The Importance of Learning about Peoples Habits - Essay Example

“Getting to Know You: The Importance of Learning about People’s Habits” from the culture section of The Economist has pointed out a condition where people are practically obsessed with what they are doing in their daily lives. The articles claims that the power of marketing and advertising has been integral to the way people handle their habits in the daily course of their lives; whether it is personal or professional. In the article, it can be seen that certain high – profile people in the marketing world has been cited to show the effectiveness of advertising as an agency. At the same time, there are books that the article included in its roster of evidences to show why people behave in a routinely phenomenon. One thing that cannot be denied is that the article implicitly denotes that advertising has become a tool to change the attitude of people. However, there is still an inclusion of certain habits that cannot be denied to have been crucial due to its negative effects. One thing to consider is that there is not enough justification present in the article to debunk the main arguments and impositions about certain behavioural occurrences. Relatively, no evidence was presented. However, it cannot be denied that upon reading the article, the author is indeed convincing as habits have diverted to something that has to deal with wellness despite of the negativities present. This can be considered pivotal as marketing and advertising has reluctantly fulfilled its role to change people’s mindset and perceptions about personal hygiene and care. At the same, he has called for a more responsible attitude towards people habits to avoid possible complications that may occur along the process. Hence, the article is commendable. April 11, 2012 To the Editor The Morning Call Leigh Valley, Philadelphia Ma’am / Sir: Upon stumbling with the article about a priest who has been allegedly accused to have been molesting children, it has come to my attention that there are certain things that must be delved into further to show the public about the gravity of the act, the circumstances of it and the recourse of action to make the criminal accountable. I find it, personally, to be jam – packed into a very short one without careful deliberation of what the public must really know. This is not just a matter of exposing the wrong act behind it but also making the people know what are intricacies surrounding the case. It is not enough that a due process is happening as mentioned. It is important to make the journalists accountable to the public that it must serve. I have noticed that there are lapses and misrepresentation of facts that totally diverted the readers’ attention to the case of a harbouring priest who commit acts of molestation instead of focusing on the person who has been at large and could possibly be committing the same grave act over and over. However, despite of the criticism I have presented, I still commend your act, specifically the exposition of such anomaly, to enlighten the public, make them aware of what is going on and might happen in the future, and possibly triggering vigilance to ensure that the public is constantly watchful of this person. I am hoping that the job can be done better next time but I still commend the very act of writing about this heinous crime. Thank you! Respectfully yours, A Student of Journalism Analysis of Talese’s “Frank Sinatra has a Cold” At the onset, it can be seen that Talese has focused on the life of Frank Sinatra in the way he has presented his story. The story is indeed long. Most of the scenes have been taken into account and written eloquently to show what it really means to be like Frank Sinatra; possibly extending on whom he really is. As new journalism propagates the inclusion of a story instead of a historical approach, it can be seen that both have met halfway in Talese’s article. It can be observed carefully the accounting of events of someone’s life is already an act of historicising the person to have a mark in the society. This kind of duality is clearly worked and cannot be overlooked even if the focus is on the former instead the latter. Also, the story being created is also dependent with a historical time, however, confined with the premises of now instead of the past until the current situation. With the inclusion of dialogues, the articles shows an interactive condition between the writer and the interviewee; extending a feeling to the reader of being one with the situation. Having this kind of journalism, the traditional approach of informative becomes a narrative. This approach can be seen not just on the pages of the newspaper nowadays but is more evident in the mass media; especially on television shows and radio broadcasts that integrates an interview with a person regarding a news and extends to documentary form of journalism. At the same time, there is always a constant shift between the first person and the third person point of view in the story to spice up the whole appeal of the article to the reader. This transition, in my opinion, under the premise of new journalism, becomes a helpful tool to keep the audience or readers engaging to the text. One point to take note as well is the rich details regarding the things that Frank Sinatra does in the course of his life. Extensively, this is another thing present even in the dialogues included. The details are not just there to compensate for the objectivity needed in journalism. The details have been there to enrich further the imagery present in the story to make things clearer instead of a more bullet – point approach in terms of presentation of facts and data. All of these points strongly deliver the important points about Frank Sinatra. In this case, Frank Sinatra is no longer just a celebrity but becomes a more sensible figure. The manner of providing information about him advances his status as a person: to be a newsworthy icon with a sensible reputation. However, it is quite saddening that this kind of journalism is not fully implemented in most parts of the world. There is still printed news who still complies with the traditional approach of delivering news; whether it is about a celebrity or other political, iconic figure. In totality, Talese’s approach is indeed a breakthrough. An important thing about this kind of approach is that one must be able to identify the bias and romanticizing the text. This has a danger that the objectivity of the news might be gone and sensationalism happens. This has been a common flaw about the media and still happens until now. There is nothing wrong to deal with intrinsic subjectivities that surround a certain issue but one must be careful in exercising such due to the dangers that have been happening now. A critical eye is a must and a sense of accountability regarding a created story is needed. REFERENCES Getting to Know You: The Importance of Learning about People’s Habits. The Economist. Accessed April 10, 2011. Frank Sinatra has a Cold. Random House. Accessed April 10, 2011. Convicted Montco Priest wasn’t Defrocked for Years. McAll. Accessed April 10, 2011. Read More