A Confession of SortsIt is a pity to see that Journalists can make such a serious mistake especially in the case of Ms. Walker’s death. Journalists are supposed to be working within the ethics of journalism, where are the ethics of Journalism. There are no ethics of Journalism in this case.
Yes! Everyone makes a mistake but this kind of mistake is so grave that no one can comprehend how a professional journalist can make such a grave mistake.The problem with many journalists is that they like making their own assumptions and write a story based on personal emotions, especially when the story is about the “hard news.” This is where they make most of their money.
It’s time to make innovations in the journalism professionalism, an innovation that will embrace all the elements of journalism ethics. Journalist should stop writing stories based on personal assumption and emotion. These devices can serious injure a journalist’s career.The class should learn a lesson from this story.
There is an old say in English “Prevention is better than cure.” In other words, journalists shouldn’t report a story to the public without getting all the facts first. They should engage into inductive reasoning as opposed to deductive reasoning. Get all the facts before publishing the story whether it’s hard news or soft news.
I repeat, prevention is better than cure.
Monday, November 12, 2007
IS BLACK BACK?
This question “Is Black Back” is a rhetorical question. Black has always been there since the creation of the world, since God created Adam and Eve. There is nothing wrong with the noun “Black.” In fact black is the original color of all colors, No color can be made without the existence of the black color, no wonder black is beautiful. No wonder the father of Soul James Brown told his Negro people to “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud!”
The only problem is the fact that white racists perceive the noun black as “evil,” yet black is beautiful. Those who think that black is evil are simply uncivilized, hence, there is no need to spend so much time on this debate whether black is back or not.We have now seen it in the American culture that black is indeed beautiful and, it is very important to be 100 percent black in the USA political arena. If you claim to be an African American person, you must have 100 percent black blood in your genes, that is, your parents must both have 100 percent black blood from black African ancestors.
If you have mixed blood from different races then you are not recognized as a Black person, it means that you are not black enough to claim that you belong to the Black African Race,that’s means that you have no race, hence, the stereotyped society will perceive you as “ the lost generation.” If you are a politician, your political antagonists will use your mixed color as a weakness to campaign against you because they will percieve you as "the lost generation."It’s a blessing to be born from both parents who have no foreign blood in their genes, whether they are black or white. It’s a curse to be born from mixed blood (Coloreds).You are better off to just have 100 percent of black blood or 100 percent of white(caucasion ) blood in your body.
However, no skin color is superior over other skin colors, we are all equal and should just love one another and stop racism.
The only problem is the fact that white racists perceive the noun black as “evil,” yet black is beautiful. Those who think that black is evil are simply uncivilized, hence, there is no need to spend so much time on this debate whether black is back or not.We have now seen it in the American culture that black is indeed beautiful and, it is very important to be 100 percent black in the USA political arena. If you claim to be an African American person, you must have 100 percent black blood in your genes, that is, your parents must both have 100 percent black blood from black African ancestors.
If you have mixed blood from different races then you are not recognized as a Black person, it means that you are not black enough to claim that you belong to the Black African Race,that’s means that you have no race, hence, the stereotyped society will perceive you as “ the lost generation.” If you are a politician, your political antagonists will use your mixed color as a weakness to campaign against you because they will percieve you as "the lost generation."It’s a blessing to be born from both parents who have no foreign blood in their genes, whether they are black or white. It’s a curse to be born from mixed blood (Coloreds).You are better off to just have 100 percent of black blood or 100 percent of white(caucasion ) blood in your body.
However, no skin color is superior over other skin colors, we are all equal and should just love one another and stop racism.
VIDEOS AND WEB SITES FOR CLASS
In the video, the advertiser is only advertising ladies with slim bodies as usual. It’s not strange to advertise slim or skinny bodies. This kind of advertisement is some how discriminatory. Yes! I think advertising the so-called skinny beautiful ladies is discriminatory because fat women are never advertised in any fashion shows. It’s a pity that fat women are not perceived as “beautiful women.” Fat women are perceived as being “ not beautiful, un attractive women” and most men don’t want them. Moreover, there has never been a fashion show which has used fat women to advertise their new fashions, why not?
PONOGRAPHY AND FASHION
These devices are evil:
- Ponography
- Fashion that induces sexual desire
It is sasd to note that ponography and fashion advertising are also axis of evil because they turn one’s mind to focus on sexual inter course. Worse still, advertisers only use skinny women, why don’t they use fat women? When they talk about submission, what kind of submission does a man expect from a woman? Doesn’t a man also need to submit himself before his woman? How can a couple protect themselves from being violent against each other? It is common to see that more men are violent against their women, but it is also true that some women are violent against their spouses. What is the solution that can curb violence between a couple? Why aren’t fat women used in pornography? Support your answer.
RACE AND NEWS REPORTING
It is sad indeed to hear another school shooting in which the gunman killed himself after shooting two students and two teachers. Why is it that when a student shoots his school mates and teachers in a school, the authorities always conclude that “the gunman was suffering from mental disorder” I don’t think the Virginia massacre gunman was suffering from mental disorder nor the Cleveland 14 year old gunman. The Authorities should find better ways to forbid students from coming to school with guns and knives. We still need to reform our gun control in order to make America a better and safer place to live.
The race was mentioned in this crime in order to portray a bad image among the African American people. Race was also mentioned in order to carry a wrong message to the public that African American people are trouble makers, thieves, bad people, violent people and they die violent death. It was not justified in any way. However, even white people commit serious crimes and also die violent death, just like any other race. In every race, there is the good and the bad, in every race there are good people and bad people. No race is holier nor superior over other races, we are all equal. We are all sinners.
The race was mentioned in this crime in order to portray a bad image among the African American people. Race was also mentioned in order to carry a wrong message to the public that African American people are trouble makers, thieves, bad people, violent people and they die violent death. It was not justified in any way. However, even white people commit serious crimes and also die violent death, just like any other race. In every race, there is the good and the bad, in every race there are good people and bad people. No race is holier nor superior over other races, we are all equal. We are all sinners.
MY ASSUMPTION ABOUT THE NEWSMEDIA
I really like listening to the News especially on CNN.I listen to the CNN News at least three times a day, my problem that hinders me to listen to the CNN News every day is the fact that I’ve so many academic assignments that I have to complete in time. Otherwise, had it not have been for my academic assignments, I would love to listen to the CNN News every day and night at least twice a day, 14 times a weak.
However, I like reading about international affairs such as: The Iraqi War, Conflicts in the Middle –East, Politics in Africa through the BBC and other African newspapers such as: the Post Newspaper from Zambia and the Independent Newspaper from Zimbabwe, Africa.
When it comes to “News media” and their coverage of race or gender or sexualities or disabilities, I often assume that most of the media firms especially in the United States prefer to cover white people and their businesses, white celebrities, white politicians because of the flame of racism rooted among many media owners. The news media disappoints me in the sense that they do not cover the poor society yet they (the media firms) are supposed to speak out on behalf of the poor, oppressed, voiceless, and defenseless communities and individuals.
The media should be covering every body equally regardless of race, gender or nationality, we are all equal, no race is more superior than the other.
However, I like reading about international affairs such as: The Iraqi War, Conflicts in the Middle –East, Politics in Africa through the BBC and other African newspapers such as: the Post Newspaper from Zambia and the Independent Newspaper from Zimbabwe, Africa.
When it comes to “News media” and their coverage of race or gender or sexualities or disabilities, I often assume that most of the media firms especially in the United States prefer to cover white people and their businesses, white celebrities, white politicians because of the flame of racism rooted among many media owners. The news media disappoints me in the sense that they do not cover the poor society yet they (the media firms) are supposed to speak out on behalf of the poor, oppressed, voiceless, and defenseless communities and individuals.
The media should be covering every body equally regardless of race, gender or nationality, we are all equal, no race is more superior than the other.
DISABILITY ISSUE
It makes me sad to realize that although the Disability Act has been executed by the US Congress, many public business houses such as schools, colleges, universities do not have enough or none of required standards to accommodate disabled people. My concern is, does any one really conduct investigations on whether the requirements for any public building or facility has accessible and has enough accommodation to cater for the disabled people? If the answer is, “Yes.” Then why do we see many disabled people still having problems in accessing into some business houses, getting a top managerial position, living a comfortable life, owning a successful business company like Bill Gates?
For Example
According to the Society of Professional Journalists: “When the school district builds a new elementary school or when the downtown hotel renovates, ask, if the buildings comply with the federal law. Are they accessible to people with disabilities? In the after math of the September 11, 2001, tragedy, most reporters missed stories about the failure of buildings evacuation plans to include wheel chair users. In the 1994 California earthquakes, journalists didn’t report that disaster relief centers used inaccessible shelters and turned away deaf people due to lack of interpreters.” www.spj.org/dtb5.asp
There are some organizations in the United States such as: The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, The American Association of People with Disabilities, United Cerebral Palsy Association and the National Association of the Deaf, to mention only a few. These organizations are supposed to speak out and act on behalf of the people with disabilities. My question is, “Do they do their jobs effectively? Or they just leave the problems to the society to fix them?”Unfortunately, the society does not fix these problems, instead, the society only stereotypes many people with disabilities despite the fact that disability is inherent. You cannot run away from it, nor can you prevent it.
There is no prevention for any inherent problem. The society and the government should do better to help the disabled people to succeed in life, education, commercial business ventures and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, the society seem not to pity disabled people, instead ,they stereotype people with disabilities, apparently, we are in the contemporary world which believes in the myth “Each one for himself but God for us all.”
For Example
According to the Society of Professional Journalists: “When the school district builds a new elementary school or when the downtown hotel renovates, ask, if the buildings comply with the federal law. Are they accessible to people with disabilities? In the after math of the September 11, 2001, tragedy, most reporters missed stories about the failure of buildings evacuation plans to include wheel chair users. In the 1994 California earthquakes, journalists didn’t report that disaster relief centers used inaccessible shelters and turned away deaf people due to lack of interpreters.” www.spj.org/dtb5.asp
There are some organizations in the United States such as: The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, The American Association of People with Disabilities, United Cerebral Palsy Association and the National Association of the Deaf, to mention only a few. These organizations are supposed to speak out and act on behalf of the people with disabilities. My question is, “Do they do their jobs effectively? Or they just leave the problems to the society to fix them?”Unfortunately, the society does not fix these problems, instead, the society only stereotypes many people with disabilities despite the fact that disability is inherent. You cannot run away from it, nor can you prevent it.
There is no prevention for any inherent problem. The society and the government should do better to help the disabled people to succeed in life, education, commercial business ventures and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, the society seem not to pity disabled people, instead ,they stereotype people with disabilities, apparently, we are in the contemporary world which believes in the myth “Each one for himself but God for us all.”
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