You are probably thinking what’s the point of reading this website? Well, that’s very easy really. People need to know what is what and why these events are happening. Well my space will be filled with wonderful criticism about movies and other entertainment and media consumption!
We cannot go without having been exposed to these sorts of media. Day by day, people are given the opportunity to see different sides of media and we, as consumers, have to be critical in order to absorb the correct information. Though we are seen as passive consumers, absorbing all the information given to us without understanding the underlying meaning of the text. By simply absorbing the information given to us proves that people do not show the skill of criticism. With regards to this space, my mission is to provide out readers with a critical outlook on the media as a whole. Movies, radio, internet and so on provide consumers of the media with vital information but it is up to the consumer to critically define the lines between the acceptable and not acceptable information.
We have to as journalist, look at the media as critically as possible. We cannot simply sit back and believe everything that we are told. Devouring all the information that may or may not have any sort of purpose, yet we are willing to accept it as it is. We have to look at why they may be saying what they say, when and in what tone. What point of view are they coming from? What sort of writer would produce this sort of information? A lot of thought needs to be put to good use when analysing all media based and media produced information.
With regards to our blog, we as the authors aim at showing the readers how we think and the reason as to why we think this way.
mission statement
Why should you read my blog? My mission with this space is to get people to think critically about the world, specifically the media that saturates EVERYTHING. You cannot go for more than 5 minutes in today’s world without being exposed to a song, a quote, advertising, television, the internet, the radio…etc. I feel that we, as consumers of media, have become blasé about the way in which we consume such media. I feel that the stuff we are exposed to can contribute substantially to the way we view the world and how we compose our own identities.
Consequently, I feel that we should look at media with much discretion and thought. You have to look for the motives of the people responsible for producing the media you consume. Why are they saying what they are saying? Why are they saying it like this? What do they want from me? These are questions that need to be asked before even considering assimilating an opinion on the item in question. This might sound highly pedantic but I feel that as soon as you have an opinion on something, you have chosen to take a particular stance and in doing so, you have added to your own identity as a journalist, student or human being.
By analysing media on our blog, we intend on showing people how we think before we consume media. We hope to get other people to join this process of thought. We are not as worried about the actual opinions we convey or receive. We are just concerned with getting people to think critically about what they see and hear. This is because the nature of the world in which we live is such that it is nearly impossible not to consume media and therefore not be influenced by it unless you were to live as a hermit in a cave somewhere. We find that media is being made more and more consciously (in that the people who are responsible for its construction, do so with specific aims and goals in mind when they envisage people consuming their work). The industry of media construction can have a lot of power in the world today. They could easily begin to govern the manner in which we think. This is why I believe we need to promote critical thinking in the sphere of media consumption.
Just Not What I Thought....
Most of us in JMS 1 are only 18/19 years old. What do we really know about the world other than liquor and cigarettes and tri-varsity behaviour? Even with the will and the ambition to write hard-hitting news and blog pieces, how can we really achieve this when we have barely any life (or journalistic) experience compared to the ‘grown up’ journalists out there?
I started Journalism because I wanted to be thrown into the middle of all the world’s chaos. I wanted to be a part of covering wars and exposing politicians and saving society one hypocrite at a time. I’m sorry to say I have been disillusioned. Journalism nowadays is something almost anyone can do. We don’t need a degree to become one and we certainly don’t need to go into countries ourselves to get the scoop on a current war or disaster etc. We could sit at home for the rest of our lives, typing out bogs and embroidering the internet with our opinions and be considered journalists. Just for commenting on a political situation on a popular blog.
This doesn’t mean though, that I have anything against my peers in the journalistic field, nor my lecturers. It’s just important to be honest about how one feels about journalism and I’m not going to write lies here just to impress my lecturers and my tutor.
Life as a journalism student runs you into the ground. Assignments, blogs, tutorials, articles for local and national newspapers, building a portfolio, being forced by your course work to look deep into your ‘self’ and dredge up what you find. Then there are your other three subjects that demand work from you. Life as an actual journalist can’t be that different. “With great power comes great responsibility” said Tobey Maguire. Journalists are responsible for influencing the opinions of the masses. How can we possibly justify wielding this kind of power without applying the strictest possible rules against bias and prejudice. No human being alive can write a few words on a subject without peppering it with their own opinions, however subliminally, and considering that each individual blog, magazine and newspaper has their own prescribed agenda, how can anyone ensure that the writings of journalists aren’t negatively affecting impressionable citizens? Its just too much responsibility and I am just too much of an opinionated person to take on the job of a journalist.
Blogs offer a retreat from traditional journalism though. With a personal blog you don’t have to worry about unfairly influencing other people’s opinions. You are simply exhibiting your own. Blogs also allow the freedom of being able to write about whatever you like, whenever you like and in whatever tone you choose to write it. This is not possible when working for a magazine or a newspaper.
So, its here in our blog, that we choose to chew up and spit out the media we consume and bring to you our honest opinions, not what we were told to write by our seniors.
I started Journalism because I wanted to be thrown into the middle of all the world’s chaos. I wanted to be a part of covering wars and exposing politicians and saving society one hypocrite at a time. I’m sorry to say I have been disillusioned. Journalism nowadays is something almost anyone can do. We don’t need a degree to become one and we certainly don’t need to go into countries ourselves to get the scoop on a current war or disaster etc. We could sit at home for the rest of our lives, typing out bogs and embroidering the internet with our opinions and be considered journalists. Just for commenting on a political situation on a popular blog.
This doesn’t mean though, that I have anything against my peers in the journalistic field, nor my lecturers. It’s just important to be honest about how one feels about journalism and I’m not going to write lies here just to impress my lecturers and my tutor.
Life as a journalism student runs you into the ground. Assignments, blogs, tutorials, articles for local and national newspapers, building a portfolio, being forced by your course work to look deep into your ‘self’ and dredge up what you find. Then there are your other three subjects that demand work from you. Life as an actual journalist can’t be that different. “With great power comes great responsibility” said Tobey Maguire. Journalists are responsible for influencing the opinions of the masses. How can we possibly justify wielding this kind of power without applying the strictest possible rules against bias and prejudice. No human being alive can write a few words on a subject without peppering it with their own opinions, however subliminally, and considering that each individual blog, magazine and newspaper has their own prescribed agenda, how can anyone ensure that the writings of journalists aren’t negatively affecting impressionable citizens? Its just too much responsibility and I am just too much of an opinionated person to take on the job of a journalist.
Blogs offer a retreat from traditional journalism though. With a personal blog you don’t have to worry about unfairly influencing other people’s opinions. You are simply exhibiting your own. Blogs also allow the freedom of being able to write about whatever you like, whenever you like and in whatever tone you choose to write it. This is not possible when working for a magazine or a newspaper.
So, its here in our blog, that we choose to chew up and spit out the media we consume and bring to you our honest opinions, not what we were told to write by our seniors.
The Magnificent Mission Statement of Rodney Jingle-Jangles
By Himal Ramji
This purpose of this post is just to tell you – my loving audience – how I will be writing my posts on this fine blog and what they’ll be about.
The purpose of our blog (Writer Than You) is to consume media, digest it, analyse it and then communicate it to our audience. Hopefully my posts won’t be as obsessively optimistic or stupidly cynical as most of the media ‘reviews’ I’ve read in my young and tender life. Apparently we’re blogging for journalism students and what students need isn’t another generation telling them what to think or feel or do. What we need is the views of our peers because, let’s face it, we follow what our friends say a lot more closely than we do with the words of our lecturers or tutors or parents. We need to thoughts of people we can relate to. Our analyses of the plethora of media in this world won’t be dull and dour like a lot of what we read nowadays. No – it will be spectacular!
We’re just students. We’re journalism students. And this is a blog. It’s not as if we’re going to censor ourselves in the same way many journalists are forced to – if you don’t believe me, feel free to read a newspaper and find something witty and riveting. And that’s exactly how the posts of Writer Than You will be written. They will be witty and they will be riveting. We’ll draw the reader in, we’ll toy with their minds but, in the end, they will benefit from the majesty that is Writer Than You.
Importantly, there will be none of this conformist, self-preserving, commercial retardation. We are not businessmen or scientists paid by big corporations. Instead, we are the only real voice in this world simply because we have nothing to lose or gain (apart from our DP’s and potential degrees, but that’s a topic for another time). We will tell the truth. We will hide none of our thoughts. We will represent and we will converse. Nothing can stop this blog.
This purpose of this post is just to tell you – my loving audience – how I will be writing my posts on this fine blog and what they’ll be about.
We’ll be covering movies, music, newspaper articles, magazine articles and a whole range of media topics. We’re going to be honest and critical with a flash of eloquence, wit and flair. There will be arguments, agreements, commendations, tears and possibly death threats. This blog will appeal to your senses and force you to think outside that box you’ve been forced to inhabit. I welcome to you all to the phenomenon that is Writer Than You.
This purpose of this post is just to tell you – my loving audience – how I will be writing my posts on this fine blog and what they’ll be about.
The purpose of our blog (Writer Than You) is to consume media, digest it, analyse it and then communicate it to our audience. Hopefully my posts won’t be as obsessively optimistic or stupidly cynical as most of the media ‘reviews’ I’ve read in my young and tender life. Apparently we’re blogging for journalism students and what students need isn’t another generation telling them what to think or feel or do. What we need is the views of our peers because, let’s face it, we follow what our friends say a lot more closely than we do with the words of our lecturers or tutors or parents. We need to thoughts of people we can relate to. Our analyses of the plethora of media in this world won’t be dull and dour like a lot of what we read nowadays. No – it will be spectacular!
We’re just students. We’re journalism students. And this is a blog. It’s not as if we’re going to censor ourselves in the same way many journalists are forced to – if you don’t believe me, feel free to read a newspaper and find something witty and riveting. And that’s exactly how the posts of Writer Than You will be written. They will be witty and they will be riveting. We’ll draw the reader in, we’ll toy with their minds but, in the end, they will benefit from the majesty that is Writer Than You.
Importantly, there will be none of this conformist, self-preserving, commercial retardation. We are not businessmen or scientists paid by big corporations. Instead, we are the only real voice in this world simply because we have nothing to lose or gain (apart from our DP’s and potential degrees, but that’s a topic for another time). We will tell the truth. We will hide none of our thoughts. We will represent and we will converse. Nothing can stop this blog.
This purpose of this post is just to tell you – my loving audience – how I will be writing my posts on this fine blog and what they’ll be about.
We’ll be covering movies, music, newspaper articles, magazine articles and a whole range of media topics. We’re going to be honest and critical with a flash of eloquence, wit and flair. There will be arguments, agreements, commendations, tears and possibly death threats. This blog will appeal to your senses and force you to think outside that box you’ve been forced to inhabit. I welcome to you all to the phenomenon that is Writer Than You.
Tuesdays tutorial was...interesting. I feel the task of filling out an identykit form is kind of condescending because there is no way to summarise anything about a person from just 2 pages of generalized questions. That point could have been emphasized in fare less time. In all the other aspects though, I felt that I learned quite a lot about myself as a journalist.
the tut forced me to look at why I am studying for this degree. i realized that the tut got me to the point that i am presently at where, I know I don't want to be a field reporter, which is what got me to study in the first place. I can see that I can't handle the pressure of feild journalism or any hard news. I see that my strength definately liees in critical media analysis. in that aspect, I am pleased i was there.
the tut forced me to look at why I am studying for this degree. i realized that the tut got me to the point that i am presently at where, I know I don't want to be a field reporter, which is what got me to study in the first place. I can see that I can't handle the pressure of feild journalism or any hard news. I see that my strength definately liees in critical media analysis. in that aspect, I am pleased i was there.
Comments (ie criticism) on le tutorial exorcism
By Himal Ramji
For the second tutorial of our blogging course for JMS1 we had to fill in what was called a ‘Suspect identification form’ and another form which seemed to serve the purpose of telling us more about ourselves.
Both of these, I think, served little or no purpose other than to prove that a form or mere words cannot encapsulate a human being. It seems overly practical but far from realistic to expect a double-sided sheet of paper to teach us more about ourselves.
In terms of the ‘Suspect identification form’ we were asked about our physical appearance as well as any peculiarities, where we are likely to be found, and our habits. Somehow I fail to grasp how this has any bearing on who we, in fact, are. There are just far too many variables involved in each descriptive trait which could explain that characteristic of that individual. But maybe there is a chance that the shape and texture of your eyebrows defines your character.
The exercise only seemed to deteriorate further when we turned over the page. We were struck with a list of 35 adjectives (all of which had positive connotations). We were then meant to list four of these adjectives to describe ourselves in the fields of love, family, study and journalism or blogging. In the end we were to tally up the recurring adjectives because this can apparently tell you a fair amount about yourself. So I am allegedly caring and opinionated. Somehow I find that hard to believe but if a piece of paper is able to define me then maybe I am the one at fault here.
After this period of deep reflection we rambled our way through a page of writing about ‘Why I (do not) want to be a journalist’. I really think it would have been more effective if we had handed in our short pieces of writing – maybe it would have helped curb the disillusionment many journalism students are suffering.
All in all if I said that I thought this tutorial exercise helped me understand myself or get to know myself better in any way I would have to accuse myself of being a blatant liar.
For the second tutorial of our blogging course for JMS1 we had to fill in what was called a ‘Suspect identification form’ and another form which seemed to serve the purpose of telling us more about ourselves.
Both of these, I think, served little or no purpose other than to prove that a form or mere words cannot encapsulate a human being. It seems overly practical but far from realistic to expect a double-sided sheet of paper to teach us more about ourselves.
In terms of the ‘Suspect identification form’ we were asked about our physical appearance as well as any peculiarities, where we are likely to be found, and our habits. Somehow I fail to grasp how this has any bearing on who we, in fact, are. There are just far too many variables involved in each descriptive trait which could explain that characteristic of that individual. But maybe there is a chance that the shape and texture of your eyebrows defines your character.
The exercise only seemed to deteriorate further when we turned over the page. We were struck with a list of 35 adjectives (all of which had positive connotations). We were then meant to list four of these adjectives to describe ourselves in the fields of love, family, study and journalism or blogging. In the end we were to tally up the recurring adjectives because this can apparently tell you a fair amount about yourself. So I am allegedly caring and opinionated. Somehow I find that hard to believe but if a piece of paper is able to define me then maybe I am the one at fault here.
After this period of deep reflection we rambled our way through a page of writing about ‘Why I (do not) want to be a journalist’. I really think it would have been more effective if we had handed in our short pieces of writing – maybe it would have helped curb the disillusionment many journalism students are suffering.
All in all if I said that I thought this tutorial exercise helped me understand myself or get to know myself better in any way I would have to accuse myself of being a blatant liar.
editors and articles
so today, I shadowed an editor for a local community newspaper. I had absolutely no idea what he was going to ask of me or what we would end up doing for the day. It turned out that there was a memorial service/lecture for Neil Aggett (for those of you uninformed, he died in detention for being an organizer of a workers union under apartheid). We walked through the chapel of Aggett's old school and as we approached as set of benches close to the lectern, my editor told me to sit there on my own. I did. then the academic procession began and I realized I was going to be sitting next to all the speakers in front of the entire audience.
the once the main speaker had been introduced, he got up to stand at the podium and started to speak. he spoke of far-off things like globalization, democracy and seeking social justice. i diligently took notes.
between all the verbal and academic wankery, came several strong messages, the man had very strong views on the current global economic status quo. he used the platform to berrate the USA for being the richest country in the world while have some of the most serious social ailments. he read out some facts; the united states currently has one in every 100 black men aged between 30 and 34, in prison. the number of people in the prison system of the US, is greater than the entire populations of Botswana and Lesotho put together.
He also juxtaposed the apartheid lagacy of descrimination, exploitation and violence with the way the financial pinacle treat the rest of society and of how globalization has been very bad for far more than to whom it has been good to.
My editor then left to go for a swim (i know hey) and he told me to write up an article and to write up a 120 word piece for the radio. I had no idea what angle he was looking for.
seeing as it was his memorial, i chose to write on the lecture from the side of an Aggett sympathizer and i proceded to tell the story of how Aggett lived and died and what we can learn from this.
I then showe dit to my editor when he showed up. he ate my soul for breakfast saying that i had written soft blog style writing that he would never be able to print. we then had a long chat about how I need to find the story beyond the platform and that i need to ask for a briefing before the event.
helpful words of wisdom. i just wish he could have been more approacheable. why is it that editors feel the need to have cub journo's learn by fire ALL the time? It is n't fun to feel like an idiot all the time. and the worst thing is that I am volunteering to get told that i don't know what i am doing. I told my editor that I have no idea what I was doing, in the hope that he might guide me with all his years of field experience. well all he said was that i will learn in time. WTF!!!
confused much??
Naarvissie
the once the main speaker had been introduced, he got up to stand at the podium and started to speak. he spoke of far-off things like globalization, democracy and seeking social justice. i diligently took notes.
between all the verbal and academic wankery, came several strong messages, the man had very strong views on the current global economic status quo. he used the platform to berrate the USA for being the richest country in the world while have some of the most serious social ailments. he read out some facts; the united states currently has one in every 100 black men aged between 30 and 34, in prison. the number of people in the prison system of the US, is greater than the entire populations of Botswana and Lesotho put together.
He also juxtaposed the apartheid lagacy of descrimination, exploitation and violence with the way the financial pinacle treat the rest of society and of how globalization has been very bad for far more than to whom it has been good to.
My editor then left to go for a swim (i know hey) and he told me to write up an article and to write up a 120 word piece for the radio. I had no idea what angle he was looking for.
seeing as it was his memorial, i chose to write on the lecture from the side of an Aggett sympathizer and i proceded to tell the story of how Aggett lived and died and what we can learn from this.
I then showe dit to my editor when he showed up. he ate my soul for breakfast saying that i had written soft blog style writing that he would never be able to print. we then had a long chat about how I need to find the story beyond the platform and that i need to ask for a briefing before the event.
helpful words of wisdom. i just wish he could have been more approacheable. why is it that editors feel the need to have cub journo's learn by fire ALL the time? It is n't fun to feel like an idiot all the time. and the worst thing is that I am volunteering to get told that i don't know what i am doing. I told my editor that I have no idea what I was doing, in the hope that he might guide me with all his years of field experience. well all he said was that i will learn in time. WTF!!!
confused much??
Naarvissie
Hitting screens near you!
All ye movie lovers, come forth into my realm! The land of those who live and breathe movies; those who cannot eat another slice of bread till the release of the ever anticipated movies! For those of you who have been holding their breathe till the last possible moment, turning blue and purple and your eyes nearly popping out. Well, hold your breathe no longer and pop your eye balls back into your head (as you will need them!) my movie lovers for I have the news of all news… G.I. Joe has landed!
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, bow your head in shame and walk away immediately! But for those who have seen it; you get a big gold star on your forehead. But on a serious note... what an amazing movie! I mean Channing Tatum is… what’s the word… HOT…. no that’s not it… Wonderfully handsome!
Based on the idealism of amazingly crafted outfits and most outrageous choreographed stunts; the audience is swept away by the intensity of the movie from start to finish. An action packed film with a sprinkle of romance, caters for a lot of peoples requirements!
This is a must see movie. Get down to the movies now and get watching!!!