Does integrity matter?

In class this past week, somebody asked, why do we care so much about integrity in America? Who cares about a politicians personal life? We should be more concerned about how the person does his job. In general, i feel that integrity is very important. I really dont care how successful a person is, in whatever field, if they are a crappy person. Being a good person is much more important. However, when it comes to doing a job that has an impact on a large amount of people, it is more important how that person does the job, than what is going on in his personal life. I do feel that the media often puts too much emphasis on personal matters and not enough on the real issues and policies. Im not saying integrity doesn't matter at all. I would rather my politicians be good people and have great integrity. But when it comes to politics i'd like someone who can get the job done, first and foremost. I hope for that someone to have integrity, which he should, but if he isn't the greatest person its ok, long as he does a good job.

objective journalism?

I was recently listening to Boomer and Carton on wfan, when a topic came up that i thought related perfectly to this class. They were talking about Peter Vecsey, a sportswriter for the NY post, who apparently referred to them as "clowns" on another show. Boomer and Carton were very much bothered by this and Craig Carton went on to bash Vecsey for once taking a $60,000 loan from the owner of the New Jersey Nets, so he could buy a house in Shelter Island. The problem with this is that Vecsey covers the team. Knowing that he has such ties to the teams owner, how could you believe he is covering the team objectively? This is clearly a major conflict of interest and a true case of media corruption.

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/?podcast_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.podtrac.com%2Fpts%2Fredirect.mp3%2Fnyc.podcast.play.it%2Fmedia%2Fd0%2Fd0%2Fd0%2FdW%2FdX%2Fd8%2FdM%2FWX8M_3.MP3%3Fauthtok%3D5561387675031206931_FGRzpCeSV8bWIAKNHaTrNoHLzjw&podcast_name=Peter+Vecsey+Has+Some+Serious+Conflicts+of+Interest&podcast_artist=Boomer+Esiason+and+Craig+Carton&station_id=91&tag=&dcid=CBS.NY

Think for yourself

When it comes to political issues, it's important that people have their own opinion. You should not just believe everything you hear on the news or read in the papers. Because journalists have their own agendas, it is very easy for people to buy into whatever they say as the truth. A good example of this are the two newspaper articles about Obama and the budget that we talked about in class. Im not saying all journalists are crooked and are out to fool you, but don't let them think for you. Before forming a real opinion you should know as much of the story as possible. That means knowing both sides of the argument. Once you have reached the point where you are knowledgeable about a certain issue, and you know what you are talking about, it is safe to form an opinion.

Why people watch the news

I feel that most people in the United States who watch the news on a regular basis would much rather hear there side of the story. They are quick to dismiss the other side, they dont even wanna hear it. Because so many people watch the news so they can feel good about things, people aren't learning as much. They too often don't know what is actually going on, although they might like to think they do. People who are more on the right tend to watch news that is on the right. People on the left will watch news on the left. It wouldn't be a terrible thing if someone on one side watched to see what was being said on the other side.