Coverage of Spitzer

The coverage of Spitzer's sex scandal has been all encompassing; most every angle has been covered. From the feelings of everyone remotely involved, the stoicism of Spitzer's wife, and the dreams of "Kristen", his call girl, to spoofs, and hard news of the scandal, no stone has not been overturned.

        Not only was it covered, but to some degree it was over covered. Entire news programs have been devoted to this. The tuned in world now knows the aspirations of "Kristen, " also known as Ashley Dupre. Apparently, thanks to myspace, she left a broken home for New York in pursuit of a music career. CNN actually had a link to view her page, and the number of visits for today, for instance, was 5,953,892, quite impressive. And while Spitzer is dealing with the consequences of his activities, the media is having a hay day making Spitzer wish he had never had wandering interests, or at least not made the call to his bank which raised a red flag and led to the discovery.

Overall the coverage of this story was......thorough, to say the least. But it seems that the media merely abided by the principle that sex and scandal sex newspapers. It seems that the papers have been so saturated by news of the war in Iraq, that any sort of distraction was welcomed whole heartedly. Now the time has come, however, to move on. Had this been a governor in Idaho or Nebraska, the press would most definitely not have given its undivided attention, and we most definitely would not be hearing about it every time we opened a paper or turned on the tv. 

The Bill of Rights

1. Freedom of speech

    Freedom of press

    Freedom of religion

    The right to peaceably assemble

    The right to address grievances about and to the government

2. The right to bear arms

3. No soldier, during peace time can be quartered in a house with out the consent of the owner, and laws must be followed if quartered during war time.

4. No person or his belongings or home may be searched with out a warrant

5. No person can be forced to answer anything in court, with a few exceptions (involving the military or in times of war), and a person cannot be subject to double jeopardy

6. "The right to a speedy and public trial," a person must be informed of the trial they are being accused of, and be provided a lawyer if not able to.

7. The right to a trial by jury

8. No cruel or unusual punishment is allowed for crimes,  and excessive bail or fines cannot be imposed.

9.The right to have rights; no one can take away another persons civil rights.

10. Powers not given to the federal level are given to the state level, or to the people.

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0749825.html

Prince Harry

The idea that the press has the potential to be bought off for the secrecy of information seems a bit disheartening. Regardless of what exact information the press knew and intended to withhold, this concept of being so easily manipulated and so self centric that the media only cared for the glitz and glamour of procuring a story with all the glossy 8x10s handed to them. The press was essentially told, in the case of Prince Harry, that if it kept secret the prince's military status, it would be rewarded with pictures, information, interviews and anything else it desired. Personally, this seems sort of corrupt. It's understandable that Harry would be a target, if his presence was widely known, and as a result his company could perhaps be in danger as well. So this secrecy of his presence was rightly kept covert. 

The whole problem with this scenario is that is shows just how easily bought and manipulated the press can be.

The Paper

The Paper, a documentary by Aaron Matthews, is a film of great journalistic might; it puts lessons and philosophies learned only through experience as a journalist into cinematic form. This, in turn, makes such wisdom available to the future journalists of the world.  A new cult classic of journalism schools, this film follows the headaches, the progress, and the successes of one of the top student newspapers in the nation, "The Daily Collegiate" of Penn State. SUNY Albany held a viewing of this seventy-eight minute film last Wednesday. In the dim light of the theatre, mostly filled with journalism students, one could see that all eyes were transfixed on the glimpse into the future that many in the room would imminently be embarking upon. The film offered a look into the responsibilities of a newspaper staff, the ethical dilemmas they face, the restrictions, the concern for lagging readership, and the balance all journalists try to maintain between their profession and personal life.
           In this film, far-reaching axioms that all journalists, regardless of experience should keep close at hand, were presented through the experiences of the students at the newspaper. To start with, one must be on their toes, fully alert. Such was evident in the cry, "Who walks to a fire? It was a fire!" Apparently, due to sluggishness a reporter had missed out on some pressing news. Next, a journalist must be willing to go an extra step or even twenty or thirty. He or she must be able to relate a story to outside society; if reporting on sports, as in the documentary, or a particularly dry topic, like economics, he or she must be able to pull in a concept relevant to humanity across the board. Even if a particular topic is of no interest to a reader, the journalist must be able to pull that reader in for a different reason. 

       Also, journalists must remember that knowledge equals power. They must ask themselves, what do people want to read? They must remember that one must not make ethical decisions alone; and that they must consider diversity regarding the newsroom and stories. A journalist must realize that all of his or her story ideas will not be welcomed with open arms; some will be shot down. If at a loss for a story, a journalist could fall back on, "if it bleeds, it ledes."Journalists must realize that they create their own access, and for more complete access they must be willing to step on toes, or at least covertly step around them; and be willing to face the consequences of doing so. The worst thing a journalist can do is tell the truth poorly, but it happens. Journalists must consider what is important versus what is newsworthy when ruminating over a story idea. They must take into consideration who could be hurt by a story, or who could receive undue celebrity from it. They must prioritize their personal beliefs and objectivity, and decide on stories accordingly. Finally, journalists must keep in mind that if it comes down to it, sex sells papers.
        This last axiom is especially intriguing; why are people so drawn to reading about it? In an attempt to boost circulation, The Daily Collegiate introduced a dating and entertainment page. Despite the fact that it raised circulation, if only a little, there is extensive debate as to the appropriateness of its presence in newspapers. Many believe such gossip belongs in women's magazines or tabloids, but its d'ebute in newspapers is becoming more common.
      Other movies such as the Devil Wears Prada and How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, though not by any means on the same cinematic level as The Paper, revolve around journalists who write about their love lives or are immersed in a world of shallow sensationalism or materialism; essentially the mindless babble that a majority of the world finds entertaining.
In the show Sex and The City, the protagonist, Carrie, is a well known sex collumnist for a newspaper in New York City. She finds fame writing about all those topics most people would talk to only their close friends about; the guy who stood her up, the lack of romance before more physical relationships, the stupidity of men, the list could go on forever. But through all this, Carrie ties in universal truths of human nature. She questions why we think the way we do.
      As such, it seems that perhaps, gossip and love do have their place in newspapers. Though most definitely not the front page, it seems that if people enjoy reading about such topics, and it will elicit them to pick up a paper, then it can't hurt.Thus, the staff of The Daily Collegian did no harm to introducing a page of romance and gossip. It drew in a new audience, and shared the stories of fellow college students and their views of the opposite sex. The page allowed for a bit of entertainment in a paper that was dehydrated by dry news stories of no interest.
        Thus, The Paper by Aaron Matthews will indeed survive through time as a glimpse into the real world of journalism. It has essentially outlined the concepts journalists should keep in mind through real life events. It has given insight into the amount of analysis and brain power journalists use on an everyday basis. Yet it has also shown all of the glory and triumph which can be attained through hard work and perseverance. Such a documentary has given the average person a look into the life of those who provide them with their news and information; and basically, journalists do the same for their living: they get to take a look at the lives of others, taking a look at the World through someone else's eyes. Through all of the setbacks and hardship, it seems that this sole ability is what makes journalism so appealing.