Objectivity on the Ropes? April 22, 2006
Posted by theexpress in media, politics.3 comments
A few weeks ago, I was watching CNN Sunday Morning when the topic of objective journalism came up in a round table discussion of topics. I believe that when reporting a story, a journalist should keep his/her opinion to himself, but there are times when we should feel some strong opinions coming from the news desk. Jeff Jarvis of Buzz Machine came on and strongly supported the side of subjective journalism. It was quite funny that he came on the typical, relaxed Sunday morning show with strong opinions while pushing for strong opinions on static-viewed shows.
Those who opposed him, and supported objectivity, had the good point that the reporter is meant to tell the facts of the story and let the people draw their own opinions. The media has enough sway as it is currently, and expressing even more opinions could have a major effect on the country. Since the media is typically seen as liberal (except for a certain channel), it could push the majority of the country to the left side of the aisle after these past few years of conservatism. Objectivity is something that was always looked at for the perfect newsman, but it is being questioned and now viewed as an old quality. With the internet and its eclectic group of billions, one doesnt have to search too far for an opinion, so should the mainstream media show opinion?
Being objective is still something I prize when I try to make a post, but it is not something I break my back to achieve. After all, this is my blog and I belive that the few people that do come on here dont just want to here me reporting the news. They come on different blogs to hear people comment on the news, not just deliver it. It is and will continue to be an issue in the newsroom and all over for a while, but I believe that the future of news lies in hearing everyones opinion, not just the facts.
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With the pressures of school, I had to take a rest from blogging for a few weeks. I hope eveyone forgives me as I re-adjust to my old, blogging habits.
Computer-Run Radio Stations March 23, 2006
Posted by theexpress in media, rant.2 comments
Here where I live, we have a few radio stations that are entirely controlled by computers with a fixed song list, and no deejays. I know that they are still playing music (whatever genre they want, or all genres), but I just dont get the same feel that I do with the DJ-operated radio stations. There are no call-ins from people, no requests, and no commentary or jokes from the DJ.
The main one in my area is called BOB FM, and it is supposed to play all music that is good, no matter what genre. In my opinion, the music that is played is not even that good (I wont base the musical choice by opinion, because we are all different) and it all seems to be within a span of 20 years. I feel like it is all from 1980 to 2000 with very few exceptions. Is that the only time period when good music was released? Another problem with having a relatively genre-less station is that you wont get too many frequent, loyal listeners. For example, say someone likes 90’s rock. They could chose BOB FM to listen to a few of the best songs from their favorite genre, but it will be sprinkled among other styles and periods of time. It would be much better for that fan to tune into to the local station that plays the songs they like much more often.
Not only are these stations impersonal, they are impractical. With listeners that are only casual, they cant make much of a profit, and certainly cant find out what they like more and less. I dont see the station lasting too much longer specifically because they are so out of touch with their occasional listeners. The lack of any real people behind the station also adds to the feeling that the radio station has nothing that will keep people coming back.
P.S.-I am also writing this rant because BOB FM took over my favorite radio station to listen to in the area, WRRK. Most peole I know prefered WRRK, but I dont know if it will ever be back.
Microsoft’s New Search March 9, 2006
Posted by theexpress in internet, media.add a comment
Microsoft, in the midst of the hunt for web supremacy, has just revamped their lacking web search engine. It is set to replace the MSN search that is run by Microsoft. It debuted yesterday, and like all new search engines, has the objective to tackle the front-runner, Google. Their search engine has a different feel than google, but has some cool new features.
Google has the very plain front page that is oft replicated by others, especially the new, de-butlered Ask.com . Live.com, on the other hand, is more beefed up; it is centered around the search but is also including mail features and news on MSN.com. It has the feel that you can get with google if you have a gmail account and five spare minutes using the homepage editor.
I decided to talk about this instead of the origami that has had the most buzz around the web for the past few weeks. I thought their new tablet PC was cool, but the hype was just too much. It was almost a let down to see such a good product and expect much better.
Review: lib.rario.us March 4, 2006
Posted by theexpress in internet, media, social.2 comments
After seeing a little article on this at Wired’s Monkey Bites blog, I got very excited about the lib.rario.us service and just had to check it out. Now obviously, their name is a joking rip off of del.icio.us, but dont let this little joke make you take the site less serious. Since I knew that I had quite a bit of extra time, I was able to get a good overview of the service.
First of all, the registering is very simple. Just type your wanted username, then type and re-type your passsword and – voila – you are in. No need put in your email and have to activate it that way (I just thought I’d add the registering process because it was unusual to me that this was so easy). The point of this site is to track all of your books, CD’s, DVD’s, and video games in one spot. If you are a person that has CD cases or games spread all around your house, this is a great service for you. And if you lend out a lot of these things, a tracker will be coming soon; you can type in who you lent your GTA 3 to, and remember to nag him went you want it back.
When it comes to putting in all of your media, you will need some time. The ASIN code for your product is required, but you can find it by using their built-in locator (I must warn you that it is a bit shaky since it is still in its infancy), or just get the product code from Amazon.com. After entering the ASIN code, you can write a little review of the product, then tag it how you wish and it is added to your library. Putting the products in your library will take time because you have to enter it all individually, so this isn’t something you can complete in the morning before you’re off to work of school. I have added all of my music to the library, but I still have a ways to go with books, games, and DVD’s. Lib.rario.us is much easier to set up if your collection is rather small, but I’m not that lucky, so it is a bit of a chore working this all in.
Don’t expect this service to have all the bells and whistles now. It is still in its early Alpha stages, but anyone can sign up for it without an invitation. The community is also very small, but its growing, so you can still expect this tight-knit feel to the place that reminds me of the feel flickr had in its early days. It is entering the internet as a place where people can talk to each other about their media and even make some reccomendations. The company also has a sense of humor that you’ll see through the site, like them saying that “All fields are required. (I mean, really… there isn’t THAT many)”. This site has a great future in sight, so I reccomend that everyone get out there and try it out and maybe even spread the word about it.
