Diversity and Social Media

Diversity and Social Media

by Kevin Wolfe

After the Web 2.0 Conference in 2005, Anil Dash commented on the lack of diversity in social media. Mashable's Pete Cashmore picked up on this as a discussion point on his site.

Through the comments on the post, it seems as though the social media world at it's roots, the creators and event organizers, are not as diverse and do not come across as accepting as it may seem from the general user's experience.

Marshall Kirkpatrick also wrote about this issue on his blog after reading about it on mashable.com. Kirkpatrick provides some suggestions, such as stepping outside of the normal realm of "A-list" bloggers when considering experts in the field and bringing together the for-profit and not-for-profit organization.

User diversity doesn't seem to be that large of a problem at the user level. The largest barrier to using social media may be the accessibility to the Internet by some lower income people. But all the average citizen needs to become a user of social media is access to the Internet, something that most library systems provide free of service to patrons.

Social media may end up being a great unifier in the common person's ability to create and access media on their own.

Picture from http://mobasoft.com/wordpress/category/social-media/

Ethics and Social Media

Ethics and Social Media

by Kevin Wolfe

Transparency in social media is one of the major areas of ethical concern in the subject.  As more and more companies move to online social media to try to connect with their publics and stakeholders, 

it is even more necessary to increase organizations’ transparency in the online communication.

When organizations ignore transparency in their online communication, it can create a lack 

of trust between the organization and publics. Companies such as Belkin have recently been caught writing fake reviews on amazon.com. Writing fake reviews or overly positive reviews for a company with 

which you have an affiliation, but without acknowledging the connection, is referred to as astroturfing. In Belkin’s case, the company released a statement saying the actions were not in accord with the company’s ethical standards and were being dealt with swiftly. Public relations professionals are taking a stand against astroturfing and the blatant lack of transparency by some organizations.

On the other end of the spectrum, companies such as Starbucks seem to understand the importance of transparency to the point that they list exactly who posts updates on their twitter page. An appropriate use of transparency helps to hold the company accountable to their message and to their relationship with the public.

Picture from http://www.mojaveinteractive.com/think/ethics-in-social-media.html

Diversity and the Film Festival

Unlike my earlier entry pertaining to ethics as it is related to film festivals, diversity in film and festivals is a bit more obvious. In fact a simple Google search can return number of film festivals that either revolve around diversity or have chosen their annual theme to be diversity. 

            However, how do I consider diversity when it comes to my project, a film festival? What I have found is that it will be important for me to try to incorporate diversity into my festival in more than the typical ways. I must look at what diversity means and determine ways to incorporate all meanings of the word, so that the festival contributes to the cultural learning of different ideas. By using the Diversity Bibliography found on the Poynter website, I was able to browse through some topics that I think will better allow me to incorporate diversity into my festival.

            As a way of encouraging more diversity, I am planning on opening up the festival to both professionals and students from the region. Because Norman and the OKC Metro are not necessarily diverse, I think I will be able to receive a more varied selection of short films from a broader selection. 

Case Study: Contemporary Media Research Issue, Ethics & my Topic.

by Joshua Lunsford

My project involves researching bicycle-sharing programs for the University of Oklahoma and/or the city of Norman through the theory of Social Marketing. The project is relevant to Contemporary Media Issues simply because of the many global advertising and public relations agencies that have become involved in sponsoring these programs.

William Lynn discusses in "The Ethics of Social Marketing for Conservation: A Learning Module" how a social marketer must behave ethically in making decisions. However, he states that "how we judge the ethics of a social marketing campaign will depend on situation-specific features that we can never fully anticipate." He then gives three guidelines to follow - well-being, integrity, and empowerment.

The Paris bicycle-sharing program is one example. WIth the major sponsorship of JCDecaux, an international outdoor advertising specialist, Paris has both escalated a program thought a loss from the beginning by some and created an example of what to look for in retaining a major sponsor for a public-use system. However, JCDecaux is reconsidering its partnership with the city of Paris due to the loss of bicycles to theft, vandalism, and overuse. JCDecaux did not foresee the system as such a success, and are rethinking the costs associated with the upkeep of these bicycles.

The B-Cycle program that was recently launched at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado is currently ran by a nonprofit organization. However, this program has been advertised and co-sponsored by the Crispin Porter + Bogusky advertising agency in Boulder and Miami.

Is it ethical for a corporate sponsor to be a profiting partner of a social good? I think that if we are to follow Kotler’s theory of social marketing, it doesn’t matter if someone (a corporation, nonprofit organization, city, state, or individual) profits from the successful marketing of a social good. Alan R. Andreasen & Minette E. Drumwright discuss in "Alliances and Ethics in Social Marketing" how a social marketer is not focused on profit-maximization, but on the social issue. They state that "A significant and inevitable consequence of these differences is that, in order to have significant impact, social marketers must seek the help of other organizations and individuals to achieve their objectives."

My project will take ideas from each of the bicycle-sharing programs and attempt to eliminate any reason for potential users to not access the program. The reason for the bicycle-sharing program is multidimensional, but one of those dimensions is to bring members of the university community and city of Norman together. If this is done by creating a profit-making business for some, a supplemental program for a community’s mass transit system, and an environmentally-friendly option for those interested, then it must be seen as an ethical solution to a social need. If a bicycle-sharing program is successful, it will only lead to creating similar programs elsewhere and expansion of current programs.

Diversity Within My Graduate Project

First and foremost, my project is centered on art museums and the increasing need for a larger audience base. Authors and researchers have accepted the notion of a current generational gap formed in the people that choose to attend art museums. Currently, white affluent men and women over the age of 50 contribute a major portion of attendance and donations to art museums around the country. This in itself is nothing to be alarmed about. The part that is scary for the art museum industry is that there isn’t another demographic that is picking up the remaining portion. This is where my master’s project will come into play.

My project is a portfolio-based project that will be grounded in research involving a specific group (14-21 year old males and females). I will be researching the methods of creativity and social dynamics by holding six focus groups with 6-8 members of this demographic in attendance. The information provided by these as well as other research means will provide me the necessary information and insight to complete a creative brief for an advertising platform. Once this creative platform is completed, I will devise two separate advertising campaigns containing between 10 and 15 advertising print executions. I will then use my research to justify my creative executions, thus allowing for an effective method of advertisement to a previously uninterested group of individuals. 

When looking through the Internet for a viable example of diversity integrating with my project topic, I came across an excerpt from Susan Donley’s book, Cultural Diversity; The Museum as Resource. I found this excerpt at http://www.learningdesign.com/Portfolio/museum/museumschool.html. Within this chapter excerpt, Donley outlines the nature of art museums. She goes into detail about their historical significance as well as their ability to teach diversity. She believes the artifacts themselves, being made by different cultures, is in itself a valid form of diversity. Pieces shown within the walls of a museum are not racially specific in nature. Each and every piece has a different beginning, middle and end. The artifacts themselves are evidence of diversity in action. Within one museum, there are thousands of artifacts, each expressing a different meaning or idea. It is this melting pot of significance that diversity is found. With each piece, a new story is told; it can be one of a middle class Caucasian woman or that of a high class African American man. The point is that art has the luxury of not being racially distinguishable. It is because of this very fact that my project integrates diversity within itself naturally. Conversation about diversity within my project is therefore unnecessary.

My Project and Diversity

The overarching concept of art museum advertising messages is extremely relevant to contemporary media. The notion of talent construction comes into play when regarding advertising different creative outlets to a younger generation (in this case, art museums). In order for contemporary media outlets to continue to strive in the future, it is imperative that younger generations foster a passion for creativity. This is where the issue of art museum advertising comes into play. Squidoo.com defines creativity as “the ability to make something original, to imagine things that don't exist, and to come up with new ideas.” With that being said, the importance of continued creativity generation should be understood. Without creativity in our younger generations, the business fields associated with this wonderful ability will disappear. 

With a topic centered on the renewal of creativity in minors, the ethical constrains of such a task should be considered. According to Ethical Conduct of Clinical Research Involving Children, even though children have benefited greatly from clinical research, their rights must be thought about in an excessive amount. Since children are younger and thus more prone to physical and emotional damage, their care must be ensured at all times when participating in a study. Psychologist Allen D. Kanner, PhD, says “advertising is a massive, multi-million dollar project that's having an enormous impact on child development. 

The sheer volume of advertising is growing rapidly and invading new areas of childhood, like our schools.” This notion outlines the importance of the ethical treatment of children in this study. With the increasing amount of messages being targeted toward children, we as media vehicles must choose the way in which we reach our children targets. It is an important issue that is currently being addressed by different venues across academia. 

The country of Iceland has taken an extreme position on advertising directed toward children. They have several laws that both limit and deny advertising messages during children specific programming. These actions show how important this topic is. When a government makes laws against a topic, it implies importance. 

The way in which American advertisers treat the issue of advertising for children can be described as a self-policing action. There is a lack of laws preventing the advertisement of products to children, however, advertisers answer to the people within their publics. Chris Moore of Ogilvy & Mather wrote a speech in which he stated “Society imposes context on advertising ethics all the time - especially in advertising that involves children.” If a member of the advertising community can recognize a trend within that community, it must be an apparent issue. 

The ethics involved around the notion of creativity prosperity are important to consider when executing research. These children must be thought of before being spoken to. Hopefully, the industry will continue their self-policing in the future, for our children’s sake that is.

The following is a list of sources used in the creation of this blog.

http://www.squidoo.com/fosteringcreativity

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10958&page=R1

http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep00/advertising.html

http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/docs/library/studies/finalised/studpdf/minadv_ic.pdf

http://www.aef.com/on_campus/classroom/speaker_pres/data/3001

When it comes to ethics and the mass media, and in some cases the lack thereof, many examples come to mind. Typically they range from the Jayson Blair and fabricated stories of the print world to the Geraldo Rivera’s and Dan Rather’s of broadcast… But where does film fall in all of this? Film, on a large scale, is not like journalism. Sure, documentaries are a video based form of journalism, but with documentaries and all of film comes the opportunity of the director/producer/writer to tell a story. Many times these stories are encouraged to push the boundaries of what we know and accept as ethical. After all, isn’t the point of the cinema not just to tell stories with an electronic media, but rather to entertain us?

What this all boils down to is the idea that film creates the opportunity for ethics to be pushed and ethical situations to be documented. Aly Colón from the Poynter Institute created a fun list of movies that tell the stories of journalists battling what is ethical and unethical. And in the forum his article created, many of the readers posted lists of movies that revolve around ethics. In fact, it wouldn’t take along look to find ethical dilemmas in just about every movie you watch. After all, there has to be some sort of issue for the antagonist to overcome. So, connecting film and ethics isn’t as difficult as it seems.

My project, however, is not just a film. Instead it is an entire film festival, short film festival to be exact. So what does all of this mean for me… how do ethics play into a film festival? The way I see it, a film festival is to a film, like a newspaper is to an article. The festival is a showcase for for the films that make the cut, much like a newspaper, magazine or news broadcast is the showcase for the articles and stories that make the cut. In looking at the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, I found two of the four areas of standards to be especially prevalent in a public film festival. The first is the notion that you should Minimize Harm. This couldn’t be more prevalent. I need to understand that although one of the beauties of film is that issues, ideas and ethics can be pushed there is still a risk of emotionally harming those who attend the festival. I think it will be important for me to consider this capability of harm when going through the selection process of entries. Although all of the principles listed in the SPJ Code of Ethics are important to know and understand with my project, the other specific principle that struck me was the idea to Be Accountable. I should be held accountable for all things relating to the festival. I need to be prepared for any criticisms and possible situations that may arise when holding a public event. I feel that if I can keep these principles at the front of my mind, I think I can create a successful event

Diversity and My Thesis

My proposed master’s thesis examines the mutually beneficial relationship between journalists and state and local government public relations practitioners. One of the problems facing the relationship between these two groups, is the journalists and publics’ perceived distrust and poor perception of government agencies and public relations practitioners. In order to diagnose and attempt to alleviate the notion of distrust of government agencies, my study aims to point out the existence of this distrust among journalists, quantify the degree or magnitude of it, and attempt to offer areas improvements in practice can be made to better this perception and regain trust.
Maintaining an open and trusting relationship between journalists and state and local government public relations practitioners is important to both groups. The two rely heavily on this mutually beneficial relationship to gather, disperse and communicate sometimes vital information to the public. The public relations practitioners communicate and disperse their agencies’ information to the public through journalists and journalists often rely on public relations practitioners to obtain and explain complicated policy or technical issues in ways that can be more easily understood by the public.
Issues of diversity in public relations, journalism and the relationship between the two may play a vital role in how each group does their business and how the two groups interact.
Issues such as the diversity, or lack of diversity, of target audiences public relations practitioners are trying to reach with their press releases or the lack of diversity issues that journalist cover may effect the relationship.
A public relations practitioner that works for an organization promoting diversity or working for an organization that is itself diverse may be disappointed by the lack of coverage they receive or the way in which their organization is covered by the media. In the same way, public relations practitioners may be on the other side of the spectrum and may give a false representation of the organizations employee diversity, or the diversity of businesses they contract with.
Diversity issues will continue to be a major part of how both journalism and public relations is practiced, as the U.S. population also becomes more diverse and as new media expands the amount of diverse groups media can reach. In addition, both industries will grow and change as the next generation of public relations practitioners and journalists graduate from college and enter the work force. This generation has grown up in an increasingly more diverse atmosphere and with much greater understanding of other diversity groups. This greater knowledge and understanding of each other may help to bridge or at least lessen the gap between both journalists and public relations practitioners and among the multi generational, multiracial, and multi-ethnic audiences they are looking to reach.

(Photo courtesy of : journalism.co.uk/13/articles/532410.php)

Links
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=58&aid=157919
http://www.prsa.org/diversity/diversity%20dimensions/studyExamines.html
http://www.instituteforpr.org/essential_knowledge/list/category/Diversity%20and%20Public%20Relations%20Practice/
http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/17904
http://journalism.unr.edu/classes/jweek08/?p=33
http://www.platformmagazine.com/article.cfm?alias=Diversity-A-Challenge-Worth-Welcoming

Journalism vs. PR: why can't we all get along

(photo from prethicaldilemma.blogspot.com)

Much has been written on the relationship between journalists and public relations practitioners. The fact is that the two groups have a mutually dependent, but also mutually cautious relationship. Most of what comes out in the press is dependant on the help of public relations practitioners to some extent. Whether a whole story is provided to a journalist in a press release or questions are answered or clarification given to journalists by public relations practitioners, the end product of what journalists produce is in some way influenced by PR. In the same way, public relations practitioners need the press just as bad, if not worse. The media, through the journalists, are the disseminators of information about the organization that the public relation practitioners work for.
Scholars, journalists and public relations practitioners alike have debate the degree of dependence, but most admit that dependence exists. “Journalists and public relations people have always had an ambivalent relationship. Simply put, there is mutual dependence, but also mutual caution and that doesn’t lead to a trusting atmosphere” (Falconi, 2007).
According to journalists and the press, public relations practitioners are always trying to spin a story to the advantage of their organization and are simply obstructions in the way of getting the answers they need from the important people who they really want to talk to.
On the other hand, many public relations practitioners are disenchanted by the way they are treated with suspicion by journalists who are distrusting of the information they are provided by practitioners. Those in PR may feel disappointed when stories come out, because the journalists they gave the information to may have twisted or left out information they may see as crucial to telling the whole story from the perspective of their organization.
What results is a cycle of distrust and disappointment that does nothing but widen the gap between the two industries. The aim for those researching the topic is to come up with a strategy to maintain a healthy balance in the journalism/PR relationship.
In addition to trust problems between the two, the increasing speed and growth of technology have also widened the gap between the two. When asked about the journalist/PR problem, current public relations practitioner and former business journalists Hope Heyman responded by saying she thinks “it’s becoming a more distant relationship, at least for PR people working for agencies, with fewer face-to-face meetings or even phone calls as both PR practitioners and journalists communicate exclusively via e-mail” The disenchantment between the two groups hangs heavily on the fact that both parties see the other as less ethical. The perceived ethic division between the two may grow to be a bigger problem as new media progresses and the lines of journalism and PR are blurred.

Links:
http://www.louisvillehardcore.com/steakcharmer/2008/06/public-relations-and-journalis.html

http://www.prconversations.com/?p=245

http://weblogs.jomc.unc.edu/talkingbiznews/?p=2096

http://www.deirdrebreakenridge.com/2009/04/social-media-changes-pr-and-journalism/

http://blog.news-record.com/staff/jrblog/2007/02/pr_does_not_hav.shtml

http://www.ereleases.com/prfuel/strengthening-the-relationship-between-public-relations-and-business-journalism/

http://www.ereleases.com/prfuel/maintaining-a-healthy-balance-in-the-public-relationsjournalist-relationship/

http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=156713&sid=32

Achieving Excellence through Adversity

(picture from:images.google.com)

Diversity & My Study

By Adam Pinkney

Synopsis:

My graduate project is a personal documentary. This documentary will focus on different aspects of my life. It is the story of a young man name Adam Pinkney who is pursuing a masters degree. He was the only one in his whole family to go to college and in 2008 he received his bachelors degree. He was born the fifth child of eight children in his family. The color of his mothers skin was white as day, and fathers dark as night. He had conflicting issues growing up as a mixed breed. There came times in his life were he had to chose sides, from the simplest fact of checking his ethnicity on paperwork, to the ultimate fact of being accepted and rejected. Adam faced many hardships in life however he chose to stay positive and strive through adversity.

Adam is one of those success stories we hear all too often; poor boy from a small town turned college graduate. But Adam’s story is a little longer than that. A common phrase that relates to his story is “what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger,” if this is true, Adam is a very strong person. Adam grew up with six brothers and sisters and his parents in a three-bedroom house in McAlester, Okla. I wish I could say that was the hardest part of his childhood, but I’d be lying. He knew more slang words for drugs by the time he was ten. For other people, “visiting relatives” was a family vacation, but for Adam, it was visiting his dad in the state penitentiary.

 

But none of that discouraged Adam. If anything, it was the motivation he needed to make something of himself. He wanted to do something for himself and his family, so he moved to Norman and started the next chapter of his life at the University of Oklahoma. He made great friends, great grades and decent money working various on-campus jobs.  Things were going perfect for Adam. For once, life was good.

 

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. On Aug. 30, 2007, two weeks into his senior year, Adam received a phone call that would change his life forever. His mom, Carolyn, and 17-year old brother, Jesse, had died in a car accident, and no one was sure if his 16-year-old sister, Jessica, would make it. At that point, many students would have dropped out of school and spiraled into a deep depression, but Adam knew what he had to do for his mom and brother, for his family, for himself.

 

Adam went home that week to comfort his family, pray for his sister and attend his mom and brother’s funeral. The next week, he was back in class, with a new determination to make something of himself. He was going to do something his brother would never have the chance to do. Adam was going to graduate.

On May 10, 2008, Adam walked across the stage with his dad and siblings applauding from high in the stands, and his mom and brother applauding from even higher. He smiled from ear to ear as he shook hands with the dean and received his diploma. To others, that diploma represented four years of tests and homework, or $80,000 of tuition. But to Adam, it represented his life, every struggle, and every accomplishment. It also represented his strength and his drive for life.

 

This will be one aspect of my documentary in setting up my life. As a whole my documentary will be impacted by diversity. This is due to the mere fact that I grew up with a white side and black side. Through my research on poynter.org I found an article called Diversity in Hard Times. After reading this article I found feedback to this article. The feedback was more interesting and compelling to me because it was more personal and I could relate. One post on the feedback that I could relate to included these words: “The main problem here is the parallel often drawn between diversities of opinion and issues, and the diversity of skin color. For any company or organization to be as progressive as they ought to be in issues of workplace diversity their emphasis should be placed on the individuals up for hiring or firing; what their personal background is, past beats that were covered, and issues that concern them as journalists and as people.”

 

Ultimately diversity made me who I am today. However the color of my skin does not automatically make me diverse.  I have to choice to open my mind up to diversity. My documentary will include diverse subjects from my moms side of the family and my dads side of the family. I will also include diverse subjects from my close friends. All of the sources and views combined will impact my documentary with diversity.

Code of Ethics

(picture from SPJ website)

Code of Ethics

By Adam Pinkney

This is my first time writing a blog. I have always been confused about the difference between blogs and forums. I researched a little about the two and this website called web strategy help me clear it up.  I then researched the term ethics through the website poynter.org. I found an article that contained the Code of Ethics from the Society of Professional Journalists. Many of these ethical codes tie into my research project. My research project will be in the form of a personal documentary. This documentary will deal with a tragic car accident that led to the death of my mother and younger brother on August 30^th, 2007.  Now I will relate my topic to contemporary media issues. These issues are outlined in the Code of Ethics. The first section of the code is to seek the truth and report it. During the time of my mother and brothers passing, Journalist failed to uphold this code by not reporting the correct information in the newspaper. I read the article many times and found all the mistakes and misinformation they had reported. One part I recall was the misspelling of my older brothers name. There was also inaccurate information on the obituary. Likewise I can remember the time my grandmother passed away and in the newspaper they had reported the wrong location for the funeral. 

In both of my cases, journalist did not uphold their code of ethics. Through my research on pointer.org I found a discussion board and in this discussion board it talks about the power of words that journalist have.  A journalist describes an incident of a mom calling in to the news capital because her daughter’s obituary in the local paper was inaccurate. Also the journalists that wrote the article had used insensitive language when describing her daughter’s death. This ties in with the section of the code of ethics that deals with minimizing harm. This was one of the most difficult things I had to deal with.  I can remember vividly after the incident happen I seen it on the news the same night. The news station used a picture of my younger brother and I broke down crying. I know they needed to report the news but at the time that was the last thing I wanted to hear or see. I do not believe they should have showed a picture of my younger brother. First of all he was not even 18 and they blasted his picture all over the news. It was kind of strange because it was four people that died in the car accident that day and my brother’s picture is the only one they showed. They also showed the totaled car that my mom was driving. Those images were very powerful and hurt me a lot. These pictures are something the news stations show to make the story more interesting.  

In an article I read called “Death in the mass media” it touched on the fact that the media is taking death out of context and selling violence. The ratings go up on television shows with more sex and violence and along with violence come death. In this article the author states that the media is “exposing the younger generation to a false view of death. In my topic I have personally dealt with the issue of ethics. For example, at the time of my mother and brothers funeral I decided that I wanted to film the funeral reception. This was an ethical dilemma that I had faced. However my purpose of filming the funeral was because my little sister Jessica was not able to attend due to the injuries she received in the car accident. I wanted my little sister to have something to remember them by. Also the funeral was huge and the whole McAlester High School was there to support my brother Jesse along with my mothers’ family and friends.  The funeral was held in a large auditorium and many people came out to support our family. I never knew people actually film funerals as a living. Here are some examples that I found on a couple of forums called dvinfo and the other forum called dvdoctor. Through my research I came across and interesting blog called The Good Death. This blog is a series of discussions on the way we communicate about death. And the website gives examples through personal stories, tv shows, movies, and youtube clips.

Diversity Within Characters In Film

Diversity Within Characters In Film By Alex Shumate

My proposed project is to create a short film that embodies various theories in relation to a film’s genre and characters. One of the things that I love the most about film is the ability it has to convey meanings and messages to a viewer without the use of dialogue. This very idea is what fueled my passion for film. I discovered that this idea is what structuralist film theory is all about. In my short film, I will use all the aspects associated with film (lighting, editing, cinematography, etc…) to send messages to the viewer about a characters mood, feelings, thoughts, and ideas for each specific scene.

I believe film to also be an incredible teaching tool. One of the most amazing things about film is that it can spark emotional discussions from the viewer for just about any topic. This idea falls under the social cognitive theory. I believe that viewers can learn a great deal about a characters trials and tribulations by watching a film. The viewer can then apply the problems and solutions from the characters in the film to various conflicts that are going on in the viewer’s life. The short film will have a character that has obtained a great deal of internal conflict, as he must make a decision between the lesser of two evils.

In regards to diversity, the way I see it within my project is diversity in conflicts the characters must meet and overcome / fail. My point being that a character must not have just one specific conflict. He / she can have one overall theme of conflict, but if the character does not contain a diverse amount of conflicts, the character is boring to the audience and is not relatable. I think of films such as “Raging Bull” or “Taxi Driver” that are considered some of the best films ever made because they contain characters with so many complicated and diverse issues.

In an article on Poynter, the film “Bend It Like Beckham” is discussed for the diversity it presents in the film. The film is about cultural diversity, but it is also in relation to what I have been talking about. The film has a diverse amount of conflicts going on in the film. The main character Jess must deal with her issues in soccer as well as the boundaries of Indian culture in relation to romantic and athletic choices. Jess finds a friend, Jules, who must overcome her soccer dreams and nightmares while dealing with the conflict that her mom thinks her daughter is a lesbian.

The film brings a diverse amount of conflicts to the viewer to help the viewer understand these disputes while keeping the viewer entertained. Creating and telling a story about a character who has a diverse amount of internal conflicts and conveying these conflicts and meanings through the use of various aesthetics such as lighting and editing is essential to my project. Diversity does not play a role in the selection or exclusion of my subjects (actors) unless they do not fit the character profile.

Ethics and Film

Ethics and Film By Alex Shumate

Since the beginning of storytelling on film, movies have caused many ethical debates and discussion from viewers. Movies in its highest art form have the power to persuade or enlighten a viewer on a plethora of ethical topics in the world we live in. In addition, movies also have the power to evoke strong emotions from a viewer in relation to the ethical content. Movies don’t just focus on one specific ethical topic. Many movies have presented the viewer with several different ethical dilemmas.



One example I can think of is the satire comedy “Tropic Thunder” that came out last summer. “Tropic Thunder” is a movie that is a spoof on the film industry. More specifically, it is making a joke on actors who obtain roles simply just to win acting awards. In the film, Robert Downey Jr’s character is obsessed with winning awards for his acting. In order to obtain another acting award, his character (who is white) decides to play the role of a black man and undergo surgery (similar to blackface) to look the part. In an article at dailybreeze.com, it was reported that many people were not as offended by that as they were offended by the use of the word “retard” in the film. Timothy Shriver, Special Olympics chairman and chief executive officer, was one of the several protesters who were against the film for its use of this word



In a Poynter article, Ellen Heltzel sat down to discuss some issues with screenwriter Joe Eszterhas. Eszterhas has been given the reputation as a man who pumps up the level of sex and violence in movies. One of the films he has written is “Basic Instinct,” a film that is well known for revealing Sharon Stone’s genitalia. Ironically, Eszterhas does not believe sex scenes or violent scenes influence a person’s behavior, but the glamorization of smoking in films does. Eszterhas has a full campaign against the glamorization of smoking in films that he has been pushing. More can be read about his campaign here.



Movies can even bring about ethical decisions in regards to religion. An example of this is “The Magdalene Sisters.” This film is about three Dublin girls who become slaves in the Magdalene Laundries, which were established by the Catholic Church. According to an article at Religion & Ethics newsweekly, the Catholic Church is not too pleased with the film. The Vatican condemned it as a “rancorous provocation.” In relation to religion, the topic of gay marriage is also a popular ethical topic in films. Just recently the film “Milk” sparked continuing debates about the legalization of gay marriage. MTV news published an article that talks about how the 70s biopic film is extremely relevant especially in comparison with the passing of Proposition 8 in California.



My point in using all these examples is that there are wide ranges of ethical topics that are used in film. As movies continue to get made, ethical discussions will be used in a movie that corresponds with the time period we are living in. More importantly, these examples show that people’s opinions on ethical topics vary depending on whom you talk to. As I strive to make my short film for my project, I plan on providing my main character with ethical dilemmas. My character will be having lots of internal conflict, as he must make a decision to do what’s right in relation to the lesser of two evils. I don’t know if the audience who watches the short film will agree or disagree with the decision the character makes. I just hope it causes people to think.

Diversity and the Documentary    Photo by Allstate

By Andy Gibson

 My proposed documentary will look at people who do crazy things and who do not have their own reality show prompting craziness. People put themselves in harm’s way and out of comfortable economic status’ way for a “fix”.  Why?  My project will attempt to look at what drives people to take unprompted risks for social reasons.

There is an inherent interest in the unfamiliar, just as there is blasé with the mundane.  We will always gawk at people different than us.  This particular subset of society, that takes physical or lifestyle risks, is appealing because most of us would never dream of giving up a career to chase stardom or chancing bodily harm for glory.  Not everyone would give up a sure thing for a chance at something different.  The people reflected in this project have done just that.

In Tom Huang’s article Diversity in the Digital Age: Complicated Issues, Sophisticated Storytelling on Poynter Online, he describes diversity as “the journalistic value of representing in our news coverage a wide variety of people -- faces, voices and perspectives.”

The impact of diversity on my project is not crucial in telling the story of my proposed subjects.  The subjects that I have in mind currently are very diverse, however, they are also all white. Diversity would not influence the selection or inclusion of subjects. I think it would be a disservice to the story to include a subject in the documentary because of his or hers race, just as it would be a disservice to the story to exclude someone who has a great story but isn’t the color you are looking for or are comfortable with. As it is a documentary film and not an experiment or survey, I don't think that diversity will influence much of what happens in the pre-production, production, or post-production process.

Diversity & Music Videos

Diversity & Music Videos by John Lenox Cope

The image to the right is from Devendra Banhart's "Carmensita" music video. The music video is a great example of diversity because although Banhart is an American singer-songwriter, the video is shot in a Bollywood style, the lyrics are sung in Spanish, and the actors are diverse in gender and race.

My graduate project revolves around directing a music video and analyzing the subsequent distribution of the video on various social media websites. I will be comparing the distribution statistics (number of plays/downloads) on the sites to see which are the most effective. Diversity will most likely play a minor role in the distribution aspect of the project. The reason for this is because I will be choosing the most popular social networking sites and the artist/record label site as the platforms for distribution. The production of the music video will provide a much greater opportunity for me to explore diversity.

Diversity can be defined in many different ways. Keith Woods discusses what diversity at work looks like in this article. In the music video industry, diversity most likely brings to mind ideas of multicultural aspects of the visual content rather than the song itself. Some bands are more diverse than others in terms of the people who make up the group. Bands like Black Kids, No Doubt, and The Thermals consist of members of different races and different sexes. This fact alone does not mean their videos are diverse in comparison to other artists who may have a more homogenous membership. Music videos provide an opportunity for artists to express themselves and their songs in diverse ways.

There are several articles and sites that are dedicated to diversity in the music industry. Much of what is written focuses on racial and gender diversity within the industry as a whole. One such example is a video of Alison Wenham, CEO of Association of Independent Music discussing the lack of diversity in the music industry. A documentary called Money For Nothing: Behind the Business of Pop Music explores how diversity has declined in the music industry because only a few record labels control most of the market. An excerpt of this documentary can be found here.

It is important for those involved in the music industry to consider diversity when creating and distributing music videos. We live in a very diverse society and it is important for artforms such as music videos to represent this diversity.

My Study and Diversity

Diversity and My Study
By: Johnathan Sellers
5/3/2009

The topic of my thesis is about iTunes and the effects of some of the features of the software on the consumers. It is also about if iTunes customers are aware of some of the privacy issues that are involved while using these features and the possible implications. This research will then look into if users feel connected to other users or to Apple. It will then also look to see if users wish to feel more connected with other users or to Apple through additional features to the software.

The idea of diversity really is not a major factor in my study. Up to this point, I have not been able to find any information on demographics of who uses iTunes except for some numbers on podcasting use which are included in this article. Apple though sells and distributes much more media than just podcasts, so those numbers only tell a small bit of information about the people who use iTunes and do not give enough demographic information about all of the people who use the software.

So it was very difficult to come up with a topic regarding iTunes and diversity. What I have settled on and would like to discuss in regards to iTunes and diversity is niche media. Basically, iTunes is making it much easier and accessible for people to download and access all the media that falls in line with their views. They stick with one source which leads to them hearing news that is less diverse in story selection and commentary. They are only consuming one view and never challenging it.

Depending on your preferences for news or media, a person can sign up their computer or iPod to receive audio or video podcasts from numerous news organizations, but for example CNN.com, Foxnews.com, or MSNBC.com are some of the more popular podcasters from major news organizations. By subscribing to those podcasts, every time the customer links their device or opens up their computer, they automatically download the latest podcasts from that particular network or news organization for that day.

That means that a person has the ability to completely immerse themselves in one network’s news, stories or commentary and that’s it. That content stays on your device or computers for as long as you want it to, waiting for you to access it whenever you have time. But a person never, ever has to search for news stories or content. The most major possible implication for consuming news this way is that if consumers only listen or watch programming from the same news organization over and over, there is no rebuttal or insight other than what that particular news organization decides to report. This could be detrimental society at large. Then, by using features from iTunes that explore their library, the software will only recommend other news sources that provide stories and commentary that are similar to that customer’s interests.

Let’s face it, a lot of people are getting their news this way. They do not have time to access other media resources. They just get their news from their favorite network, shows, or commentators. A lot of people are arguing that niche media is killing mass media like in this article and in this article. We are in an interesting time where the media world is changing and we need to evaluate whether or not these changes are for the better or for the worse.

Image provided by biojobblog.com.

Ethics and the Documentary, Andy Gibson

Photo by Jeff Caperton

Ethics and the Documentary

Depending on the type of documentary the director is making, involvement with subjects can be a question of ethics. In the blog, blog.spout.com, the question of involvement is explored. Christopher Campbell looks at the Academy Award winner Born into Brothels in which the premise of the film relies on the interaction between subject and filmmaker. “There has also always been a debate with documentary regarding just how much interaction and intervention is okay.” And because the debate still rages, there really is no answer.  This is a factor that I will have to take into consideration because of my closeness with proposed subjects. I must decide whether to be completely detached from friends who are taking risks or to intervene if a situation arises that compels me to act.

The second source I found was risktaking.co.uk. The site concludes “the perception of risk triggers a cascade of physiological changes that are experienced as high arousal and unpleasant anxiety. This explains why we are motivated to avoid risks, and begs the question why people take risks at all.”  This is the central theme to my proposed documentary. I want to find what triggers these seemingly normal subjects to disregard these symptoms that the brain produces and to go through with their risk taking. A couple of my ideas for subjects were chosen because of their sporting choices.  Risktaking.co.uk says that people who chose to take risks for sport are typically very confident that they have the power to manage the risks involved and that they tend to have friends who also believe the way they do. 

An article by Paul Roberts in source three, psychologytoday.com, exemplifies why I am interested in the topic. Roberts writes that “Researchers don't yet know precisely how a risk taking impulse arises from within or what role is played by environmental factors, from upbringing to the culture at large… and scientists are divided as to whether, in a modern society, a "high-risk gene" is still advantageous.

There seems to be so little certainties in this field that I think it would translate well into a documentary.

I also plan to explore the sense of community in these risk takers. In source four, wright-house.com/psychology/sense-of-community, McMillan & Chavis (1986) explore the sense of community with this analogy that fits perfectly with my subjects.

            Someone puts an announcement on the dormitory bulletin board about the    formation of an intramural dormitory basketball team. People attend the             organizational meeting as strangers out of their individual needs (integration and      fulfillment of needs). The team is bound by place of residence (membership   boundaries are set) and spends time together in practice (the contact hypothesis).      They play a game and win (successful shared valent event). While playing,             members exert energy on behalf of the team (personal investment in the group).       As the team continues to win, team members become recognized and           congratulated (gaining honor and status for being members). Someone suggests       that they all buy matching shirts and shoes (common symbols) and they do so     (influence).

Lastly, an extremely helpful site I found, centerforsocialmedia.wikispaces.com, comments on many different ethical conundrums that a documentary director might face. Marty Lucas writes that the RTNDA ethics guidelines could apply to documentary filmmaker to a point. One point that differs is the paying of participants. Documentary filmmakers sometimes pay their participants and on the same theme often accept funding from someone who may have an interest in the outcome of the final piece.   

Ethics & Music Videos

Ethics & Music Videos by John Lenox Cope

The image to the right is from a music video entitled "Lessons Learned" by Matt and Kim [FADER Label, Popfrenzy Records]. The newly released video is certainly not the first to consist of full nudity, but it is a current example that highlights the issue of ethics and music videos. Though the video is edited for broadcast, it still most likely offends certain people.

Music Videos have caused controversy since their introduction. Whether it be due to violence, drug use, sexuality, or offensive language, music videos have never shied away from pushing limits. Most of the literature concerning ethics in music videos has centered around the portrayal of stereotypes. Steven Seidman published an article titled, "An Investigation of Sex-Role Stereotyping in Music Videos" which was published in the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media in 1992. This is one of many articles published concerning stereotyping in music videos.

Even though fairly little has been written specifically about ethics concerning music videos, it is still common to hear or read complaints about certain music videos via the news. On May 9, 2008, CBC published an article about the 10 most controversial music videos of all time. The videos were chosen based on their violent, sexual, or otherwise objectionable content. Most people probably would not be surprised to see Madonna and Marilyn Manson's videos on this list, but Michael Jackson and Duran Duran have also stirred up controversies with their videos.

I recently attended the South By Southwest Music Festival and Conference in Austin, TX. One of the performers I was able to catch was Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls. She spoke about the video for her single "Oasis" and how it was refused by MTV and NME. The video was refused "due to it making light of rape, religion and abortion." Strangeglue.com posted an article about the video/song and its controversies. I personally find it interesting that certain videos are refused while others that include graphic violence, sexuality, or drug use are aired with little hesitation. It would be interesting to see if the the video and song would receive the same treatment if they were recorded by a more notable artist.

It's impossible to discuss music videos and ethics without discussing YouTube. This is a popular source for many people to watch music videos today. In March the BBC posted an article detailing the blocking of music videos from YouTube. YouTube blames increasing licensing fees for the blocking of the music videos. The idea of licensing and royalties for music videos is a complicated subject but it can't be ignored when discussing ethics. As popular networks like MTV and VH1 show less and less music videos, the internet has become a popular place to view such media. As with other media content, piracy and illegal viewing of music videos has become a concern. Some record labels and artists fear they are losing money due to this trend. With this in mind, Univeral Records and YouTube announced plans for a new music video site.

When I direct a music video for my graduate project, I will keep in mind all of the ethical controversies that surround this particular artform. I don't plan on pushing the boundaries too much with this project, but it is still important to study the role of ethics in relations to music videos.

Diversity and Media Ownership in Malawi

Aleke Banda, whose family owns Nations Publications Ltd.

Kamuzu Banda, whose family owns Blantyre Newspapers Ltd.

Diversity and my study
By Idriss Ali Nassah

My area of interest is to study Malawian newspapers, largely because journalism in Malawi have been the focus of much public criticism but in spite of the criticism, there has been little scholarship of journalism conducted in the country.

The result is that what is known and taken as the truth about journalism in Malawi does not represent the whole, testable truth. While political and economic changes continue to affect the media landscape in Malawi, ownership of Malawi’s only two national dailies remain in the hands of two powerful families with ties to two opposing political parties.

Blantyre Newspapers Ltd, the publishers of The Daily Times, Malawi News and The Sunday Times is owned by the family of the founding president of Malawi, Hasting Kamuzu Banda and, until his death in 1998, the life president of the Malawi Congress Party. The party ruled the country with an iron fist since independence in 1964, until it was ousted at the ballot in 1994. Nation Publications, publishers of The Nation, Weekend Nation and Sunday Nation is owned by the family of Aleke Banda, a former finance minister and vice-president of the United Democratic Front. The party won elections that toppled Kamuzu Banda (not related) in 1994 and ruled the country for the next ten years. Aleke Banda was to defect to lead an opposition party, People’s Progressive Movement.

My study will examine model ways of ownership of newspapers largely because concentration of media outlets by a small number of individuals or corporation is viewed as detrimental, dangerous, or otherwise problematic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_of_media_ownership).

As of 2002, Malawi had 11 independent newspapers: two dailies—The Nation and Daily Times; seven weeklies—New Vision, Weekly Chronicle, Statesman, Malawi News, Weekend Nation, Enquirer, and UDF News; one government-owned biweekly—Weekly News; one privately owned weekly paper, The People's Eye; and finally, The Mirror, published four times a week (http://www.pressreference.com/Ky-Ma/Malawi.html).

There is no Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) in Malawi to certify the sizes of circulation for newspapers and magazines. Newspapers largely circulate in urban areas, which have about 10 percent of the country's population, while only a few trickle to the rural areas. The World Bank reports that daily newspaper circulation in Malawi is 3 per 1,000 people. However, most of the newspapers listed above, and others that appeared sporadically since then have folded. The only visible newspapers are those owned by the two political families. (Reporters Without Borders. Malawi: Annual report 2002. Available from http://www.rsf.fr/).

The following is a list of some of the newspapers that were short-lived: The New Voice, The Watchers, The Malawian, Michiru Sun, City Star, Financial Observer, Weekly Mail, News Today, The Herald, New Express, Daily Monitor, and The Democrat, a hugely popular independent newspaper which collapsed in 1996. The Independent and The Star were phased out in 1999 because of lack of support from influential politicians. The Mirror (owned by Brown Mpinganjira, the country's foreign minister) survived longer than most.

It is not only developing countries that have had to deal with this matter. Even America has had to face questions of diversity in media ownership. A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) public hearing on media ownership in 2006 was told: “Without diversity in ownership and participation, our democracy is in danger” (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_16_110/ai_n16818918/).