Lecture Six

This weeks lecture surrounded the topic of Commercial Media, why it exists, what is its role in democratic society, whom are the commercial media giants and what do they produce. I personally don't really watch/read/listen to a lot of commercial media as I find it quite sensationalised and, frankly, a little bit desperate. Flicking through the channels yesterday Current Affair flashed up, warning me about the danger of false expiry dates on food. The preview was equipped with dark threatening music more suited to a JAWS film and I admired the hosts for being able to hold such a solemn, concerned demeanour despite the utter ridiculousness of their report content. This is more a comment on News Values, however this seems to be an ever present issue within Commercial Media. And what's worse, as elaborated on in the reading this week, people are more likely to engage in tabloid type reports - for example the recent Shock and Awe news spectacle: "My Son was Stuck in a Vending Machine" as opposed to important news of the world, news that actually may affect them. After checking out The Global Mail though, I do still hold a small remnant of hope for commercial media, as it seems quite legitimate, with respectable journos and relevant content.