This week we discussed the Clinton-Lewinski scandal, considered impeachment cases in US history, examined the limits of executive privilege and analyzed the role of media in American politics. We also debated the notion of the media being the "fourth branch of the US government." Consider our discussions, the film Wag the Dog and your knowledge of current events. Answer TWO of the following questions using specific examples from the film and modern politics:
- Does media reflect or shape/inform politics in the modern world?
- What role does the media play in shaping American political and cultural perspectives?
- How is media affecting the current US presidential election?
Cite and/or link any outside sources you draw upon for your response. This assignment may be blogged, typed, written or turned into a poster or film project. It MUST be 250 words in length and reflect understandings from our current unit of study.
8 comments:
Margaret Scalesci
Block- C
Lately we’ve been discussing the branches of government and how the media could possibly be the fourth branch of government because it extremely affects our lifestyle in every way. The media holds a strong part of circulation of news and without it, discussing politics and other forms of news would be quite difficult. In the modern world things are much easier in result of the media, since almost anyone can access the current issues through this tool of communication. The media is the most influential and important unspoken branch of the government because as the film Wag the Dog depicted any situation can be manipulated and made to seem real. I never thought that something like that could be done and even though that this film is said to be untrue, it seems highly likely that something like this could happen. If there is enough motivation to cover up some lies that has to do with the government then lying to the American people could be done and something that never happened can be believed very easily. For instance the Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration was easily covered up for a while before it got out. This may have never gotten out and things like this can happen anytime.
Something could be so effortlessly covered up and the people would think absolutely nothing of it and go on with the lives as if nothing has happened. In a way this seems like something a communist government would do and I would never expect that the U.S. would do something like this. This is actually very scary that something this drastic can be done in the U.S. without anyone knowing about it and it all seems so surreal, but I believe that something like this has probably happened and will happen again. The media does shape our views of politics because it is so widely spread throughout our society that almost everyone knows something about what is going on. The media affects people's outlooks and decisions that have to do with their daily lives. The media is also apart of our culture in today's world because there isn’t one day that we aren’t somehow affected by it. The media can also manipulate the people into thinking a certain way or doing something.
greetings my fellow americans,
By watching Wag the Dog, a whole set of various new of ideas came to my mind involving the media and politics. During the movie, I was astonished of how easily and effortlessly it seemed to make up an entire story of war and soldiers, and Willie Nelson, of course. In the middle of class, I began to think, what other patriotic songs are made up for reasons similar to this presidential scandal. God Bless America?! America the Beautiful?! Thoughts were just generating I thought it was comical how the people in the movie were so gullible. For example, when the woman and man were in bad and "Ol' Shoe" from "the 1930s" came on, and the woman was like "Oh isn't this a really old song?" She believed that it was an old song without question because that's what the radio informed.
Without a doubt, media reflects and shapes politics of today's world. Media may as well be considered a type of weapon, given and can do as much damage. What the media writes, especially about war, people don't question. We believe in who's the bad guy, and resent them. And we support the good guy with poems and donations to them. Basically, the media has complete control over our minds. They can filter out any information they don't want us to know, and completely put in what they wish. Moreover, if they have the presidents support, there's no stopping them. Ew, as I write this I'm getting freaked out...
Generally, America is highly known for being media crazy! This is seemingly true. It's as though the media has just an important job as the President, since, hey, there the people that have made the President into what he needs to be. Maybe, the candidates portrayed Bush as more terrible then he really was; thus, they could look like a hero! I can totally, see America staging everything now! The news, the radio, I guess our fantasies of life being a movie can be seen as becoming true! In the movie, the Presidents cover-up men made the lying look so easy. Perhaps, the media has lied so much for so long, they don't even see it as lying anymore, they just see it as a form of campaign. In addition, in the movie Wag The Dog, Staneley Motts, the producer of the war, can be considered more of a solider than many other. He fought for the good face of the president, and died for him as well.
Stanley Motss: "What did television ever do to you?"
Winifred Ames: "It destroyed the electoral process. "
This sums up America, they same to be more about the face of the president, rather then his(someday her) words.
xoxo
kg
kimberly gangemi
Loretta Au
September 22, 2008
Block C
In Wag the Dog, media clearly plays a significant role in shaping American political and cultural perspectives. In the film, Stanley Motss who is the spin doctor and Conrad Brean join to steer the Americans’ attention from the president’s sex scandal. Media is a powerful source that has the ability to allow people know only what the government wants to show. Media has the role of shaping American political and cultural perspective however they please. The knowledge of the people in politics is limited to the public. Therefore the media, the government, shapes American political and cultural perspectives entirely. Media is affecting the current US presidential election because most voters watch debates and speeches through the media. Voter’s choices are based wholly on what they see and hear on the media and whose views appeals to them more. It affects the current US presidential election because, after watching Wag the Dog, it goes to show how manipulative the government can be. The government has the power to be corrupt without the people’s knowledge of it. It affects the current US presidential election because, in the long run, voters only see what the government allows media to broadcast.
-Mike Orr
In the movie “Wag the dog” the media does absolutely shapes the American politics, along with the cultural perspectives, with proof in the movie, when the C.I.A went on the air of the news and told the world that the war was over, that was pretty much the bottom line. “I heard it on T.V. The wars over”-wag the dog. Today, the media also pretty much controls what everybody says that they hear. For instance, if they hear Hillary Clinton isn’t in the presidential race any more, they heard it on television, on the news. So pretty much whatever is said on the air over the T.V will be spread, and people will believe it. In today’s world if you do not watch television, or listen to the radio, will would most likely not know anything about anything, so in my opinion the media defiantly shapes, and effects the political, and cultural perspectives of America
Justin Lefkowitz
C Block
Today, we just finished watching the amazing movie, "Wag The Dog". This movie showed me how easy it really is for the media to run the United States. I wouldn’t really consider the media as the fourth branch of government, but more like the first or the second. The media has the power to shape and control the minds of the American citizens. The problem with this is the fact that the majority of the people of the United States do not even know how much the media really controls us.
The media definitely controls politics in the modern world. They can do the littlest thing and that can change the minds of many Americans. If John McCain really wanted to, he could hire Steven Spielberg to produce a clip that shows Barack Obama assaulting an 11-year-old child. He would never do this, but the American citizens are very vulnerable to what the media has to offer, and they just might believe it.
The media is affecting the current US Presidential Election in several ways. Different television channels like CNBC and CNN have been keeping live coverage on the race for the Oval Office. These stations have some of the top political analyzers talking about the election and what they are saying is swinging voters in different directions. Some of the people who are watching these programs don’t even keep track of what is happening. They see that their favorite celebrities are voting for Barack Obama, so now they are voting for Barack Obama.
If you ask 10 different people what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you talk about Barack Obama, the majority of the people will say change. But, if you ask those same people what type of change, they will have nothing else to combat their own response with. If you ask 10 different people what they think about John McCain, they will probably say that he is too old. Don’t focus on the age of the political opponents; focus on what they stand for. Vote for the better candidate. The media is trying to make up the minds of the American citizens.
"Wag the Dog" analyzed how the media can change the minds of the American citizens in almost the blink of an eye. This movie is almost true in some sense. I hope to watch the whole movie sometime in the future, so that I could hopefully give a full analysis.
Margaret- G: your first paragraph is specific and thoughtful, but in the second section I feel you jumped into generalizations; can you give a hypothetical related to a current situation in the news? I think this would ground your argument in a meaningful way.
Kimi - E-: I love the quote you included at the end, specifically because I'm going to re-use it next week when we discuss the electoral college! I'm left wondering, was this movie in itself a form of media manipulation/ propaganda?
Loretta - G-: Thoughtful work but ,ore specific references are needed here to fully extradite your thesis.
Mike Orr- G-: Essentially the same feedback as I gave loretta above ... did you rush this one?
Justin - E-: Insightful work - I particularly liked how you proved that in the modern context, people vote mainly based on the "packaging" of political candidates. In this way being almost more important than some of the branches written into the US Consitution! I remind you, though, that the Media is only as manipulative as the public allows it to be. What would it take for us to have a more accountable free press? The rest of the film is available at Blockbuster and on Netflix, though I assure you I didn't cut any major scenes in class. Enjoy!
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C block!!!
The discussion in class about the media being the 4th branch of government is very interesting. As child I would never second guess what the media is telling is wrong, because I used to believe that they had to tell the truth. The movie "wag the dog"(which is awesome by the way, I am so renting it this weekend)! Has made me as a citizen of this country very worried about what is going to happen to our politics and economic country. Also made me question our government made a lot as well, is it okay to lie to the people? Have we ever been lied to? How do we know that the information we are getting in not false? The media is basically what modern day politcs are all about. One example could be the commercials that both presidential candidates are airing against one another. Senator John McMahan is trying to make Senator Barack Obama look bad on a television add, also senator Obama is trying to make McMahon look bad on another add. I believe that ever since we have gone to with terror the media is all we have, and they are our only secures of information. When one is given too much power, the power corrupts them. Since we depend on the media so much, how would we ever know that what they are telling/showing us is true? The media also shapes our culture as well; if the media didn’t make all Muslims look like terrorist then the, that perspective wouldn’t be in place today. Media is how we know what old and new, and it’s the base of American culture. In the fashion world media has a major role, even if it’s good or bad the fashion industry loves it. Media can change our whole perspective on life, but it can only be done if we let it be done.
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