Chapter 16

The title of Chapter 16 is "Thinking Critically about Mass Media." The title explains a great deal about the chapter. In this chapter, Lazere discusses something that everyone should be aware of: bias is everywhere, especially in the media. We need to be able to recognize this bias (if it is not told to us) and analyze what is said or shown, based on the bias. If we just accept everything that we hear or read from newspapers, magazines, journals, radio, television, ect, then we are straying from independent thinking. In order to form our own opinions, views, and beliefs, we must question and analyze everything that is given to us.

I found it interesting that Lazere stated there is a more conservative bias in the media. For some reason, I thought that media would be more liberal. It might be because I'm thinking of media being "free speech" "free press" and just painting a liberal picture in my mind. I just was surprised to see that most newspapers, local TV, and radio are conservative.

This chapter also discussed objectivity and subjectivity in the news media. We discussed these terms in class regarding our Convention Analysis. When giving information it is important to be objective and let the reader or listener form their own opinion but this does not always happen in the news media. Lazere states that "the directors of news media often insist they are committed to objectivity in their news pages or newscasts and that they limit subjective viewpoints to their editorial and opinion pages or broadcast commentaries" (396). This has often been proven false, though. People of news media often report subjectively. I believe this is just human nature, though. It is possible to relay information objectively but everyone has their own opinions and many people feel the need to let other people know what their opinion is. This is why we must learn to detect bias and analyze everything we read or hear.

Convention Analysis Outline

Convention Analysis Outline

Healthcare

I. Title Page

a. Executive Summary

II. Introduction

a. The Issue of Healthcare

III. McCain’s Plan and its Implications

a. Tax credits

b. Eliminate tax exclusion

c. Access plan

IV. Weaknesses of McCain’s Plan

a. Number of uninsured would remain the same or increase

b. Non-group plans => less coverage

V. Obama’s Plan and its Implications

a. Employer mandate

b. New national health plan

c. Subsidies for lower-income people

d. Letting tax cuts expire

VI. Weaknesses of Obama’s Plan

a. Funding

b. Employer mandate could lead to decreased wages or loss of jobs

VII. Conclusion

Speech Comparisons

Obama and McCain undoubtedly have very different viewpoints on how to run the country. Despite their differences, they have similar ideas, as you can see in their speeches. They use many of the same words, but these identical words sometimes have very different definitions. It all comes down to the meaning of the words. One word that both candidates use in their speech is "unite" or "unity." In Obama's speech, he says, "This too is part of America's promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort." I believe in this quote, Obama uses "we" to mean the American people. Different from Obama, McCain talks about unity between himself and Obama, declaring that "much more unites us than divides us." This may be a major different between Obama and McCain, or at least a difference in their speeches. McCain goes out of his way to mention that they are truly fighting towards the same thing, despite the difference in their ways of getting there.

I also found that within Obama's and McCain's speeches a difference in the word "safety." Obama plans to keep the nation safe by providing them jobs and healthcare and keeping them off the streets. McCain plans to keep the nation safe by protecting it from terrorism and preventing any future attacks. As you can see, safety can be seen in many different aspects. Safety can be used in terms of safety within your own home, with a secure job and money to survive. It can also but used in terms of national security.

Another thing I found interesting in the speeches is the different ways to strike fear into the people. Obama uses the fear of being "on your own" if McCain is president. If you're in poverty of of the lower class, there is no hope for you under McCain's rule. It kind of links back to safety and how it is defined. Any time someone feels unsafe, they are usually afraid. McCain, speaking of al-Qaeda, says "they are not defeated, and they'll strike us again if they can." This is a definite attempt to scare the nation and make them feel that military, which is McCain's forte, is crucial if they do not want to be attacked again.

Again, it is all in the eye of the beholder and how a person defines a word.