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  • Is the Cure on your Agenda?

    In just a few short days, the Communication Studies Department at University of North Carolina Wilmington will be hosting their 7th annual ‘Rock for a Cure’ fundraiser.  The event is held to help raise funds and awareness for the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundations ‘Pink Ribbon Project.’  On October 18th, at 7 p.m. students, staff, and community members will head to Reel Cafe in downtown Wilmington to listen to live music, enjoy drinks, and socialize while raising money to help local women fighting breast cancer.  To attend this event, all you have to do is purchase a ticket for five dollars, and “since the events inception, Rock for a Cure has raised more than $22,000 to assist local women with mammography screenings and care bags for women who are undergoing cancer treatments.”  This is always a much anticipated event on campus because of the large amounts of community news coverage, sponsorships, raffles and the fact that UNCW’s very own, “The Schoolboys” will be performing.

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    The Pink Ribbon Project “has helped thousands of local women – without insurance or other financial resources – by providing mammography screenings, diagnostics, comfort items and spiritual support.”  They provide information via their Facebook page that informs the public of any local places or events going on that donate proceeds to their project. The Pink Ribbon Project, since its founding in 1998, has raised over $1.4 million for women undergoing cancer treatment in the New Hanover region. The organization has also provided over 5,200 comfort bags, which include necessities during treatment as well as inspirational insights.

    October was first designated as the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month over 25 years ago and since then has been used as a source of revenue for many foundations. Although foundations such as Susan G. Komen and the American Cancer Society raise money year round, October is targeted to generate specific media coverage for awareness, prevention, and research for breast cancer. Countless organizations including the NFL also bring awareness to this cause and by doing this, they, along with the other organizations are harnessing the Agenda Setting Theory. If a news item is covered frequently in the media, audiences will regard the issue as more important.  The Agenda Setting theory is used when telling audiences what to think about, not how to think. Rock for a Cure is able to gain so much support from students because it is a prominent topic on UNCW’s campus. Students, staff, and community members are all made aware of this event through various outlets such as Facebook, the school website, posters, online news articles, and information sessions.

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    Can you think of a time when the media has influenced what you have thought about? Where have you seen the Agenda Setting Theory being used recently? Has this been a successful method used for Rock for a Cure?

    See you all Friday at Rock for a Cure!

    -Aaron Love, Kara Zimmerman, Rachel Clay, Rebecca Hobbs

  • Humor: The Helper

    It’s undeniable that cancer is a scary subject, and breast cancer is no exception. One simple statistic summarizes just how un-discriminatory and prevalent breast cancer is: breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, no matter your race or ethnicity. With the whole month of October designated as National Breast Cancer Month, reminders for women to get mammograms and to screen themselves appear regularly. So how do you get people to face one of the scariest diseases out there? The answer is humor.

    Rethink Breast Cancer is an organization dedicated to changing the perspective of breast cancer from scary, to preventive and manageable. Most notably, they want to change how awareness is taught. Rethink Breast Cancer has moved away from fear-based education tactics to using “fear-free, cutting edge messaging, multi-media platform reach and positive energy [that will] revitalize the breast cancer movement and motivate young people to action.” The YouTube video they have created for awareness has done just that.

    With over six million views, the video Rethink Breast Cancer produced in 2011 has done a remarkable job of not only raising awareness for breast cancer, but also doing so in an approachable manner. Based on the premise that “women are more likely to watch a video if it features a hot guy,” it stars male models that educate the audience on how to check for breast cancer. Humor is interwoven throughout the video in scenes such as a female nurse tripping over a stool, and a slow motion of a male model bathing himself.

    Together, all of these humorous scenes combine with raw education to make breast cancer awareness fun to learn about. By using a pop-culture medium, such as YouTube it is even harder to ignore the message. But most importantly, Rethink Breast Cancer is living up to its goal of helping to educate from a perspective of humor rather than fear. This is exactly the kind of video that women (and even men) will pass on to their friends, helping to spread the importance of proactively approaching breast cancer.

    Carefully balancing humor and sex appeal, Rethink Breast Cancer has created the ultimate advertisement for spreading awareness on how to help catch breast cancer. By using humor the ad becomes persuasive and makes examinations less of a chore and more of a self-service. But is this particular message the way that survivors would want to caution the public? While it seems appropriate to use humor on occasion, could there be a point where humor starts to detract from the sincerity of the situation at hand? If ads like this can be successful for breast cancer could this type of levity be introduced in messages of other health campaigns?

    –Meghan Carey, Caroline Robinson

  • Ready or Not, Here We Come!

    Well, it wasn’t ready. The Affordable Care Act website, that is. Commonly known as Obamacare by critics, the program officially launched October 1, 2013 and attempts to allow each American the opportunity to have affordable health care. The program was signed into law in 2010, but only just now became part of daily American life. The website experienced technical errors last week, and again this past Tuesday. However, this was unrelated to the government shutdown. Instead, the system experienced a major overload due to mass traffic to the site, claimed those who run it. An estimated 8 million visitors forced the site to send a response of “Please Wait and Be Patient,” CNBC reports. Run by the Department of Health and Human Services, the process to acquire a health care quote is actually quite simple. I myself did it and, just shy of giving my contact information, I was inches from an affordable quote in less than two minutes.

    Page that loads with technical issues, courtesy of MSNBC
    Page that loads with technical issues, courtesy of MSNBC

    Fox News said that the 93 million dollar website was the victim of poor Java Script coding, to the point where, simply put, the site freezes up. It doesn’t know where to go or in which direction to proceed. Yet MSNBC follows the path of the HHS, saying it was simply a matter of visitor overload to the site. MSNBC did not report, as of posting, that there were Java Script coding issues.

    So. Which to believe? It is common knowledge that news stations lean differently towards their side, whether it be right or left. Even CNN, a major world news outlet, leans toward one side. This post is neither liberal nor conservative, and it neither promotes nor discourages the Affordable Care Act. However, it does encourage that American citizens not rely solely on one news outlet for information. Rather, gather your news from a multitude of sources. Otherwise a viewer faces the possibility of being a victim of “Spiral of Silence.” The Spiral of Silence is an instance where an individual, with one opinion differing from that of the majority, is unable to voice said opinion for fear of judgment. For instance, if I believe Theory X, but my neighborhood only watches one news channel that reports solely on Theory Y, the neighborhood will only be educated on Theory Y. If the entirety of the neighborhood, apart from myself, believes in Theory Y, I would be uncomfortable in expressing my opinions and differences. I am lost in the Spiral of Silence. If you support a cause that one news station does not, you are only educated on their belief. In the land of the free, is our free speech being suppressed by the media?

    -Hilary Hall

  • Preparedness or Paranoia?

    As time evolves so do the themes of movies and television shows that we find ourselves getting more and more hooked on. At one point in time our society’s television preferences included family sitcoms and love stories. Over the years our interests as a society have gravitated towards more fictitious shows often depicting “the zombie apocalypse”, “the end of time” and “doomsday’”. American’s are becoming enthralled with these adventurous tales that typically illustrate what life actually will be like in the future when the world comes to an end. As exciting as these thrillers are to watch, no one wants to actually be around long enough to live through an event like this. Shows including “The Walking Dead” and movies like “The Day After Tomorrow” are sparking viewer’s and government official’s attention causing political action to be taken.
    “Bug Out Bags” are one of the newest forms of safety precaution that are being suggested for use within every American household in response to these extremely hypothetical television shows. Whether they have been created in preparation for a doomsday event, or for the possibilities of another natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina, “Bug Out Bags” are designed to provide people with enough resourceful materials to live 72 hours. This takes the term “survival kit” to a whole new level.

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    FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is a website designed to equip people with knowledge of what to do during a crisis and how to prepare for it ahead of time. These survival bags are not only suggested by FEMA but are endorsed by government officials including chief counsel for Senator David Vitter and Chris Geldart, director of the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. Both of these men indicate that they keep bags in their homes, offices, and cars. Food, water, a first-aid kit, a fold-out solar panel that can be used to charge your phone, a camp stove, flashlights, candles and a fire starting kit are just a few of the items that can be found in this particular “bag of tricks”. Following 9/11 many residents assembled simple survival stashes. Although, a new wave of people have found themselves concerned and extremely shaken by threats of terror as well as the wrath of natural catastrophes such as Hurricane’s Katrina and Sandy. Former Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta’s, prediction last year of an imminent “cyber- Pearl Harbor” hack that will eventually bring down the power grid is solely enough to have people packing for the apocalypse.
    These bags have become a necessity for just about everyone. With government officials and counsels stocking up and stashing them in everyday places, FEMA recommending them on their website and retailers like Los Angeles based Echo-Sigma Emergency Systems, who have tripled its sales in preparedness equipment; it is safe to say that these bags are a safety investment for you and your family. It makes you wonder though is it better to be prepared or are we just being paranoid?

    -Kaitlin Batson, Alex Corrigan, Caitlin Ford, Parker Farfour

  • Government Shutdown Affecting Others Outside of Washington

    The government shutdown that is upon the country has many in Washington wondering: what do we do now? However, this congressional budget stalemate has trickled into many areas of our country that lie outside of Washington, DC. The shutdown has had an especially big impact on all service academies’ athletic programs across the country. These student athletes and coaches have been in limbo since the announcement of the shutdown.

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    At first, all athletics employees were sent home and put on leave. The Air Force Academy golf team has already cancelled a tournament since the shutdown and apparently the decision wasn’t taken very well by the people involved. What is making situations like this so difficult is that coaches of these schools are essentially government employees, leaving them no option but to have little to no communication with their players. That being said, Air Force golf has not been the only ones affected. Cross country meets, soccer games and tennis matches have been cancelled or rescheduled at all three service academies, leaving these young people forbidden from doing what they love.

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    The interesting thing is that all three schools’ football teams still competed over the weekend. Initially, all athletic functions were to be cancelled due to the shut down. However, the 3 schools decided to challenge the decision, which was then reviewed by the secretary of defense. The secretary of defense decided that the games could continue, as long as no government funds were spent on the day. Even so, many have speculated that this decision was solely a monetary decision. Navy’s athletic director, Chet Gladchuck, certainly provided some evidence for this thought with his comments that were given to CBS New York. Gladchuck was quoted saying that cancelling a game would be “devastating to the Navy athletic program budget.” While these football teams were still given the opportunity to compete and do what they love, others like Air Force golf were forced to cancel or wait to have the opportunity to do the exact same.

    The expectancy violations theory has been rampant this entire situation as every team has been affected in some way, positive or negatively. The expectations of players and coaches have not been met due to issues that are outside of their control, essentially invading their personal lives and causing a change in their daily routine. With that being said, it just doesn’t seem fair. In the end, it all seems about “par” for what has been going on in Washington as of late.

    -Ryan Nagy

  • Holiday Shopping at Risk from Government Shutdown

    The current shutdown marks the first time in 17 years that the government has come to a halt, as both political parties remain at a standstill. With no sort of compromise in sight, a chain reaction with numerous consequences could follow. Currently, one of the main concerns is the increase in number of furloughed government workers who are grouped into two categories: essential and nonessential jobs. However, if the shutdown continues, retailers of public businesses may also take a hit creating potential conflict during the holiday season.

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    As the upcoming holiday season quickly approaches, retailers are actively predicting whether or not the federal government shutdown will impact sales. According to The National Retail Federation, sales are expected to increase 3.9 percent for November and December. However, these calculations were based on past holiday sales that had no interference of a government shutdown. Depending on how long the shutdown lasts, retailers may have to alter their marketing strategies to maintain their predicted sales for the holidays.

    As the government shutdown enters its second week, no substantial progress has been made to give retailers an accurate sense as to what will come in the next few months. Some sources believe that the shutdown could not be more perfectly timed because, “…the back-to-school rush has quieted, and despite the best efforts of some retailers, the holiday shopping season is still many weeks away from being in full swing.” On the other hand, “…some marketers may find that because consumers are spending less money, their holiday marketing may need to be tweaked at the last minute this year.”  These two outlooks lead us to wonder if a rippling effect will take place. NBC News has created possible scenarios that would occur if the shutdown lasted for over a month. One possible scenario on November 17th, according to The National Retail Federation, would indicate the “make-or-break” of the holiday shopping season. Consumer confidence in retailers will diminish as the shutdown continues, which will create devastating effects for retail stores and the overall economy.

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    With Halloween quickly approaching, it will be interesting to see how the government shutdown could impact sales in terms of consumer behavior. Do you think that the shutdown will have an effect on holiday spending? How will retailers respond if the shutdown looms on in terms of marketing strategies?

    – Aaron Love, Kara Zimmerman, Rachel Clay, Rebecca Hobbs

  • Government Down, Ratings Up

    The political landscape of today is a far cry from what it was just a few decades ago. Radio chats and newspaper headlines are obsolete in comparison to the speed and accessibility the Internet offers for political communication. This past week, headlines on every major network ringed “government shutdown”.

    As usual, polarized politics have kept the Republicans and Democrats in gridlock as Congress disputes the budget and Obamacare. Inability to reach consensus has left millions of workers temporally furloughed, while others are unable to attend work at all. The turmoil of the national government continues as the shutdown advances into this week, which leaves us wondering, could the media be enjoying all this anxiety?

    With the introduction of the 24/7 new cycle, cable networks are now in constant competition to fill news holes and beat competitors ratings. What is news, what is analysis, and what is entertainment are supposed to be notably different, yet the three are becoming harder for the public to differentiate between. Has the constant monitoring of the shutdown become the perfect manifestation for the media?

    News networks’ websites are filled with headlines, sidebars, and blogs about the shutdown. Their social media sites are providing hourly updates of Congress, urging people to follow the bombardment of links going to their website articles. And their programming has become a mixture of analysis and entertainment as their “bipartisan” debate on the subject often features a right-wing versus left-wing commentator “discussing” (yelling) their opinions.

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    As outlets continue to label the shutdown as a “showdown”, it becomes evident horse race journalism is no longer only applicable during election coverage, but has transcended into the way politics are viewed and reported every day.

    Matthew C. Nisbet describes the reporting style and its features. Horse race journalism focuses predominantly on which players are most adept at gaining power while undermining the chances of the opponents. Rather than foregrounding the context of political issues or policy proposals, journalists focus on: who’s ahead and who’s behind in the policy battle, the primary persons involved, and the shifting tactics that are employed.

    Polling and public opinion surveys are central feature in horse race journalism. Claiming they supply “objective” data, reporters use the results to define who is winning while gaining additional news pegs for the reasons of such successes or failures.

    Public opinion surveys act as a competitive advantage in the news marketplace, filling the demand for “anything new” in the 24 hour coverage cycle. “Polls say” and “Poll show” headers allow journalists to make their own independent attributions without relying on consensus of experts. As a result, a constant emphasis arises between sets of ideologies and/or sets of political actors.

    Almost every major news network has been asking its viewers and readers to chime in on “Who’s to blame?”

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    Rather than explaining policy, media outlets have framed the shutdown into a simplistic game of winners v. losers, Democrats v. Republicans, Obama v. Congress. Outlets are then using their polling results to create further news articles that act as nothing more than a survey report.

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    Their strategy has not been in vain.  During prime-time, Monday through Thursday of the past week, ratings for CNN were up 68%, MSNBC up 54%, and Fox up 49%. As viewers continue to tune in, we are left begging the questions: Is the press providing an informative medium for exercising the public’s right to know? Or has the shutdown turned into another political spectacle for media to cash in on?

    – Savannah Valade