Sifting Through Tragedy

The violent rampage of 22-year-old UC Santa Barbara student Elliot Rodger is national news. Why did he kill six and wound 13 people? His emailed "manifesto" and disturbing YouTube videos offer clues. Why does he have a fan page on Facebook? Is the intense media coverage of the killings and the grieving that has followed little more than exploitation of a tragic situation? The Los Angeles Times reports.

Questions...

•Does the Internet make lonely and isolated people more lonely and isolated?

•Does the Internet make people more extreme in their views?

•Should police call people in for questioning or search their homes based on violent online rants? Should school administrators or employers take action based upon violent online rants?

•Is the news media serving a vital function of democracy by starting a conversation about what we should do about people like Elliot Rodger? Or are they simply exploiting tragedy and grieving for profit?

The Last Field Trip

This opportunity came in this week. I will make it available for field trip credit.

The Journalism Department will screen the George Clooney film "Goodnight, and Good Luck" on Friday, May 30 at 12:30 in SG334 (the Media Arts studio). MC101 students will receive field trip credit for viewing the film if they complete the following assignment...

Answer the following three questions about "Good Night, and Good Luck." Your completed assignment should be 200-250 words.

1. How is journalism different than entertainment?

2. Why was Edward R. Murrow successful in discrediting Sen. Joseph McCarthy?

3. What parts of the movie are probably fictionalized and exaggerated, and why?

Your field trip assignments should be turned in to me no later than June 3.

Taking Sides on Net Neutrality

In the 1950s, California began building freeways. Everyone with an automobile (and most motorcycles) could use it for free. Today, some motorists pay money to drive in a lane (sometimes called a "Lexus Lane") that usually has less traffic than the free lanes. The Federal Communication Commission is considering something like a Lexus Lane for the Internet. Except in this case, it would be the car companies (not the individual driver) who would pay for a faster lane for its customers. At issue is a concept known as "Net Neutrality." NPR reports.

Questions...

•Should companies be able to pay to have their web sites load more quickly than others over the Internet? Why or why not?

•If net neutrality is abandoned, who wins? Who loses?

•Which side of this debate best supports free market capitalism? Why? (Hint: a good argument can be made on either side)

Ever Wonder What We Export to China?

Huge-budget Hollywood movies require a worldwide release to reliably make a profit. Paramount's $130 million "Noah" has done well in the U.S. and better overseas. But it just got shut out of the second-biggest movie market in the world: China. The Los Angeles Times reports.

Questions...

•Does it matter to American audiences if American films begin to make more money overseas than they do here? Could it have an impact on the type of movies that get made?

•What types of movies do you think do well across the world? What type of movies do less well?

•Are there American ideas and attitudes that spread across the world in our movies? If so, what ideas and attitudes?

•What if most of the movies the world sees in 20 years are from China? Would that be merely an economic triumph for China, or would it be a cultural triumph as well? Why?