The Shirtless Congressman

As we know the media loves to highlight random and insignificant facts about political figures. I am sure we all recall comments made on the candidates' wardrobe and hair styles. I can't help but wonder if the media is actually to blame in the case of Aaron Schock. Schock is a 29 year old congressman from Illinois, was on “Today” on Monday to talk about how he stays in shape and his “Fit for Life Summer Challenge.”

On “Today,” Schock’s appearance was promoted with this tagline: “Congressman bares chest to promote fitness.” The First shot is of Schock in a lunge position wearing nothing but baggy shorts and black Nike sneakers. The question that “Today” host Matt Lauer wanted answered: How does he do it? “You’re on the banquet circuit,” Lauer pointed out.

The congressman went on to talk about how he stays fit. “When I’m sitting at the banquet table, I don’t grab the bread basket. You eat the vegetables, you ask for a side of fruit,”

Discussing Schock’s challenge to Americans to lose a few pounds this summer, Lauer brought up the issue of time. How can busy Americans find a few minutes to hit the gym?

Is this what congressmen should focus on? What do you think?

Two birds one stone

After writing a paper on media bias and immigration it is clear that two distinct ideologies exist regarding immigration. The liberals support it, while the conservatives are against it, but not once has any group suggested what Bloomberg has recently suggested. Bloomberg proposed that America allow immigrants in, provided that they move to Detroit and live there for ten years. Apparently Detroit’s population has dwindled recently and allowing immigrants to move there would “kill two birds with one stone.” From a scientific management point of view, he is offering a potentially helpful solution. Yet on the other hand it seems like Bloomberg is letting go of his humanity for the sake of efficiency! What do you think?

Obama and the NFL

We recently read an article discussing Jon Stewart’s role in advocating for 9/11 rescue personnel. Politico presents an article about a similar phenomenon but with somewhat of a reversal of roles. NFL players have requested Obama’s support in the players’ labor fight against NFL owners. According to politico- he dismissed the players as millionaires fighting billionaires, saying he was more concerned about Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s attack on state-employee unions.

Apparently the NFL fight is a serious attack on unions. In mid-March, team owners locked out the players, who decertified their union to challenge the league’s antitrust protection.

One of the players lamented “If you make money, it’s OK to have less rights. It’s just part of the public’s perspective,” said Ruettgers, who was in his third season with Green Bay when NFL players 

It seems to me that despite their SES all people deserve the support of their government. The article we read told us about the idea of someone in the entertainment industry extending support to a political issue. Do these same principles guide the degree of political support extended to celebrities?  

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/52884.html#ixzz1JDyoBrSI

New Media to the max

We recently spoke about the use of new media and advertisements in modern presidential campaigns. Mr. Obama is no exception to the rule; he has kicked off his campaign for the 2012 election using a web video. The Obama campaign managers are personalizing to the maximum in order to establish a sense of personal attention. His website told visitors "This campaign is just kicking off. We're opening up offices, unpacking boxes, and starting a conversation with supporters like you to help shape our path to victory. 2012 begins now, and this is where you say you're in." Shortly after the web video was posted, an e-mail went out to supporters. In the e-mail, signed simply "Barack," he noted he's focused on the "job you elected me to do" and said that "we've always known that lasting change wouldn't come quickly or easily." According to Fox News republicans have been slow to join the race.

We spoke extensively about how the new media is a big part of recent campaigns. Fox’s comment got me thinking about the extent to which the so called ‘new’ media tools are actually new. Have circumstances shifted so much that any candidate that neglects to use new media tools is characterized as “slow to join the race”?

The war against Fox ?!

Media matters, a liberal group which was originally meant to be a media critic has virtually removed its attention from every news source it covered in the past and is now focusing its efforts exclusively on fox news. The group's founder David Brock described it as an all-out campaign of “guerrilla warfare and sabotage.” The first question that came to my mind was WHY?! According to politico, the shift reflects the centrality of the cable channel to the contemporary conservative movement, as well as the loathing it inspires among liberals- especially those running this group. Media matters is investing a whopping 10 million dollars a year for the sole purpose of challenging the factual claims of the channel and attempting to prevent them from reaching the mainstream media." This organization has put its resources into lassembling a legal team to help people who have clashed with Fox to file lawsuits for defamation, invasion of privacy or other causes. And it has hired two experienced reporters, Joe Strupp and Alexander Zaitchik, to dig into Fox’s operation to help assemble a book on the network, just to name a few.  Fox has retaliated by poking fun of the group in its various shows.

In some views, the war between Media Matters and Fox is not, necessarily, bad for either side. Media Matters has transformed itself into a pillar of the progressive movement with its aggressive new brand of media campaigning. And the attacks cement Fox’s status on the right. “Fox is happy about it — and it makes their position more vivid among their supporters,” said Paul Levinson, a media studies professor at Fordham University. “One way of keeping your core supporters happy is to be attacked by people your core supporters don’t like.”

When we spoke about media bias in class the idea of having a group actually try to make a news station unbiased didn’t seem realistic in the slightest. Surprisingly enough Media matters has exactly that mission and it looks like it will not relent.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51949_Page2.html#ixzz1Hwxt8H3O

Is the media training our politicians?

Everyone knows the media wield an exceptionally important power; its rendition of candidates can virtually make or break the candidate's chances. Sharon Angle clearly understands the importance of maintaining a good relationship with the media and assuring that she is on their good side.

In her first press conference as a candidate for Congress, Sharron Angle called for "mutual respect" with members of the media.

The Reno Gazette-Journal said the former Senate candidate took questions for more than 30 minutes:
"Let's show mutual respect for one another," she said. "I am here respecting you, and I want you to offer me that same respect."

She even made sure to do away with an hard feelings by apologetically justifying calling the media the "lame stream media" in her previous election.

Sharron Angle gave her first press conference in the race for Congress Monday, telling a gaggle of local reporters that "we were just playing with them" when she referred to the mainstream media as the 'lame stream media' during her failed  2010 campaign against Harry Reid.

The extent of the media's control over political figures is impressive to say the least. Is it just me or is this relationship reminiscent of a dog and a trainer?

Social Networks continue to take control

What Blogging the Political  attempted to study throughout the course of an entire book Joe Trippi stated in a few clear words

Speaking at the South by Southwest Interactive conference about how social media continues to transform politics and campaigns, the consultant behind Howard Dean’s Web-centric 2004 bid had some choice words for Team Obama heading into next year’s election. He said some underdog candidate is going to seize on social media tools in ways that no one has even thought of.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/51234.html#ixzz1Gb3wEZMC

Trippi like Pole realizes the power of technology and how much of an influence it can have on politics. One of the questions that Pole raises in the beginning of her book is just how much of an influence blogging had on the recent presidential elections. Clearly he believes that blogging did in fact have an influence and will have even more of an effect in the future.

“There's going to be a moment, and it could be in 2012 – you know for my party’s sake, I hope it's in 2016 – but some independent candidate is gonna just come out of nowhere and raise a billion dollars on the Internet, saying ‘screw both these parties, it's you and me baby, let's go change this thing.’”
Trippi predicted this would have a radical impact on politics, as we know it. “It will be the end of the two parties,” Trippi said.

Turkey arresting reporters

 Nedim Sener and Ahmet Sik are well-respected investigative reporters, who have worked for the country's leading publications and received international acclaim for their work documenting human rights abuses. They were originally charged with "belonging to a terrorist organization and inciting the public to hatred," according to their lawyers, though the incitement charge was later dropped. Both men deny the allegations against them.

They were arrested as part of a long-running investigation into a shadowy network of military and ex-security men who allegedly planned to topple the Islamic-rooted government in the early 2000s. The investigation began in 2007 and was widely hailed at the time as a bold step forward for Turkish democracy, which has long wrestled with the specter of military involvement in politics.

The government's 'you're either with us or against us' attitude has created a palpable sense of repression in the press, particularly since media and business interests are closely linked. The main government-critical news group Dogan was slapped with 4.8 billion lira ($3.05 billion) in tax fines in 2009 after a row with the government over corruption allegations involving members of Erdogan's party. "Young reporters are now intimidated to ask certain questions of the Prime Minister and some ministers," wrote Murat Yetkin, veteran Ankara commentator for the Radikal newspaper.

Sounds a little like the Espionage and Sedition acts to me. We have the privilege of using the first amendment in court, they don't. Do you think that will ever change? 

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2057424,00.html#ixzz1Fw35fsLl

Texting from the front

On Wednesday, TIME's Abigail Hauslohner joined several other print journalists at around midday to travel first to Ajdabiyah, about 100 miles south of the rebel capital Benghazi, and then to Brega, the oil refinery town that is the latest front in the civil war between the revolutionaries and the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. Hauslohner has been sending her updates to TIME via SMS, texting being the most efficient, if not the only way, to get reports from the area. This story will be updated throughout the day.


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2056470,00.html#ixzz1FSoGG8eO

First Ladies Support Military

This article reminded my of this week's readings on war and the media.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/50457.html

President? Marijuana? Scandal?!?

As we just discussed scandals in class I thought it appropriate to bring attention to Mitch Daniels responding to an interviewer's question on his arrest for marijuana use. Daniels who is weighing a presidential bid now has to face the skeleton that he thought was way behind him. I guess your past always comes back to haunt you especially when you're running for office and the media is on you.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/50093.html

Should Al Jazeera join American tv?

TIME spoke with Abderrahim Foukara, Washington bureau chief for the Al Jazeera Arabic channel, about the channel's unique identity and why it deserves a greater American audience.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2052934,00.html#ixzz1Eo0L4SIB How does that lens compare to the idea much vaunted in the U.S. of journalistic objectivity?
To be honest, I don't know what objective journalism means. The environment in which you broadcast obviously colors your coverage. If you are an American network broadcasting from the U.S., you will be broadcasting with a sensibility which may not look necessarily objective to an audience in another part of the world. And the same is true if you're a network like Al Jazeera Arabic, broadcasting out of the Middle East. But we have to go beyond that. We should agree on the necessity to provide information in a timely manner. We cannot live in a world where a story like Egypt — which has consequences for the whole world — is unfolding and your audience doesn't know anything about it or enough about it.


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2052934,00.html#ixzz1Enza9WvT

China on Gaurd

Ensuing the wave of pro-democracy protests sweeping the Middle East the Chinese government is on high alert. Although no large scale demonstrations have begun the government is acting with strong force assuring that any inkling of rebellion is done away with. It seems as if the Chinese have learned from the global chaos that is erupting and making sure their country is not the next to be hit with upheaval.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBXCYEXxKXA


This is a perfect example of how public opinion could be understood from something as simple as a home video.