Parents Struggle with Cyberbullying: An awesome, in-depth piece on cyberbullying and how parents respond. Do you think the parents in this piece are being reasonable? Is there a better/different way to monitor internet usage at a time when students are susceptible to bullying and harassment? How is Facebook (according to the article) to blame for much of this? Is this fair to blame Facebook?
A footstep then an explosion: A brief yet amazing story of a photographer in Afghanistan. Look at the photos he's taken. Do you think reporters should be embedded with troops? Is this the only way to ensure a fair and somewhat accurate portrayal of the war in the media?
Too good to check: A great opinion piece about correcting an outrageous statement instead of repeating it. My questions are: 1. What do you think of the overall style of this piece (is it well written, etc)? and 2. Why is the media so reluctant to do the research needed to debunk statements? More often media sources are willing to perpetuate false statements.
This is the final post for the semester. You have until December 31, 2010 at 11:59.59 PST to post. Good luck.
11 comments:
Cyberbullying:
I think that the parents are being reasonable in their desire to protect their children. Their child is being threatened, and they naturally want to protect them. In my opinion, it is in some cases a good idea to monitor internet usage, such as when the parent wishes to pursue legal action. This is, obviously, rather extreme and in most cases probably isn't necessary. I think the article is saying that Facebook is at least partially to blame for cyberbullying, but that charge is fairly ridiculous. If the author is going to start pointing fingers, they might as well blame all forms of communication: the Internet, videos, text messages, etc., because all of them make it easy for someone to say something anonymously.
Footstep, Explosion:
I do think that reporters should be embedded with troops, because that is the only way to ensure a fair and somewhat accurate portrayal of the war, other than livestreaming everything, which is logistically impossible. The reporters and photographers hopefully understand the risks that they're taking when they step into the field.
Too good to check:
In answer to Mary's questions:
1. I enjoyed the piece. It did what it set out to do, chronicle one correction, but in doing so, it touched on a larger issue that I wish the author had taken more time to explore (despite the fact that this was an opinion piece).
2. In some cases, the media just wants to grab readers/watchers with the most outlandish claims possible. In others, the publication just might not have the resources necessary to validate a questionable story, and in still others, they actually do check.
Cyberbullying:
Wow, this is some ridiculous stuff. Not ridiculous in a "this doesn't matter" kind of way, but ridiculous in a "what are these kids thinking?" I totally understand why parents want to take extra measure to protect their children, who wouldn't? The cyberbullying that is going on, though, is way to severe to be laughed at. I have never encountered kids as mean as this and I can't really understand why people are so much braver and meaner when they are sitting behind a computer screen. I thought the article was well written but I don't think it needed 6 pages. I think that it should have cut down on some of the examples of cyberbullying and it could have been an excellent piece.
Too good to check:
This is very much related to the piece on cyberbullying, where a comment that raises controversy can spread much faster than a true statement. I find it a little unsettling that a comment like this was not checked upon spread throughout the nation incredibly quickly. Technology, in this sense, is very dangerous and inspires me to question just how truthful and legitimate the facts that I'm hearing from the media really are.
1. I think this is a very well written story and gets to the point rather quickly. It's concise and describes an important aspect about the media.
2. I think that the media is reluctant to do the research needed to debunk false statements because people want to hear a good story, so the media wants to write a good story. If they find a false fact (and sure they may not know it to be false at the time) and it spices up an article, they will use this over a boring, true statement.
Too Good to Check:
This piece was very informative and Friedman used lots of quotes to support his claims, therefore making it his story reliable, and a quick and easy read. I enjoyed his quote from Mark Twain: "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes,” because it was a creative way of introducing his article subject. Nowadays with so many different news sources-- Internet, television, magazines, newspapers, etc, it is easy to become confused and not be able to tell the difference between myth and reality. More media sources need to follow Cooper's lead and rather than spread lies-- the opposite of their so-called intentions as a news company-- face the truth, stop being lazy, and take the time to prove themselves worthy as a news company.
Footstep, Explosion:
This article was quite short, but it made me realize how dangerous it is for war photographers. To be a photographer in these situations, you are almost braver than the soldiers themselves because you are unarmed, and completely helpless. After seeing Silva's photos, they are truly exquisite. I do think it is true that to take such powerful photos, you have to take major risks and enter the battle yourself. Although not the only way of taking pictures of soldiers at war, war photography is probably the best way. And although I would never have the courage to put myself out there like Silva, we all have extreme admiration for his courageous attitude and sacrifices for our enjoyment.
Cyber-bullying:
I think that the issue of impersonation over the internet, while maybe not as extreme in this case, is an issue everywhere. I don't think I have seen people create fake facebooks for people, however, I think the issue of people knowing other people's passwords and leaving their facebooks open is actually a problem. I agree with the parents in this article but i think that they should talk to their children about the strategy that they want to use first.
Footstep, Explosion:
The speed that comments can be spread among lots of people is crazy. I think that it was a straight forward piece. I think it is important to remember and think of the media's ulterior motives than sharing the truth with the world. I think that at this time it is hard to know what is true and false because of websites where anyone can post. I think this article touched on an issue while staying to the point.
Footstep, Explosion:
Although I agree with Alex that by embedding photographers with the troops the public is provided with a more accurate and realistic portrayal of war, one still must wonder, how far is too far? It is inevitable that the photographers life will be in danger if he is located in a war zone, but when he is at the center of the action and present for actual warfare, this may be stepping too far. The article does however make me realize how dangerous this line of work really is and although it is fairly short, Gall effectively gets the point across and informs the audience of the dangers that Silva and other war photographers face every day.
Cyber bullying:
My first reaction to this article was disbelief. Although I have heard countless stories about cyber bullying, each time I hear a new one I am amazed at the length people will go to in order to make another’s life miserable over the internet. Just from growing up with the internet as a one of my main forms of social communication, with applications such as instant messaging and Facebook, I have learned that for many the computer screen is a mask that they can hide behind and say whatever they like without repercussions. Often times this is done anonymously, which I personally feel can be the most harmful. In this article Hoffman explains that when approached by a worried mother about cyber bullying school officials explained that they could “do nothing”. This NEEDS to be changed. Regardless if it is on campus or off campus, school teachers and administrators should have the power to take action if one of their students is emotionally damaging another over the internet.
A footstep then an explosion:
I think that reporters and photographers should be embedded with troops. It is amazing that they are brave enough to sacrifice their lives everyday to portray the truth about the war in Afghanistan in the media. Also this event illustrates the reality of conflict. A reporter who is protected by numerous American soldiers, is still as vulnerable to dying as anyone else walking around him. I do not know how else we could portray the facts about this war unless there is an actual reporter living as if he was a soldier in the war. Therefore, although there will always be some dangers and risks that a reporter takes, he/she understands the larger importance of telling the truth to our nation and the rest of the world.
Too good to check:
I really enjoyed reading this piece. I liked how Friedman begins the piece by telling the absurd story of Obama's 200million a day trip to India. At the end, he does a solid job of informing the reader about Anderson Cooper and his investigation about the factuality about these allegations.
The media is so reluctant to do the research needed to debunk statements because the media is divided up into supporters and opposers of the Obama administration. Obviously Glen Beck and other people on Fox news would want to deceive the common American who watches Fox into believing that these numbers are true about Obama's trip to India. I guarantee that most people do not follow up "news" on programs like Fox because they think the television is a creditable source. However, nowadays I believe that one should check two to three different sources to check the validity of the news.
Footstep then an explosion:
I can't say that I liked this article but i did find it a little interesting. We always hear about soldiers getting wounded or killed but I don't think I've heard of a photographer or journalist getting hurt, even though I knew it probably happened before. It's kind of sobering to think that sometimes, even if you do what your supposed to do, like the photographer walking in the footsteps of the soldier, you can still get hurt or killed.
Too good to check:
I really liked this piece because I have always wondered if someone in a position of power had made up some absurd lie to see how blindly people followed them. I know that Anderson Cooper is usually reliable, and this was an accident, but this is a perfect example of how much power the media can have for a short period of time. We've come to a point where people are making the news equal the truth, which isn't always true. While it's funny to look at the mistakes that were made in the past, it's also a little scary to think what could be done in the future.
A Footstep Then an Explosion:
I think the risks that photographers and news writers are willing to take in order to get the truth are really astonishing. I honestly commend them for taking those risks; I can admit that I would not. I think that while it is sometimes unbelievable people like Joao would risk their lives in order to get "the" story, this daredevil trait is also part of human nature. Some people are just naturally more willing to take risks; there are also people that want the truth so badly they are willing to put their own body in danger in order to find it. And without these people, our country's (and really, the entire world's) view of these issues would be skewed. Photographers and journalists disallow for the creation of false information most of the time when it comes to capturing war. By having hard, real evidence, the regular world gets a sense of what is really going on. I think journalists' job, when it comes down to it, is to capture the truth. Being there, in the midst of danger, truly allows for this to happen. There is no other way.
Too Good to Check:
I enjoyed the flow and voice of this piece. The piece was witty, engaging, and its content entertaining. I thought the writer's choice to focus on one instance of rumor-spreading put the issue in context and was different than what I expected. I was expecting the piece to go through several little stories about false information circulation throughout history, but instead the author focused his attention on one story. I also tended to agree with the statements Friedman, the writer, said in his closing paragraph. It is true that with the addition of the Internet information has traveled faster than ever before, and this is an issue for our generation. Also, I feel like the Internet has just made us lazy. Finding a great story on the Internet is tempting to writers, I'm sure, who want to present the best stories for their papers, magazines, etc. This is a downside that comes with the technologic age. Often times, it is harder to fact-check than run a partially true story.
CyberBullying:
Even if I was being shunned, if my mom tried to help me from getting abused on the internet I'd feel like a fool. If this kid really wanted to do something why not make an announcement at school explaining his situation. There is no need for a parent to fight their childs war.Is this unexspected? no, of course not, it is only natural for a parent to want to protect their kid. However doing so in such a forceful way I think would put the kid through an amazingly awkward stage and make him feel as-though he is still a little kid who can't do anything on his own. If the perpetrator is too scared to mess with this kid in real life the kid should not be scared to speak about it in public and possibly be confronted by him.
Cyberbullying:
This article was very interesting and well-written. I think that cyberbullying is a relevant problem for most teenagers. I haven't encountered fake Facbebook accounts, but I have definitely seen fake IM acounts and email. So I'm not sure if Facebook is to blame for he bullying. Unfortunately enough, teenage bullying seems to occur everywhere --it seems to be pretty inevitable. Therefore, I wouldn't blame Facebook for this because it is merely a vehicle for the bullying. If not for Facebook it would be happening on IM, email, text, in person, etc. But people seem to be much harsher and crueler when they cannot see the reaction of the person they are bullying. When the "bully" is hidden behind the computer screen they seem to be meaner. I think that it is great that parents are trying to help, but there is not much they can do.
Too good to check:
1) I liked this piece and thought it was well written. The quotes got a little lengthy but all in all it was concise yet told the story fully.
2)I think the media would rather perpetuate false statements than debunk statements because the false statements are often more "juicy." The public would rather hear that Obama is spending $200 million a day on his trip to Asia than hear about the good things he is doing. Also, with the internet and blogs it is so easy for false statements to be created to spread.
Military journalist:
I never really thought about the fact that journalists on the battlefront are subject to just as much threats as the soldiers are. It seems insane to risk your life just for a story or a picture. Also, if your going to be out there risking your life, you might as well be fighting for our country with a gun. On the other hand, the pictures inspire people to join the army or support our war efforts, and tell the real story, so it’s a difficult decision to make.
Cyberbully:
I think that it is O.K. for parents to spy on their kids’ computer usage, but only after it is prompted by misbehavior. If a kid isn’t mature enough to handle the internet or texting, than parents have the right to do something about it. Facebook and the internet aren’t really to blame for any of the bullying, as there isn’t anything they can do about it in most cases. In many of these cases there are better ways to deal with the conflict. I agree with Everett that the kid should have just made a public announcement that the page was not his, or something like that. Another way that someone being bullied can protect them self is to simply not use the internet.
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