Media Ethics Blog Post - Assignment Example

Media Ethics Blog Post There have been questions regarding what is entertainment news or what is news in entertainment. Ideally, factors like facts, advertising and PR, ethical issues, celebrity, objectivity, media exposure, audience appeal, mode of reporting, privacy issues, use of imagery, and the distinction between truth and hoax helps us to address the issue of ‘news vs. entertainment’. This paper will analyze the website “Perez Hilton” and consider it as a news source to show what it does with ‘news vs. entertainment’. In doing this, I will use some of the tools, techniques, and ideas we have talked in class. Perezhilton.com is a website blog by an American blogger and television personality known as Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. alias Perez Hilton. This media blog contains tabloid photographs and information that covers gossip items about celebrities. The media blog also covers music awards, private events, and promotes music (Hilton Web). Nevertheless, the blog has been receiving criticism for increasing the media coverage of celebrities, posting misleading information, unethical reporting, and false advertising. All the same, Perezhilton.com remains a fundamental reference to ‘news vs. entertainment’ and has resounding influence in journalism and communication. The Perezhilton.com blog covers and informs the audience on all happenings prior to, during, and after celebrity awards shows like MTV awards (Hilton Web). This generates a real feel of the entertainment events. Consequently, it informs and allows the music fans to vote for the shortlisted nominees for all music and movie wards. Additionally, the Perezhilton.com blog posts audio and video music links of up-and-coming musicians thus promoting their music. Actually, through the "Listen to This" category of his blog, many artists have indeed accessed the international market via music posts on the Perezhilton.com blog (Hilton Web). At the same time, Perez Hilton attends private events and posts live and true information and photographs of himself with the celebrities to the audience. I also like the fact that Perez Hilton speaks publicly against certain vices like discrimination of celebrities and other public figures. However, Perezhilton.com blog discriminates in covering media personalities and celebrities. Indeed, Perez Hilton seemingly has an affinity for given artists and a negative attitude against various celebrities (Hilton Web). Indeed, his proximity in reporting manifests biased coverage on Perezhilton.com blog. He has equally defamed many artists with false unethical allegations that lead to serious lawsuits against him. Additionally, there have been serious allegations of favoritism where Perez Hilton never reports on any information castigating his friend Paris Hilton. Actually, Perez Hilton reporting has been unethical where he makes untrue negative remarks about certain artists on the internet and posting music recordings on the internet illegally. Moreover, he posts rumors of death like that of the death of Cuban President Fidel Castro and misleads the audience on serious issues, as the illness of Michael Jackson that he claimed was a public stunt. More so, the promotion of same sex relationships in the Perezhilton.com blog is unethical. Notably, the website will have a significant impact on the perceptions of news vs. entertainment. Ideally, the website will have a positive impact on the perceptions of news vs. entertainment as it generates true entertainment by informing the audience, allowing their participation, and bringing entertainment close to them. More so, it also promotes up-and coming musicians. Nevertheless, it creates a negative perception through its unethical way of reporting and the biased information it relays which leads to a negative impact on the perceptions of news vs. entertainment. Furthermore, the favoritism in reporting, giving misleading information, discrimination in covering celebrities, and false advertisements generates an overall negative impact on the perceptions of news vs. entertainment. This paper will address the Big Brother Reality TV Show. The Big Brother Reality TV Show has some ethical issues that journalists and communicators need to be aware of or consider. John de Mol created the Big Brother Reality TV game Show though each country has its own adaptation of the Big Brother Reality TV game Show. The show involves isolating a group of people from the outside world and making them live together in a large house for about three months under the close monitoring of television cameras and microphones recordings. The winner is usually the last person that survives seasonal evictions among the contestants in the house Ninemsn Pty Ltd Web). Ideally, the Big Brother Reality TV show can influence the communications field. Notably, the reality show exposes me to various aspects, challenges, and realities of journalism. The show equips me with knowledge of the significance and influence of communication and journalism on various social results as it generates ethical repercussions. Indeed, the audience and judges partially assesses the contestants from the media and thus their decision relies heavily on communication and journalism. At the same time, the reality show informs me that mode and way of communication affects the outcome of any endeavor, and hence better, objective, and ethical communication is fundamental in the communications field. Moreover, the reality show proves that truthfulness, consistency, and creativity are subtle in communication for better results. As such, the Big Brother Reality TV has a journalistic connection or influence in the communications field. Notably, the show depicts and uses various aspects of journalism and communication to monitor and assess the contestants. Moreover, the reality show draws the significance of journalism and communication as they market the show to the world. At the same time, the journalist and communication professional allows the audience to enjoy the show and more so to render their judgment in evicting the contestants to get the ultimate winner (Ninemsn Pty Ltd Web). Indeed, the reality show equally prepares journalists for future events through the challenges it presents. The show has an ethical nature of the communications perspective. International print and broadcast media play host to the marketing and advertisement of the Big Brother Reality TV Show. Indeed, with the show adopting various formats in various countries over the world, its marketing and advertisement are very simple with international media like Channel 5, Channel 4, Super sport, and other entertainment channels absorbing this task (Ninemsn Pty Ltd Web). Though the show takes place in various countries, it seemingly suffices in a universal way in the media. The content in the shows includes a relaxing life in an environment with all the entertainment sources, periodic evictions, various responsibilities, and a competition. It also portrays the contestant talents, feelings, thoughts, and frustrations as they live and leave life the luxurious house. Additionally, the contestants have a weekly allowance and there is emphasis on the emphasis on human relationships and teamwork. Ideally, the Big Brother Reality TV show presents numerous challenges for communications professionals from the journalism, PR, and advertising. Firstly, the idea of monitoring every communication and movements within the house through television cameras and microphones recordings to the world is a challenge in that it manifests media over exposure and negates privacy. It also poses a great challenge to PR, as every address to the fellow contestants is an address to the public thus challenging the measures of PR. Indeed, where even the movements and communications of the judges’ fall under close monitoring and public scrutiny, then it becomes a challenge to assess the contestants since the audience seemingly has their jury, which may not be right. More so, the reality show manifest great ethical issues where in recent times cases of immorality, bullying behavior, drug and alcohol abuse, nudity, and other social vices have been exposed to the public (Robson Web). Works Cited Robson, Steve. Reality TV show Big Brother. 19 December 2012. Web. 13 April 2013. < http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2250119/Reality-TV-Big-Brother-complained-programme-2012-2-000-calls-Ofcom.html> Hilton, Perez. PerezHilton.com. 2013. Web. 13 April 2013. Ninemsn Pty Ltd. Big Brother. 2013. Web. 13 April 2013. < http://www.bigbrother.com.au/> Read More