Journalism in Conflict Zones

Journalists have particularly difficult professions and dangerous professions; they are constantly searching for a new and interesting story to unfold to the media.  While searching for these stories, some journalists are offered to go overseas to other countries and become foreign correspondents to report the news.  This can be the chance of a lifetime to report in a different country for a journalist, yet while reporting in war areas their life can also encounter dangerous situations. These risky conflict zones often present the journalists and their crew with life threatening decisions and choices to either get the story or make sure their lives are preserved.  An article by Lisa Schlein showed the danger these brave journalists take up in order to give the important stories to the media networks to show to the American public.  One could even argue that these journalists are acting as American heroes, keeping the United States informed with foreign news to keep us informed on public affairs.  So why is it that the journalists who are encountering dangerous situations on an everyday basis still lack the protection they need to keep them safe?   

This is an issue that is brought up in the film A Mighty Heart starring Angelina Jolie.  The movie is based on a true story about Danny Pearl who was kidnapped in Pakistan in 2002.  The movie brought to life the ongoing struggle for journalists who are trying to report in foreign countries peacefully, but are being held hostage due to reporting in conflict zones.

   In 2007, 110 journalists were killed while reporting in different countries.  More effort should be taking by governments to reduce the number of journalists taken captive by instituting a world wide security to protect foreign citizens like tourists along with journalists.  I definitely believe that the safety of these brave individuals who are putting their life and careers on the line to potentially protect the United States citizens should be valued and protected world wide. 

Add a comment January 24, 2008

World News vs. Celebrity News

Media news and entertainment through television, the Internet, and even on cellular phones are becoming an ever expanding world filled with options to choose what you want to view.  One has to wonder whether or not the entertainment shows are starting to overcrowd the serious and old-fashioned version of news stations.  The news stations deliver news about external affairs overseas and the presidential elections while entertainment shows focus on celebrities and poke fun of the weekly “buzz” going on.  With these two extremities being combined together into one, anchorwomen/men are being forced to change their style of presenting news by trying to find the right medium between serious yet engaging and interesting to listen to. 

Katie Couric is currently the host of The CBS Evening News being only the third permanent anchor The Evening News in forty-four years following Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather.  Before switching to CBS, she was previously a host for the Today Show for NBC from 1991-2006.  By switching to CBS she became the first solo woman anchor of an American weekday evening news show earning her an outstanding salary of $15 million.  Couric also worked for ABC and CNN as a reporter before switching to NBC. 

Couric has an impressive resume of important people she has interviewed including Tony Blair, Barbara Bush, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Hilary Clinton (Clinton’s first television interview), and John F. Kennedy Jr. (his first and last interview).  Couric’s perky attitude and detailed interviewing style where no question is off limits is what makes Couric a respectable and successful anchorwoman and reporter.

 I would label Couric as a “hard news” reporter, meaning that she stays professional and focused on the news and doesn’t waste time on celebrity gossip.  She is a successful anchorwoman who has become well known and accomplishing in a male dominating profession.  Couric sticks to the facts because she has to in order to establish herself among her competitors because for women anchorwomen it is more about what they wear and what their hair looks like rather than their intelligence and their ability to speak intelligently and with persuasion. 

According to an article in Like It Is, the author agrees that women are judged more on their looks than on their intellect.  She has interviewed some of the world’s greatest and influential leaders, all while being able to hold her own in the interview by being informed and asking direct questions that go straight to the heart of the issues.  She has found the perfect balance between reporting the news and keeping the main focus on the worldly issues and not on celebrity news.  Because of this perfect medium, I believe that she does not have to change anything to become a more serious journalist. 

Add a comment January 21, 2008

Writer Strike in Hollywood

They say history has a way of repeating itself, yet we never seem to listen to this warning do we?  This saying often appears to be a foreshadowing which can apply to just about anything in society.  In this case, I am choosing to show the connection between the current Hollywood writer strike and the former writer strike of 1988. 

In 1988, the writers in Hollywood decided to pick up their signs and protest outside the network company buildings that employed them.  The strike lasted five and a half months; the shows became so painful for the viewers to watch because their favorite shows had lost their flare that made them interesting.  Because of this, the networks lost about ten percent of their viewers, which has never been regained.  More and more families began turning off their televisions with disgust because the shows appeared to have no depth and a loss of intriguing storyline.  In result of the viewers turning off their television sets, the networks lost an estimated $500 million.  So why would the producers want to walk down that road again?

This seems to be the same case in the current strike in Hollywood.  In the strike of 1988 the issue was money, and today’s strike issue is also about money.  The producers are making money from DVD sales and Internet sales, so obviously the writers want a chunk of that money too.  The center of Hollywood seems to be built up by money.  The current strike has lasted for about ten weeks now, and neither side appears to backing down.  While this feud continues, no new shows are being made and the networks are beginning to rely heavily on reality shows which require no scripting or less compared to other shows. 

It’s not just the writers who are being affected now, it is also affecting the A list celebrities who are afraid to cross the picket lines in fear of having their reputations ripped apart by the media.  The celebrities are trying to keep their opinions on the down low as of right now.  They know the power of the media and they do not want to appear as narcissistic and self-absorbed.  The upcoming Oscar Award Show is going to be interesting to watch, given that this year there are promises of appearances by writers on protest, which will be a first for the red carpet.  The celebrities who have been nominated or invited are questionable on whether or not they will make an appearance or show up at all for the event.  In my opinion the celebrities who have been nominated should go for it, because they were nominated for their successful roles, they earned it. 

To me, the resolution seems quite simple and the result is inevitable, just give the writers their share of the money.  The current strike is at the half way mark from the 1988 strike, and it is estimated that this strike will lose much more money than the former one ever did.  Do the producers really want to repeat the old path?  I don’t think they really want to.  According to Sheldon Liber, “It’s not about anyone being happy…it’s about finding a number that makes both sides equally unhappy.”

Questions:

1.  Do you think the Golden Globes will be cancelled, rescheduled, or will they continue anyways?

2.  Do you agree with why the writers are striking?

2 comments January 7, 2008

Child Soldiers

Child soldiers are becoming a big problem in Africa more and more every day.  Children as young as seven or eight are being abducted from their families and forced to fight against their will.  Something needs to be done to prevent these children from being ripped from their families and everything else they know. 

This problem became increasingly evident after watching the movie Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  The movie is about a man who loses his son and has to find him with the help of a very large and expensive diamond he found.  The father attempts to use the diamond to protect his family and get his beloved son out of the hands of men who turned him into a child soldier. 

This movie showed the results the smuggling of diamonds is having in Africa today.  Diamonds are a popular export from Africa, which result in an aggressive competition for them.  However, the cutthroat demand for these precious stones comes at a dire cost.  Men are ripped from their families to help find the diamonds which are handed over immediately after being found. 

The boys are handed weapons and given instruction to kill anyone in their path. These young boys are denied a childhood when they are given these destructive weapons.  The boys are taken young so there is little resistance from them, which coincidentally results in their making of good soldiers.  The reason these children tend to make such good soldiers is because of how obedient and vulnerable they are.  Because of this, the boys are brought up knowing no other life but violence, so they are unable to adjust back into society later on in life.  Something more has to be done to ensure the lives of these children and give them back a childhood so they are able to have a normal and well adjusted upbringing.  When purchasing a diamond in your jewelry ask to see the certificate explaining these diamonds were conflict free of purchase. 

1 comment January 4, 2008