Exploring Media: Past, Present and Future

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Panel Discussion exploring Youth and Media in Society, Social Media and Relationships, Portrayals of life in the Media, Religious Media and the Decline of Print Media in Society — April 26, 2011.

The Mass Communications Media in Society Graduate Class will host panel discussions on the media related issues above in conjunction with media professionals, community activists, medical professionals, JSU students and others on April 26th at the Jackson State University Mississippi eCenter on Raymond Road (Convention Hall) at 12 p.m.
Guest panelists featured at this event include: Brad ‘Kamikaze’ Franklin, Music, television, and radio personality; Pastor Stan Buckley, Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Jackson; Breyon Bradford of Oroma Media; Dr. Fulivia Canady, PhD., Licensed Professional Counselor & Behavioral Health Specialist, Dr. Daisy LaCour, Ph.D. Early Childhood Education, Eddrick Hodges - Writer/Producer from Baton Rouge, LA (via Skype); Ernest Camel III, JSU Student Publications Production Coordinator; Erica Coggins, Senior Accounting Major at Jackson State University; Jerome Jordan, Senior Biology major at Jackson State University and more.
When we consider our current media landscape, we are excited and often perplexed by the prevalence of media in our lives. Decades, or even years ago, the types of media that we now utilize could hardly have been imagined. The impact of those media systems is what intrigues us most. Throughout the Spring 2011, graduate students enrolled in MC 550: Media in Society in the Department of Mass Communications at Jackson State University have shared their thoughts about media in our society via blogs on blogspot.com. They have considered theoretical foundations of the study of media in the areas of: (1) the evolution and decline of print media (2) the role of media in religious settings (3) portrayals of life in the media (4) the impact of social media on relationships and (5) the utilization of social media by youth.

We invite you to join us for a panel discussion to explore what these students found during their research on the various aspects of media in our society under the direction of Dr. Teresa Taylor, Assistant Professor, JSU Department of Mass Communications.

For more information about this event, contact: Shannon Tatum (601) 624-4874 or shannon.d.tatum@jsums.edu

The Pros and Cons of Print and Online Media

I guess it is evident by now that I am definitely a supporter of printed media over online media. It is not hard for me to think of pros when it comes to print media. Narrowing it down to just two is what is hard for me. However when discussing the pros and cons of printed and online media, you will find that the pros of one are the cons of the other and vice versa. Check it out for yourself.

Accuracy and thoroughness in Reporting are two Pros of printed media and the lack of accuracy and thoroughness are two cons of online media: The most important thing about printed media is the fact that most reports are thoroughly checked for accuracy. Because most newspapers are printed once or twice a day, printed media has much more time to check facts and include all pertinent information necessary to the subject of the article. I was taught the importance of the five W’s early in my education and career in journalism. Who: What: When: Where: and Why! The inclusion of these facts was drilled into my head very early on that no article is complete without this information. In the race to be the first to report many news events, the five W’s are sometimes sacrificed for the scoop. It is important to me and should be for everyone else that all the information surrounding an important story be check for truthfulness. This prevents misinformation from being spread and leads too more informed readers. Newspapers and news magazines in my opinion have an advantage in these categories over online media.

Cost and Timeliness would be two negatives of printed media but pros for online media. To put it simply, if you can acquire news at no cost without waiting, you are more likely to prefer online media to printed media. Newspapers have to charge to stay in business. With many advertisers, the main source of newspaper revenue, preferring to reach larger audiences via the web, the minuscule amount of money newspapers charge per issue is necessary but also a hindrance to many who would prefer not to have to spend anything. As stated above, the fact that the information is available on the web before the printed newspaper is distributed is also con for the printed media industry.

What are some of your pros and cons relating to printed and online media?

Local Print Media in Jackson

There is only one major daily newspaper in Jackson, The Clarion-Ledger, and that is where I get most of my media information from.  As a Jackson native, I personally feel that the Clarion-Ledger aka as The Clarion-Liar, is marketed as being non-partisan but really has a liberal slant to some of its reporting.  The House redistricting plan leaving committee is the current headlining story in the Ledger. 

The Northside Sun (weekly) and the Mississippi Link (weekly) are the two other newspapers in Jackson.  The Mississippi Link is considered the 'African-American' newspaper and covers a lot of news and community events that affect Blacks, while the Northside Sun covers mostly local non-ethnic news, sports and community events and is not widely read by African-Americans.  The Link currently has a story about the Greenville woman who placed her 3 year old son in the oven and killed him.  This story is currently garnering national attention.  One story in the Sun this week deals with the high property taxes City of Jackson residents pay as opposed to other metro cities.

The Jackson Free Press is a popular weekly newspaper in Jackson that covers a lot of entertainment news but does delve into deeper social and political areas.  It is currently running a story about Barbour's decision to lower funding for Mississippi Public Schools.  The Jackson Advocate, the oldest African-American newspaper in Mississippi, is published once a week and is very similar to the Mississippi Link in content but delves more deeply into state and local government issues that affect Blacks. The youth Town Hall Meeting held on Sunday, February 27, 2011 at the Regency Hotel in Jackson is their front page story.

There are also a two subject-related newspapers in Jackson as well.  They include:
The Mississippi Business Journal  (weekly)
Baptist record (weekly, Christian)

Don't believe the hype!

When I read in the Clarion-Ledger that there was a bill submitted in the Mississippi legislature that would honor Nathan Bedford Forrest, founder of the KKK, I was embarrassed but honestly not shocked.  It would seem that my state gets a lot of attention in the media for being first or close to first at everything bad and last or close to last for everything good.  I am often asked by people who do not live in Mississippi, how could I stay in such a racist place.  When I try to explain to them that it's really not that bad here, they don't believe me.  Who would? Reading the stories printed about MS would make most people cringe...including me.  Are these stories an accurate portrayal of what life is like in MS is the question.  Yes, we are the fattest state.  Yes, our state is controlled by Republicans who do not have the best interest of minorities at heart.  Yes, our kids are scoring lower on national tests.  Yes, our teen pregnancy rate and drop out rates are among the highest in the U.S.  I could go on.  But do these stories accurately portray life in MS.

I believe that they are true in many aspects, but can be misleading.  Having lived up north in Detroit, Mich.  I experienced more prejudice and evidence of social ills that I had ever seen in MS.  And yes, Detroit does get its share of bad press.  But I do believe that if you polled a hundred thousand Americans asking them what is the worst state to live in, MS would once again be first in the minds of those who don't live here.  I'm saying all that to say this: however you get your media information, please be aware that the articles you read and reports you watch will never tell the entire story of what is really going on.  Additional research is always needed.  For example: the Bedford-Forrest tag issue got national attention, however no one has talked about how MS has more black elected officials than any other state in the U.S.  Makes wanna say, hmmm............ I say, don't believe the hype!

Hack: Death of the Newspaper

I was socialized by print media, were you?

In my youth, I can remember clearly vying to be the first one to run outside and get the newspaper to present to my Mom.  She started her day very early because she had to be at work by 7 a.m.  Before leaving however, she would read the newspaper over a cup of coffee.  I didn't know what she was reading but I listened intently for the various sounds of agreement, disagreement and even laughter that would come from this morning ritual.  I would wait patiently until she left for work to retrieve the paper and look to see what had been so interesting.  Although I did not understand much of what I read, I learned at an early age that this was the way to start your day  I had to make sure to fold the paper just as she left it, because on her return from work, she would read the paper more thoroughly and be very upset if a section was missing or out of place.  I guess it was then that I decided that this paper held a lot of power and understanding and I wanted desperately to understand.  

By the time I was a teenager, my Mom was by now so busy with life, work and raising three kids on her own, she barely had the energy to read the newspaper so she viewed the news on the television over that cup of coffee.  But the paper still came religiously and I still read it.  I understood more and now I was the one making sounds of agreement, disagreement and laughter and would often engage her in conversation about the things I read.  Now I know that I was socialized to believe that the paper was a great source of information on various topics and I had the upper hand in many conversations because I had been privy to this medium which held a wealth of information.  That is no longer the case for my generation and the ones that have and will follow.  

It is my belief that most people of this generation and younger generations do not read newspapers or magazines because they have not had the example that I had as a youth.  Their parents and role models accessed information via the television.  They now access their information via the world wide web.  And while I believe that some information is better than no information at all, I truly believe that these short snippets of news are not as informative as a newspaper or magazine article.  If you really want to know all background, the major players, the consequences, the solutions, e.t.c. of a particular event, read the newspaper or magazine article.  To truly get the five W's (Who, What, When, Where and Why) read the paper.  I have been socialized to do so, have you?

Media in Egypt is Controlled by President Mubarak

It is seems that the decline of print media maybe affecting Egypt as well but for political reasons and not convenience as it is in the U.S.  My research shows that there are approximately 18 printed newspapers and printed periodicals and over 60 online media outlets in Egypt. The fact that there are so many more online media sites than printed media maybe attributed to the fact that the government owns a controlling stock in the three major daily newspapers: Al-Ahram, Al-Akhbar, and Al-Gumhuriya. The president also appoints the editors of these dailies so he controls the messages that the public receives. Fourteen political parties also have their own media but because they get money from the government, the President controls their information as well.   It is obvious why the Internet is important to anyone who is in opposition to the government.  If you have distrust in the government and oppose the way the country is being run, you distrust the media that is controlled by the government.  Because you have to be licensed by the Egyptian government to even start a newspaper, the chances of an anti-government group receiving a license is slim to none.  It should be noted that radio and television programming is also controlled by the government, but satellite stations are popping up to circumvent this.

Of the over 80 million people who inhabit Egypt, 1,400,000 have computers and 450,000 have Internet access.  I believe that in the case of the Egyptian uprising against the government, the people had to become the media out of necessity to let the world know what is really going on and not what the government says is going on.  This is why the government tried to limit this information by shutting off the Internet services.  However, that move only proved that the people were not being allowed to freely express themselves in their country which is a republic, a government that is supposedly a representative democracy in which the people's elected deputies represent the needs and wants of the people. Doesn’t seem to be the case, right?!  Many people are questioning why the world did not know about the social unrest in Egypt.  It’s really quite simple; a government-run media cannot be effective.  What do you think?

To check my sources:(http://www.pressreference.com/Co-Fa/Egypt.html and http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/egypt.htm.