In class last week, during the break, some people were commenting on Sarah Palin. Commenting is a subtle way to put it, these people were bashing her. Then one girl spoke up and said that she thinks Sarah Palin is being treated unfairly. I have to agree with her. The media is incredibly biased when it comes to the election. I have heard some of the most shocking things said about her since McCain announced her as his running mate.
The media has been mocking her because she is from a small town, and that she doesn't have the experience to be Vice President, and quite possibly President. The media has been mocking her about her family life and the decisions she makes. I actually saw a magazine claiming that Trigg, her five month-old son, wasn't even her child. They were demading to see her records from her doctors to prove that it is her son.
They make fun of her husband for being Mr. Mom, and they actually have the gall to ask if she is capable of raising a family and being Vice President. Since when do liberals believe that women can't work and successfully raise a family?
The double standard is shocking. I'm not saying that Sarah Palin shouldn't be asked difficult questions, but the media should at least be consistent and ask just as difficult of questions to Obama and Biden.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Journalism Week 4
Since I was so fascinated with what I found in the last magazine exercise, I decided to do it again with Cosmopolitan. I used to be subscribed to it (yes I am ashamed...) so I have a bunch that I compared to each other to see the similarities and differences. Surprise, surprise- the differences from issue to issue are very small. I'm not talking about the structure of the magazine of course, that probably should stay the same from issue to issue so readers know where to find the information they're looking for. I'm referring to the content. It is EXACTLY the same in every issue. The only thing that changes is what is "trendy" for that particular twenty minutes the magazine is relevant in the fashion world.
The cover never ever changes- which like I said can be a good thing, so people know it when they see a Cosmopolitan magazine. The woman on the cover is always photographed head on, with her hair down and flowing, and wearing a snug outfit. You can always see almost her entire body, usually from the thighs up. She is airbrushed to perfection, especially her face. Then there are teasers or blurbs all around her. One of them all ways had the word "SEX" in large bold letters. One of them is always about tip for "in bed." Another is about the particular lady on the cover. Another is about "new!" hair and make-up tips. Another is about men, well to quote all the covers of this magazine, "guys." And so on and so on. It is the same every single month, and I have the stack of magazines to prove it. But it sells!
The cover is of course a reflection of the so called "content" inside. You flip through and it is full of ads for products to make you look more like a "cosmo" girl. The pages of advertisements far out weigh the number of articles. They are on almost every page- perfume, shoes, make-up, jewelry, clothing- designer and discount, alcohol, diet food products, hair coloring kits, the list goes on and on. The articles are very short and sweet- much like the clothing it features. There is a page dedicated to "Sexy vs. Skanky" things in pop culture for the month.
I could go on, but I think I've made my point- Cosmo is the SAME every month! In my opinion it is shallow and hollow, it is only about your looks (maybe a couple of times a year it will have some sort of article about "feeling good in your skin" but for the most part...). It is fabulous for getting hair and make up ideas- but be warned- they will be the same ones as last month.
The writers over at Cosmopolitan just re-word the previous month's issue!
The cover never ever changes- which like I said can be a good thing, so people know it when they see a Cosmopolitan magazine. The woman on the cover is always photographed head on, with her hair down and flowing, and wearing a snug outfit. You can always see almost her entire body, usually from the thighs up. She is airbrushed to perfection, especially her face. Then there are teasers or blurbs all around her. One of them all ways had the word "SEX" in large bold letters. One of them is always about tip for "in bed." Another is about the particular lady on the cover. Another is about "new!" hair and make-up tips. Another is about men, well to quote all the covers of this magazine, "guys." And so on and so on. It is the same every single month, and I have the stack of magazines to prove it. But it sells!
The cover is of course a reflection of the so called "content" inside. You flip through and it is full of ads for products to make you look more like a "cosmo" girl. The pages of advertisements far out weigh the number of articles. They are on almost every page- perfume, shoes, make-up, jewelry, clothing- designer and discount, alcohol, diet food products, hair coloring kits, the list goes on and on. The articles are very short and sweet- much like the clothing it features. There is a page dedicated to "Sexy vs. Skanky" things in pop culture for the month.
I could go on, but I think I've made my point- Cosmo is the SAME every month! In my opinion it is shallow and hollow, it is only about your looks (maybe a couple of times a year it will have some sort of article about "feeling good in your skin" but for the most part...). It is fabulous for getting hair and make up ideas- but be warned- they will be the same ones as last month.
The writers over at Cosmopolitan just re-word the previous month's issue!
Journalism Week 3
I forgot to post last week so I'm typing this to make up for it.
I'm going to comment on last week's class. I thought the exercise with the magazine was really interesting. The group I worked in looked through an Oprah magazine. It was shocking to flip through it from the perspective of a journalism course. Normally I wouldn't have noticed the things I did. To begin with, the first sixty pages did not contain any real content at all! The only thing that might have been considered "content" was one page with quotes from Oprah's favorite authors. Another thing I noticed was that the items featured in the ads were either very expensive luxury items, or relatively cheap items- nothing was inbetween. I'm not saying that implies anything really except that her magazine is for everyone. The majority of the ads in the first sixty pages were celebrities, and all but one were women. The race of the people in the ads were varied fairly evenly, and they were all fully dressed.
I'm going to comment on last week's class. I thought the exercise with the magazine was really interesting. The group I worked in looked through an Oprah magazine. It was shocking to flip through it from the perspective of a journalism course. Normally I wouldn't have noticed the things I did. To begin with, the first sixty pages did not contain any real content at all! The only thing that might have been considered "content" was one page with quotes from Oprah's favorite authors. Another thing I noticed was that the items featured in the ads were either very expensive luxury items, or relatively cheap items- nothing was inbetween. I'm not saying that implies anything really except that her magazine is for everyone. The majority of the ads in the first sixty pages were celebrities, and all but one were women. The race of the people in the ads were varied fairly evenly, and they were all fully dressed.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Journalism Week 2
I'm not exactly sure what we're supposed to blog about, but I'll just comment on something I found interesting in the media this week.
I've been trying to keep up on all the election coverage and John McCain announced this week that his Vice President is going to be Sarah Palin. I found this to be a brilliant pick. She is ultra conservative. She is a member of the NRA, she hunts, fishes, she is a mother of several children (I can't remember exactly how many), she eliminates corruption, and she sued the Federal Government for placing the polar bear on the endagered species list (in order to prevent environmentalists from stopping drilling in Alaska).
She appeals to the real conservatives in the right, and I think she will bring alot more voters to McCain.
I've been trying to keep up on all the election coverage and John McCain announced this week that his Vice President is going to be Sarah Palin. I found this to be a brilliant pick. She is ultra conservative. She is a member of the NRA, she hunts, fishes, she is a mother of several children (I can't remember exactly how many), she eliminates corruption, and she sued the Federal Government for placing the polar bear on the endagered species list (in order to prevent environmentalists from stopping drilling in Alaska).
She appeals to the real conservatives in the right, and I think she will bring alot more voters to McCain.
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