1F25 Blog Response 4: News, trust, and “truthiness”

After reading through my peer’s blogs I come to the conclusion that satirical news is really just for humor. From the blogs I read most thought that satirical news isn’t true news and I agree. It’s not meant to be true news by any means; these kinds of shows are meant to bring news in a different manner. “Culture jamming occurs in advertisements, and is usually making fun of political figures or social issues.” (http://amandaregnerus.wordpress.com/) That is exactly what satirical news does and in most cases it is making fun of a situation to make the viewers laugh. Culture jamming used in shows like The Rick Mercer Report is an appropriate way to give the news in a non-serious fashion. It is never meant to hurt anyone or their feelings. A documentary is no different than satirical news; it is their portrayal of a situation.

Satirical news is meant to be funny and make people laugh. Not all viewers laugh and not everyone that watches television watches these kinds of shows. “They provides satisfaction for certain people as the humor and entertainment factor come into play.” (http://at12nk.wordpress.com/) My friends and I find these shows funny but I know certain people don’t because it’s not “real” news. Everyone has their own humor and everyone has their own source for current events. These shows bring the best of both worlds so why not sit down, tune in and see what they have to say about current world events.

“Satirical news is a mainstream form of culture jamming but whether it is useful to the public sphere or not is a controversial question.” (http://razanalkayed.wordpress.com/) It certainly is culture jamming and the way The Daily Show does it proves that it’s good for the public sphere. Shows like that are solely still running because people still watch it. If people still watch it there must be something somewhat good about it because not everyone that watches a show like that is dumb. The point is culture jamming is good for the public sphere because it collaborates normal everyday situations with a bit of satire. The last place I want to live is a world without humor. 

I1F25 s the fake news the real news?

In many situations we can make something serious into something funny and that’s what shows like The Daily Show are for. Satirical news applies to me because I am not one to particularly watch the news to get facts about what is going on in the world. I watch shows that make me laugh and “Cultural jamming examines the whole picture of different situations within a comedic frame, while criticizing media sources that present this news.” (O’Shaughnessy, Michael, and Jane Sadler. 2012, pp. 214) Shows like The Daily Show and The Rick Mercer Report are mainstream culture jamming but I believe the public sphere is benefiting from these shows because it opens the eyes of the viewers on popular topics all while making them laugh.


I believe regular news is made up of propaganda so when shows that are culture jamming are given to me I think that it’s giving everyone a different perspective. Not all the news that is given to us is true “making us notice and question their underlying messages.” (pp. 214) Just because half of what Rick Mercer does on his show is fake or not real news doesn't mean we aren't learning or taking something away from the other half. News is news and I believe it is the same debate about what school someone goes to. “I go to Western, you go to Brock therefore I’m smarter.” I disagree if we both leave our respective schools with a degree how does that make you smarter or in any way better than me? If I watch Jon Stewart and you watch CNN, we are both getting the same news but in different fashions.

In conclusion I feel that satirical news is a way of culture jamming but it is a useful tool in today’s society. Programs like these make the news interesting while not always true they get us hooked and when something happens in the world we look to these shows to cut the tension. They are useful to the public because it provides information in a comical way. I personally enjoy many of the shows that use culture jamming because lets be real, who doesn't like to laugh?

O’Shaughnessy, Michael, and Jane Sadler. 2012. Media and Society. 5th Edition. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press

1F25 What the Hail?

The add to look at is a front page cover that looks like any other, big headlines saying “WE DID IT” with two members of a sports team celebrating by shaking hands front and centre. At the top there are two cricket players with their gear on together and then their wives together as well. This is in the Australian news and right after Australia beat Pakistan in cricket during the 1999 Olympic Games. When you look at the add a bit deeper you notice that it is very male dominated and that the wives are secondary. In Hollywood a handsome man would be the purse on a woman’s arm but in this case the wives are the purse on their husbands arm. The added uses suggestive terms like “We” speaking as if the whole country won the match together rather than using “They.” It catches the reader’s eye being bigger, bolder and making it easy to read quickly with three short words, “WE DID IT.” During the 1999 Olympic Games most Australians only cared about the Games so having a big win front and centre on the newspaper made perfect sense. Since I live in Canada this newspaper did not affect me and probably didn’t affect most of the word as well. “The same event will be reported differently in different countries.” (Michael O’Shaughnessy and Jane Sadler, Media and Society Fifth Edition, p.186) Canada held the Olympics in 2010 and the number of medals “we” as a country won did not affect Australia. I’m sure that Canada winning gold in hockey didn’t matter to the Aussies. Australia celebrated their medals and we as Canadians celebrated ours. I personally only watched Canadian male sports not that I am sexist they applied more to me that female sports did. That goes with all sports; I don’t watch many female sports but watch pretty much every male sport. “Gender is central to identity, and gender socialisation is one of the earliest processes of interpellation” (Michael O’Shaughnessy and Jane Sadler, Media and Society Fifth Edition, p.185) I have always watched male dominated sports because that’s all I was allowed to watch when I was younger. The add was very well placed because it was predominately male which relates to me and grabs my attention. 

1F25 Blog response 2 Wanted: the media that we need

I decided to read the same three blogs that I did my last blog response on. After reading through my fellow peers thoughts on media and whether we get the media we want or want the media we get I notice that they had mixed thoughts as to how they felt on the issue.  I personally thought we wanted the media we get and so did Karly McInnis. She brought up a very good point “If we got the media we wanted all the time then we would know every little detail in the media to fulfill our wants.” (http://mcinniskarly.wordpress.com) I completely agree and personally don’t have the brain capacity to hold every bit of information. She goes on to talk about world issues and how people want to be informed on issues. I always like to know what is going on in the world, like genocides in Africa or wars in Korea. The media opens my eyes to knew things that I never would have imagined was happening. By living in Canada we don’t experience the drama that countries in Africa or Asia do; we make our drama and blow it way out of proportion.

While reading the blog written by Chris Garofalo, he made many points like when he said “the media will produce any technology, television show, etc., that the audience demands.” (http://chrisgarofalo.wordpress.com/) I also agree with this because the media does produce whatever we want from big to small no matter how outrageous it is. I do not agree that everything should be produced but we live in a get what we want kind of world. Chris goes on to say that when we as the audience want something and don’t get it we move onto something that we do like and want. If the media produces something we don’t want they will quickly change it to something we do want and have no problem doing so. Chris believes we get the media we want and I really liked his thoughts on it.

I also read Cale McDonald’s blog and noticed he agreed with Chris that we get the media we want. He said “if there is a program or advertisement that I have no interest in, I am free to stop watching” (http://cm11ll.wordpress.com/) This statement is very true and I do it all the time, when I don’t like something I have the freedom not to watch or be a part of it. Media cannot force us to do anything but rather influence us to make certain choices. I choose to watch television, no one is making me but media influences me to do so otherwise I don’t fit in with what my friends are talking about when seeing them.

After reading through each of their blogs I am now on the border of whether we get the media want or want the media we get. Each individual brought up good points and changed my view on the subject. Media will always affect us in one way or another.

1F25 Do we get the media we want?

The question is, “Do we get the media we want or want the media we get?” and I believe it’s both. Growing up we want the media we get because it is force fed to us. When you grow up in a middle class family you turn on the TV and you see whatever CNN provides. As you get older you start to mature and see everything from a different point of view.  As I got older I realized I wanted a different kind of media such as sports. Still to this day I wish lacrosse was aired on TV more and got more media attention but the media controls what everyone watches. If something is popular in the media they often overplay it to the point that it is all anyone can think about. Olympic commercials are a perfect example because they are overplayed; meanwhile I couldn’t careless that Michael Phelps won another gold medal. “These events…the media build them into something more, into media events, constructing rather than just reflecting them (Wark 1994).” (Media and Society, O’Shaughnessy. M, Stadler. J, 43) This quote proves that media hypes everything up so that everyone will watch, even people who don’t care take a gander just to be in conversations at work. I personally love to play sports and go to events but I hate watching it on TV because the media gives me the information I don’t need. Going to an event is way more exciting than sitting on your couch watching other people tell you about it. I want to get out and explore the world for myself and experience all that each continent has to offer. “Most of us have, some idea of what the Himalayas are, but this knowledge is most likely to be gained through representations: reading about them” (Media and Society, O’Shaughnessy. M, Stadler. J, 35) Why not stop listening to the media and find out for yourself what is happening in Korea or Sudan? Take actions into your own hands and provide your own media.

1F25 Blog Response 1: Media Impact on Others

From what I have read everyone seems to view mass media the same way I do. I’m glad to see everyone views the mass media the same way but it was nice to see everyone’s point of view on the issue.  A lot of students used their own experiences to show how mass media controls many of our lives.

“With so much of our entertainment based on following what famous people do, it is easy to get caught up in the latest fads or trends quite easily.” http://cm11ll.wordpress.com/

In Cale McDonald’s blog he viewed mass media in a very similar way I did and talk about how role models and famous people can change who we are. I agree with this completely because most people in North America watch TV or read magazines. Due to the influence of famous people in TV and all over the covers of magazines, when seeing them you always want to know what they’re doing or when they’ll appear next on a show or in a movie. I also do this and was not aware of it until I started this blog and because of how media has affected me I probably won’t stop.

“In the news many issues and world events get blown up. Many people see this as a bad thing and have a pessimistic view on this, but this is a good thing.” http://mcinniskarly.wordpress.com/

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Karly McInnis’s blog because she made many good points about how the media is good for us rather than the negative views people have about it. I agree with her about it being a good thing and that she “has a right to know.” She does have a right to know and so do I, I like when the media updates me on current world events. When playing sports we often talk about teams from the US and we learn about them through the media.

“I run into the problem of “which source is telling me the truth?”” http://chrisgarofalo.wordpress.com/

After reading Chris Garofalo’s blog I noticed he had the same thoughts I did about not knowing who to believe when information is released from media. This is true because with so many ways to release information such as Facebook, Twitter or even a blog a lot of the information being conveyed could be false. I don’t agree with people letting out false accusations but it happens and with so much access to the media there is always a chance for this to occur.

It was nice to see that everyone had the same view and that we all agreed. Some the blogs made me think about personal experiences and how media affected me and brought new thoughts into the equation. I enjoyed seeing other peoples personal experiences and comparing them to my own. In conclusion after reading many classmates’ blogs my view has not changed and that media affects us all in various ways. 

1F25 Media and Culture

I believe that mass media plays a big role in my worldview due to the fact that many stories I find out about come from the news or the internet. A lot of the stories I hear about are blown up by websites and reporters; finding our more information changes my view on each situation. For instance with the Boston Marathon bombing I thought it was terrorists, but then new information came out and I started reading what other people thought and posted online. Needless to say this all changed my view and I was very confused. I am still very unsure what to think of the ordeal but I am saddened to know that innocent people were hurt, whether it was terrorists or a scam by the United States government. People blow it up so much and make a lot of fake accusations that I have all this information in my head and don’t know what to believe is correct. I am sure many others feel the same way I do and the media makes me question other events that have happened. How do I know that events such as wars overseas or the JFK assassination were not planned.

Another reason mass media affects people such as myself is role models; you see an actor or athlete do something in the news and you want to do as they do. Growing up in a small town I was taught good family values but when I saw a role model do something wrong I also wanted to do that to. I am a big hockey, lacrosse and football fan and when I was growing up I loved Lawrence Taylor. He would go on the field week in and week out and dominate his opposition. He did whatever he wanted on and off the field and didn’t listen to anyone not even his coaches. He would stay out all night partying the night before a game, get caught with drugs and even have high speed chases with the police. I learned real quick that wasn’t the way I wanted to live my life. I read his biography and in it he said “I regret a lot of things I’ve done in my life…” and that helped me realize that if he can admit his mistakes which are blown up by the media every time he did something wrong then I can too.

-Wes