Infotainment

Paper Summary:

The paper explains that the issues around the practice of infotainment is about the decline of news value and the increase of soft or entertaining news as popularized in contemporary news media for commercial gains. The reporting of Michael Jackson's child abuse and the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski scandal are used as examples of infotainment. The paper proposes that a panel of four professionals, who have great knowledge with the issue of infotainment in the media, such as Bill Moyers and Farai Chideya, be created in order to discuss the issue of the media transforming news into entertainment, rather than reporting on important information.

From the Paper:

"Infotainment is right in front of the public's faces. Michael Jackson is on trial again for child abuse charges. The fact that the war in the Middle East is becoming more and more violent by the day, and the main focus of the news is on Jackson's case, proves to the public that something needs to be done. American soldiers are being killed and the majority of the media are trying to get the best picture of Jackson leaving a courthouse."

Sample of Sources Used:

• For an Alternative in the Media: The Building of a Global Network of Journalists. October 31, 2003. Alliance for a Responsible, Plural and United World. November 2003www.alliance21.org/en/colleges/journalists/docs/bangalore_new_en_en.pdf
• Soft News, the Rise of Critical Journalism, and How to Preserve Democracy. Merriman, Erin. June 2003. Stanford U. November 2003. www.stanford.edu/class/e297c/soft%20news.htm
• Media Culture Manifesto. Hazen, Don. May 2001. Independent Media Institute. November 2003.www.alternet.org/Story.html?storyid=14736#more
• Today's Journalism: Education vs. Reality. Whitaker, Ron. August 2002. Internet Campus. November 2003. www.internetcampus.com/plume16.htm
• That's Infotainment! Nisbet, Matt. April 2001. Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. November 2003. www.csicop.org/genx/infotainment

More papers on Infotainment:

• Research Paper # 92895 : "The Privatization of Television"
• Analytical Essay # 41078 : "The Canadian Media"

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