Down With 'Big Broter'

In response to the first two questions asked in the article, "Big Brother Is Blocking," I would say: Absolutely not, and absolutely not. We all have a mother; we don't need another one. People do not get phone plans with the intention of them being filtered and altered by the phone company. They want to be able to text whoever they want, and they should be able to because they are paying for it. People also do not have the Internet to have slow service forced upon them by the service provider because they consider file-sharing services "bandwidth hogs." Who cares what they think? If someone wants to watch a movie online, I think they should be able to pick whatever file-sharing service they want without the threat of it being slowed down on purpose.

When I first read this article, the first thing I thought of was the controversy surrounding some of the Super Bowl commercials. CBS chose to cut a GoDaddy.com commercial and a commercial for Man Crunch, a dating Web site for gay men. They did, however, choose to keep and run a "Focus on the Family" advertisement that promotes choosing life over having an abortion. One could argue that pulling ads CBS should have pulled all ads that were promoting highly controversial issues, that it wasn't right for them to pull the one on the gay-dating site and leave the pro-life one in. On the other side, some would say that it's up to a network's standards to determine what is suitable to be run on the air and what isn't. In this argument, CBS had every right to keep one and pull the other one.

There are distinct differences between these two controversies, but I thought of the Super Bowl controversy because many would say that CBS is trying to be a "mother" to its viewers, just like Verizon or Comcast. It will be very interesting to see if the FCC does anything to handle these cases and if it has any affect on networks like CBS.

1,000 True Fans

Kevin Kelly's article about having 1,000 True Fans is incredibly insightful. His idea is a thought-provoking one that is a healthy middle in between the two extremes: "hitting it big" or living in poverty. Obviously, the dream of every artist is to "hit it big," get their product(s) out their to the masses and share what they have to offer with the world. However, everyone knows this only happens to a select few people. Kelly's proposition of living off your 1,000 True Fans is a feasible alternative that will allow for the talent of the artist to not go unnoticed.

Marketing specifically to one's 1000 True Fans will eventually, in my opinion, gain that particular artist more and more fans over time. Word spreads quickly about something good, whether it be music or art or whatever, especially today with all of the available resources. With 1000 or so people telling everyone they know, and even people they don't know, about this great thing that they found, the "True Fans" base will continue to grow. And who knows, it the fan base is big enough, that artist just might get the "big break" they were always hoping for. But I think until this happens, it is very smart to concentrate the efforts on gaining 1,000 True Fans because, even if you do get a "big break," they will be the one's who continue to support you.

Professional blogger?

After listening to Mark Finkelstein's story in Tuesday's class, I realized a common theme among some of the leading blogs. Mr. Finkelstein came to be a well-known blogger on accident. He was writing his own blog, not for any professional site, but just because it was something he enjoyed doing. After creating his own Internet footprint, which I think is one of the most (if not the most) important thing for a blogger to do, his "big break" kind of fell into his lap. From what I have found, this has happened to many well-known bloggers of today. They try very hard to become part of the everyday independent media outlets that gets visited by hundreds of people, but for many, it is sheer luck that has brought them their success. I think that is a very interesting aspect to independent media. In the "old days," when someone wanted to become a famous journalist, say, for the New York Times or Washington Post, they worked their way up to the top. Today, with independent media, you and your outlet can become a sensation overnight.

I've known what I've wanted to do since I was a sophomore in high school. However, when Mr. Finkelstein talked to us about being a professional blogger, and how it came to be for him, I started to picture myself doing the same thing. But that vision was quickly gone I really don't have any interest in becoming a professional blogger. I've never had an interest in blogs, to read them or otherwise, so I can't imagine doing it for a living. But if something like professional blogging fell into my lap and offered me a good opportunity, I would be stupid to not pursue it. At this point, however, the career plan is the same as it's always been.

Political Philosphy

I don't know if I've ever had a more difficult intellectual challenge than trying to come up with my personal political philosophy. When Mark Finkelstein first "challenged" the class to explain in a few sentences what our political philosophies were, I thought the word "challenge" was a gross overstatement. Why is it a "challenge" to define your political philosophy? It's not that hard...

However, as I thought about what I would say to someone who asked me about my personal philosophy, I really wasn't sure. I guess I never really, genuinely thought about it before.

I have my fundamental beliefs on the everyday controversial issues. I was raised in a very conservative house and therefore have conservative ideals. I am used to having people disagree with my points of view, and I am used to debating/arguing those points. When I came to Ithaca, I knew that I was coming to a very, very liberal school and that I would be one of the VERY few republicans at the school. I did make it a point to listen to other people's views and opinions were on issues, and I still really try to understand where they are coming from. I don't want to be ignorant. But as I have kept as open a mind as possible, my core beliefs have not changed. I have learned a lot about other people, and about certain aspects of myself, but not the political aspect of it. In my high school government class, we had to fill out a survey to see where we stood on the political spectrum. I was one of the most conservative in the class and in my entire graduating class. I think I ranked very close to Rush Limbaugh, which was very fitting since my dad is an avid listener and I listen to the show when I'm home.

So as I took a step back and thought about what I truly believe, my political philosophy suddenly became very apparent: little government, low taxes, entrepreneurial emphasis. That's it in very few words, very simple. I know that there will be people who will disagree with this philosophy, and that's fine. That's the beauty of America.

George Seldes

The journalism world will be forever indebted to the one-and-only George Seldes. His whole career was filled with death threats and attempts on his life. He was banished from he Soviet Union by the Bolsheviks and was very nearly killed trying to get out of Italy by Mussolini. Seldes' unyielding stories offended the dictators and public figures in which they were about, including Lenin, Stalin, Francisco Franco, and William Randolph Hearst. But no matter what attempts were made to try to shut him up, Seldes didn't back down. His hard-facts news stories impacted not only the nation, but the whole world. He wasn't afraid to report any topic or any person, no matter the consequences. But I think the only consequence for George Seldes was that the mainstream press was ignoring the stories in the first place.

A true revolutionary, Seldes set the standards high for American journalism. Although it journalism has faltered in this country over the past years, you can't help but to be inspired by George Seldes and all that he accomplished in his life as a journalist. I think we need another Seldes to come along to put the media back on the trail that was blazed for us so many years ago.

Ida B. Wells

Journalism should be forever grateful to Ida B. Wells. One of the pioneers for investigative journalism, she is an American hero for the ages. To be an African American woman and go after whites and the unjust lynchings of fellow African Americans took an amazing amount of courage and tenacity. Like Garrison, she never backed down from a fight, but rose above to be more motivated and more ferocious than before. Nothing deterred her from her cause, nothing forced her from her anti-lynching editorials. Wells was brave enough to go after an issue that was considered "fact" and wasn't getting press coverage from the mainstream media.

I have great respect for Ida B. Wells and her never-ending fight and persistence. To be able to successfully investigate and uncover such misdeeds as the lynchings of innocent African Americans at that time is nothing short of admirable. She should be given 95 percent of the credit for starting the anti-lynching movement and turning the nation's attention to a cause that would have otherwise been overlooked. I think it can be argued that Wells indirectly saved hundreds, if not thousands, of African American lives with her efforts. She, again like Garrison, is a national hero and should be emulated by more journalists current and future.

William Lloyd Garrison

I was absolutely blown away by what I read about William Lloyd Garrison. In high school history classes I learned about him and his paper in somewhat vague terms, but this chapter really explained him and how he fought for what he thought was right. It is hard for me to imagine such a person as Garrison. He was a true beast. He survived attempts on his life and national damnation only to come back stronger and more outspoken than before.

I like to think of myself as a strong, motivated person. But I don't think that I could have withstood everything that Garrison did. I think I can safely say that if there was a angry mob that tried to kill me, I would probably stop whatever I was doing to save my life. At least for a while. I have so much admiration and respect for William Lloyd Garrison for not giving in and continuing his drive for his cause. I also like the fact that he just didn't give a damn about much, just about the abolition movement.

William Lloyd Garrison is a national hero, and his newspaper, The Liberator, should be a model for all independent media outlets that are out to do something similar to what it did.