In recent months one of the most
talked about topics in the news has been the current issue of Gay Rights. The Gay rights are human rights and
civil rights. These rights
are controlled by government recognition of same sex relationships. There are different punishments for
homosexual activity around the world.
Some of these punishments can be as severe as jail time and even the
death penalty. Throughout the past
few years the gay community has been receiving recognition and gaining more and
more rights across the country/world.
The news has an interesting and affective way of conveying these issues
to the public. Different
publications have varied ways of portraying the information and grasping the
attention of its audience.
One
Trade publication whose audience is the gay community is the Advocate. The Advocate’s issues focus only on gay
rights, and homosexual individuals.
When reading some of these articles and dissecting their website it was
clear that these are very proud gay people who believe in their rights. The article “How Two Phelps Family
Members Become ‘Betrayers’” describes the change in heart of two Westboro
Baptist church members that were extremely anti- gay rights. The article shows them using picket
signs that read “Death Penalty for fags”.
These two women realized their extremist views on the matter and
released an apology titled “ Head full of Doubt/ Road full of Promise”. The article concludes, “Don't assume too much, though. The two aren't now saying
that being gay isn't a sin. But they appear sure that Westboro was wrong in
saying gay people should be killed or can't be forgiven. And more revelations,
of a kind, could be coming, because Megan Phelps-Roper told Chu, "I don’t
feel confident at all in my beliefs about God. That’s definitely scary. But I
don’t believe anymore that God hates almost all of mankind (Grindley)." This story is a perfect representation
of what the Advocate is trying to emulate. They are trying to show their community that there is hope
even in the harshest eyes. The
stories are uplifting, heart warming, and all about equality. (Grindley)
When looking for a general
publication I found a gay rights article in CNN News. This article is titled “Boy Scout leaders put off vote on
gay membership”. The basis of this
article is the debate of whether or not openly gay people should be able to
participate in the Boy Scouts.
Originally the Supreme Court issued that gay members were not allowed,
however after recent turn around for the gay community, minds are
changing. Unlike the Trade
publication this article has little to no opinion. There is an equal amount of information supporting the side
to ban gays from boy scouts and for equality of the boy scouts. This article gives more quotes from
political leaders and reports on stats.
For example; “The poll, conducted January 30 to
February 4 by Quinnipiac University, found 55% of respondents favored lifting
the ban. The school said 33% were opposed (Wian).” This poll is in favor of equality for gays, however there is
no spark of opinion in the writing.
There is no picking of sides; there is a neutral undertone with information
supporting both views on the issue. (Wian)
One
theory that can be seen in the news concerning Gay rights would be the “Spiral
Theory”. The spiral theory is a
controversial theory that’s concept is on agenda setting on the “macro” level. The originator of this theory, Noelle-
Neuman describes the theory as follows; “Observations made in one context (the
mass media) spread to another and encourage people either to proclaim their
views or to swallow them and keep quiet until, in a spiraling process, the one
views dominated the public scene and the other disappeared from the public
awareness as its adherents became mute (Baran). “ This theory can be seen in the two publications that I
chose. The Advocate clearly takes
a stance on what side they are supporting while CNN is less inclined to do
so. CNN is definitely beginning to
show somewhat of a stance on the issue by showing stats that support the
equality of homosexuals. The media
has the power to silence those whose beliefs are different from theirs. The media plays a powerful role in what
the public believes is right and wrong. (Baran)
By
dissecting the different forms of media we can see the roles that people take
on certain issues such as gay rights.
The medias influence on gay rights is changing in a positive light and
soon their will hopefully be equality for all men and women.
Works
Cited
Baran, Stanley J. Mass Communication Theory. 6th ed.
Boston: Wadsworth, 2012.
Print.
Grindley, Lucas. "How
Two Phelps Family Members Become
'Betrayers'"Advocate.com. N.p., 07 Feb. 2013. Web.
07 Feb. 2013.
Wian, Casey, Casey Wian
Reported from Irving, Michael Pearson Wrote, Reported
From
Atlanta. Holly Yan, Catherine E. Shoichet, and Devon Sayers Also. "Boy
Scout
Leaders Put off Vote on Gay Membership." CNN. Cable News Network, 06 Feb. 2013. Web. 08 Feb. 2013.
Gay Rights is one of the most talked about social topics in media today. Government has hyped up the topic of gay rights concluding that it is a social issue that needs to be dealt with. It also ties together as a human rights and civil rights issue. There are many different ways to view gay rights. The media uses different platforms that get this point across.
ReplyDeleteThe younger generations are more into a digital era. These eras tend to get their news in a less traditional style. “About 8.6% of traffic of news sites come from Facebook.”(Olmstead,4) Articles about Gay Rights are posted onto Facebook and Twitter to display the current issues that the government and the world are looking to show. When the presidential election was on I saw many articles on Facebook, the Huffington Post had a lot, about Mitt Romney and his view on Gay Marriage, this can be perceived to sway people’s votes to the candidates.
There are multiple platforms that the issue of gay rights can be posted on. For instance Twitter is getting news out there in a 140 character headline. It is called the “New News Wire” and if a person is interested in a tweet they can just go to a news outlet and check out what the tweet is about.
Gay Rights has been on the scene for years and is recognized as a controversial topic in the United States and across the world. The gay population has come together using social media to get their point of view across and their rights liberated. There are many gay newspapers and blogs, and the sections in online newspapers. There are blogs like “towleroad.com” that express news stories and pictures that relate to the gay community.
I think that Agenda Setting is a tool that is used in gay rights issues. Agenda Setting is “the idea that media doesn’t tell people what to think, but what to think about” (293,Baran). Many social media outlets presents the facts about gay rights and it’s up to the reader to figure out what they believe and what is morally sound.
Social Media can bring out some cases that are prominent to the gay community for instance the suicide of the gay student at Rutgers, Tyler Clementi. Many groups come together making a campaign in support of the gay community. I remember on our own campus there was a day that we wore purple in honor of Tyler Clementi.
The internet is the easiest and most common way for a person to get their news. “The internet has surpassed newspapers and radio in popularity as a news platform.” (Purcell,2) The media seems to be growing rapidly and being taken advantage of to get quick insightful news out to the public. Gay rights is an up-and-coming issue. There are news stories posted about it all the time and this creates different points of view and discussion.
Works Cited
Baran, Stanley J., Stanley J. Baran, and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2012. Print
Olmstead, Kenny, Jane Sasseen, Amy Mitchell, and Tom Rosenstiel. "Digital: News Gains Audience but Loses Ground in Chase for Revenue." N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.
Purcell, Kristen, Lee Rainie, Amy Mitchell, Tom Rosenstiel, and Kenny Olmstead. "Understanding the Participatory News Consumer." Pew Research Center, 1 Mar. 2010. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.
The media today definitely has an effect on the public's opinions. One issue which has given people a change of heart is the gay rights movement. These two articles clearly show how opinions have been changed. The issues at hand, are both described and backed up with opinions. However, CNN does show evidence supporting both sides of the Boy Scout issue while The Advocate only shows the positive side of the Westboro Baptist Church members.
ReplyDeleteThe Westboro Baptist Church is an extremist organization, working strongly against the gay community. However, this article shows how two participants have altered their beliefs. Megan and Grace Phelps used to participate in cruel and hateful protests against gay rights. They even carried around signs wishing death upon those who are gay. Yet, they were able to realize just how wrong their actions were. “…they appear sure that Westboro was wrong in saying gay people should be killed or can't be forgiven.” (Grindlley) The fact that these people who so strongly hated the gay community have changed their mind makes a big impression on the public. Readers can realize that if such passionate opponents of gay rights can see that it’s not wrong, they should be able to see that as well.
On the other hand, CNN portrays both the positive and negative views on the issue of the Boy Scout ban. A strong argument the article made was showing the public that even the president of our country favors gay rights. ‘"You know that the president believes the Boy Scouts is a valuable organization that has helped educate and build character in American boys for more than a century," Carney said. "He also, as you know, opposes discrimination in all forms. And as such, believes -- as he said just on Sunday -- that gay Americans ought to be able to participate in the Boy Scouts.”’ (Wian) Yet, others do not want to lift this ban against gays joining the Boy Scouts. “Conservative groups and some religious organizations have argued against making any change, saying it would dilute the Boy Scout message of morality and potentially destroy the organization.” (Wian) CNN gives opinions on both sides of the issue and leaves it up to the reader to decide which view they agree with.
The media can portray an issue however they want in order to have a certain impact on the public. It is clear that the writing style of The Advocate is written to convince readers that gay rights should be supported. However, CNN is an unbiased source telling both sides of the story leaving it up to the reader to form their own opinions or agree with the opinions which have been shared. These articles are clear examples of the spiral theory which as Kacie shared is, “Observations made in one context (the mass media) spread to another and encourage people either to proclaim their views or to swallow them and keep quiet until, in a spiraling process, the one views dominated the public scene and the other disappeared from the public awareness as its adherents became mute (Baran).” The media helps people form their views and has potential to control the public’s opinon.
Grindley, Lucas. "How Two Phelps Family Members Become
ReplyDelete'Betrayers'"Advocate.com. N.p., 07 Feb. 2013. Web. 07 Feb. 2013.
Wian, Casey, Casey Wian Reported from Irving, Michael Pearson Wrote, Reported
From Atlanta. Holly Yan, Catherine E. Shoichet, and Devon Sayers Also. "Boy
Scout Leaders Put off Vote on Gay Membership." CNN. Cable News Network, 06 Feb. 2013. Web. 08 Feb. 2013.
Baran, Stanley J. Mass Communication Theory. 6th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2012.
Print.
Brittany Lyons-
ReplyDeleteI for one am a supporter of gay rights. I believe that if you love someone there shouldn’t be anything keeping you from making a life with them, no matter what gender. This world is tough enough as it is, no one needs extra pressure from society to be normal for a lack of a better word. People need to just stop worrying about what other people are doing and worry about themselves. Like in this blog there is talk from the Baptist church that God hates fags, if you are a true believer in God you know that he hates no one. He created life for love, family and enjoyment; not for hatred and punishments. The world is definitely becoming more open to gay people. You see it all the time, more and more gay people are coming out. Even famous people and athletes are coming out saying they are gay. But the world is not the same place as It was 100 years ago. They are more willing to accept people. It’s nice to see gay couples showing love towards each other in public this helps society come to terms with the facts that there are gay people and they are becoming more and more confident in showing the world.
With this being said the media also has to show both sides to the story in everything they do. So not only do they have to show the negative things people are saying and doing with gay rights, but also the positives. So not only are people getting information about it online but they are also getting it through television and other media outlets, and sometimes all at the same time. According to the Cross Platform Report “eighty- five percent of tablet/smartphone owners use their device while watching tv at least once a month with forty percent of them doing it daily”. Information is everywhere around us. I actually believe that forty percent was a small number. Whenever I see people watching tv or even on the computer they are also on their phones. I believe media will always be here whether we like it or not. It runs our lives, each day we wake up to it and fall asleep to it. Depending on what you listen to or read you may or may not believe in gay rights. But the media has done a good job of making people feel more comfortable with their sexuality. We have one of the most famous talk show hosts in the world in Ellen Degeneres and she is gay. In The Practice of Everyday (media) Life it explains how crazy social media really is. It talks about how much people are into the newest websites going on. “MySpace: 300,000,000 users. Cyworld, a Korean site similar to MySpace: 90 percent of South Koreans in their twenties or 25 percent of the total population of South Korea. Here is, a leading social media site for Central America: 100,000,000 users.5 Facebook: 14,000,000 photo uploads daily The number of new videos uploaded to YouTube every twenty-four hours (as of July 2006): 65,000.6”. When this many people are participating in the social network scene, you are able to see all different types of people, gay or straight and all their views on these situations.
Works Cited
Manovich, Lev. "The Practice of Everyday (Media) Life: From Mass Consumption to Mass Cultural Production?" Critical Inquiry 35.2 (2009): 319-31. Print.
"State of the Media: Cross-Platform Report Q2 2012." State of the Media: Cross-Platform Report Q2 2012. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2013