Sports and the Media; Conclusion

     Professional athletes in America are portrayed as heroes when they're playing their respective sports, especially to children. That is, until an athlete does something off the field to demonize them. This opens the door for the media to expose their dark deeds, no longer portraying the athletes as heroes, but more like villains. Five years ago, allegations of Tiger Woods cheating on his wife surfaced, tainting the golf superstar's image and, ultimately, hurting his career. Woods was already quiet and stand offish to the media, but afterward he became quite hostile when reporters would bring up the incident.
     Yesterday, Dan Jenkins from Golf Digest magazine wrote a satiric article titled 'My (Fake) Interview with Tiger*' with the subtitle '*or how it plays out in my mind.' The article is essentially a parody, taking comedic jabs at Tiger's past and Jenkins' portrayal of how he thought Tiger would honestly answer the questions. Woods, somewhat unsurprisingly, did not laugh at the article. In Woods' dissent to the article, however, he brought the issue back into the limelight, causing major networks like CNN to talk about the parody article and the incident that occurred 5 years ago, when most people basically forgot about it by now. The media is oddly powerful in swaying the mood of a country towards an athlete or other public figure.
     On the other hand, many athletes also do their best to stay away from the media, even if it costs them. Marshawn Lynch, running back for the Seattle Seahawks, recently got fined $100,000 for refusing to talk to the media after a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. This was Lynch's second major avoidance of the media. When Lynch does talk to the media, it is very brief and often off topic. In an interview prior to Super Bowl 48, Lynch said to the media "I'm just here so I don't get fined." I wish more athletes would have this mentality towards the media; where they do their talking on the field, and have as little exposure off the field/court/ice etc. as possible. This would allow athletes to worry strictly about their performance, and not about becoming TV personalities or celebrities through self promotion.

     Throughout this blog, I have learned how significant of a role the media plays in everyday life, especially on a social aspect. Today's culture revolves around the media and electronics, giving major news outlets and media entities the power of deciding how to distribute and spin information to the people. The manner and mode of publishing news and information drastically impacts society and their understanding of what is truly going on. It will be interesting to see how media outlets continue to adapt to the fast changing nature of electronics and technology.

Midterm Elections Coverage

            The 2014-midterm elections brought with it a great amount of hype and build from the media. Many outlets provided extensive coverage and analysis as the polls closed across the country, making predictions and observations as the night went on. I, myself, watched CNN most of the night. The first thing I thought was odd that CNN did was their use of the Empire State Building in New York City in revealing which party controlled the Senate. As Wolf Blitzer explained, whichever party reached the 51-seat majority, the building would illuminate in their party’s color. I thought this was odd because I questioned how other countries would view this. Most industrialized countries do not have two-party governments, so their elections are most likely much more hectic and open. I envisioned other countries viewing this act with the building as a similar action, say, after a revolutionary group gains control over an oppressive government. I may have been the only person to think this way, but I found it odd for CNN to use the Empire State Building as a symbol of our governmental power struggle.

            Another interesting thing I noticed throughout the night was the speed at which CNN and other media outfits were able to make predictions on races and call them one way or another. For example, the Pryor-Cotton race was called by CNN as soon as the polls closed in Arkansas. CNN frequently cited exit polls throughout the night, so I assume that the exit polls had a large part to do with these early predictions, as well as early voting and absentee voting.

            As soon as the Republicans reached 51 seats, it seemed as though analysts began to debate how President Obama would work, or not work, with a Republican Congress. I would not be surprised if this were to be the topic of discussion among political media outlets for the next year or two; or at least until talks of 2016 begin to seriously rise to the surface.

Political Protests and the Media

     Third-world countries have become much too familiar with public protests and riots against their governments. From the student protests in Chile, to power struggles in Ukraine, and, most recently, to the protests in Burkina Faso. Many of these protests stem from the public becoming fed up with a dictatorial or repressive government administration. In Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaore just resigned from the Presidency due to increasing protests and pressure to end his 27 year reign in office. A large component of the increased pressure was from the riots and raids on Thursday. Many protestors stormed government buildings, including the State TV building. They overthrew the station, allowing them some air time to state their case briefly before the network was turned off.
     Media coverage of protests is a huge factor when it comes to actually enacting change in these demonstrations. Without media coverage, other countries are less likely to apply pressure on the oppressive government, either due to a lack of information, or due to the fact that their citizens most likely aren't aware of what's going on, allowing them to ignore the issue. France, who colonized Burkina Faso, supported the rebels protesting against Compaore's power hold, due to increasing coverage of the events occurring.
     One would think that one thousand voices would silence the voice of one man. However, when that one man has the power to censor and spin those one thousand voices, he is able to go on with his business without outside players intervening. The media is a necessity when it comes to spreading awareness for a cause.

Blowing Smoke About Ebola

     For lack of a better idea or topic, the Ebola "crisis" has swept the Western world. Ever since "Patient Zero" arrived in America, the media and government officials have blown up the news. Every correspondent believes they have the best solution of how to deal with Ebola entering the US. While some believe we should essentially quarantine Western Africa and ban travel from that region to the US, others believe that we should welcome the infected and treat them accordingly, as the United States is more than able to do so.
     Regardless of which option is the right one to pursue, I believe that mainstream media has not handled the reporting of the disease in an appropriate and effective way. They have been overdramatic and have taken advantage of the false hysteria that many Americans were most likely feeling when the stories first began to reveal themselves. After the first American case was confirmed, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) held a press conference assuring citizens that they should not be alarmed, and they should take the proper precautions if they are in the presence of someone who is infected. I believe the media should have spent more time advertising safe practices of personal health and informing the public on what to look for as far as symptoms of Ebola and how it is spread, rather than mindlessly blow up the situation and make unnecessary speculations and hypothetical scenarios.
     This criticism is mostly aimed at the 24 hour news networks who are forced to make stories out of nothing. Rather than blow smoke at 2 or 3 domestic cases of a disease, people should be more concerned about the thousands of cases in Western Africa.

Government Censorship of the Media

     In the United States of America, the 1st Amendment gives every US citizen the freedom of speech, religion, peaceful assembly, protest, and press. Freedom of press means that a person or organization has the right to publish whatever they wish. While this is one of the great perks of being an American, this is not a common courtesy in the rest of the world.
     Currently, Hong Kong is protesting the Chinese government in an effort to establish a democracy in the city. Although Hong Kong gained independence from Britain in 1997, it is still ultimately under the control of the Chinese government. According to BBC, the Chinese government can veto any changes to Hong Kong's structure or political system. Hong Kong has tried to lead a democracy movement, however it has been suppressed by the Chinese government, being a Communist country. A large ally to protests and movements in the last few decades has been social media. This allows the organizers an easy and large platform to advertise their goals. In this effort, however, the Chinese government has gone to great lengths to silence the voices of the demonstrators by censoring television stations, Twitter accounts, and various other news outlets.
     In this case, the media in the Chinese region is a puppet for the government. The US media has had limited coverage and/or information on the movement and the handling of the crowds by the authorities due to the intervention of the Chinese government. This seems to be a common occurrence in Communist and Dictatorial systems of government. The media has no power to act as a watchdog or even to report both sides of a story. They may only report the side of the story that portrays the group in power in a positive light. Here is a quote that the Chinese government may want to ponder over: "We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we are sure, stifling it would still be an evil." - John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859

Portrayal of an Exiting President

     Every President of the United States of America has experienced some type of rise, and or fall, during his tenure in the White House. Many President-elects inherit what their predecessor left them, whether the country is in high spirits or struggling as a whole. In the latter situation, the media is typically quick to be judgmental on how the new Commander in Chief handles the circumstances and criticize his ability to enact change or improvement. This was the case with President Barack Obama. Obama took office with the remnants of George W. Bush's economic recession, as well as the unsettled dispute in the Middle East. Naturally, Obama took, and continues to take, a lot of heat over his handling of the Middle East, and foreign policy in general. It seems, however, that he was able to improve the state of our economy somewhat. 
     Halfway through his second and final term in office, President Obama faces a period approaching in his presidency known as the "lame duck" period. At the end of their second terms, presidents are portrayed by the media as useless and no longer engaged in their job. They spend their remainder making appointments and last minutes additions to legislation to prolong their impact. It seems as though Obama has been receiving a greater amount of criticism for his recent acts compared to, say, George W Bush. I am not sure if that is just because I am more engaged in news and politics than I was in 2006 through 2008, but I really think the media is being heavily critical of the President. One big stab news outlets took at him recently was his decision to take vacations and play golf while tensions were escalating with the terror group ISIS. I noticed that FoxNews, in particular, continually mentioned how frequently Obama takes vacations and were frustrated with his lack of responsibility. Ironically, George W. Bush took almost 300 more vacation days than Obama at the same point in their presidencies (PolitiFact). 
     Obama also has the lowest approval rating of his presidency currently, mainly due to his handling of foreign policy and the fiasco with the Affordable Care Act. Most recently, Obama's administration shot itself in the foot by posting a video of the President saluting U.S. Marines with a cup in is hand. Many Americans, especially conservatives, are furious and media outlets are running the video constantly. If Barack Obama wants to be remembered as a great president, he has some work to do before he punches the clock in January of 2017. At this rate, the media will continue to rip him apart, portraying him as just another declining president on his way out. 

Ferguson, MO

     The United States has a long history of racial divide, as does much of the world. In February of 2012, an African American teenager, Treyvon Martin, was shot to death by a police officer. The officer, George Zimmerman, claimed to have been attacked by Martin, and had no choice but to defend himself. American citizens, especially those of the African American race, were outraged, deeming the act by the officer as racially motivated. Similarly, on August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, a young African American man, was shot to death by a police officer after robbing a convenience store. The Ferguson Police Department also claimed that Brown resisted and attacked the officer who used lethal force to defend himself from Brown. On a much larger scale, the African American community responded to Brown's death by protesting, looting, and raiding the city of Ferguson, of which many reporters described it as a "war zone" for more than a week.
     In both of these incidents, I feel as though the media egged on the sentiments of citizens who adamantly believed that the victims were wronged, sensationalizing the situations in order to get more viewers. This was especially harmful in the Ferguson riots, I believe. These programs would have biased citizens and "experts" come on the air and talk about how wrong the law enforcers were to use deadly force to defend themselves. In the trial of State of Florida v. George Zimmerman, the jury found Zimmerman not guilty on all counts, so his defense must have been justified. While a verdict has not yet been reached on the killing of Brown, time will only tell as more facts and witness reports arise.
     Another problem with these incidents, related to media, is the image being drawn of African Americans vs. Law Enforcement. Talking heads like Rev. Al Sharpton, during the Ferguson riots, rallied the community together against the police department. Instead of encouraging the African American community to obey the law and be good citizens, he demands "justice to be served" for the man who committed a crime and, allegedly, attacked an officer. People like this are sending the wrong messages to our youth, as they are only increasing the racial divide that has seem to reappear. Americans, as a whole, would be much better off by simply obeying laws, doing good deeds for your fellow man, and not cause conflict without justification. Then, hopefully, the media would cease to continue to hurt the progress our nation has made.