Final BBC analysis! :)

The British Broadcasting Company, or BBC is an interesting organization that had a unique perspective on the 2008 United States presidential election. Unlike many of the other news media outlets, the BBC seemed fair and balanced, almost to the point of laziness. In a country where news is told, then analyzed then used as premise to make predictions, having news told without the extra fluff seemed unnatural. To understand exactly the way in which the BBC provides unbiased news, one must understand the history of the corporation, its perspective on the United States and our government, and how that influences the issues the reporters cover.

History of the BBC

The BBC was started with four men in 1922 reading bulletins nightly, so as to not deter the sale of newspapers (BBC, 2008). It has since gained a broader audience and vehicles for communication as the largest news broadcasting company in the world (Sambrook, 2008). Understanding that currently not only the British go to them for news, they have adopted a broader worldview. Their news now must be newsworthy for the world, or presented in a manner that allows audiences to get the news that is most salient to them. Deputy Director of News, Mark Damazer (2008), says, “There is no one universal news agenda that applies to all. That is why we broadcast in many different styles and why a story given prominence in the UK may not even be mentioned by our international channels.”

Organizations that have a worldwide audience must have strong moral and guiding principles. However, one learns that values differ throughout the world. For example, Americans value choice and freedom; Australians also value the same but in a different way. For example, Australians must vote, and it is considered rude to ask to have your hamburger without tomato. In America, of course, it is your choice whether or not you vote, and it is the American way to have your burger ‘any way you want.’ The BBC recognizes this, and has worked to satisfy the needs and wants of those and many other cultures throughout the globe.

The BBC has a mission, vision and then list of values that guide the organization. The mission of the BBC is a simple one: to enrich people’s lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain (BBC, 2008). Further, their vision is “to be the most creative organization in the world” (BBC, 2008). Finally, their values are listed below:

· Trust is the foundation of the BBC: we are independent, impartial and honest.

· Audiences are at the heart of everything we do.

· We take pride in delivering quality and value for money.

· Creativity is the lifeblood of our organization.

· We respect each other and celebrate our diversity so that everyone can give their best.

· We are one BBC: great things happen when we work together.

In America, when people talk about watching the news, most assume that they are watching CNN, FOX, or MSNBC. All three are owned by bigger companies or corporations with vested interests and usually an apparent skewed perspective. For example, FOX is owned by News Corporation, CEO Rupert Murdoch who gives generously to the Republican party and issues owned by that party. Not only are these three owned by bigger companies, but are all based out of the United States.

The BBC, the largest broadcast news operation in the world, is connected to BBC News and BBC Worldwide, both governed by the BBC Trust (Sambrook, 2008). The BBC news u umbrella encompasses BBC News 24, BBC Parliament, BBC World, interactive services, Ceefax and the BBC News Online (Sambrook, 2008). An article by the director the BBC News, Richard Sambrook, insists that the BBC is often the first place that the people in the UK and around the world come to find impartial news (2008). Some statistics he used to back up this claim came from an ICM, a British research company, poll saying that 93% of the United Kingdom population turned to BBC television, radio, text or online during the first two weeks of the war in Iraq. The survey also showed that in the first week of the conflict, BBC News 24 was seen by 70% of the population—40 million people.

In 2006, the BBC was granted a royal charter that has allowed them money from the government. However, in the agreement between the BBC and government, it was clear that the BBC would retain all editorial control over all media sources. This allowed them to stay true to the first value of being impartial, independent and honest. To drive the point home, and emphasize the idea of nonpartisanship and dedication from the BBC, let the chairman serve as an example. The Chairman of the BBC Trust is Sir Michael Lyons. He had been a very active and revered politician in Britain on behalf of the Labour Party for over 20 years (Conlan & Holmwood, 2007). The Labour party is equivalent to the American Democratic Party (Conlan & Holmwood, 2007). However, upon his appointment to chairman, he resigned from the party, and went on to give speeches and interviews promoting the necessity of a ‘spin-free’ broadcasting company (Conlan & Holmwood, 2007). In an article from the Guardian.co.uk, Lyons is quoted saying, “A BBC that is not independent is, frankly, not worth having. It certainly would not be able to meet the demanding public purposes laid out in the new charter, nor would it long continue to enjoy the public's affection and trust,” (Conlan T. , 2007).

This dedication was apparent in the news stories leading up the election. It was sometimes as if the reporters would wait for the fact sheets to roll in from the candidates and then write a story with varying opinions and little analysis.

Perspective

Five years ago, the BBC and ten other national broadcasters from around the world held a poll that asked the people of the world what they thought of the United States of America. It is important to remember that at this time, America had drug the entire world into essentially a 9/11 witch hunt in two Middle Eastern countries. The results were not very favorable to America in many aspects.

For example, the results, all presented in graph form showed the only Americans had a favorable perception of how we deal with the Israeli/Palestinian conflict (BBC, 2003). In another question, many nations thought that America was more dangerous than North Korea, Iran, Syria and many other hostile nations (BBC, 2003). The final question asked how much safer they were with America’s military.

While many might think that this unfavorable perception of the United States might influence the way that the BBC writes and covers the Presidential Election, this is not true. Stereotypically, America is both envied and hated across the globe. Some insist that ‘Globalization’ and “Americanization” are one in the same, meaning that America’s culture and influence the rest of the world (Owolabi, 2001). This makes it easy for the BBC to be unbiased.

Sticking with their second value, “Audiences are the heart of everything that we do,” the BBC would have to be unbiased. With news like BBC America on one hand, and then news going to Jordan, they have to report the facts; and only the facts. Because people’s perceptions are so different across the globe, and the audiences that the BBC reaches, it does not make sense to shape the news in a certain way or to have a set agenda of news.

Agenda, as defined by McCombs (2005), is “defined abstractly by a set of objects.” This, occurring especially within biased media sources like MSNBC and FOX News, is often defined by ownership of issues. For example, Republicans ‘own’ crime, national security, and foreign policy, while Democrats champion health care, social welfare issues, and income and job security (Petrocik, 1996). Again, since the BBC has a variety of different publics to keep in mind, and also given that those involved with Trust, the governing branch have removed themselves from positions of political influence, it is not surprising that they cover a large variety of issues in nonpartisan ways.

Reports show…

Tracking the BBC for over 10 weeks, then later analyzing the content, it is clear that the newsworthiness of some things differed from other US sites, but was less ‘spun.’ Many times the stories had a much broader perspective. For example, when the economic bailout became big news within the election, the BBC ran stories with comments and insight from the McCain campaign, as well as the Obama. When McCain decided to suspend his campaign, rather than praising him, as Fox probably did, or criticizing him, as MSNBC probably did, they stated the facts. The article headlined, “US rivals in economic crisis talk,” read, “Mr McCain has suspended his campaign over the crisis, but Mr Obama says voters should hear from the candidates. The two men are scheduled to attend a meeting with the president and congressional leaders at 1600 local time,” (BBC News, 2008).

Throughout the weeks, checking at least three times per week (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday), the BBC reportedly had 22 neutrally framed stories based on issues, meaning that they were not supportive or unsupportive of either the McCain or Obama. They also had 28 neutrally framed stories about the character of either candidates. This means that they might say that McCain is a maverick, but Obama is a progressive thinker. Rather than taking ownership and calling either of them anything, however, the BBC had this way of finding someone else to call them that. For instance, they might say, “McCain, the self proclaimed ‘maverick’” or “Obama, who Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House, calls the most progressive member of the Senate…”

The BBC has stayed true to their mission, vision and values during this election. They stated the facts, without the ‘spin’ that many see in American news. It appears that in a country of biased news, one may have to rely on the British to hear the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Bibliography

BBC. (2008, November 24). About the BBC. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from BBC Home:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/purpose/

BBC News. (2008, September 25). US rivals in economy crisis talks . Retrieved November 24,

2008, from BBC News: America:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7634810.stm

BBC. (2003, June). What the world thinks of America. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from BBC

News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/programmes/wtwta/poll/html/default.stm

Conlan, T. (2007, November 29). Lyons vows to keep BBC Trust 'spin free'. Retrieved November

24, 2008, from Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/nov/29/bbc.television2

Conlan, T., & Holmwood, L. (2007, April 12). Lyons resigns from Labour party. Retrieved

November 24, 2008, from Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/apr/12/bbc.politicsandthemedia

Damazer, M. (2008). Editorial policy. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from About BBC news:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/aboutbbcnews/hi/editorial_policy/newsid_3247000/3247578.stm

McCombs, M. (2005). A look at Agenda setting: Past, present and future . Journalism Studies , 6

(4), 543-557.

Owolabi, K. A. (2001). Globalization, Americanization and Western imperialism. Journal of

Social Development in African , 16 (2), 71-92.

Petrocik, J. (1996). Issue ownership in presidential elections with a 1980 case study. American

journal of political science , 40 (3), 825-850.

Sambrook, R. (2008). About BBC News. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from bbc.co.uk:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/aboutbbcnews/hi/this_is_bbc_news/default.stm

Christmas is HERE!

At my college, I do work study at the college's switchboard. As exciting as that might sound, I mostly answer phones, questions, and explore YouTube.com. We've since got a Santa that can sing any song-- just plug him in to my laptop. This has provided hours of entertainment... BUT nothing tops this video I found last year:

I know I know... I just can't help myself... So hilarious! Anyways, have a happy Thanksgiving-- and hope this provides a nice break from productivity. :)

Gold Stars and PR

So, for my PR Campaigns class had a Gold Star contest based on a short analysis of a current event or some other PR case. While I didn't win, I did come in only one star behind. Below are my weekly blogs from the Angel class module. I hope you enjoy!

Mothers deciding who to feed.
What is the situation?
Mothers in Haiti are having to decide which child lives and dies, as they ration what tiny bit of food they have left, CNN reports.

What is the background of the situation?
There has always been impoverished countries and starving people, but we have seen a dramatic increase as the population continues to explode; and as the economy around the world is hurting, food pantries in even the US has seen a significant increase in the number of people that need food.

What is the significance?
This is an awesome opportunity for Monsanto, as there genetically altered food might be a solution to this problem. This might lead to increased funding in research in how to better grow and produce a higher yield of food. This provides the opportunity to build relationships with government and find ways to cheapen the cost of production: this is something that Monsanto wants to do anyways. It also is an obstacle for farmers, b/c we know that this food is not cheap. It's cheaper to buy two hot dogs from Sheetz, than it is to buy a pack of strawberries, or a piece of grilled chicken.
I would suggest that Monsanto needs to inform farmers about this, and encourage them to make more food. The more food will need to meet the high demand at a reasonable price. This should increase the profit for Monsanto, build better relationships and, most importantly help provide some relief for families across the globe.

Healthcare Crisis: Toothless in Appalachia
What is the situation?
The Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps. travel to Wise County Fair Grounds in Virginia for three days to treat the uninsured and underinsured in Appalachia. The Washington Post did a multi-part feature story, including articles, pictures, video and more on the web and in their paper on the crisis and how severe it is in Appalachia.

What is the background of the situation?
Appalachia has been stereotyped, not just in America, but throughout the world as shoeless, toothless, impoverished hicks. The cost of health care, has created a situation where people are literally dying of diabetes but only seek health care once a year when RAMV come to town. A bigger problem being that the ADA is accused of intimidating schools and lobbying against allowing dental hygienist to operate without a dentist supervision or allowing/sponsoring dental therapy majors or consortium for individuals in isolated areas. (They threatened one school by saying they would have members stop donating to the university if they moved forward with the major).

Mike Riggs, writer/intern at reason.com, wrote, "Despite the ADA's best efforts at controlling the cost of dental care, the tide may be turning. In May, reports The Charleston Gazette, West Virginia (whose dental problems rival those of its neighbor, Kentucky) passed a bill that will allow dental hygienists—whose services cost a fraction of those of a licensed dentist—to practice outside of a dentist's office and without a dentist being present. Legislators passed the bill—in spite of loud ADA objections—after journalist Eric Eyre wrote a series of articles detailing the state's abysmal dental care. Bills like the one in West Virginia create new jobs while lowering medical costs."

What is the significance of the situation?
This situation effects a variety of organizations; the State of Virginia, West Virginia, & Kentucky; the ADA; dentists in VA, WV, KY; colleges and universities; lawmakers and policy makers in those states; the RAMV...and many more.
I think that the best opportunity lies with the colleges and universities and law makers. I think that colleges that look at a dental therapy major, and work with legislatures to pass legislation similar to that of WV; allowing people with this major to perform these basic dental practices. For example, if a school like Virginia Tech added the dental therapy major, then worked with the VA legislature to pass this, it would help create a solution to the dental crisis we're seeing in south-western Virginia and southern region of Kentucky by providing a lower cost care for those in need. If a school like Wesleyan did that, and worked, it would help provide jobs in this area, allowing students to stay close to home and also giving students an opportunity to work in this field without 7 or 8 years in school; it would help the people in need in the area, and should help provide relief when it comes to health care costs.

This is an obstacle for the ADA, as they have gained a bad reputation with these articles. Much like Monsanto, they need to find a way to regain a positive reputation within the media and (not so much Monsanto) help foster relationships with colleges and universities. Perhaps they, too, should explore areas to expand the dental arena or sponsoring free dental days within Appalachia so that they are also helping to find a solution to this plague we're experiencing.

Bittersweet Victory
What is the situation?
Obama's grandmother passed away today.

What is the background of situation?
We know that Obama's grandmother has been sick. Last week, he took a couple days off from campaigning to visit his grandmother.

What is the significance of the situation?
First, this is an obstacle for McCain. We know that McCain has really based his entire campaign on criticizing Obama; calling him a terrorist, socialist, radical and inexperienced. In the final hours of campaigning, McCain can't be too harsh on Obama without appearing like an ass. He also can't do a 180, and suddenly be an empathetic to someone about whom he has made such serious accusations.

Second, and most interesting is what this means to Saturday Night Live: Presidential Bash 2008. Most of the skits are pre-recorded, but this untimely death is an obstacle for the comedians. NBC must not ignore this, but also cannot be soft in a manner that makes them appear biased for Obama. They must provide a great show without being insensitive.

Obama describes the feeling as bittersweet. He is less than 24 hours away from being the next president, and just lost the 'rock' of his family. I think that continuing through the campaign, while acknowledging and reacting to this tragedy will, much like everything else he has done, be one more challenge that he will shine through.

What are you doing?
What is the situation?
The New York Times just wrote an article called "U.S. Army lays out scenarios with terrorists using Twitter"

What is the background of the situation?
Twitter is a networking tool that asks, "what are you doing." It allows you to join groups and follow friends by asking that question. It also has the capabilities of getting pictures and almost like an instant message between friends. Last month the Republicans used Twitter to protest a piece of legislation. It has grown to hold some extremists, and has some government officials concerned about terrorism and the impact this tool can have for terrorists.

What is the significance of this situation?
This is a huge obstacle for Twitter. The New York Times is a reputable liberal paper— and if it is concerned with terrorism vs. free speech, then I bet this story will be picked up by others in the media in no time. This is also a company that is interested in growing, and when stories like this are released, it might spark fear in some people. No one wants to be associated with an organization that is deemed as untrustworthy. It really puts the creator of Twitter in an awkward position. Part of it is allowing people to express their views and message people. It also doesn't have a mission statement online to tell exactly what its purpose is, however it does say, "Twitter has grown into a real-time short messaging service that works over multiple networks and devices. "

I think that the opportunity here will be with government relations. This article made me very afraid. I wasn't familiar with Twitter, and I began immediately to distrust this organization. If, however, I knew that they were working with government to police the website— not to quiet the public, but to ensure safety of the general public, I would feel much better about the organization. If the organization developed some way to track things like this, they could also become a leader within the virtual realm that other organizations such as Facebook, MySpace, AIM, MSN, and others could follow to keep the world safer.

Drive through Voting
The situation:
Early voting has started in many states

The background of the situation.
States, in recent years, in an effort to get more people out to the polls have started using early voting to entice people so that they do not have to wait in long lines on election day

the significance of the situation
America has turned to a place where people want instant gratification. Orange County California recognizes this, and again, in an effort to get more people out to the polls has started drive through voting. This is an awesome opportunity for the state of California and especially the Secretary of State's office. If this turns out to be a good thing, then it might catch on across the nation. This could also be an obstacle, because it isn't so much of a secret. The article does not tell how they make it a secret; there could be others in the car, and we must watch out for voter fraud. However, this allows the soccer mom to vote on her way to the game...

This makes us wonder what kind of voter will come out for this voting; who will it help— the democrats or the republicans...

Ut-Oh Enrollment
The situation?
The economy is a state of crisis.

The background of the situation?
It started as bad prime mortgage loans, and a recession, and has quickly spun out of control leading to tightened credit, panic on Wall Street, and several banks and companies filing bankruptcy, or being bought by other corporations.

The significance of the situation:
With companies like Wachovia Corp. freezing assets, it has transcended across housing market lines, and is affecting over 1000 colleges and private schools. In a time of economic recession, private schools have a hard time recruiting students anyways, but with headlines such as "Colleges Scramble as Fund Is Frozen," in the Wall Street Journal doesn't help with the recruiting process.

However, within this crisis lies an opportunity for WVWC. West Virginia Wesleyan College did not have assets frozen in the Wachovia crisis. While our stock has been hit by the tough economic crisis, our portfolio is very diverse, so we weren't as affected as schools such as Bethany. That means that when students come to Wesleyan to visit, we can say that we have not had to find other sources of revenue to pay our faculty and staff. We can also say with confidence that we are still a strong school that is not in jeopardy of closing with the current crisis. This could be used as a recruitment tool. Another advantage is that we are a residential school, meaning that housing and food is equated in our financial aid package. Since most of the loans and payments are through the federal government, and most aid is from endowed scholarships, our admissions staff can confidently say that although the US might be facing an economic crisis, it should not deter students from applying to Wesleyan. With our enrollment not meeting the goals last year, it is imperative that we work to achieve these enrollment numbers. Who would have thought that this crisis would be a tool that Wesleyan could use to met that goal?

It seems we're outta gas...
The situation:
There is a gas shortage in Georgia, North Carolina, and other southern states, leaving drivers waiting for hours for a tank of gas.

The background of the situation:
There is a pipeline that was affected by Hurricane Ike. This has not only sparked a shortage— but a huge panic. Drivers at one station near Charlotte, NC waited 9 hours for a gas truck at a gas station. They didn't just leave after 9 hours either; an attendant had to come out and tell them that the gas truck was not coming. To make matters worse, Kenneth B. Medlock III, an official from Rice University said “If I had to put a date on it, I’d say things won’t be normal for two more weeks.”

The significance of this situation:
NASCAR returns to Charlotte in less than two weeks. Although they hope to be back to normal in two weeks, when you talk about NASCAR, we're talking about over 2000 gallons of gasoline (assuming their tanks hold 22gal, and they make at least 3 pit stops). This isn't taking into account the other two races, the trailers used to pull in the cars, the buses that the drivers bring, and the campers, cars, trucks and SUVs that fans bring to the race. I know a lot of people that go from WV and even as far away as Florida or Ohio. This gas shortage is going to be a huge obstacle for NASCAR, not only because it will be harder to fans to get there, and getting gas for the cars, but also because they have been a company that has traditionally cared about its fans. Moving forward still having the race without releasing some kind of statement about the gas shortage, would be seen as negligent and careless on the part of the company.

Cheap gas
The situation:
Fuel prices are rising around the world.

The background of the situation:
Gas prices began to surge after 9-11, and have increasing gone up around the world. Within the past year, with the slowing economy, they have not only gone up here in America, but also abroad. One place in particular is Australia. However, many Australians, rather than driving around and finding the cheapest gas, would search for it on in the internet. People that googled "petrol prices" often were looking for Australian cities.

The significance of the situation:
The significance is that Google recognized the opportunity that afforded itself. Once marketing directors noticed how many hits they were getting in Australia for cheap fuel prices, they began to look for ways to get more users. This came with making a new gadget that would help Aussies find cheap gas along their route.

The obstacle will be from the perspective of the gas stations. Stations that are off the beaten path, thus probably costing more to get gas, will find it hard to compete with the places that can afford to get gas cheaper. They must find a way to retain the customers they already have, because many people would wait 15 miles to get gas for ten cents cheaper, even though it ten gallons is only one dollar more.

Texting and Driving
The situation:

There was a train wreck in Los Angeles on Friday that investigators think may have been caused when the engineer was distracted by a text message.

The background of the situation:
Some states have passed laws outlawing texting or using phones while driving. One news article claims that it can be as harmful as alcohol when mixing with driving. (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Cell_phones_as_harmful_as_alcohol_when_mixed_with_driving/articleshow/3485020.cms) This is really the first case that has been in headlines of an engineer or driver of some type of mass transportation killing over 20 people in a cell-phone related accident. This was the deadliest train accident in over 15 years in America killing 25 people, and injuring over 40.

The significance of the situation:

The news media has made this story pretty big. Investigators have not released what provider of cell phone the engineer had, but you have to believe that has to be a concern for the company. Currently, they have no literature about safely using cell phones. AT&T actively works on philanthropic projects, especially in the wake of natural disasters, but have not made any kind of comment about this situation. This accident could be an obstacle for gaining potential customers. If I were the parent of a teen, I might be hesitant about getting my son or daughter a phone with text messaging. For parents with teens that already have that service, they might think about having it removed as their teen(s) start driving. However, if they respond to this by talking to the families, and perhaps starting a campaign about the dangers of talking & driving, and texting & driving, families will see AT&T as a responsible company that cares about their customers. This might sway potential customers to pay a little more for a company that cares. In this case, it would be a great service to the public AND an opportunity. Taking no action could come back to bite them later.

In addition, this might even be a time for them to work on their government relations. This is an opportunity to pass regulation on a national level regulating when people cannot use their cell phones— which, again, could also be an obstacle if they are not proactive in those relationships with law makers. Although no one has mentioned AT&T or any other cell phone provider, this is a crisis not directly related to the company that they should have a plan in order to respond.

Britney's Big Comeback!
What is the situation?
The situation is that Britney Spears was again asked to be part of MTV's Video Music Awards.

What is the background of the situation?
Britney came out in the late 90's. She was the Mousekateer, American sweetheart. Pre-teen and teen girls idolized this new pop goddess. She had number one hits after another. She was thought to be dating the boy band heart throb, Justin Timberlake. After their devastating breakup, he leaked that America's sweetheart may 'not be that innocent.' From there, her reputation began to go downhill, and only slipped faster after a weekend marriage, shaving her head, endangering her children, and her alleged drug and alcohol use. She has tried to make comebacks a couple other times, but has been unsuccessful. Last year, during the VMAs, she came out in a bikini looking as if she was high on some sort of drugs... In addition to being criticized for not performing well, most of the public and press criticized her for being a little too curvy for that outfit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK-T5Y1ZeVg

What is the significance or importance of the situation?

This is a PR opportunity for her. At this year's VMAs, she came in a dress that covered her. Her eyes were bright, and she spoke clearly. She looked very much like her 'old' self. She was once the Princess of Pop, and she still has a pretty large fan base that are currently just disappointed in her actions. If she could come back with a positive image, she could again be making records, and again be a role model for tweens and teens. It mostly affects her popularity in the eyes of the public, as well as her wallet. If she makes a complete comeback, she, much like the New Kids on the Block, will be on the covers of magazines, doing concerts on The Today Show, and making tons of money, again. This was her big opportunity to really reach out to her target audience as the new and improved 'Britney.'

Republican do-gooders
Organization: FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
Situation: Hurricane Gustav
The background is that Hurricane Gustav appeared last week to be a storm of major significance that could influence the lives of thousands, if not millions. It gained strength after killing many in the Caribbean, and appeared to present an imminent danger for the Louisiana & other southern coasts.
The significance of this situation is that FEMA had a terrible response after Hurricane Katrina. There reputation is currently in terrible condition, and being prepared for this situation—or not being prepared for this situation could either cause further detriment to the organization, or it could help in regaining the trust of the public. This situation, from the eyes of FEMA can be a HUGE obstacle, or it could be an opportunity. I feel that this time, this will be an opportunity, because there are many in Washington who have worked to get funding and supplies to these areas already. This is apparent in both FEMA’s website, as well as the influence it has created at the Republican National Convention.

Week in review...

It's down to the wire. Today, I watched an Obama rally in Columbus, Ohio. He said two words that made the crowd go insane... what words?

TWO DAYS.

It seems like yesterday that I was looking at the BBC for the first time... and now this is the last time that we look at the site to see who the winner is going to be.

The BBC has not really tried to frame things in a way that has lead me to believe they are endorsing one candidate over another. They really have been fair and balanced. I remember being in England watching the news, and being shocked at the little emotion that newscasters put into their news; and now I believe it is shining through with the writing...

For the final week before the election, these have been the top stories on the BBC:
1. Obama moves into Republican states.
Obama has moved into historically republican states. He has more money, and isn't afraid to spend it. He is even spending in Georgia, a state that has only voted Democrat ONCE in the last 20 years. While some pundits say that it may be a sea of blue November 4, the BBC says that within the states, it still might be close...
Meanwhile, McCain is focusing on Pennsylvania...
2. Obama's auntie!
Apparently Obama has an aunt living in America... illegally! He said that he had no knowledge of his Kenyan aunt living in Boston. "David Axelrod, Mr Obama's chief media strategist, told reporters he believed that people would be "suspicious about stories that surface in the last 72 hours of a national campaign". " The BBC made this story about Obama's history, and really didn't do a whole lot of investigation. Sometimes I feel like the BBC just waits for fact sheets from the candidates, and then writes the articles accordingly. I haven't had a chance to watch the news-- but I hadn't heard of this story either... at this point, I think it's too close and the economy is in too bad of a shape to focus on an illegal immigrant aunt...
3. Palin's duped!
Bahahaha!! A Canadian comedian pranked called Sarah Palin, pretending to be the French Prime minister... Good news for the McCain campaign-- she didn't embarrass the family. the BBC even included a taped portion that is very funny. I hadn't heard of this, but apparently the people in Europe got a kick out of it.
4. Cowboy Up
In an effort to give McCain some good press, the BBC wrote an article about how Wyoming voters would never send Obama to the White House... However, I don't know that it really shows McCain in a good light. One statement said, "One said a mixture of habit and tradition, sprinkled with a douse of racism, put paid to any hopes they had of winning Wyoming."
Is it better to foster racism to win an election, or lose? I think it might be like that Ketchem commerical... I don't what he calls me, as long as he votes for me...
This has made me think about uneducated voters-- and the Australian way of making everyone vote... Should educated voters votes count for more? Don't we want smart people that understand politics picking our leaders? and does it benefit the democrats or the republicans to have this demographic voting??
5. The Gov-a-nator
Arnold travels to Ohio to help John McCain in his bid for the presidentency. This is something that I've heard about. McCain has to make a comeback... and what better person to help that the man who is known for the "I'll be back" line? The funny thing about the article, though, is the fact that the reporter actually talks alot about how (see #1) Obama is running ads in places like Georgia... and even in McCain's home state of Arizona... If this story is saturated with these reports about Obama, then is this even the story??


One last thing that I want to add is a video from the BBC... There isn't an article, but I do believe that this should be something that you see.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/us_elections_2008/7704636.stm
I think it says something about the way America is stereotyped around the world...

I believe that McCain should probably start working on that concession speech...

Pack it up, Honey. We're going to the White House.

This is the point at the high school basketball game when the kids start yelling, "Warm up the buses" or "It's all over."
Friday, October 31, 2008 11:42 pm.
No tricks here; only treats for Obama. In the final days before the election, Obama is moving into typically Republican states. While McCain is in Ohio, and Palin in Pennsylvania, Obama is making stops all over the US, and pouring more money into states like Georgia; a state only voted for a democrat once in the last 20 years.

However, the BBC is still giving McCain a chance. They say that he could be the underdog... That's what he is claiming, so they are reporting it.

Are they giving McCain too much credit? Or are they just trying to 'make news'? They said national polls say that Obama is way ahead overall, but battleground states' polls make it seem closer. After the freshmen seminar presentations, I don't know if I buy it...

It's wonderful to fool the pundits, we're going to win in the state of Pennsylvania

The main article for today, October 28, 2008 10:37 pm, is about the battleground states, and McCain trying to catch up. McCain and Obama has spent a lot of time in Pennsylvania and North Carolina... and the BBC is not doubting McCain.

Sometimes I wish I had a news source more biased... Again, this article is straightforward. It says, yeah, McCain is behind... But he says he's catching up. Yeah, McCain is neck in neck with Obama in North Carolina, a state that hasn't voted democrat since the 60s or 70s, but McCain has been visiting, and it could still go either way.

They do say, "[McCain] He is the first Republican in many years to find himself outgunned financially and outmuscled on the ground, our correspondent says.

As if to hammer home the point, Mr Obama has bought a costly 30-minute "infomercial" due to be shown on leading US networks on Wednesday evening."

While some may believe this might make it look a little biased, I can't help but see that it is the truth... I think the only thing that McCain can hope for now is lots of racist Americans...

frame it!

This one is the one that I used for YouTube-- and is actually most current..



Still not sure who I'm going to vote for... but here is a video that I had assigned in my media and election seminar using YouTube downloader and Windows Movie Maker. Hope you enjoy...

Wrap up...

As the election draws near, it is gaining more and more attention from the international media. This week has been a good week for news-- but it is funny how different the BBC is from other news sources in America. The issues this week are....
1. The traditional October surprise...
Dr Rupp and Pete talked about this on the first day of Freshmen seminar. The BBC asks, though, will it matter with all the early voting? Will another Osama video come out, using fear as a persuasive means to gaining votes for the Republican party? It is hard to imagine one man being responsible for literally THOUSANDS of deaths, and we can't find him... We have computer programs that know the kind of music that we like based on genres and beats per minute-- but we can't find ONE guy?? This isn't how they frame it-- but they do say bluntly that this is the reason Bush won in 2004. Does it match up with everything I know? Yep.

2. Early voting
The BBC reports that early voting is helping Democrats. The key for McCain to win is for democrats not to get out and vote... Voting in states like North Carolina, a key battleground state has early voting up nearly 400%. The articles says, "In the past, Republicans have tended to benefit from early voting.

"This is like a mirror image of what we've seen in the past," said Paul Gronke, of the Early Voting Information Center at Reed College. "This cannot be good news for John McCain."

Overall, early voting is running about twice as high this year as in 2004 in many states."

It's more than gaining the support of the people. It is about getting the support, and then energizing them in a manner that will make them go out and vote... and Obama is doing that well..

3. McCain the underdog!

McCain is behind... We all know it, but on Meet the Press, McCains says he's not worried... The BBC did a great job at just talking about the situation. McCain claims that the polls aren't accurate... and the BBC doesn't rip him to shreads because of it... and that is probably because it is true. Really, since we do not use cell phones to do polls, they are missing an important segment of the American picture... I know people like my aunt are hoping they are wrong... But, we'll see....

4. Palin's ethics...

While the media in the US can't get over how great Tina Fey does as Sarah Palin, the British are focusing on how... no, wait, wait...

In their "Election in a nutshell" segment, they mention how the Ethics report found Palin to be unethical... What articles did they write though? Tina Fey has to glue her ears down to do a better Palin... I can see the brainstorming session for this week's news stories in case there aren't any tragedies... World hunger? nahhh.... Inpropriaties of an elected officials-- eh, we'll mention it... Tina Fey glues her ears... OMG< FRONT PAGE...

yet, suprisingly enough... that is what people are talking about...

5. McCain isn't playing fair...

That's what Obama is claiming... and again, this is what America is talking about... Last week, in seminar, we talked about Robo-Calling... The BBC doesn't go into great detail about this... I actually didn't realize that this was what this artilce was about until I read it... They took a much less biased view of this topic, using Obama's words and accusations, how ever accurate, to write the story. Again, the BBC seems to want to stay out of this partisanship, while reporting the facts.

Overall, the BBC did a pretty good job this week... I am anxious to see what happens next week-- The last time we'll see election news for four years, as long as there is no Y2K fiasco...

October Surprises

I usually wait until the last minute to write these blogs, but after visiting bbc.co.uk at 8:30 am on October 23, I realized I couldn't wait...

This wasn't just the front page of the American Election section... No, it was on the main page of the website. It talked about the 2004 election and the Osama video coming out the week before the election... and this article talked about what can happen with the time before this election dwindling...

The discussion in the article makes it appear that a twist would have to occur to benefit John McCain-- BUT it can't be anything that he can be rash about... He is already known as the 'maverick', but some believe that he makes decisions without really thinking or considering the things necessary for a president to consider. The question, then, is really-- is there going to be something happening having to do with something where McCain is stronger in the coming months that Republicans would have potential power over... For instance, if the White House has a tape of Bin Ladin that has not been released yet... that would magically appear before election day...

Another topic that I hadn't thought about is that so many people take advantage of early voting, that it is hard to say how many would be influenced by this action... I would argue, though, that those that have voted already probably were confident in those that they voted for...

It is funny that this is brought up; I remember the first day of Pete and Rupp's freshmen seminar, and they talked about something happening before the election that could turn things around... Right now, I think that the only thing McCain can do is sit back and pray for the Bradley effect...

REJECTED

October 21, 2008. 11:13 pm
So, it's all about framing. While the BBC has done a really great job at being fair and balanced, BUT today's headline read, "Russians reject McCain cash plea."
The article reads that there was a mishap in the technology, and that the McCain campaign accidentally solicited money for the campaign from Russia. They talked about how, first, candidates were not allowed to accept money from foreign donations. They then went on to talk about how McCain spoke out against them during the Georgia-Russia conflict, and also suggested that we throw Russia out from the G-8 because of their behavior when it comes to human rights.

The article itself isn't so bad. It gives all the information. The reason that it can be considered 'framed' though, is because going from the headline only, it would lead one to believe that McCain is not only dishonest-- but also is doing exactly what he is accusing Obama of doing: pandering with people with questionable ethics and morals...

Whoa Republicans!

And the stories of the week are:
1. Colin Powell, George Bush's former secretary of state, and one of the few members of Bush's cabinet that is still respected by the general American public is endorsing Barrack Obama. This is a recent development that won't affect most voters-- but those few down the middle, such as myself, this decision will influence them greatly. When I read this, I thought, if he is going to endorse him, then I probably should, becausing being a PR major, I know that it is all about perception. If people think that he will be an instrument of change, then it might empower the public to be the change they want to be... Also, if there aren't red flags up from Mr. Powell, then I trust it...

2. Court blocks Ohio vote challenge...
Republicans wanted to block some votes... but the court did not allow it...
That is what one would think if someone just read the synopsis... but if you read on through it, you would see, "... there were 200,000 cases where voter registration did not match social security or motor vehicle registration records, [but] the majority of the cases were mis-spellings or inaccuracies in data bases."
I can see how this story would be significant in the state of Ohio, but this is not what my friends and family are talking about...

3. Obama breaks another record.
Obama brought in another record breaking month of fundraising. The BBC reported that he brought in over $150 mil. This is significant in the history of US Politics. Not only is our country is a tight economic crunch, but this is also a time where people's ethics are under a microscope... and if, even with those conditions, is still making and breaking records like that... then it is something that people are going to notice. They didn't really rag on McCain, though. It always, in each of these articles, tells about how McCain gets his funding in other ways--agreeing not to solicite from the public campain finanace. So far, while fair and balanced, most good stories come from the Obama/Biden ticket.

4. Live from New York...
It's Sarah Palin!! Palin made her debut this weekend on SNL. The headine reads, "Palin joins her mimic on US show." Humor plays an important role in this election, and especially the jokes on SNL. This is a great way to reach out to a younger demographic, who again, rather than voting on the issues, are voting on character... This will be something that my friends and family will actually talk about-- more because it is entertaining rather than newswothy.

5. Pro-America states...
It's crunch time for Mccain... The final issue that the BBC talks about is how McCain has to catch up strategically using the battleground states. This is something that we talk about more in classes than in conversation, but it is something. With less than 20 days left till election day, it is imperetive that McCain pull out the works in those key states...

Election is two weeks from Tuesday, and most states are now allowed to have early voting.... I'm excited to see how everything begins to change in the next two weeks! :)