Impromtu Media Analysis

The first that came to my mind involving the media, was the verbal feud between Rosie O'Odonnell and Elizabeth Hasselbeck, both co hosts of "The View," had while discussing the war in Iraq. Rosie is a liberal democrat, and Elizabeth is a conservative republican. Rosie was so upset about the many people who have died in Iraq during the war, that she made the comment "Who are the real terrorists?" Alot of viewers took her word the wrong way, thinking she meant that the American soldiers were terrorists. The media took this incident and ran with it. The next day, Elizabeth was asked to comment on Rosie' s words, and she did not stick up for Rosie. Although she knew Rosie's words had been misconstrued by the media, she told Rosie to fight her own battles. The media completely blew this all out of proportion and had a complete heyday with it.
The following week, Rosie decided to leave "The View." Rosie has been known to make controversial comments in the past and the media always picks up on her every word. I often wonder if she actually left because of the scrutiny by the media, or the betrayal of her co host. It seems that people in the public eye cannot make a move without being under the microscope of the media. I can't imagine losing every bit of anonominity in my life. I wonder if it would be worth it to be a celebrity or public figure for this very reason.

Kudlow & Company on Economic Policies

In regards to "Private Equity Politics", who is to blame? Where do you point your finger first? I viewed the video by Kudlow & Company that involved the economic crisis in regards to lenders and borrowers. This video involved 3 very outspoken commentators who were trying to out talk each other. They were very adamant in their beliefs about this subject. They seemed to already have the "right answers" and were closed minded to anyone else's opinions. One of the commentators thought it was the borrower's fault for loans defaulting, He said that borrowers lied on their applications. I find this hard to believe due to the fact that the loan application I recently filled out left no room for falsifications. On the other hand, if the financial institutions do no follow up and check out the references and credit checks on the borrowers, then it would be the negligence of the staff of the lending institutions.

The commentators were questioning Senator John McCain's support of President Bush's tax cuts and his attacks on Wall Street. In my opinion, John McCain's views seem to change frequently. These days, his views seem to be swayed by the popular opinion to gain him political advantage for the presidential race. I'm not very familiar with the economic practices of Wall Street or the stock market in general. I find this to be very confusing. The commentators didn't really explain themselves in the repetitive comments about McCain's attacks on Wall Street.

There are so many news stations supporting this type of programming with so many different opinions . Is it any wonder why the average citizen is completely confused about what is actually going on with the economic situation. Who do we believe? Are these programs geared to scare everyone, or is it propaganda by the media?