News Media Assignment

1. Who determines the news or sets the agenda?
-For the most part, there are six huge media firms that control every aspect of radio, tv, and internet which is why the minorities are so grossly underrepresented in this country in regards to the news media's attention. Nowadays it seems that only conglomerate companies can afford to buy these radio stations and tv stations. In the interview with Melody Span-Cooper she references this problem by saying,
"You are in a city where a radio station — an FM station will cost you two hundred million dollars — I don't know one of us that can go to the bank and get two hundred million dollars."
I remember in my intro to mass-comm class learning about these six different companies but never really putting much thought in what their ownership actually means to what information I am exposed to and what I'm not exposed to. There are only a small percentage of minority owned stations (both radio and television) and I'm guessing that not many are located in Oklahoma. And the fact that if there are any here, I couldn't tell you which ones were because I don't know. Proof that there truly is an underrepresentation of minorities, which makes me wonder about all of the interesting news that I am missing out on.
2. Why do we need a media that specifically represents difference interests of people of color? Aren’t those interests everyone’s interests? What can be done to increase the mainstream media’s interest in other topics and concerns? Aren’t those interests everyone’s interests?
-We need a media that specifically represents different interests of people of color because if we do not these warped and ill-informed attitudes will continue and further drive a misrepresentation of American society. Commissioner Aldestein was quoted in Bill Moyer's transcript over the Chicago radio station saying, "It's unbelievable how the diversity that is the strength of this community is not reflected on the airwaves. And that's the way it is all across the country."
I think that was a very good point. All our lives (if we grew up in America) we've been taught about America's pride in the many different cultures that call this land a home and I find it a major irony that it is not reflected in most of the capitalistic aspects of American society.

3. How was the war initially reported by the media?-It was initially reported by the media as a link between Iraq and 9/11. With the president's initial press conference he had a list of certain members of the media to call upon to answer scripted questions from them. Even the respected Dan Rather admitted that the press did not do a good job in publicizing a possible war. I found this admission almost refreshing because I hardly see evidence of anyone nowadays admitting fault (in the media) and for this very respected member of the media to "call out" the mistakes that were made by himself and others was very interesting to me. The media used the country's new sense of patriotism as leverage to raise support for going to war and those who were opposed to the war were made to feel un-patriotic or anti-American. Many news media outposts misrepresented the conditions in the Middle-East by suppressing raw footage of civilian casualties and the death and destruction. As well as conveying the Iraqi president Hussain as enemy no.1 because he mingled with terrorists including those who were suspected of 9/11 terrorist attacks. Propoganda began being distributed and went unchallenged when the American government claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction - all fanning the flame to bolster up public approval for going to war with Iraq. Manipulation at its finest.

4. How has the media covered recent social protests? Jenna Six – Proposition Eight
-coverage of recent social protests has been slim-to-none. In the Bill Moyer's article he recalls a huge multi-state anti-war protest that occured only a little over a year ago that received a mere two minutes of airtime total from various stations nationwide. Even the Associated Press did not acknowledge the story. I find this almost offensive because this is news that I would like to hear about or even most likely participate in! Decades ago anti-war protests were all over the news with pictures and stories of those protesting America's involvement in the Vietnam War.

5. Was the media beneficial for the Civil Rights Movement?
-The news media was not beneficial for a lot of the Civil Rights Movement, as reported many of the media outlets did not have the full story, much less the correct information if they even decided to cover it. Radio stations like the one in Chicago were the only news media outlets that were devoted to providing the whole story on civil rights and information that African Americans would find very useful and were not usually reported on by outlets owned by one of the six major companies.

6.Your thoughts and reflections on setting the news agenda, minority media and the media and reporting the war.
-Man, the more I learn about the hypocrasy of America's media outlets, the more I seek to become better informed about what is really going on in our country. I would like to see more stories reporting on issues that I may not even know exist but would be interested in learning about. Knowledge is power in my opinion and the more you learn about your surroundings and about those who live among you - the more educated and responsible you will be.