Media Ethics

I think the industry that should hold a higher code of ethics is advertising. I think there are some advertisements on television that are more distasteful than some television shows. They try to sell sex or bad behaviors along with the product. Hardees’s always adds some sort of sex appeal in their commercials. What does sex have to do with fast food? Sadly enough, some people do get convinced to buy the product because of it. And there are other people who do get offended by it. Advertisers need to keep in mind that not everyone with appreciate how they advertise products. If they are not careful, they could get a lawsuit. An example of groups that could get offended is religious groups. If something very immoral is shown, then advertisers would hear about it. If advertisers changed their code of ethics, then no one will complain about how offensive they can be.

Personal Rights

In Media Law, I am concerned about personal rights. I am concerned about it because people sometimes lose their right to privacy because of it. I believe privacy is very important to everyone. We have the right to disclose things in our lives from everyone else. The USA PATRIOT Act is a good example of people going through other people’s private lives. This Act went into effect after the attack on 9/11 to help the government find the culprits. It allows the government to listen in on your phone conversations and monitor what books you check out at the library and so forth. They want to make sure you are not a terrorist. So the question is: National Security or privacy? It is sad when a government reaches a low where they have to question their own citizens. If a country cannot depend on their government, who can they depend on?

Social Learning Theory

The Social Learning Theory is a theory on how people learn to behave by observing others. This theory stereotypes minorities and women. Also, it teaches a group to behave in a certain way. I do agree with this theory. People learn from other people how to act and treat other people in this world. For example, a child can watch Sesame Street and learn their alphabet. Also, a person might watch a program about war and might be convinced to join the military or try to stop war. Some people can watch a show about murder and crimes and try to do it themselves because they watch the program and are eventually convinced it is their reality. It does not happen to a people, but it does happen. Women and minorities sometimes get bad reputations on television and people are convinced that is how they really are. On some shows, women are seen as the housewife and soccer mom. Some minorities, the Mexican-Americans for example, are sometimes seen as poor and dirty. Those minority groups are not always as they seem.

Name of product being advertised: Orbit Gum
Parent company of the product: Wrigley Company
Year the ad was made: 2007
Agency that helped produce the ad: Energy BBDO
How I found the information of the agency that produced the ad: http://www.splendad.com/
The ad ran during this program: Family Guy at 8:00 p.m.
Q&A: I like this advertisement because I think it is funny and it is well made. I have always enjoyed watching the Orbit Gum commercials, but this one is my favorite. This ad gets your attention because it is a drama. The wife comes into her husband’s office to confront him about his affair with his secretary. What makes this ad effective is at the end when the wife, the husband, and the secretary smile and show that their mouths are clean because of the gum. That is how the Orbit commercials always end. In this particular commercial, the three people are not using curse words but using “clean” words to express how they feel. That is what makes the commercial humorous. The “puffery” in the commercial is the motto, “For a good clean feeling, no matter what.” There are some brands of gum out there on the market is supposed to make your mouth feel clean. One example of another type of gum out on the market that is just as good is Trident, Orbit Gum’s competitor. What this ad is selling is bad times. A woman is confronting her husband about his affair, but adding a funny twist to the situation going on. I think this ad was effective in reaching the target audience because the commercial was during a comedy show on T.V. and the ad was supposed to be a comedy. I did not buy the product after seeing the commercial. I am usually not inspired to buy gum after watching commercials. I buy gum when I think I need it.

Show Title: Ghost Whisperer
Network: CBS
Local Channel: KMOV-CBS
Week and Time It Airs: Fridays at 7:00 p.m.
Cable or Broadcast Channel: Broadcast Channel
Is the Show In Syndication? Yes
Production Company/Movie Studio(s) Involved In Production: CBS Paramount Network Television
Production Company/Movie Studio(s) Parent Production Company: Touchstone Television
Year the Television Show Began and Ended: 2005-Present
Producers: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Breen Frazier
Director: John Gray
Writers: John Gray, Lois Johnson, Jed Seidel, Jeannine Renshaw, Jim Kouf, Breen Frazier
Stars: Jennifer Love Hewitt, David Conrad, Camryn Manheim, Aisha Tyler
Q&A: Ghost Whisperer is about a woman named Melinda (Jennifer Love Hewitt) who has the gift to talk to the recently deceased and pass on messages to their living loved ones. By doing that, she helps the spirit cross over to the other side. I was introduced to this show back when it first came on television. The advertisements of the show made me want to watch it. I thought it sounded interesting. I watched the pilot and I was hooked to the show ever since. What I like about the show is that there is always a cliff hanger at the end of the show. After she sends a spirit to the other side, another one finds her. Melinda’s job is never done. I would definitely recommend this show to someone else. It is an interesting show to watch. Sometimes you might find yourself pulling out that box of tissues because there are some episodes that get really intense. Shows that make a person show emotion are the best.
Clip of the Show

Remembering Radio's Golden Age

Name of the person interviewed: Bernadine
Age: 82
How I know this person: She is my great-aunt.

For this interview, I asked my great-aunt, Bernadine, what she remembered about the “Golden Age of Radio.” I learned a lot from what she told me. Aunt Bernadine first started listening to radio around the sixth or seventh grade. This was during the Great Depression. The radio was kept in their dining room. Her family always listened to the radio when they had dinner together. She and her siblings would listen to the radio when they were doing their homework. Radio was different back then than it is today. There was a lot of static and interference. The radio Aunt Bernadine’s family owned was just a small box with an aerial outside the house. She also told me that my grandmother’s family owned a crystal radio. This radio only worked on clear days and had a lot of static. Some of Aunt Bernadine’s favorite shows on the radio were Lux Theater, Amos & Andy, and some of the soap operas. She said her mother’s favorite show was a soap opera called My Gal Sunday. This show always came on at 11:00 in the morning. There were not a lot of commercials on the radio back then. The President would go on the air and address the country. Politicians would sometimes talk and announce why people should vote for them. Sometimes big bands would perform in the evenings. Aunt Bernadine loved listening to Harry James and his orchestra. She did not remember too many moments in radio history because when she was in high school, she either had to go to work or do her homework some nights. She did say that every time she listened to the radio, it just got better and better. She would like to let the younger generations to know that in the early days of radio, it brought families closer together and it gave you your own picture of what was going on in the story being told. I learned from this interview that radio was very important during the Great Depression and World War II. It brought families together and entertained people who could not afford to go to theaters. I also learned that we take advantage of our radios today. We just flip though the stations in our cars or on our stereos and do not think of how this amazing invention made the world go round back then.

Metallica

Artist: Metallica
Album Name: Metallica (A.K.A. Black Album)
Popular Songs Included: Enter Sandman, Sad But True, Nothing Else Matters, Wherever I May Roam, and The Unforgiven.
Record Label: Elektra (operates under Atlantic Records)
Year It Was Released: 1991
Genre: Rock
Q&A: I found this album and artist from my brother’s old friend when I was ten years old. Ever since then, I have been a huge Metallica fan. This was the first album I listened to by the band and was hooked instantly. I love all of their songs that they have put out. Unlike some people, I really do like their recent album, St. Anger. The genres of music I generally listen to are rock and country. Some of my other favorite rock artists are Def Leppard, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Led Zeppelin, REO Speedwagon, Black Sabbath, Cheap Trick and many others. My favorite country artists are Shania Twain, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Montgomery Gentry, Trace Adkins, Clint Black, Garth Brooks, Billy Currington, and many more. On my MySpace page, I currently have “Ladies Love Country Boys” by Trace Adkins. I choose that song because it is one of my favorite songs. I usually listen to my music on the radio or CD’s. Since I have started college, I have been putting most of my CD’s on my computer. If I want to listen to my music while doing homework, I can just go to Windows Media Player. I usually get all of my CD’s from Barnes & Noble. It is cheaper to buy CD’s there because I have a discount card. I always get a CD or two when I am there. Every now and then, I will buy my CD’s at Best Buy. I do not like best buy that much because you cannot listen to the CD before you buy it.