I'm still highly infected/ affected by the media.

Now that I have taken a semester of advertising and mass communications classes, I would like to say that my ways of media consuming have changed. Although the classes have enlightened me on how the media hooks me into its circle, I am still a media whore! I love the media! In fact, I've never paid more attention to media now that I've taken a semester of advertising and mass communications classes.
I'm the kind of media consumer that allows the media to do just that- consume! The media consumes me, whether I'm at home watching television, at school furiously finding information on the web, or at work listening to sattelite radio.
I consume the media in every way, shape, and form. Without the media, I would not be able to function, and my daily routine would be shattered. This is an example of a typical media filled day for me:
My alarm sounds, and I wake up to the radio blaring a GEICO commercial. I get out of bed and grab my phone as it buzzes to alert me of a new message. The message reads: good morning friend, do you know what the weather will be like? I use my phone to check the weather on yahoo. It's going to rain. Accessing yahoo from my cell phone reminds me that I have to check my e-mail. I use my computer to check my email and to do internet research for homework. Also, I check the prices of i-pods on apple.com. I realize that my computer template is off today and does not read the time. I turn the television on to see the time on the bottom screen of the Today Show. After seeing the time, I hurry to get to school. I run out the door, and trip right after doing so. I look to see what the cause of my trip is, and I see the San Jose Mercury at my feet. Although I usually love the media, I curse it for causing me to trip.
Yes, I am highly infected/ affected by the media, but do I mind? The answer is NO! Even if the media has its mistakes, i.e. Janet's nipple, geico commercials, and Britney Spears, I will continue to consume it. The media and its sources give me great knowledge on current events and I simply find the media pratically impossible to ignore!

Free Wi-Fi for San Francisco

On wednesday, the city of San Francisco selected a joint bid by Earthlink and Google to provide the city with a wireless network. The joint proposal calls for free and paid wireless service available throughout the city. The two companies submitted the proposal to San Francisco in February. A contract between the city of San Francisco and both Earthlink and Google must still be signed. The Board of supervisors has yet to review the contract.
An Earthlink representitive said that "San Francisco residents won't likely see the free Wi-Fi service for another six to eight months while negotiations are being made." The executive director of the Department of Telecommunications and Informaion Services for San Francisco, Chris Vein, said yesterday that he expects negotiations with the two companies to go well and that work on building out the network could begin this year and be completed within a few months.
In a blog, EarthLink Executive Vice President Donald Berryman wrote, "San Francisco is one of the most progressive cities in the world, and our combined offerings with Google, Motorola and Tropos Networks will stretch the possibilities of what a mobile network can do for residents, businesses, municipal government and visitors."
The free Wi-Fi is a great idea because it will provide a broader field for communication. If installed, the Wi-Fi could provide free internet access to those who normally couldn't afford it. San Francisco residents, especially children, will be able to use the free internet as a learning and communication tool.
A downside of the free Wi-Fi some brought to attention is the loss of revenue for the city of San Francisco.
Google will manage the free 300-kilobits-per-second Wi-Fi service, while EarthLink will offer the faster premium service of 1mbps for up to $20 a month.
Personally, I think the free Wi-Fi service would be great for San Francisco. I don't believe too much revenue will be lost. Many citizens of San Francisco, in my opinion, will sign up for the $20 service. It's too good of a deal to pass up. With the free Wi-Fi, San Francisco will possibly prosper. It will be good for the businesses and education in San Francisco. If I was given the opportunity to receive fast internet service for $20, I would definitely jump on the wagon. I'm guessing the citizens of San Francisco will do the same.

NBC refers to war as "civil war," but is it okay?

Earlier this week, NBC began to refer to the war in Iraq as a "civil war." Also, The New York Times has also started to call it a "civil war." Reporters calling the war a "civil war" has sparked many arguments and controversy. Many are saying that calling the war a "civil war" is a political judgement, not a news judgement. Others in the media, such as CBS and CNN say that they are hesitant to jump into NBC's "civil war bandwagon." So is it okay to call the war in Iraq a "civil war?"
As of right now, the Bush Administration is shying away from terming it so. While many Americans are doing the opposite. CNN did a poll this week with results ending in two-thirds of Americans agree that the war is in fact a civil war.
The job of the media (news reporting wise) is to report on facts, not on loose opinion, but should calling the war in iraq a civil war be considered a loose opinion?
It is hard to say at this point. The war has many civil war characteristics. Civilian deaths are more than a 100 a day in Iraq. Even with many characteristics of a civil war, many are hestitant to call it so.
Rome Hartman, CBS's executive reporter for the evening news says, "There is awful violence, but I don't know that the warfare between the sides is the thing that defines every moment of life. Of course, it threatens life and it is a horrible part of life, but it doesn't seem to us to be the overriding element of every day and every hour there."
In my opinion, It was not wrong of reporters to claim the war in Iraq as a "civil war." The job of reporters is to call out what they see. If the media waits around for the government to give the okay to call it a "civil war," then the media would be seemingly controlled by the government. News reporters should call out things as they see fit, but I do feel that they will have to be ready to face the backlash of doing so.