Monday, September 18, 2006

Advertising in textbooks...good idea?

Would you like to save a few hundred dollars each semester by getting your textbooks for free? That may not be so far fetched if some textbook publishers have their way. McGraw-Hill and other publishers are considering including advertising in college textbooks to offset rising costs. Although faculty members are likely to object, the tide may be too strong to hold back once students and parents catch the wave.

Of course textbooks are only the most recent medium to fall under avertisers' spell. Video games, urinals, and even people's foreheads have all been plastered with ads in recent years. For more examples see this flash slideshow from USAToday. We've grown accustomed to ads of every shape and size, for every type of product and service, in every type of environment. And we've grown accustomed to free media content as a result. What do you think, is this a good idea who's time has come? Or is it one more human sacrifice to the god of capitalism?

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Survivor playing the race card

Did you watch TV last Thursday evening? If so, you might have noticed that Survivor, a perennial ratings champ, returned for another season on CBS. But with the ratings sliding in recent years, producer Mark Burnett reached into his bag of tricks for something to stir up public attention and controversy. In case you missed the season opener, the buzz around the water cooler, or the title of this post, the new season of Survivor started by pitting one tribe against the others based on the race of the participants. That's right, blacks versus whites, and Hispanics versus Asians. Some see it as a desperate attempt to appeal to the most base instincts of an audience that still loves, (even in this PC culture), to root for the "tribe" that most closely reflects its own skin tones. Others see the "social experiment" as a gimmick that will soon give way to the standard reconfigurations that will result in fully-integrated tribes. What do you think? Is race off-limits when drawing lines in the sand? Is it any different than separating contestants by gender? And, does it send the wrong message to viewers who may already harbor racist attitudes?

Friday, September 8, 2006

Brewing storm over 9/11 docudrama

When is a docudrama not a documentary? Just listen to ABC/Disney as they respond to criticism of their "epic miniseries" The Path to 9/11, airing this Sunday and Monday evenings at 7pm locally. According to ABC, the program is, "a dramatization of the events detailed in The 9/11 Commission Report and other sources." It is also interesting that ABC attempts to deflect criticism by noting that the program was produced by the entertainment division rather than ABC News. Intense criticism by Democrats, including former president Clinton, has been leveled at the program for perceived inaccuracies. Specifically, Democrats object to portrayals that they didn't do enough to go after Bin Laden in the years leading up to 9/11. According to news reports today, ABC is responding by making some last-minute editorial changes.

But this is not simply an argument about facts or the portrayal of events. It is a debate about whether this or any docudrama/miniseries should be held to the standards reserved for news and documentaries or whether it should only have to rise to the expectations of prime-time, network, entertainment programming. Dramatizations of true events often play fast and loose with the facts. This time, however, the facts are much more sensitive and mid-term elections hang in the balance.

Clearly the terms documentary and docudrama are important distinctions...and that, in turn, dictates the expectations that we should have as to the accuracy and objectivity of the program.

Watch the program this Sunday and Monday evenings and let us know what you think.

Friday, September 1, 2006

Who do you trust?

A recent survey of more than 3,000 American adults by Pew Research Center indicates that we do not trust network news. NBC, ABC and CBS ranged from 23-22% when respondents were asked if they believe all or most of what they see. Cable news numbers were slightly better. Fox News had a 25% favorable rating and CNN turned in a 28%. All of these numbers are considerably lower than they were eight years ago. A look at political affiliation of viewers suggests that some news networks are trusted more by the right or left. CNN is trusted most highly by Democrats, while Fox News received higher ratings from Republicans.

While this may not be surprising, it is cause for concern. If Americans are so distrustful of their main source of news (and TV is still by far the most important news source for most Americans), who and what do they trust for information about the world around them? Tell us what you think. What do you trust when you’re trying to understand national and international issues?