Weiner Analysis

Congressman Weiner’s use of Social Media to communicate with women does not influence how he performs in his job for his constituents.  The issue is that he lied about these relationships.  Not only did he lie, but he went to great lengths to hide his discretion's.  I think if he had been honest when this issue first came out, he would not have had to resign.  It would have been an embarrassing issue for him, but he could have continued to complete his job duties in Washington.  At some point in time, I believe we (the constituents) are going to be numb to these stories…it appears that most congressmen and women have indiscretions, I think part of the problem is that they run on platforms as family men and then when these affairs are exposed, their integrity, honesty, and ethics are scrutinized.  I think he made the right job in stepping down from political office, based solely on the fact of the extent of his lies and the great lengths he went to in order to deceive people.  I think this speaks highly of his morality and character.  He didn’t just lie…he went on national television, multiple times and denied this happening.  If he lies about something such as that…what else is he deceiving his constituents about?  The media certainly added to the issue, they choose what we focus on as news and all of the network and cable channels were highly focused on the issue at hand with Congressman Weiner.  Mr. Weiner tried to use the media as a PR weapon, but because of the extent of his lies, it did not work.  He ended up making it worse by using the media.      

Social Media has eliminated the boundaries of personal and professional lives.  Once items of a scrupulous nature are posted on the internet…you can never get them back.  And accidents do happen…how many of us, have hit “reply all” when we shouldn’t have?  Imagine throwing explicit pictures in the mix…something bad is liable to happen.  It is important to remember those messages can be broadcast to the world with or without permission.  For instance, if a cell phone is lost and there are pictures of unmentionable items on the camera…whoever finds the phone can post these pictures (even without authorization) for everyone to see.  It is best to not partake in these kinds of activities.  Social Media has eliminated the boundaries that kept our professional and personal lives separate.  The two are intertwined and as politicians run on family values and the importance of their morality, the two cannot be separated and social media provides an easy medium to ignore the boundaries and hold people accountable.  Take note:  do not take compromising of yourself!    

Social Media...The New Frontier

The video, “Is Social Media a Fad” was interesting, especially about advertising and word of mouth regarding products.  I recently had an experience, where I purchased a cake at a bakery for my daughters’ birthday.  The cake was awful and when I called the business to complain, I was ignored.  The next step I took was to write to the company, in a formal letter, but this action was also ignored.  My last attempt to let them know I wasted $35 on a cake was via, “Yelp.”  Within the hour I received a response noting they were sorry and offered to refund my money as well as give me a gift certificate for another cake.  They also requested I remove or revise my Yelp post signifying they took their peer reviews very seriously.  Social media is here to say and has a larger impact than any other form of communication out there.  It is changing the way we communicate and the way we receive information.  After the newspapers fail, I believe Network Television is next.  It is more convenient to watch TV on the web at your own time preference. 

Clay Shirky’s, “How Social Media Can Make History” made an excellent point regarding citizen journalism.  The fact that everyone has access to everyone else and can “talk” about the media they are receiving is changing the landscape of media and the way in which messages are delivered.  One of these changes is that information is exchanged in real time.  This means that issues do not have time to be filtered through professionals to frame the issue the way they see fit.  Information is communicated at the exact moment it is happening.  Regarding the 2012 election this means candidates cannot make remarks they do not mean or say something that shows them in a negative light, because the public can capture these moments on their cell phones and send it immediately.  Another way social media will help shape public opinion is that there are many more amateurs than professionals who can reach the general public.  The media is no longer delivered from only professionals, and so social media from peers can sway the public’s opinions.  A final change social media will make on swaying public opinion is accountability.  Since the information is delivered immediately, the candidates must be on-point and make sure nothing they have said in the past can harm them in the future…once it is delivered to the internet it is almost impossible to remove and people can “google” archives and past histories of candidates.  The changes of social media are exciting and I feel empowered about the changes it will make in the future…look at what happened in Egypt!   

Analysis of Politico

The blog site I chose to assess is Politico’s blog sites.  Politico is a web-site I look at on a regular basis.  My favorite things about the site are that is mostly only about Politics and they provide coverage of many issues, including issues and stances of politicians at the State Level.  I also really like that Politico offers links to all of the authors favorite blog links.  A disadvantage of the blog is that of all blog sites.  The blog represents and authors opinion and can be biased, but I think Politico does a good job of balancing the opinions.  The articles appear to be fair and balanced and represent a spectrum of opinions and has an excellent variety of stances on the issues and always provides insight into issues I haven’t thought of and allows me to think about issues in ways I haven’t before, and I really enjoy that!  The blog site is highly interactive and very user friendly and you can provide comments on each of the blogs.  The archives are easily found and as I mentioned above there are many links to other blog sites, which is great for a variety of opinions.  The site appeals to those not familiar with politics because of the user-friendly site and highly interactive pages.  It is very easy to use and find information.  Blogging sites can influence public opinion because they provide an analysis of politics and opinions that readers can process and use to take their stands on issues, and for this reason it is important to provide accurate and balanced information. 

Local Issue Debated at the National Level

An example of a local issue being evaluated at the National Level is evident through the Article on Politico entitled, “Budget, not Sept. 11, may spur safety network”.  The article notes that one of the recommendations out of the 9/11 Commission was to install a public safety communications network to help first responders better communicate data across departments and jurisdictions.  In order to install the network Congress needs to approve the budget for the program at a time when they are trying to decrease the deficit.  The advocates of the issue are the public safety workers and the general public who believe public safety is an important aspect of government provided services.  The opponents to the issue include those who believe the money could better be spent in other realms of the public sector.  The 9/11 Commission notes that during the emergency responders had a difficult time obtaining information even from people a few feet away and believe an overhaul of the communications system will help during other large national disasters or emergencies.  The public stands to gain from the implementation of this system since more accurate data can be delivered in a reasonable time frame.   Public safety concerns are sticky territory for politicians because public safety is generally perceived as the number one priority of public funds as according to the public.  Generally, politicians support public safety, and Arizona is no different.  For instance, at the City of Phoenix, the Police and Fire Departments did not take as large of budget cuts as the rest of the General Fund Departments due to the political ramifications of appearing to reduce public safety.  Since, the media brought this issue to light, I believe the new communication system will be implemented.  Politicians from our state are no different.  New programs and resources are devoted to keeping the public safe while other budget departments take further reductions, and I believe when the Arizona Legislators comes back to session public safety concerns, such as border protection will take precedence in our budget, because their position appeals to local voters, who as I mentioned before, are mainly concerned with public safety as their number one priority. 

 The statement, “you can’t believe anything you read in newspapers or see on T.V.”, means you should be very careful where you obtain your information.  It’s important to remember the producers of the articles, shows, production companies, and networks all have opinions and all need advertising revenues, so they have to choose politically viable opinions to present.   They cannot afford to offend people who help pay their bills and sometimes that can skew the information they present.  I believe you can still obtain information from these sources, but it is also important to balance the perspective with one from the other to side to help make informed decisions regarding the issue. 

All Politics is Local Politics

“All politics is local politics” means that voting on national issues is based on local information.  For instance people who make their decisions on national issues and campaigns due to perceived influences from their everyday surroundings.  A person may claim to be a Republican, but in the election will vote for a democrat because of a certain issue they believe in.  The statement means that all layers of government are intertwined and issues are not addressed to help the masses, but to help individuals. 

Media sources check each branch of government by bringing to light various issues and holding each branch accountable for their distinct functions.  For example, if the Executive Branch is overstepping its bounds, media outlets, such as the Washington will shed light on this and bring it to the public’s attention.  The negative attention will check and balance the executive branch and keep it within its designated boundaries as assigned in the Constitution.  The media shapes public opinion because without the media most people would not know where the candidates stand on issues and would have little information on the politicians.  The media is a whistleblower on government and their role “checks and balances” the government.  If the media did not exist, it would be impossible to know what is going on with candidates and who stood for what on particular issues.  There would not be a way for the politicians to reach the public and unless you lived in a particular area or had access to the politicians, it would be difficult to vote.  If the media did not exist, life in American society would be very different!

WHY AM I INTERESTED IN MEDIA AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS?

The media influences the way we think and act about certain items or policy issues.  The media shed light on everything from products and services to celebrities and politicians.  Without them, American society would be very different.  We would not be as motivated as we are to buy certain items or think a certain way about an issue.  One of the most important things a person can do regarding the media is research the claims and attempt to have a balanced perspective regarding social issues.  Social media has and will continue to change we view issues related to public policy.  The invention of smart phones and the internet allows EVERYONE to be a journalist, whether they are “trained” professional or not…

My name is Hello, my name is Markus Coleman. I am in my junior year of college and first year at ASU. My major is Urban and Metropolitan Studies. I have worked for the City of Phoenix for a total of 15 years with a majority of this time in the Development Services Department. I have mostly worked in the civil field of development by writing stipulations, reviewing, approving and issuing permits for construction. I currently work for the Public Transit Department and have the duty of managing the intergovernmental contracts between the City of Phoenix and transit service to other cities/agencies. In my spare time I enjoy working on my 1964 Impala and going to the movies.   I am hoping this class will better explain the relationship between the media and the influence it has on politics, since as I mentioned above, the media INFLUENCES EVERYTHING, and as a public administrator it will be important to know how to navigate the media industry.  I am interested in public affairs because I want to make Phoenix a better place to live and believe the media will play a large role in this.  I look forward to learning about my fellow classmates! 

Cheers!

Introduction

Hello, my name is Markus Coleman. I am in my junior year of college and first year at ASU. I have worked for the City of Phoenix for a total of 15 years with a majority of this time in the Development Services Department. I have mostly worked in the civil field of development by writing stipulations, reviewing, approving and issuing permits for construction. I currently work for the Public Transit Department and have the duty of managing the intergovernmental contracts between the City of Phoenix and transit service to other cities/agencies. In my spare time I enjoy working on my 1964 Impala and going to the movies.

 

Media substantially influences our decisions in life. A great example of media empowering people is evident through the Revolution in Egypt. Media has a negative stereotype, but the example of Egypt exemplifies the media and its role and how it led to great change within the country. I find it energizing that change was/is created in this manner. I think it is important to obtain news information from a variety of sources and on both ends of the political spectrum to ensure informed decisions and eliminate the effects of media influence. We must remember most American’s obtain their media from sources wishing to increase viewership and profit; therefore they must sensationalize their stories and make them interesting for their viewers. I believe if we keep this though in the back of our minds and accept this for what it is, we can still make intelligent decisions.