A Word from Bob Wigginton

On Monday, September 22 we had a guest speaker, Bob Wigginton, come talk to our Survey of Profession Media class about the print industry. Mr. Wigginton worked in Little Rock, Kansas, and now works here at Lindenwood University. He started out talking about the importance of diversity in the news room. Where he worked there were more women reporters than men. There was also only one black reporter on the news side of the news room, even though Little Rock was a very diverse town, with many Hispanic Americans and about fifty percent of the population being African American. The controversy of diversity in the news room is: Should they choose the best person for the job, no matter what the race of that person is? I believe that a news room should not hire someone for a job just because of the color or their skin or their ethnicity. But I do believe that a news room should also be diverse. Where do we draw the line? It is a hard decision to make, and everyone is out there with their own opinion. Mr. Wigginton stated that, “it portrays to the community that you aren’t interested,” referring to diversity in the news room. Which I think is a good point to bring up, if the news room puts off an image that they don’t care then why would people want to receive news from them?

Another point that Mr. Wigginton talked about was how 1,600 people are losing jobs in the newspaper industry, because people just are not reading newspapers anymore. I have to admit, I do not remember the last time I picked up a newspaper and read the entire thing. Sure, I would look at the front page occasionally if there was an interesting story or look to check a movie time. But with everything you need to know on the internet, what’s the point in picking up a newspaper anymore? I have e-mails sent to my phone with important information. I can check my home page of Yahoo for any exciting stories for the day. Now, I can even check my Blackberry for movie times, so I don’t have to find a newspaper anymore. This is the sad truth about the newspaper industry, but I can see eventually the newspaper fading out and someday all of the news will be electronic. But as Mr. Wigginton pointed out, the purpose of the newspaper is to connect us to our community. No matter how we do that today, whether it be an actual newspaper or the internet, we still need to stay connected to the news to stay up to date with what is happening day to day.

The last subject that Mr. Wigginton touched on was censorship, which I wish we could have talked more about, and I could tell he did too. He brought up a local issue, dealing with the recent threat of a student in Flowers Hall at Lindenwood University. I read the article in The Legacy after we talked about it, and if I had not heard the more detailed story from Mr. Wigginton and other students in class I would have thought completely different about what had happened. This is all an affect from censorship. Even though in America we have “free press” the public still doesn’t always get the full story. It is up to editors and publishers what is left out for the public to read or hear, and this is not always a good thing. It is almost like we are being babied, and they think that we can’t handle the truth. I believe that full stories should be published and not edited to change the image of someone of something.





All in all, I enjoyed listening to Mr. Wigginton talk about print industries and his experiences. I learned a lot and he really got me thinking. I would enjoy it if he came back and talked to us again.

A Look at Media in Brazil

The Presidential Election is coming up. It's all over the T.V., radio, even facebook. It's got everyone talking, even people in... Brazil? That's right, with the access of media around the world it has everyone talking. After interviewing a student here at Lindenwood, who is originally from Brazil, he said that most people from his country are for the Democratic party and really like Barack Obama. Like the United States, media has a huge impact on their country. Barack Obama is using media to reach out to the younger generations by using media. He sends out text messages and puts up advertisments on facebook, he is in a way like a celebrity.

In Brazil, facebook and myspace are well known, but the most popular website is orkut. Orkut is accessible to anyone and was created to help people keep in contact with friends and family. It is a networking website where you can upload pictures, send messages and find people who share the same interests as you.

Gossip Girls, The Hills, One Tree Hill, Entourage, Heroes are all popular in the United States, but in Brazil the shows to watch are Soap Operas. Although American shows like Sex in the City and That 70's Show are popular in Brazil, Beleza Pura and Malhação are two of the most watched television shows.

There are many popular celebrities in the media today. The paparazzi is constantly snapping pictures of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Brad Pitt, and Matthew Mcconaughey. Even celebrities in Brazil are popular here in the United States, like Victoria's Secret models Adriana Lima and Gisele Bundchen.


As for "free press" in Brazil, it is also much like it is here. Anyone can publish anything, but it has to be ethical. A well known scandal that abused "free press" in Brazil was the false publication that Jose Sarney wrote "lies" in his articles. Jose Sarney was the president of Brazil from 1985 to 1990. The state government accused him of lying and sued him. In Brazil it is very important to be respectful and not publish false information. This is a little bit of a difference from here in America, take a look at all of the magazine and newspapers published and most of the rumors about celebrities are not true. We are always reading about who is pregnant now, who had an affair with who, and what couple broke up this week. In the United States scandals and lies attract attention and the public wants to read about it, but in reality it is not morally right. I think that sometimes the media takes it too far, and we need to be more like other countries, such as Brazil, and pay more attention to things that matter.

Everyone has a different view on media and how it affects us as individuals, but it does affect everyone in one way or another. Whether it is opening up the local newspaper, checking the internet for weather, or turning on the news to see the top story of the day, people are constantly keeping up with the media no matter where you are in the world.

Generation Gap

In today's generation, life is based on technology. Texting, e-mails, facebook, myspace, iPhones: without our vast array of communication we are lost.

Every morning when I wake up the first thing I do is check my phone for any missed calls, texts, or voice mails. Then I turn on the radio. And before I leave to go anywhere I have to check my facebook, duh.



Generation Y thrives on modern technology. But is it a good thing or a bad thing? Earlier generations would say it's a bad thing. But me? I would say it's a good thing, in moderation.

I believe that when other generations say that the Millennials have the upper hand they are right. We know what we want for the most part, and we do our best to get it. We are motivated and won't take no for an answer. This possibly comes from our upbringing. Our parents pushed us as kids to be the best that we can be. Today, anyone can do anything; we have no limitations, as there were during the baby boomer's prime. Women are equally accepted in the workplace and the race issues that once existed are diminishing. Our generation is expected to do many great things and I have confidence that we will prosper.

As for advice to older generations, just keep up to date! Our lifestyles are upbeat and are constantly changing.