Axe Controversey commercial

After we watched the provocative Axe commercial where the women are crawling on the floor like "sexy tiger-esses" trying to seduce the world. (in which they seduced every person I showed that video to...including myself and I'm a girl) I was almost questioning my sexuality...although the ad is absolutely ridiculous, the women do a great job being sexy and sensual.

Unilever undoubtedly got what they wanted; which was the attention of the public. Now, there is a huge controversey over Axe and Dove being the same company trying to portray two completely different images, and deliver two completely different messages.

It just goes to show...The company truly doesn't believe in their product, if they did...they would pick one or the other...and stick with it.

It's almost like a guilty conscience. Axe sits on one shoulder with devil ears and a pitchfork, and Dove sits on the other shoulder with angel wings. You choose one or the other! You can't have your cake and eat it too......or can you? (when money is involved....you might as well eat the whole damn thing right?)

This quote tells it all... "Unilever is in the business of selling products, not values, and that means we, the consumers,are being manipulated, no matter how socially responsible an ad seems."

Asian and Asian-American stereotypes

I don't watch a ton of movies with Bruce Lee....or Jacki Chan (Chan known more for his incredible stunts), but I absolutely agree about the stereotype he is identified with. It's sort of like...Vin Diesel. The first movie that I noticedVin Diesel was "The Fast and the Furious (2001" (Paul Walker wasn't too shabby in that movie either) He played this bald & sexy, big-muscle, macho tough guy that stole fast sports cars & knew he kicked ass... kind of character. Then, a few years later he played in this movie called The Pacifier, which was lame. He played a much softer role in this movie, frankly I think the movie was just cheesy...I guess the point I am trying to make is that, Vin Diesel, in my opinion, only belongs in action movies. (Thats horrible for me to say) but that is my opinion, unfortunately.
Jim Carey and Robin Williams, Will Ferrel are stereotyped as humorous characters...I think Will Ferrel could pull off a more serious character more so than Robin and Jim. I saw Robin Williams in "One hour Photo", it was ok...but a bit disturbing. I think that the main reason I felt it disturbing because Robin Williams reminds me a lot like my father; he is hilarious, brilliant, approachable, friendly, and kind. I feel almost as if I "personally know" Robin Williams...just through all the characters he has played through out his career. I want to see Robin cracking jokes, not killing or stalking people.

A confession of sorts "DMN Mckinney Murder column"

I actually enjoyed this column. I am not familiar with the work of Jacquielynn Floyd, however this article was just another quick reminder that "it could happen to you" Now a' days it's not uncommon for the "girl next door" to be murdered or kidnapped etc. I felt that what Jacquielynn was trying to prove, was the fact that not everyone has 'skeletons in their closet', or lives a double life in order to be a murder victim.

(("Frankly, I believe the publicity surrounding Ms. Walker's death is entirely understandable. We're drawn to people who are interesting , which Ms. Walker undeniably was. Our interest is geometrically intensified when interesting people are victims of shocking crimes."))

This statement is absolutely true. People are interested in the bold and the beautiful, the rich and famous...It's all sad but true. We live in a material, superficial world. This is one of the reasons why Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears make headlines. For example when Paris Hilton went to Jail for 23 days..That was HUGE!! (according to all of the news outlets) Paris Hiltons' jail sentence countdown was on most every news program in the country. Now that is sick! WHO CARES!!

Race and news reporting- Ohio School Shooting

This Cleveland Ohio School shooting reminds me of Columbine. From what reports say, the only death was from Coon whom, shot himself behind his ear. The articles I have read have really emphasized the fact that Coon was a kid had a bad rep. He apparently was tormented everyday, was involved with Domestic violence at home, and had very poor hygiene. The school in my opinion had a plethora of signs that this kid needed some kind of attention and help. Just another example of the school not paying attention, or ultimately not caring.

He needed love, in my opinion, and as far as the reports have said, he didn't know the meaning of that word. They description the news article gave about Coon at the time of the shooting was:
(("Wearing black clothing, black-painted fingernails and a T-shirt of Marilyn Manson — the shock rocker he said he chose to worship instead of God — Coon fired as students ran screaming or hid under tables or in closets" ))This description meets the cliche, or stereotype similar to the students involved in the Columbine Shooting. Basically what they are portraying a dark, depressed, troubled person, and that people who worship Marilyn Manson don't believe in God. Almost saying "be aware of kids who have black fingernails and Marilyn Manson shirts" Which in my opinion is completely bogus! This quote also stereotypes the trenchcoat wearing kids as dangerous---> (("McGrath said that since 2006, police had gone to the family's home five times: for calls about domestic violence, an assault call, a property crime and a hit-and-run accident.
Asa Coon, who is white, stood out in a school that is 85 percent black for wearing a black trench coat, black boots, a dog collar, chains and a glove. No one has suggested race played a role in the attack. ")) Although race was not mentioned as an issue in this article, the author most definitely is connecting Marilyn Manson and Goth as dangerous.

(("Burns said Coon was a bright child who was unable to focus on his schoolwork and was prone to mood swings. She recalled "his shabby shoes and raggedy coat — didn't brush his hair, take a washcloth across his face, hair sticking up all over the place." ))
This quote really caught my attention because the first sentence discusses how he was prone to mood swings, and couldn't focus, then directly after that, a personal statement from Burns talking about his shoes and raggedy coat. I don't know what point the author of this article is trying to make when they put that quote there. What does being prone to mood swings, being a bright student and then having raggedy clothes have in common? To me it just emphasizes the fact that he probably didn't have parents who cared too much about personal hygiene.

Burns said she is angry no one reached out to him. "This all could have been prevented if he had the proper intervention," she said.
"That child was tormented from his classmates every single day," she said. "Everybody's making him out to be a devil, a demon, but nobody knows what was going on with this kid"

Also mentioned in the article was the fact that this school was 3 storys, and in the entire school was One security guard. Now, how does this happen? how can one security guard possibly keep track of all the students? all the hallways at the same time? Metal detectors were also mentioned, of which there were none at the school.

Minorities in Newsrooms

A way that the media can become sensitive to minorities is to hire more minorities. As the population grows, it becomes more diverse, physically, culturally, socially etc. the need for more minority representation in the media, media coverage and in workforce will only increase. Just like radio stations are broadcasting more Spanish stations, the Hispanic population is increasing so rapidly, media outlets are having to converge to identify and relate to the audience. For example, The Dallas Morning news created "Al Dia" which appears six days a week. Newsday created a daily newspaper in Spanish called Hoy.

(("Hiring minorities is only the first step"editors have to encourage minority reporters to express their diversity. One of the problems is that white editors 'really want black faces that write like whites' said Mervin Aubespin, a board member of the NABJ. He said he doesn't believe there is a specific set of guidelines to give journalists sensitivity. "There is no formula, no one way to write about a minority group. The best guideline is to treat each person as an individual. We are as different as you.")) (Carol Rich)

I completely agree with Aubespin. People need to start seeing people for who they are, and what they are capable of. Not by the color of their skin, hair etc. We need to see through the color, because like Lambiase said in the beginning of class "Everyone Matters" ...and I couldn't agree with her more.

Multicultural sensitivity occurs with the sources you use but most importantly the stories that are being used. Minorities are often featured in stories about crime, where they are excluded as sources in stories about lifestyles, or the economy, positive roles. Coverage of ethnic and racial minorities still reflects too many festivals and football games and not enough family issues or finance said James Woods, a faculty member at the Poynter Institute.

"Guidelines for news reporting and disabilities"

The media in my opinion doesn't have a huge impact on the way I have viewed disabled persons. I strongly feel that growing up, friends, T.V. and most importantly being ignorant to the word "retarded" "mentally disable" or "mentally ill". For example, I would call this an example of "unconsciously incompetent" (you don't know ...what you do not know)...When I was a kid (referring to my elementary school years) retarded was a word that we would throw around so loosely, we had no idea what the true meaning and significance of the word really meant, nor did we understand the impact it made if we were making fun of someone who was in fact retarded. Now that I am older (consciously competent) and more knowledgeable about the significance of the word I am more sensitive to the subject. Therefore I wouldn't go around calling people retarded.

The media has a duty to be fair, accurate, precise, and unbias. If the media were to say a word out of context that were to offend a disabled persons they would definitely receive phone calls from the viewers. As a journalist, your credibility and your name is all you have. It is your responsibility to make certain there are no lines crossed when communicating your story to the public. On the other hand, the newsroom does have a say in which stories they air each day, sometimes some stories are more significant than others, resulting in more news coverage (especially if it is an ongoing case) Therefore, viewers only see what they see on T.V. and start believing what they view on T.V and form opinions (or stereotypes). It's not the news that tells you how to think, its the news that tells you what to think about. (agenda setting theory)

Many euphemisms such as "physically challenged" or "visually challenged" etc.. have become way around calling people with disabilities "handicapped" in so many words...in my opinion. Unless the person identifies himself with a disability , it would be best to avoid using terms as crippled or deformed. Instead, use "people with disabilities"

I do feel that in order to be knowledgeable about a disability you either (A.) have to be interested in human disabilities, you study it, etc. (B) you have a disability so you are conscious about disabilities (C) or you know someone with a disablity.
The only disabilities I frequently hear about on the news is people who have cases of Schizophrenia who have committed crimes, people with Alzheimers who have walked out the front door and are now missing, or people who are going through a state of depression shooting up an entire school, or jumping off bridges to try and commit suicide.(which I wouldn't consider this a disability..rather a current state of mind)

News in general is depressing, so if there are cases of mental disorders or people with disabilities that make news headlines or the 6p.m. news then most likely the story is going to be a negative about that person with disabilities.
So...I guess what I am trying to say is that it's not necessarily the news' fault if people feel that the media stereotypes people with disabilities, linking them all to crimes..and what not.... The media is just doing it's job...reporting newsworthy news.

The only good news I hear about disabled persons is mostly in the mornings (A.M.) newscasts and a news talent is at a hospital helping out with a charity.

Jena 6

The whole Jena 6 issue in my opinion could have been completely prevented. Racial inequality, segregation should be a thing of the past. From what the media has reported, Jena is 85% white, and racial inequality in the town isn't a new story. It seems as though in the past 6 months name calling, racial slurs and racial inequality has become completely magnitized by the media. Ever since Kramer blurted out the N word in his comedic stand-up, it is absolutely inhuman for a white person to say the N word without being penalized or fired for that matter. (Don Imus and his crew) What people need to understand is that "everyone matters" and we don't need to be calling anyone names in reference to the color of their skin, hair, eyes,how tall / short they are ....you get the drift. The media has been putting a whole lot of emphasis on the black protestors. I don't believe I can recall seeing any white indviduals protesting. From what I have heard from people who did actually protest in Jena, there were most definitely more blacks, yet their were whites as well who were in favor of the Jena 6.

News Habits

I am a journalist, it is my job to be current with the news. I often find myself tuning into the television for most of my news. When I wake up in the morning I tend to watch Fox 4, or channel 8. I enjoy watching CNN at night, I am a big fan of Anderson Cooper and Lisa Ling (Oprah's international correspondent) or NBC, depending on what the topic of the hour may be.
Convenience is extremely important to me.
Since I am always on the run, I tune into NPR in my car or read the Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, or Denton Record Chronicle online. I also read the New York Times, and try to access International online newspapers BBC, nationmedia.com or as well.
When I think of the news media... "politically correct" comes to mind for some reason. In my opinion there is absolutely no room for mistakes when reporting the news. In the past year more than a few radio/T.V personalities have been fired due to racial slurs. I understand being fair to all persons whether he or she may be white, black, or purple...homosexual, lesbian, or transgender. We are all equal.
To answer the question "What comes to mind when you think about news media and coverage of race, gender, sexualities or disabilities?"
I think it is the responsibility of the news, the people who are communicating the news to the public to be fair, accurate and unbiased. All of that may seem unnatainable, considering there have been more than a few Journalistic Scandals in the past 15-20 years which have ruined the credibility of news stations and it's journalists.
As a journalist, the public puts their trust and time into listening to your message. Ultimately if a journalist loses his or her credibility, they have nothing left.