Biased Coverage of Rosie Issue

look at this! Can you spot the bias at Fox News Station!

The Fight on The View

I personally don't watch The View, mostly because it is on during the day and I'm not really that into talkshows, but it caught my eye that Rosie O'Donnell quit "The View" last week after a fight with Elizabeth Hasselback over the war in Iraq. I watched the video, and I have to say, I found it fascinating that these women were so passionate about the war and Bush. I thought they were supposed to talk about celebrities and things that are more trivial. Unfortunately, they were unable to have a conversation, and resorted to yelling at each other and speaking over each other, which doesn't end up being productive. After watching it, I thought Elizabeth seemed very defensive about Bush from the beginning, and Rosie seemed to be just waiting to have her feelings hurt. The shocking thing was how the show exploited their two stars by refusing to go to commercial and instead showing a split screen so you could better see their cat fight. As Rosie said on her blog (www.rosie.com), it was like the show was suddenly reduced to a Jerry Springer show. I'm curious to see what you think about this.

The Girls - A Recommendation

Another book review for your reading pleasure! I recently picked up "The Girls" by Lori Lansens from our school library, and I have to admit, I wasn't expecting much. Conjoined twins? I thought the book would be a little too freak-show, perhaps glorifying what is a painful reality for some of the unfortunates in our world.

Lansen does not treat the topic in a freakish nature at all. Infact, it is quite the opposite. The reality of the girls' lives is never glorified or pitied. It has a strong sense of truthfulness. Lansen also goes much beyond the gimmick of writing from conjoined twins' perspectives. The story is about story telling, families, sisters, memory and loss. It really is a good read, and one that gives you a truly unique experience. Enjoy!

New Blog Mark

This weekend I will be giving your blog a progress mark to let you know how much work you need to do on your blog to get ready for your FINAL BLOG MARK.

YOUR BLOG NEEDS:

Over 12 posts that relate to the media

One post that includes the definition of "Bias"

At least one post that is about bias that you have noticed in the news

A post about an influential woman

Editing and Revising

Special Features: sound, video clips, hyperlinks, etc.

Comments on other blogs (a lot!)

The Pot and the Kettle Who Lived in a Glass House

Okay, what is wrong with this picture??

Did anyone see the news about "The Simpsons" this week? 20th Century Fox is angry and threatening to sue an independent online video broadcaster for parodying their hit TV show, "The Simpsons." An online article had more details:

"The studio is pressuring online video hub Broadcaster.com to remove "The O.J. Simpsons," three animated clips that re-imagine the Fox series starring the former football star. , The three "O.J. Simpsons" clips are titled "Black and White Christmas," "Warzone" and "If I Did It," which directly references Fox and its decision to withdraw publication of O.J. Simpson's proposed book about the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman."

The Simpsons are suing someone for parody? PARODY????? Are you kidding me? The first three people to comment on this post with a story about an episode of The Simpsons that parodies something gets candy.

NEWS BIAS

1. Check out this activity about creating bias through word choice.

2. Next, head over to bias through headlines.

3. Then, complete on of the three activities looking at how bias can be created through images.

I would like everyone to post a definition and examples of bias on their blogs.

Also, please check out this media blog. Then respond to any post on it, and include a hyperlink to the article in your post. I will show you how!