Blog 8: Media Law

My example is of a popular libel case that ensued after David Beckham was allegedly accused of having an affair with a prostitute, which he claimed to be untrue and sued for 25 million dollars, but the judge denied his claim because they said he is a public figure, and any information about an affair would be of interest to the public, therefore not proving that the source of the rumor, In Touch Magazine, was guilty of slander or libel because his lawyers couldn't provide any concrete evidence against them. www.theguardian.com/football/2011/feb/15/david-beckham-magazine-libel-judge

Blog 7: Annotated Bibliography

X.O, Isabella. (May 6, 2014). Misrepresentation of People of color in the Media. 

Retrieved from https://youthradio.org/classroom/article/misrepresentation-of-people-of-color-in-the-media/

This topic pertains specifically to what I plan to discuss in my paper. It talks about not only the underrepresentation of minorities in media, but also the misrepresentation. In particular, it touches on the typical stereotypes that go along with representing these minority races on television and how this influences personal opinions. The media portrays races in a certain way, thus affecting the opinions of minorities in the audience, and also having an impact on the people of color themselves.

Collman, Ashley. (January 9, 2014). Saturday Night Live hires two black comediennes to add balance to the white-dominated writer's room. 

Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2536190/Saturday-Night-Live-hires-two-black-comediennes-white-male-dominated-writers-room-following-criticism-lacks-diversity.html

This article discusses the criticism that the creator of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaeal's receives due to his lack of diversity in his cast members, on and off the screen. In response to the criticism he receives, he went ahead to hire Sasheer Zamata, the first black female cast member in 6 years, and in addition to, LaKendra Tookes and Leslie Jones, who were hired to join the white male-dominated writer's room. It also discusses the lack of African American co-hosts, and the inability to represent some of the most influential black women in the world in their shows due to their lack of diversity in the cast. 

Zinoman, Jason. (October 23, 2013). For 'SNL' cast, Being Diverse May Be Better than Being 'Ready'.

Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/arts/television/for-snl-cast-being-diverse-may-be-better-than-being-ready.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1416297062-NfIyN4/MrOJriflpvlvyBA

In this article, it touches on other issues that the popular show, SNL faces. For instance, one of SNL's own cast members, Keenan Thompson, who is a African-American male speaks out about how he feels  that certain black comedians should be hired onto the show, but he believes they aren't simply because they are black. He also speaks about his own acting career and experiences and the issues he's faced along the way. One in particular being that he feels as a black comedian, the media slights his acting and tries to constrict his creative ways by always assigning him roles that require him to dress up like a woman. In response to his many roles of playing black women, he finally refused to stop performing in drag because not only is it emasculating, but gives them creative control over their art. 

Blog 5: Research Paper Topic

The research topic I have chosen is similar to what we discussed in class last week, "Is there a misrepresentation of women of color in the media, in particular, television? And is this an issue and how.

I will gather examples that I have found on television today, mostly in TV shows, and discuss how women of color are being misrepresented, why I think they're being misrepresented, and how and why I feel this is a problem. I also want to discuss the inevitable stereotypes and racism that is used as a means of comedy in TV shows and why I feel its more important to accurately reenact the lives of families of color, as opposed to making fun of them and exposing and subjecting them to be ridiculed, stereotyped, and judged even more. One show in particular that I will be using as an example in my paper is the new ABC show called "Blackish", which I also brought up in discussion last week in class. I think this show is a perfect example of how the media will only give big roles or sitcoms to people of color contingent upon their depiction of the race, rather than hiring people of color to gain knowledge on how they might REALLY act, and not just what people think they act like.