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\“Spill ‘at worst possible time’ for wildlife.” Nbc Nightly News. Nbc. MSNBC, NYC. 29 April 2010. Television.
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Even the title of this video is significant, "Spill at 'Worst Possible Time' for Wildlife." The video wouldn't have seemed near as intriguing if the title had simply been, "Spill at a Somewhat Inconvenient Time for Wildlife."
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do agree that the usage of the word "worst" is slightly manipulative, I think the story is important enough for this type of exaggeration not to be frowned upon. Humans need to realize that it would be much better for the planet and the human race in the long run if we began to use renewable sources of energy such as solar power instead of oil. Since news stories like this are competing against reports about celebrities for attention, they need to compete with them by using the same exaggeration techniques. Ideally, though, it would be best if both authors of stories about pressing global concerns didn't need to exaggerate the details to compete with seemingly useless stories about celebrities that won't have much of an impact on the generations living hundreds of years from now.
ReplyDeleteThis is a classic media example of focusing on the problem instead of the solution. Yes, we understand that this is terrible. How do we fix it?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Erica (again) in that the usage of the word "worst" is manipulative, yet necessary because this story has to gain attention, popularity, and viewers in order to have an affect on the public at large. It is hard for stories like this to get through, however, when useless celebrity gossip are getting all of the attention. As for what it says about discourse, I agree with Brian. It reports on the problems that the oil spill caused (or will cause), but it does not offer anything the public can do to help, such as donating money, buying gasoline/electric hybrid cars, or finding a new source of energy. Discourse can be negative at times when only reporting information, such as this. It tells us what is wrong, but it does not tell us what to do next.
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