role to deliver information that we need to stay up to date about things that affect our daily lives.
References:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/mitt-romney-palestinians-have-no-interest-whatsoever-in-establishing-peace/2012/09/18/5e185a12-0183-11e2-b260-32f4a8db9b7e_story.html
http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/article/id/61671/group/Opinion/
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/The-Law-Associations-Statement-on-Section-34-170218566.html
ALEXANDER SKERRITT
810000850
The purpose of the media in news writing is to report events to the public that is deemed newsworthy. The newsworthiness of an event is determined by its timeliness, level of impact, it’s proximity, level of conflict, prominence, relevance, progress, unusualness and its impact on humans. All these factors are considered by the ‘gate keeper’ to determine what should be reported and what shouldn’t.
ReplyDeleteIn the report on a taped speech by US Republican Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, Romney was portrayed as dismissive of 47% of voters when he said that 47% of the US population are incapable of providing for themselves and will continue to depend on the government. However part of his speech where he spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians was not publically reported. I think the media has the right to report on what they see fit based on the newsworthiness criteria. Even though it is considered a conflict issue it may not have been relevant to the public at this time. However the media should be unbiased in their reporting and should present the public with this information.
With reference to the Section 34 issue in Trinidad and Tobago, the media covered the issue over the month of September ensuring that the public is fully aware of what is taking place in the country. Whilst this topic may not be of interest to many citizens because they are unaware of what it’s about, It was the responsibility of the media to ensure the issue is not ignored.
810001340
Yolanda Persad
Within the twenty first century, forms of media are essential to communication, as radio and television, newspapers and magazines which reach or influence people widely. Even though the media entertains the masses, the resolve is to generate awareness of events and circumstances within society as an impartial observer.
ReplyDeleteMitt Romney, a nominee of the Republican Party for President of the United States in the 2012 election, made a statement which has uttered discussions. However during a fundraiser he made a speech saying “there are 47% of the people who will vote for the President no matter what. There are 47% who are with him, who are dependent on government, who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them, who believe they are entitles to healthcare, to food, to housing.” This statement was dismissive of 47% of voters as he believed that has services should not be just be giving to them.
The media in essence is simply doing their job. They were giving the people what they wanted and delivering the facts. They were well in their right to what they did.
Reference
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/media
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PGNN8DG5F8
Tishara Charles
811000923
The purpose of the media is to bring public issue to the light. The messages being transposed to the public may have some sort of impact on their lives. The information that the media presents should be unbiased and should not influence the public’s views. Hence views of the receivers should be left up to them were the make there own conclusions about the message. The media acts as the eyes, ears and voice to society as previously stated. Regarding the Mitt Romney report, the media had every right to report it. He is a public figure and his speech was made in a public arena. The media was doing the job by making aware of what exactly was said in his speech. Such news is important to the receivers of the message as it makes aware of the opinions of the person who is running to lead their government. It may have also been a tactic of his speech to omit speaking about the trending topic. The media only highlighted it to bring to light the occurrence if what took place within his speech. Here the media isn’t breaking any ethical rules in bringing across their story. They are simply reporting an issue. The issue highlighted by the reporters is trending, so it would gain the attention and interest of readers. This would allow the news story to sell as it would capture the readers.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
" Mitt Romney under fire after comments caught on video | World news | guardian.co.uk ." Latest US news, world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | guardiannews.com | The Guardian . N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2012. .
Corn, David. "SECRET VIDEO: Romney Tells Millionaire Donors What He REALLY Thinks of Obama Voters | Mother Jones." Mother Jones | Smart, Fearless Journalism. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2012. .
Name: Shaunda Morgan
ID: 809000705
One of the roles the media plays is the role of political accountability. They keep an eye on public officials and institutions and constantly challenge them through interviews and debates.
ReplyDeleteThe media is therefore justified in their broadcasting of the video of Mitt Romney's secret speech in America. Politicians often promise 'transparency' during elections and very often fail to deliver. This is where the media plays a role, exposing their misdeeds to the general public. When politicians and leaders display a lack of transparency, the media helps to bring to the forefront issues that will greatly impact the general public.
According to Mr. Romney’s speech, he shows a great disregard for 47% of the population. It was important for his views to be made public to Americans, because if this man was to be voted into office as President of the America, what would be the position of the 47% that Mr. Romney seem to be so indifferent to? This is this matter is crucial for the media to report on.
With regards to Section 34, the media is in the same way showed what the government was trying to, in a way, do behind our backs. If the media did not expose the flaws of Section 34, would the government display their promised ‘transparency’ and let the public know exactly the implications of this legislature?
While the media is in no way spotless and blameless, and some may even theorize that it is actually controlled by the powers that be, in the cases of Romney and Section 34, exposing these issues in the timeliness it did, proved beneficial to the people.
Chrysel James
810001745
If one is to converse with any person involved in the media, journalism and documenting events is not easy task. Do we do what is right? Or do we convey the messages we want to convey? The decision of reporting event and untangling the truth about the predictability of crime and the antics of politics in a society and the bizarre events like freak accidents and disasters is held by the media. Society is run by the data fed into the system. I strongly believe that the media's role is invaluable and a powerful tool which can wreck havoc, tarnish names and reputations as well as unveil relevant truths, unmask corruption and delve deep into the accounts of the past which can bring about change in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of the media is to inform and protect the people, as Thomas Jefferson once said: “The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” The fact that one of the American founding fathers prefer reporting the news or facts to the people rather than having a government is a clear indication how highly valuable the media is to a country. Especially for a political candidate going up for a post or holding a post in authority where his/her decision can affect the peopleas in the case of Mr. Mitt Romney.
The fact that they reported his views concerning the eligible voting population and omit his additional scrutiny of the Palestinians is a clear indication that the media is currently not reporting all the factual news as it should but rather shaping their views on the situation.
SIDDHI SANKAR
811001163
If one is to converse with any person involved in the media, journalism and documenting events is not easy task. Do we do what is right? Or do we convey the messages we want to convey? The decision of reporting event and untangling the truth about the predictability of crime and the antics of politics in a society and the bizarre events like freak accidents and disasters is held by the media. Society is run by the data fed into the system. I strongly believe that the media's role is invaluable and a powerful tool which can wreck havoc, tarnish names and reputations as well as unveil relevant truths, unmask corruption and delve deep into the accounts of the past which can bring about change in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of the media is to inform and protect the people, as Thomas Jefferson once said: “The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” The fact that one of the American founding fathers prefer reporting the news or facts to the people rather than having a government is a clear indication how highly valuable the media is to a country. Especially for a political candidate going up for a post or holding a post in authority where his/her decision can affect the peopleas in the case of Mr. Mitt Romney.
The fact that they reported his views concerning the eligible voting population and omit his additional scrutiny of the Palestinians is a clear indication that the media is currently not reporting all the factual news as it should but rather shaping their views on the situation.
SIDDHI SANKAR
811001163
The media as we is one of the most prominent medium for communicating to large audience. Therefore the media is known everywhere as the most powerful and effective means of getting information out in the public. However in news writing and print media, they are expected to practice good communication ethics which would reflect their integrity and professionalism in writing news story. The media is important particularly in relation to Section 34 of the Administration of Judgment Act of T&T, as the people deserve to know the important issues that plague society especially with the current political instability which may potentially violate their human rights.
ReplyDeleteAlso with respect to Mitt Romney’s remarks of the “47 percent of all Americans and the Palestinian peace settlement” is reasonable due to the fact that he is the Presidential Nominee and that his credibility and character that he displays depends on whether he would be elected. I would agree with the media because in any country or state the people deserve to know the truth about what Mr mitt Romney thinks about 47% of the voters. However the media was delivering what they were trained to do, that is, to educate and inform the public by any event that may cause change to their opinion or constitutional rights because Mr. Romney express himself in a very unprofessional manner.
Also respect to Palestinian peace settlement and the current tensions in the Middle East I would definitely support the media in editing the speech, due to the nature of this important event which not only affects the US but internationally as well. I think the media did the right thing to edit the speech and deal with the matters at hand and did not cause any controversy with other country
Sharda Hosein
808011713
The media can be defined as the means of communication, such as television, newspapers, magazines, a radio station etc. that reach or is of influence to the wider public. The statement that the media is one of the most influential forms of communication, whether it is mass or private, cannot be argued in today’s global society. The media holds the key to the sway of the ideas and beliefs that the people choose to adopt. In 2012’s global society where the internet reaches the greater share of the free world, a credible media source dictates the majority views of its witnesses. This being noted, there are certain functions and protocols that the media must adhere to maintain its credibility and unbiased nature so that its vast power is not misused. It is with great confidence that I say that who so ever controls the media controls what the people think.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the Mr. Romney’s comments, the media was totally in its rights to report his statements. The position of presidential candidate, especially a candidate for one, if not the most influential and powerful nation in the world, comes with certain responsibilities, privileges and of course disadvantages. One of these disadvantages is the magnifying glass placed by the media to display the public image of the candidate. The entire world awaits the outcome of this election and therefore the media is totally correct in its judgement.
With respect to his comments on the Palestinians, they were also correct on their judgement to do the inverse. The media’s judgement to omit these statements shows their regard for the international community. This decision on the media’s part shows that they understand the global ramifications of just how far reaching the U.S. general elections are and how closely monitored it is.
With the local issue of the section 34 act, the Trinidad and Tobago media showed its true colours and displayed its loyalty and integrity to its readers. In a society where provisional news are reported and omitted, the fact that an unbiased report was made shows the severity of the crater that this issue impacted. It highlighted the T&T public to ongoing dealings and ideals of the local government.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/The-Law-Associations-Statement-on-Section-34-170218566.html
jerome mendez
809001928
Consumers give the media the power to make stories relevant. The mass media, which is largely controlled by the companies that have shares in it, allows (or, has to allow to a certain extent) these companies to decide what information we receive and when.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, this can be evidenced by the issue of the recent Section 34 debacle, where the media has made it a highlight of spirited conversation and controversy across the nation. This will only remain relevant for as long as the media continues to cover it because, despite the importance of this issue, the everyday consumer is not highly affected by yet another incident of businessmen getting away with spooning millions of dollars from the hands of taxpayers. The story has been engineered and marketed in a way that it is newsworthy.
Addressing the issue of the private conversation held by Mitt Romney, the media was in its right to obtain and publicise the recording which was dismissive of the forty-seven percent of American voters who support President Obama. However, it was wrong to edit out the part of the recording, where Romney speaks ill of Palestinians with respect to their desire, or lack thereof for peace. Despite this being a sensitive issue in the media with tensions between Islamic states and America, the American and international public - and more specifically, the American voters - deserve to be allowed to asses for themselves the character of the individual running for position of their president. Romney’s voter comments can be viewed as more newsworthy than him speaking ill of yet another group of foreigners.
In conclusion, it is the right of the media to inform the public, but the manner in which the information is manipulated in an effort to sell more newspapers, and therefore the integrity of the media, is questionable.
References
“Mitt Romney Caught On-Tape, Dismisses 47% of Americans,”Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2012, http://fromtheleft.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/mitt-romney-caught-on-tape-dismisses-47-of-americans/
Ria Taitt Political Editor, “IT WAS FLAWED,”Friday September 28, 2012, http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/IT_WAS_FLAWED-171879731.html
04789205
Dana-Marie K. Dhanpath
I honestly believe that the media the media has the right to go about revealing the public issues and bringing them to the public. As in the case with Mitt Romney’s speech I agree with the media exposing this, just as the Kate Middleton case. Someone like Mitt Romney who is the Republican Nominee for the President of the United States of America will be in the spotlight and every detail about him and his life will be investigated by the media. I do believe that he was wrong in some ways and disrespectful to certain people and the consequences of such he will face.
ReplyDeleteIt is also known that the media often manipulates a story for a more intense delivery of news and sometimes things tend to be exaggerated somewhat to get that extra twist to gain the public attention.
Especially in this time when elections are in the air there will be the critics and people out there trying to damage ones character in a bit to gain an advantage in the elections. The media has the right to publish and it is obvious that Romney’s campaign will be hurt by this speech which has been brought to the attention by the media.
I believe this role of the media is efficient in bring out the facts to the public so that they can absorb and then form their opinions. Even in local elections and politics in general the media plays a major yet essential role in making the public aware.
References:
" Mitt Romney under fire after comments caught on video | World news | guardian.co.uk ." Latest US news, world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | guardiannews.com | The Guardian . N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2012.
Avinash Dukharan
808010755
The purpose of the media is to distribute news to persons within its community as well as worldwide, issues which may be based upon governmental issues as well as environment awareness situations, an generally issues which may be going on around the world. Therefore the media is not wrong in any form or fashion for publishing the taped speech of Mitt Romney, they were well entitled to do this since there is no law in which states they could not publish his speech, although his speech may not suite a specific audience it needed to be seen by the public.
ReplyDeleteThe media writers showed responsibility in opening up the eyes of the public; due to the media 47% of Romney’s voters were dismissive, since his speech may have been distasteful to them. It showed them that Romney wasn’t worth their vote. Yet the media didn’t portray good ethics and professionalism since they edited the part of his speech disparaging of the Palestinians, they restricted the public with suitable information which could have determined Romney’s voting audience in the upcoming election. Although the publishing of that part of the speech could have created an issue between the Palestinians and the USA which could have led to social unrest. It could have still been brought to the public in a professional style, due to that they didn’t show good ethics since the media is for the purpose of public awareness and in that aspect they did not make the public aware on that part of Romney’s speech.
The media showed integrity but reader’s responsibility up to a certain amount, which was not professional on their behalf. This corresponds to the section 34 fiasco in Trinidad and Tobago presently; this just goes to show how much the media really bring to the public eyes. It just goes to show that the media could lead us into any direction they want us to know, since us as ordinary citizens really don’t know the truth or the exact words which are said behind closed doors of the government. The media has the power to sway an entire audience to anything they want them to believe since the the public depends on the media for awareness.
811000573
Kirston Charles
References:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/54997485-68/romney-obama-ryan-debate.html.csp
Trinidad Express, http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Hamil-Smith-Section-34-was-flawed-171868711.html
Firstly, the purpose of the United States fifth amendment and the freedom of press rights is to inform and protect the general public. To highlight and emphasize on such a fact a quote can be reflected upon.'The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first objective should be to keep that right and were it left to me decide whether we should have a government without the newspaper or newspaper without the government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter'. Thomas Jefferson 1787. Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the Untied States. He said this to highlight the fact that the media must seek the people's interest first and foremost.
ReplyDeleteGlobally, it is pretty evident that the media has changed its focus. It now concentrates on shaping the minds of its audience rather than protecting and informing its receivers. The public media is now feeding the public with generalized, bias, subjective perceptions on issues rather than highlighting the facts which reduce misinformation.
The public media needs to address misinformation, supply object material in order to ensure that it's receivers are well informed and protected. As a result,with all that has been stated, discussed and highlighted, I totally agree with Alimusmari's disposition. The media has to play a neutral role and not take sides.
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson http://lancepat.wordpress.com/2008/11/01/the-purpose-of-the-media-5th-amendment-rights/
Andre John
810001278
Social media refers to forms of electronic communications through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos).
ReplyDeleteThe benefits of having social media are realized every day by its users. Facebook, MySpace, Skype and Twitter allows to easily talk to friends and family that we have not seen in a long time and to foreigners so in turn we gain knowledge about their culture and where they are from by simply interacting.
In addition, businesses can connect to a new audience. Social media has facilitated firms to reach market segments that traditional marketing was not able to reach. Furthermore, firms get feedback from their target audience without incurring high research risk costs. Lastly, businesses and public entities can easily and quickly share information with customers and clients.
However, social media has its cons. Security is an issue that is still being dealt with today by experts. Sensitive information could be compromised if users share too much. Another issue is complaints and bad reviews. Once customer satisfaction is minimal, firms can get negative publicity and a damaged reputation. Another disadvantage is privacy.
Users are being threatened as hackers invade personal information and computer privacy via the use of spyware and other hacking software. It is also debated that consumer privacy is being attacked. This is so because large companies like Google and Facebook collect their target audience’s information. These companies claim they do so for marketing purposes. Interestingly enough, Facebook has been accused to be selling its users’ personal information to the U.S government; claims like these make users feel insecure and vulnerable.
The future of social media will be filled with surprises. No longer will we need to search for information. NO! Information will find us. This is one of the key attributes of the relatively new model of the Web, Web 3.0. As highlighted before, companies like Google collect data on us and are building a database. This is done so that innovations like this are realized. Furthermore, it is also being said that the media will interact with us in dynamic ways on all platforms. This means that we will no longer be passive media customers. In addition, the information content will become more customized to our needs and interest. Information overload will thus decrease.
References: http://campustechnology.com/articles/2012/01/19/pros-and-cons-of-social-media-in-the-classroom.aspx
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20media
Andre John
810001278
The media has a responsibility to deliver impartial, correct, relevant news to the masses in the most efficient and effective manner. Now, knowing no man is perfect, the Presidential Candidate called Mitt Romney began to dig his own little grave, with regard to the US election, when he showed or rather, did not show that the 47% of voters for President Obama were just as important as the rest. Romney appeared to lean more towards the well-off, showcasing insensitivity others not of the same status or race. I imagine how the media would pick up on this and feel it necessary to reveal this possible unfair, almost racial side of Romney.
ReplyDeleteRomney dug himself a deeper hole as he allegedly spoke disparagingly of the Palestinians. The media took the opportunity to bring the offensive clips of Romney delivering statements against the Palestinians. The world is quite aware of the strained, or tolerable relationship the Americans have with the Palestinians. I think the feeling is a mutual one. However, now a clip with a US Presidential candidate is out there provoking war and taking lives.
The way I see it, Section 34 was similarly exposed by the media in order to showcase to the public, the depth and of serious controversy that seems to plague the good governance of Trinidad & Tobago. This has lead to many Trinbagonians speaking out like never before.
Christine Brown
ID#02751166
http://hipbaze.com/wiz-khalifa-laugh-now-fly-later-mixtape-zip-download/
ReplyDeletei love these post, download the latest songs from hipbaze.com
ReplyDeletehttp://hipbaze.com/dave-comes-through-with-game-over-ep-zip-download/
Love to read it,Waiting For More new Update and I Already Read your Recent Post its Great Thanks. Reclamebureau
ReplyDeleteCool stuff you have got and you keep update all of us. svbrokers
ReplyDelete