Tabloids & Entertainment Shows

There is no way The Sun covers serious issues in a relevant way. It is a tabloid paper which can be quite over exaggerated and prone to sensationalism. Tabloids are there to entertain and maybe cause a bit of controversy to attract attention. You cannot even take newspapers such as The Sun seriously, especially when you turn the front cover and see a Page 3 Girl. Out of the best selling newspapers in the UK (listed in blog prompt number 4) one newspaper is where you would find serious issues mentioned, The Daily Telegraph. This is quite shocking that, from all the variety of tabloids and broadsheets available only one broadsheet is in the top 6.

If a newspaper sells millions of copies nationwide it is their role to cover serious issues. That is why a newspaper is called a “news”paper. Broadsheets do this job in a very formal way. You can see this just by comparing headlines. Tabloids often would use a play on words. They are usually witty and tongue in cheek headlines. A broadsheet would use more appropriate one which are to the point. The UK must not want serious issues to be told to them in the style of a broadsheet and must find tabloids a lot easier to read and enjoy.

From the list of most watched TV programmes in the UK there are no programme that you would call factual. They are the type to again entertain, just like tabloids. Also they let people feel some sort of escapism from their day to day lives. The soaps cover serious issues that are happening in the world, but in a made up world.

X Factor does cover serious issues. Every year they have a charity single out, giving them power in the chart with profits going to good causes. Millions of people watch this show, so this is a good influence to catch the public’s attention about serious issues. This year again X Factor went to No.1 in aid of Great Ormond Street. This show has such a huge audience so maybe it should have a role in covering serious issues. It is nice to see an entertainment show do this.

Newspapers and entertainment programmes can definitely influence people. They can change people’s views or create new opinions. It is sociable to talk to others about what programme you watched the other night or react to what you read in the newspaper the other day. I am not so sure about them having power though. I believe power is the wrong word to use. It is the nation’s choice what to watch and what newspaper to buy.

To be informed or not to be informed???

As a citizen I believe it is VERY important to be “informed”. I should know what is happening in my local area, region, country and also the global issues that impact my life. This is the only way of being equal and fair, everyone has this right. Being informed will help me make more educated decisions and even take part in issues I strongly believe in or even the opposite, issues I feel may impact me negatively.
I do not believe I am as informed as I should be. Governments are forever hiding important information or not even telling people at all. Why else are there so many conspiracy theories around, for example the war with Iraq? I am not a person who believes in conspiracy theories, but does this make me gullible as I have just stated that “I do not believe I am as informed as I should be”? People should know why their country has gone to war with another country. With issues like this the government need to inform a nation and not be touchy with the subject, especially with the Iraq war as it had so much controversy surrounding it anyway. Not all people trust what comes out of the government’s mouths because they are not informed enough.
On the other hand, you could take the complete opposite view with this. The government may only be holding information back from a nation or the globe for their own good. I am sure I would not want to know some issues that may have arisen, like you see in action movies. Especially if they are trying to solve the problem, telling the public would cause mass panic and not help the situation.
Some people may not be informed enough through their own fault. About serious issues I am informed by the media. I read the newspaper, watch the 24 hour news channels and the top stories appear on my homepage on the internet. Since being at university and living in halls I am not as well informed. The paper I would read at home because my Dad would buy this, so it would always be there. In halls there is no signal for my television to work cannot watch any news channels. All I get now is the local news from the radio station that is on in the flat kitchen and the news that appears on my homepage when I go online. I could put more effort into finding out more information.
Regional news is easy to be informed about. In the evening you have “ITV Central” and “Midlands Today” on television. You get the “Metro” to read when you travel on public transport and even have the “Chronicle” posted free through your letterbox. Local news I believe can be a bit more word of mouth and can become gossip when passed from person to person. These tend to be small issues that would not make the news regionally but may have impact on your life. So locally I do not believe I am informed at all.
Complicated decisions should not be left to others. In the past people have fought for the right to vote and be a part of a fair and equal nation in this world. So many people pay taxes, for example, into their country and have the right to be informed so they can make their own decisions. Being informed is up to them at the end of the day. The media is so wide and varied. If you choose to ignore it, you choose to not be informed. Maybe then these people should not make important decisions.

Al Gore - An Inconvenient Truth

The starting to the film, with the images of the Earth from space, had me watching instantly. Al Gore has a way with words and a bit of charisma. I thought i would enjoy this film at first, then gradually found the film too over the top with all the graphs he was showing. I do believe in global warming, and i am definately not a skeptic, but how can we know what is going to happen in hundreds of years time? This was the bit i found over the top. We do not even know what our summer will be like next year. I agree we can predict what may happen in the future by following trends, but why so far into the future?

He would of made more of an impact by talking about what may happen in 50 years time, for example. Especially with people my age because we will think oh my god we may be alive then. It is the younger generations who need to be educated about global warming as it is going to affect us. Also, who is to say there will not be a huge volcanic eruption in the future that will throw up loads of ash into the air and drop global temperatures? This will completely throw the debate on global warming out of the window. Nature may just follow its course like in the past with the little ice ages.

Al Gore should have focused on how we can do our own bit to help the planet and to not be shown sitting in a private jet and a big gas guzzling car. This was a bit hypocritical. I know he must be a busy man with many conferences etc. but he should use commercial airlines and a eco car if he wants to preach to us about global warming. He talked a bit too much about his personal life to create emotion and it did not make an impact on me. A bit of positive facts on how poeple are helping the planet and actively promoting solutions would have made an helped balance out the film.

From such a postive start to the film, i was surprised at how negative i felt towards Al Gore at the end of it. My opinion about global warming has not changed from watching this but i can understand why Al Gore has a big follwing and won a Nobel Peace Prize, even though i do not believe he deserved it.

improving the 'sustainability' of my lifestyle

At home i drive everywhere, before i passed my test i would walk or use public transport. I thought how did i ever cope without a car. The public transport is really good where i live to so i have nothing preventing me from being sustainable except for being lazy. I have a railway station 10 minutes walk away and a bus station the same distance away. Since ive moved into halls though, and not got the car, i walk to places and use public transport when i need to... It just makes me think did i really need to drive to the corner shop back home, when it only takes 5 minutes to walk to it?
There is also the big issue about re-usable bags when you do your weekly shop at the superkarket. I try to keep my 5p green bags and use them again week after week even though doing this feels like a really small, insignificant action. I could take this further and buy items which do not harm the environment, with all the packaging they use and the transport involved in getting them to your local supermarket (for example only buy local produces). Im sure i would not be able to buy most my favourite items if i read all the labels and found out where they came from. Economically this can help local businesses.
Recyling is also a big issue. The only thing we have at home is one green box which only certain items can go in, because it is just one box we normally forget what we can put into it and end up putting it in the normal bin. In halls though there are 3 bins. They are labelled and mush easier to use. At home i think our council can take recyling a whole lot further by doing something similar maybe.
With all the gadgets and technology of modern life energy consumption must be quite a lot in my home. Using energy saving bulbs and making sure thing are not left on standby helps. My dad is forever leaving the TV on standby though, so he prevents me from doing this.
I think most of the improvements i would try to make would environmentally. Socially though i do not even know 5 of my neighbours out of the 7 i have back home. I just say hello to them when i see them but have never had a conversation with them, except for the 2 i know quite well. Everyone seems to busy with work and just life in general, so i would feel i am intruding on their lives if i spoke to them. This is pretty bad because knowing your neighbours would create a nice community atmosphere.