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.