Prioritizing the News

                  A quick look at the news will tell you that there are a lot of things that go on in the world that need our attention.  Between the conflicts in Syria, the Republican primaries and the daily issues that crop up we have quite a bit going on.  That's why it baffles me when certain news stories get coverage to certain levels and others struggle to catch the eye of the media.  I visited multiple news sights while writing this entry and I am surprised to see how some events can barely get a quality amount of coverage.  It's surprising that on a day in which the US has launched new sanctions on Iran and people are getting killed in Syria that the biggest picture on MSNBC's website is of Clint Eastwood and talks about his Super bowl commercial's political effect.  Really? Is this the type of journalism we need? At this point is the media still helping us or hindering our access to more valuable information?
                 Honestly, much of this content comes from what we have been discussing in class and about the role of the media.  The media can be a great resource but, they can also be used to hide things and keep us in the dark by burying news stories.  This is the inevitable issue with the media and it's something we have yet to figure out how to correct. Blogs and social media do a good job measuring reaction to news stories but they are as mainstream as CNN, FOX and MSNBC.  With these major channels burying certain stories how do we expect people to get the full picture?  When figuring out which stories should be reported in which order in my opinion it goes without saying that issues of politics, human rights and the environment are more important than analysis of a Super bowl commercial.
                Ultimately, we are faced with the dilemma of searching out quality news (which most Americans wouldn't do because we like having our news brought to us) or continue being fed the same news which is so synthesized and broken down by so many analysts and experts sometimes it can lose sight of the main point. This is not an issue we can easily answer and part of the reason we don't know what's going on in the world is because the vast amount of world news for us goes unreported and lost.

We Who Are About to Write, Salute You

     While students all over Florida were encouraged to live blog about the Florida primary, the media had different pursuits.

     Sure, there were gallant efforts by the politically-focused press, but the king of this week’s news is not crowned among the realms of democracy. No, almost a week before the actual event, the media is live blogging about the Super Bowl. On a site that boasts, "Where your daily sports conversation begins... and never ends." (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/post/super-bowl-2012-media-day-live-blog-eli-manning-and-the-new-york-giants/2012/01/31/gIQASam7eQ_blog.html)  

     Now, there is no political consequence to this— so much is true. In fact, it is clear that the American publics are more interested in gladiatorial combat than Greek theater. As I have drawn parallelisms between Rome and America before and now, I probably will again. We are plagued by many of the same problems. Human nature has barely changed over thousands of years, and we still prefer sex and violence over more cultured or intellectual pursuits.

Pollice Vero, Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1872

     But that is just it.

     The commercial media and events-based journalism are built not upon the adage, “If you build it, they will come,” as the comment-based presses of many other countries are. No, it is built on supply and demand. The news is a product to be sold—not a scrutiny to evoke thought. As long as our Cerberus is appeased with bread (see: the story of Psyche in Greek mythology), he will silently allow issues to pass under his watchful eye, silenced.

     So too is our press. So long as the watchdog is given ratings and advertising income, he is placated. But while that is a problem rooted in the nature and history of our press, the solution lies in us.

     We define the demand. We can break the cycle.