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From: Anthony Lardaro
Date: 1/22/01
Time: 12:32:26 AM
Remote Name: 159.91.146.202
First off, I joined the class late so I never got to do the introductory post. So I guess I'll do it now.
My name is Anthony Lardaro. I'm a sophomore journalism major and the co-sports editor of The Signal (shameless plug--if anyone wants to write for me, PLEASE let me know). I'm from this silly little town in Monmouth County called Manalapan (OK, say it with me now: "min-AL-ah-pin"). I took this class because I never thought about questioning the integrity of the media before. I've always thought to myself, "Oh, well, the media is everywhere. Surely they couldn't get away with writing or broadcasting something erroneous or, heaven forbid, racially insensitive." I guess I thought wrong. Although a solution to racial inequity in the media is far from visible, it certainly couldn't hurt to at least try and expand one's horizons, though I hope to achieve more than that.
OK, time to get down to business. The forward of "Within the Veil" brings up a common gripe people have with all levels of the media--that the media is swayed by the interests of their advertisers. Personally, if the son of the owner of Domino's pizza played for the TCNJ basketball team and he missed a game winning three-point attempt with seconds to go, hell, I'm going to write about it, damn it! But what if he threatens to pull his weekly ad? I hope I never have to find out...
Satisfy the journalist's innate desire to relate the truth, or give the advertisors and readers what they WANT to read (as Bell puts it, "working for the man")? I think that's the central issue. The pressures facing the media are staggering, but so fat i1 it has not responded with the objectivity that it's supposed to practice. Granted, there's plenty of room to debate the quality of this objectivity, but the fact remains that the overwhelming and ever-growing economic and social voids between races has not been addressed in news coverage, which will only help to perpetuate stereotypes before it negates it. Additionally, the quest for full occupational integration in the media is clearly falling short. Maybe affirmative action isn't that affirmative at all, though the problem can hardly be blamed entirely on it.
Any and all reactions would be greatly appriciated.