Books and Censorship

Assignment 3:

I think books should be different as far as censorship. Music is influenced by the media in more ways then books are. There are TV stations such as MTV and VH1 that can help influence children with their music selection. Books are a bit different in that they don’t get as much media attention overall as music does, so of course music lyrics would be on the forefront no matter what. I don’t think they should go as far as banning books unless they’re a serious problem which I will go into later. I don’t think the Harry Potter series is enough to warrant a ban. Just because a serious of books is extremely popular in the public eye, why should that be a reason to take it off the shelves in libraries. I think lyrics that can be seen as offensive have more of a negative effect then a book that has an imaginary story to it. If they start banning these books then what’s next. At the rate it’s going I think the answer is anything can be banned. We need to draw the line somewhere, why take away from an author’s good idea to write books that have become extremely successful. If I was the author J.K. Rowling I know I’d be upset knowing that my books meant for children have been banned for no solid reason.

I think having warning labels for music, television, video games, and movies are the right thing to do. It’s the way things have been going and why take the warning labels off and create more problems. The public is having enough trouble with young children and the negative influences that these sources of media have on them. Music, Television, Video Games and Movies are not as beneficial to us as reading is. Why ban what can really help develop younger children’s minds. Yes Harry Potter isn’t the most educational book but if students see that other students are reading it they’ll want to pick up on it also. It can lead to young children getting into positive habits. Why ban on certain books, it doesn’t present any good. Media such as TV and movies do the thinking for us, putting a ban and warning labels on that is one thing in that it doesn’t make a human being any smarter then would be to pick up and read a book. Movies and music contain much more offensive actions and language that a young child can understand then a book does. Leaving the ratings system on music, television, video games, and TV is fine the way it is, I say leave the books alone. If anything we need to get books out to the younger generation more then it is now. Maybe that’s why we have ratings on these other outlets because they shoved it in our face so much that they don’t know where the ratings and banning to start and where to finish.

One book that I remembered to have seeing was called The Anarchist Cookbook; it contained ways to make different explosives. This is the only way I can see banning come about. It wasn’t a book it was an instructional manual on how to possibly hurt yourself. When I look at this book and the banning of Harry Potter it’s such a world of difference between the two yet libraries are quick to jump at Harry Potter because of the mainstream coverage it gets. What about these books that are rarer, the media should take a look at those for right reasons rather then jump at stories of fantasy.

Question 2: Newscasts future...bright or bleak

Question 2

2.)Newscasts are without a doubt a major source of money-making for television stations. I think there is a major negative impact with showing stories that would make a quick buck rather then stories that can help the public well being. You need a balance of both kinds of stories in my opinion because the stories that are eye catching keep people around. You need the stories of public well being even if they’re not that interesting because the public wants to know that the news cares about them.

Showing stories that would generate revenue over a story that would generate knowledge such as tips to reduce disease, can become a major problem. There is no doubt that stories of entertainment and crime flood newscasts these days. If you watch the news on any given day you’ll see that most stories are of entertainment or crime. The problem with this is that it’s becoming the norm. The “good” stories are appearing less and less because of the public being used to these revenue making stories.

From personal experience I see this happening almost every day with showing stories that would generate the largest revenue. Most recently the death of Heath Ledger is a shocking story. The day and days following it will still remain a major topic. But it takes away from the peoples normal lives of school, or 9-5 jobs. I don’t think it’s a huge problem but it’s definitely well on it’s way there. If the newscasts continue the way their going it will lose credibility and people will begin to watch the news not for what it should be which is helpful stories but for entertainment.

The media as a whole in today’s day and age seems very entertainment and celebrity driven. It can be seen as a problem but I also think with the explosion of reality shows and celebrity news the news has shifted from once a complete and professional news and only news related outlet to now an entertainment outlet for those to enjoy. If it completely shifts to what we see now on many occasions we could have very scarce sources for news for the general public to turn to. Many children probably don’t know what’s right and wrong in news if they even watch it. We need to set a standard and example for them so they don’t get sidetracked in the wrong way. It might not seem like a big deal but television is one of the most common ways we as a nation get media from the world to us. We need to keep that credible.

I think that is the major point that I’m trying to get across here. What will the news be like in 10 years? Will it even be news anymore? I think we need to take a step back a little bit to ensure the future doesn’t get completely overwhelmed like the public today is starting to. We need to know that when these stories come along, it isn’t real news. News should inform you and instill knowledge of important current events not focus on glitz and glamour of these other “stories” that won’t benefit you.

The More Media The More Problems

Saying that all media content increases our media literacy is a far reach at best. The media today is like a circus in that it’s focused on the most outlandish stories that are willing to catch our eye rather then to inform us with knowledge that we and especially the younger generation needs. I think it’s easier today now then ever to get confused with the media if you aren’t already accustomed to it. From the early 2000’s onward it seems as if the media has taken a focus towards entertainment more then legitimate stories such as the media focusing on who will be the next president. Something that can have a great impact on the future of our country or as significant as the war in Iraq is seemed to be put on the backburner in some cases for stories such as Britney Spears’ younger sister being pregnant or Jessica Simpson jinxing Tony Romo by being in attendance at a Dallas Cowboys game.

For young people it’s hard to distinguish right from wrong, and important from non-important. If you’re younger of course you’ll pay attention to the stories that have more pizzazz and star quality. If you’re illiterate in today’s world it would probably be worse because immediately you’re likely to go to these stories if you can’t understand you can probably remember a celebrity or sports star rather then soldiers going into battle. This is bad because whether the country likes it or not it seems to take the focus a little bit off of the more important issues, unless we know how to distinguish between good and bad articles.

I think the United States is in a constant struggle with itself because where else can a network make fun of the president day in and day out for laughs and not have any repercussions. In most other countries actions would be taken. Sure their not as laid back and free as the United States but I guarantee their society isn’t flooded with junk news that we see today. I think with acts like this the “real” stories might lose credibility especially to those that are younger or illiterate. The media companies probably don’t mind people that are illiterate because they don’t distinguish the difference as easy not because they don’t want to but because they don’t understand.

We as a nation have to be smart to know what to understand and take in and what to filter out. Sure it’s good for entertainment to read some of these stories but we can’t focus on these stories. The media is not the best way to retrieve information as far as today being concerned. If we rewind 50 years to the 1950’s, their news and media then is far and away more credible to an extent overall then it is today just because of the explosion of the entertainment and shock factor to our society. Entertainment Tonight is not a valid source for news in my eyes but it seems to be very popular and is probably what most people watch on a daily basis and consider news. The most important step of increasing your level of media literacy is to distinguish the confusion between entertainment and news. Regardless of what the media is showing, There is a difference.