http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaWJtwbIbKo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76LW_1b4M5U&feature=related
I was unsurprised a program like this would be found on PBS. However, that aside, these two episodes raise some interesting questions: Is media serving the public? What is Bias? One might see a bias where another doesn't. What information is useful? Which is trivial and entertainment? Will the internet be the demise of news? Or will it be its saviour?
Dan Rather brings up some points I agree with. You can know all the facts but you won't know the truth until you, "connect the dots." Fari Chideya, a guest along with Dan Rather, brings up an excellent point. Katrina was morphed into a story about the government and it's preparedness to react to a national crisis.
I encourage you to watch the videos. They are a little under a half hour, and they're a perfect supplement to what Postman writes.
There are more around on youtube, so if you like them you can watch more. I know I will.
P.S. Note the low amount of people that have watched the videos and the almost universal paucity of comments.
Do you remember the afternoon you came to see me about this class, and I had that book flier fall out of my notebook, and we ended up talking about liberal/conservative positions? I think the conversation we are engaged in transcends political position. Really, we are talking about an engaged populace, or a completely distracted one, and the health of our democracy. Few people watched these videos you posted (especially compared to "Charlie bit my finger"), and fewer still have commented on them. What does it mean?
ReplyDeleteThe book, by the way, was called Rich Media/Poor Democracy. I haven't read it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_SMt5DZodM
ReplyDeletePoor quality. Too bad.
Yes, Mrs. Fletcher, I remember. Quite the liberal you are. And one thing everyone can agree on, be they Independents, Republicans, or Democrats, is that a government requires the participation of its citizens in order for it to function, especially one like our own. But we can't do that if we are distracted. Or if we don't take the necessary time to analyze issues in-depth, look at both sides of the coin and see which side we agree with. Or if our attention span is too short to sit through three debates between Presidential Candidates. How can we make educated choices?
ReplyDeleteRaul, you're so intelligent. How can we make educated choices if media has already crowded our minds?
ReplyDelete