What's In The News?

For those that are still a little immature and share common interests with kids in middle school like I do, then you will notice that Justin Bieber has been popular in the news lately. He just released a movie, Never Say Never.

According to an article by MTV,  just on opening weekend, the movie made $29.5 million. The director is also already working to create a second movie that will come out in theaters and will most likely be in 3-D. So, for all of those who make fun of Justin or think he sounds like a girl, you're not hurting his ego or his popularity obviously.


On a more serious note, there is an attempt to ban smokeless tobacco for the MLB. 2 senators created this bill and are now trying to pass it. Their motive behind it is because it is dangerous to one's health and these players are seen as role models to children. If kids see their favorite athletes dipping, then they in turn will want to dip. A recent survey said that the use of smokeless tobacco in high school baseball players has increased by 36% since 2003. The players obviously will argue it if they cannot dip on the field, dugout, or in the locker room when it has been done for decades now. This doesn't really affect me, because I am not an MLB athlete and I don't dip. But I am a huge fan of baseball and I do not want to see the players unhappy because that will severely affect their season

"Real" media

When I was told to pick some kind of media that was real to me, I immediately wanted to choose a television show. However, the shows I watch do not exactly relate to me and touch me in an emotional way. Amanda showed us a trailer to an upcoming season of Intervention. I watched a few episodes online and I think that show relates to me and touches me a lot.

This episode is about an alcoholic. My father was an alcoholic and we tried to get him help several times. Like the man in this clip, rehab only helped him for a short amount of time. It touched me, because the man in the clip actually tried to get better. My dad didn't. I don't like to see other families struggling with the same issue I once did, but it is somewhat more comforting to know that other people are going through the same thing and I can talk to them about it since people that don't experience it do not know what it's like.

There is also a video by Nickleback that is very emotional to me, because I feel like it is the story of my life exactly.

Does Our Youth Need Censorship?

Many people have different opinions when media and youth are in the same sentence. Who's responsibility is it to censor? Does our youth need to have their entertainment censored and limited? Will censoring lead to a child being naiive?

Personally, I believe that it is the parent's job to censor what children can listen to and watch. Censoring and raising children is subjective on the parent so I don't understand how the media is responsible for censoring the appropriate amount for every family. Some say that commercials and shows that involves violence, drugs, sex, and vulgar language should be aired at later times after children's bedtimes. However, it is proven that between the hours of 5-9 p.m. are when most viewers watch t.v. So, some shows want to air between those times so their ratings will be higher and they can have a larger profit.

I interviewed my coach, Glen Crawford because he has two daughters who are both still in elementary school. He believes that it is a shared responsibility between the media and the parents to censor what their children watch. I asked him that if he limits his children too much does he think they will rebel and when he is not around, they will watch something they are not supposed to be watching. He says that if you explain to younger children why they shouldn't watch something then they will understand that with age and maturity comes more privileges.

He made a metaphor to me that made sense. He said when he takes his first grader to the mall he will point out certain people to her. These certain people will have very short skirts or tattoos covering their entire body, etc. He'll ask his daughter if that girl looks pretty or if that man is cute. If she says no he asks her why and then explains to her that that man/woman could have been more attractive if they wore something appropriate or if they only had a couple tattoos. He says if you explain to your children why they can't do something or what could be better then they will understand and follow your rules.

Is Reality TV Actually Real?

Realism is referred to as thinking something is based on life-like actions or reality. Reality television shows and Hollywood movies are a perfect example of this. The object of both is to entertain the audience as well as make them believe for however long that segment of the show or however long the movie lasts is based upon true events and situations.

I will focus on reality television first:

This clip shows some of the drama that occurred on the reality television show, Jersey Shore. The goal of the producers was to show as much drama that would entertain their audience as well as focus on the character's that have the most dynamic personalities that tend to be the center of problems or start them. In this clip the characters are Mike "The Situation", Vinnie, Pauly D, Ronnie, Angelina, Sammi, Nicole "Snookie", and Jenni "JWOWW". Although some of the cast is not on the show since this season, they still continue to focus on certain characters. One of the characters they tend to focus on is Angelina, because there always seems to be drama or fights that are started because of her.

The media and other people criticize the show even though it is very popular. The characters only focus on GTL (gym, tan, laundry) and partying. If I thought that is really how people live then not only would I be very naiive, but I would also may or may not want to grow up like that.

Now, I will focus on Hollywood movies:

This is a trailer of the movie Avatar. It is supposed to be realistic and it captivates us for the entire movie. We feel as if we are there and we are living in the same world they are. However we know as soon as the screen turns black and the credits roll that most of that movie is not real at all.

Media Conglomerates

What are media conglomerates? Basically, it is a form of media (television, radio, etc.) company that own several smaller media companies. Examples of this include, Comcast Corporation, Viacom, Disney, and Sony.


Of all of these media conglomerates, I want to focus on Sony. Sony makes electronic equipment like stereos, televisions, cameras, cell phones, etc. Even though they are known for the equipment they use, they also own many labels an companies. These would include: Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios, Loews Movie Theaters, and the Columbia, American Epic and Sony recording labels.


Sony's main headquarters is located in Tokyo Japan. They are the world's 5 largest media conglomerate. The revenue is $77.20 billion. It is the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony Corporation is the parent group. Most of the revenue is made off of their Conglomerates such as Sony Electronics, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Ericsson, and Sony Financial.


The advantages that Sony has is that they are a leading organization in the world so their name is easily recognized and they stand out within their competition. Also, they have a wide range of electronic equipment that they make so they have more of a market to appeal to. Their conglomerates are all in common since they base their products off the entertainment industry, however they differ between television and radio so again it appeals to more of a market. The disadvantages to Sony is that because they have so many conglomerates that if even one of the many companies they own messes up or has bad publicity it will affect the whole organization and the entire industry will be affected by it.


By researching conglomerates, I now know what they are, and how so many companies make so much revenue. There are lots of ownerships and contracts within businesses and industries, so it is difficult to keep up. I never realized how large Sony was or how large any major corporation really is. All it takes to be successful and powerful is money.