Abstract The paper examines President Eisenhower's secret appointment of CBS head Frank Stanton to administer federal communications authority in event of nuclear war. The paper considers the perceived threat of attack that existed in 1957, the actual Soviet capabilities and also looks at the ethical and legal issues raised by Eisenhower's request.
From the Paper "The Case of Eisenhower's Secret Appointments: Introduction: The American public and its political leaders were badly shaken when in October, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first artificial Earth satellite. The Soviet achievement undermined Americans'confidence in their technological and industrial superiority. Even more to the point, any rocket booster that could loft a satellite into orbit could deliver a nuclear warhead over intercontinental distances. No defense existed against such an attack, then or now."
Abstract The paper reveals that, although lethal chemical and biological (CB) agents are not very difficult to obtain or produce, the dissemination of CB agents may be more difficult. The paper reveals further that experts believe that only a few CB agents have the ability to paralyze a large city or area of the U.S., causing high casualties, a major panic and massive disruption of commerce. The paper relates that the most probable diseases are anthrax, smallpox and the plague that can and have caused large outbreaks. The paper concludes that the U.S. public health systems must be prepared to detect, diagnose and respond appropriately to these weapons and also be ready to deal with the wide-scale human psychological terror this would cause.
From the Paper "The bombings of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center in New York, as well as ongoing terrorist attacks as the car bombs just last month have made it very clear that it is necessary to prepare for the effects of terrorism. Similarly, the sarin gas attacks in Matsumoto and later at the Tokyo Metro in the 1990s by the Supreme Truth religious cult and the anthrax attacks in 2001 added another level to coping with terrorism. With many different biological and chemical weapons possible, it is necessary to somehow narrow down the viable options for preparedness. "
Abstract This paper explains that the film "Good Night and Good Luck" is a social commentary and biography of 1950s era CBS television newsman Edward R. Murrow (1908-1965), and the period of the "McCarthy Years". The author points out that the transitions between film shots and real footage was made excellent because both the entire film and the real footage are in black and white and almost always the people inside the CBS studio itself are seen looking at television monitors where this footage is playing. The paper relates that the film was effective visually as a depiction of the 1950s because it was shot it entirely in black and white (as there was no color television in the 1950s), the 1950s-era costumes, the prevalence of cigarette smoke inside the workplace, the 1950s jazz instrumental and vocal music and the overall stark, "no frills" atmosphere of this era and setting.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: A Background History of the Film
Beginning Credits
Lead-in Shots, Techniques, and Attraction of Audience Interest Sequencing of Scenes and Episodes from a Visual Standpoint
Color Scheme and Motifs
Costume Design. Music: How Does Music Support the Visuals? Recurring Visual Motifs and Symbols
A Scene with Only a Little Dialog Dependent on Visuals
The Most Memorable Scene
Camera work: Close ups? Distance shots? Unusual Angles?
Closing Scenes
Observations
From the Paper "The credits at the beginning of "Good Night and Good Luck" appear, interspersed with various lead-in shots of newsmen dressed in 1950's era tuxedos and smoking cigarettes, along with a few women in evening dress, waiting for a speech by Edward R. Murrow. The credits are not given all at once, but rather, mixed in, at evenly-timed short intervals, among the opening shots. The opening credits are not extensive, but mention only the director, producer, and a few others. When these few credits are over, then, wed are already involved in the lead in action of the movie, ..."
A look at the events surrounding the CBS news report by anchor Dan Rather's regarding apparent gaps in George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard.
Abstract On September 8, 2004, CBS news anchor Dan Rather aired a report on apparent gaps in presidential candidate George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard. In order to portray these gaps as evidence that Bush had received preferential treatment, Rather relied on memos that had allegedly been written by Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Killian, one of Bush's superiors during the early 1970's. Immediately after Rather's report, bloggers across the Internet began to raise doubts about the authenticity of these memos. By describing how the bloggers' suspicions eventually led to Rather's downfall, this paper attempts to show that the scandal revolved, not around the actual facts of Bush's service, but around the methods that CBS had used to gather and present documentary evidence.
From the Paper "The report that aired on "60 Minutes Wednesday" featured an exclusive interview with Ben Barnes, a former lieutenant governor of Texas and speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, who said that he helped get Bush into the Texas Air National Guard at the pinnacle of the Vietnam War. As mentioned above, the report included documents from 1972 that were allegedly written by the late Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, one of Bush's former commanders. The Lt. Col. had previously alleged that Bush's Guard records had been "scrubbed" to hide information. The story was part of an investigation alleging that Bush benefited from political favoritism in getting out of commitments to the Texas Guard. The documents, supposedly made by Killian, included criticisms of Bush's service in the Guard and allegedly showed that Bush disobeyed orders. "
From the Paper "CBS was once the leading television network in terms of ratings, and today it is in third place among the three major networks and in some weeks has even dropped below the much smaller Fox network. The network's entertainment division is in disarray, with several programs that have long been popular slipping in the ratings because of changes in their time slot or new competition, and with no clear plan for the future. The news division has been slipping as well, with losses in viewership for its evening news broadcast and with various problems for its news magazine 60 Minutes, long one of the important money-making entities for the network. In part, CBS is being affected by changes in network television viewing across America, with new competition from cable and satellite television as well as from revitalized independent channels. Yet CBS seems to be facing..."
Abstract This paper examines how and why certain ads are accepted or rejected by the media while also delving into who ultimately decides which ads are broadcast to the viewing public. The writer of this paper focuses on the most recent Super Bowl which was broadcast on the CBS television network while detailing the reasons behind two specific ads which were rejected due to their content. This paper delves into the First Amendment to the Constitution and its relevance to this particular topic. The paper also analyzes the rules and regulations stipulated by the Federal Communications Commission and its resulting impact on the advertising industry as a whole.
From the Paper "Although the Super Bowl is a public event that is the most watched TV program, it is a privately produced show and the choice of what ads to run rests with the network, a private company. Once CBS network bought the rights to broadcast the Super Bowl it had First Amendment rights to choose what it would or would not broadcast. Under the First Amendment CBS has the right to exercise its editorial judgment regarding the content of Super Bowl ads."
Abstract This paper discusses the relevance of Carlos Fuentes' comments in his CBS Massey lectures today, in understanding the political challenges faced by Latin America. The paper discusses the existing political economy of Latin America and the pressure of internal and external politics, as well as historical, economic and cultural aspects that it faces.
A rhetorical and semiotic analysis of a CBS news item, "Myspace: Your Kids' Danger: Popular Social Networking Site Can Be Grounds For Sexual Predators," by Sandra Hughes.
Abstract This paper presents a rhetorical analysis of Sandra Hughes' CBS news item, "MySpace: Your Kids' Danger? Popular Social Networking Site Can Be Grounds For Sexual Predators." It aims to move beyond the implicit and relatively superficial review of the text to a fuller understanding of how the text creates meaning, how it helps the reader to construct knowledge and how it sways us to take action. The paper specifically looks at how the language of this article works.
From the Paper "Visually, the story is arranged as a headline, a smaller-font secondary headline, and then twenty-two paragraphs, this for a story containing not quite 650 words. Immediately below the headlines, half of the reading column is taken up by a graphical image showing a computer in silhouette with transparencies of several young children, mostly girls, and several of them using cellphones. Below the graphic is a quote, suggesting the danger the article warns of. The effect of the graphic, the quote, and the headlines is to draw readers to the story that follows, a story that opens with three suggestive vignettes about children being approached in a sexually explicit manner on the Internet. Two of the three teenage girls described in the opening vignettes were murdered."
Abstract The paper examines the lengthy past of Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and how it established itself as an industry leader in the 1930s and beyond. The paper looks at the business organization of CBS; its organizational style, its ability to put money into projects that yield long-term gains, and its policy of advancing women and minorities. The paper concludes that few broadcasting organizations seem better situated to be successful in the long-term than CBS.
From the Paper "For the purposes of context, it is appropriate to begin first with the history of the Columbia Broadcasting Corporation. Suffice it to say, through its many ups - and a few "downs" - CBS has enjoyed a most eventful history. The company began in 1928 when William S. Paley acquired one-year-old United Independent Broadcasters Inc. and changed its name to the Columbia Broadcasting System. Three years later, CBS began regular television broadcasts from an experimental station located in New York called W2XAB. Two years after that, Columbia News Service was opened and, in 1936, the signing of "Major Bowes and the Original Amateur Hour" signified that CBS was for real - and unafraid to "raid" talent from rival NBC (Leigh, C1)."
Abstract This paper explains that, with her recognizable Asian face, intense interviewing tactics and controversial techniques, Connie Chung has been a staple in broadcast news reporting for almost four decades. The author points out that, in the early 1990s, Chung became one of the most recognizable faces on television when she went back to CBS to be the anchor and correspondent of "Saturday Night with Connie Chung" and the Sunday edition of the "CBS Evening News". The paper relates that, in 1995, the reason for Chung's dismissal ranged from her poor work relationship with Dan Rather, to her controversial interviewing techniques, to charges of sexism by Chung.
From the Paper "Living in Washington, D.C., the Chung family was like any other family - celebrating holidays, enjoying picnics, and attending school. Like many Chinese families, education was very important to the family. One of the best educators for Chung was the television. As a child, she would pretend the vacuum hose was a microphone and would make up interviews with people. Chung attended Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, MD, and then went on to pursue at first Biology and then Journalism at the University of Maryland. Since their family had no sons, Connie wanted to be the successful daughter to carry the family name."
Abstract This paper examines the formation and recent development of reality television: the type of television that reflects personal lives and encounters. The author attempts to tackle why reality television exists, the types of reality television that is offered and the future of reality television and society. Included is a review of different television shows that fall under this category.
From the Paper "In the past few years? society and the entertainment industry has been more and more obsessed with the idea of reality-based television. This desire to find the real amongst society is a reflection on a society, which is based on lies, fraud and war. Television shows such as Real World, Cops, and Hard Copy introduced television viewers to the world of the unscripted and spontaneous. We often put aside these television programs calling them trash TV, or game shows, when really it is society, which has made these shows popular and allowed for the major networks, to demand for our attention in their scheduling. This essay will introduce many different types of reality television and begin to guide us to understanding why it exists and where it is expected to go. Society has been waiting for television to reflect our personal lives and the real world in which we live, and now it does."
Discusses the ethical assessment of the use of alar pesticide, e-coli outbreaks, the Oprah Winfrey defamation case, state laws, social responsibility and theories.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 10 sources, 1999, $ 63.95
Abstract Several years ago, the public affairs and news television program "60 Minutes" on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) televised a segment concerning the use of the pesticide Alar on apples by producers in the State of Washington. The implication of the report, if not directly charged in the presentation, was that the pesticide could be dangerous to human health and that the apple producers had failed to warn consumers.
From the Paper "AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS DEFAMATION LAWS: AN ETHICAL ASSESSMENT
Introduction
This research examines agricultural products defamation laws. These laws are assessed from an ethical basis.
Development of the Issue
Several years ago, the public affairs and news television program "60 Minutes" on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) televised a segment concerning the use of the pesticide Alar on apples by producers in the State of Washington. The implication of the report, if not directly charged in the presentation, was that the pesticide could be dangerous to human health and that the apple producers had failed to warn consumers. Apple sales did suffer in the wake of the telecast of the segment on "60 Minutes." The apple producers in the State of Washington ..."
This paper discusses the late-night talk shows: Economic history from 1953's "Tonight Show" debut through David Letterman's 1993 move to CBS, advertising revenues, ratings, successes and failures.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 14 sources, 1994, $ 63.95
From the Paper "Late night talk shows are a highly profitable venture for television networks when they attract an audience, and they are a drain on the network coffers and network credibility when they do not. For many years, the late night programming area was staid and unexciting. NBC's Tonight Show dominated the 11:30 time period, and for the last decade the same network's Late Night with David Letterman was also a high ratings winner. Other networks attempted talk shows at the late hour and floundered as Johnny Carson, host of the Tonight show for 29 years, continued to draw the bulk of the audience. A secondary franchise was created by the Iranian hostage crisis--Nightline on ABC came into being first as a nightly report on the hostage situation and then as a continuing late night news program with a strong core audience. Syndication was another challenge with hosts like ... "
Abstract This paper is a content analysis of network (ABC, NBC and CBS) local and national news broadcasts, focusing on the reporting of stories related to crime. The study is based on the viewing of a half-hour segment of news on the three national and three local stations' broadcasts (six half-hour segments), with that viewing concentrating on crime-related compared to non-crime-related stories. The analysis also examines the nature of the crime stories, including the type of crime, the reporting agency, victim characteristics and offender characteristics, and compares national and local coverage.
From the Paper "We see in a comparison of the local and national news on ABC that on the local level the stories of crime seem to feature violence for its own sake, or for "entertainment's" sake, rather than for any larger social issue, while on the national level one story involved a dramatic crime in a low-crime nation, and the other involved issues (DNA testing, death penalty) which transcend the crime itself."
Abstract The paper traces the life of Edward Murrow, from his birth into a Quaker family in North Carolina, through his active student years, up to the start of his promising career with CBS. The paper analyzes the unprecedented war coverage Murrow provided during World War Two and later on during the Korean War in the 1950s. It also discusses the tactics Murrow used in his investigate journalism and the focus he placed on human interest stories.
From the Paper "Edward R. Murrow's unique style of journalism has served as an inspiration for media throughout the decades and set a standard for war coverage. Murrow's reports helped this country understand what was really going on in World War II. Murrow actually went overseas to provide an eyewitness report on the war and his listeners depended on him for his extensive coverage. To this day, reporters, including those in Iraq, use Murrow's bird's eye view tactics to present their viewers with the facts and human elements of war."
