* Pick one concept from the assigned reading, not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.
I was so excited when I read the passage ‘dog bites man’ is not news, but ‘man bites dog’ is (Trenholm, 2008, p. 312). This was actually one of the most simple and true things I learned in my undergraduate in Journalism in Brazil. Nevertheless, as exciting as it is to imagine how fantastic would be to report that ‘a man bit a dog,’ this is not what we see in the news today. I am not sure if I feel this way due to my strong sense of criticism. I simply cannot label everything as 'interesting.' In my view, many journalists do not do a good job just because they tend to report the same 'old news' over and over again.
As a journalist, I understand that it is not merely about what the journalist wants to show. Actually, it is 95% about following the ideology of the television channel one works for. But it feels like some journalists lost their investigative gift along the way, and set the simple goal of reporting what other television channels are reporting. Again, I know that when it comes to keeping a job, specially having a family to raise, some journalists would not think twice between reporting that ‘a dog bit a man’ by 1000 times rather than the other way around, ‘a man finally bit a dog.’
Ibirapuera
W16 - Discussion Question # 3
16 years ago
I also agree that this statement is interesting, since the news becomes striking and fitting of the name “news” when it is an occurrence that is different, striking and “new”. After all, if the message is striking when presented, there is massive impact and spread across its audiences, rather than the mundane, boring and repetitive stories of “dog bites man”. I also think that you make a good point when you describe the world of journalism through your perspective. It’s true that the news reported depends on the medium, and that medium is existent because of the people who create and build it, therefore in order for the news to make it to the audience, it must be approved of by the mindset of those producers. So to keep the job, just report what will be approved, whether within one of the newspapers or a news broadcast on those television channels, which goes with your 95% statement.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the the interesting comment you made about my post, Scorpiochild2803.
ReplyDeleteIbirapuera