This past week I have been thinking about what I personally do not hear much about in the news, locally as well as globally. I think that the local Tribune does a fairly good job in reporting the hard news along with the soft news. However, for my public relations class we have to do a campaign. One of my fellow group members thought it would be a good idea to work with Greek Life to help restore their reputation. I am one who is very much tuned out to sororities and fraternities, but now having to be involved with this campaign, I have noticed that we often hear about all the bad that goes on with fraternities and sororities and the good is overlooked. I know that they do well for the community and there should be balance between the positive and negative. They should not be reported only on the stuff they do that is looked down upon.
When I was reading the Sunday paper the other day, all the way in the back, was the environment section, which contained two very important articles about global warming. Why is this not big enough news to be in the front of the newspaper? Global warming is a big deal and too many people are either not aware of how important this issue is, or does not think it will directly hurt them. We see stories about Global warming every now and then, but often the issue is pointed out as a liberal concern and should not be a main concern. The facts and statistics are there to prove that it is serious, it is newsworthy, and it should be in the news consistently.
I think that this country does not hear enough about international issues. A lot of the time when I pick up a newspaper I read about issues that pertain to the United States. There is a world news section in every newspaper, but much more is going on, than what is being reported. We lack an international news channel such as BBC, where they report world news. Though I realize that a lot people may brush over news that does is not relevant to them, I still believe it is just as important to be educated on what is going on around the world, rather than just in our bubble. Sure that news is out there, especially on the internet, but I think we need a basic cable channel, such as BBC that reports the hard news around the world.
Finally, the war in Iraq is not reported nearly as much as it should be. I just watched a documentary titled, Why We Fight, and I got a little taste of what the war over there is really like, and it is nothing compared to what we hear about. What do we hear about anymore about the war, besides how many American soldiers have lost their lives? What concrete detail do we hear about that war? Again, the information is out there, but it is not reported nearly as much as it should be. I think in this case the government my feel that it is in the best interest of the American public to know as little as possible and journalists are limited to what they can report on, but do we not have the right to be exposed to the real news?
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Your concerns about the media's inability to cover important topics, such as the war in Iraq, are warranted. While many people think the media are covering the war because we see headline and videos on it, war correspondents will tell you that their access to sites and information is very hampered. "Embedded" reporters are controlled every bit as the soldiers whom they follow (rightly so, where their safety is concerned). Conflicting information is the norm, and even the journalist who is "on the scene" can't be sure that the information they get is accurate. Covering wars has always had those problems.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about your PR campaign. i do think that frats and sororities can do a better job of publicizing their "good" side - especially when a negative story hits the press. That's the best time for a group to step up and cooperate with the media. Journalists who recognized the importance of being fair are grateful to people who will talk to them about controversial subjects. They'll remember those people when it comes time to write other stories.
I agree with all the observations you made, Lisa. I do know that fraternities and sororities do a lot of good for the community, but we all know journalists love to get the "dirt" so that is probably one issue hampering the publication of these positive activities.
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me most strongly about your blog was the section on world news. I couldn't agree more! As I talk to many of my peers it's frightening how many of them have adopted a "why should I care; it doesn't affect me attitude" which I feel is shared with a lot of America. These are still important issues, and despite the current economic position we are currently in we are still one of the wealthiest countries in the world and should be donating to help out some of these foreign causes. It's hard to be interested or help when you cannot get the facts or information about these issues.
Great blog- I would love to know more about each topic you covered.