The metaphor “wag the dog” is meant to show the power of the media. A dog is smarter than it’s tail, and the dog controls the tail. The dog is society and the media is the tail. A dog is smarter than its tail, meaning that the tail (the media) is smarter that the dog (society).

“We remember the slogans, but we don’t remember the war” is an interesting line from the movie that demonstrates what people actually remember about certain events. We never see the actual war or what is going on—we just hear the messages that come from the “war”. From the movie, the shoes were thrown on the telephone cable. This is a catchy act, clearly supported by many members of the community from the amount of shoes that were on the wire. I thought this was a catchy slogan and the public was very aware of what was going on. On the side of the producer/director, they did a good job of making it easy for the public to latch on to their lie.

I think people jumped on the “shoe” trend because the story was presented in a positive way that emphasized the “heart and soul” of what America is truly about. They deserve support, and when the public is lead to believe a “hero” is in trouble, they join the trend. For example, everyone joined the stop Joseph Kony 2012 trend. Turns out, it was a hoax. Because the use of social media, the public was lead to believe something that wasn’t true, such as the “shoe” trend. I think this shows the power of social media and the lengths people will go to in order to get their points across.

The point that jumped out to me was “The media construct reality.” Wag the Dog, plus many other media publications, challenge this statement made by Media Literary Resource Guide. Bream constructs the opposite of reality. He leads the public to believe “Shoe” is a noble, heroic man of honor because of his actions while defending out great country. However, we learn Shoe is actually a rapist with extremely psychotic and ill behaviors. This happens in real life as well. The point of “media contains ideological and value messages” also shows the power that the media has.

When the “President Bush 9/11 reading an upside down book” picture erupted, and the public made accusations such as “President Bush is the dumbest president in 50 years.” Listverse.com shared that Guardian journalists fell for the study and reported that Bush was the dumbest president in 50 years. This is a prime example of how the media getting away with reporting things other than “reality”.

Wag the Dog did not accurately provide context of the “Shoe” character, when in fact, he was a rapist, as the SPJ states journalists should. The SPJ also explains that journalists should do no harm. When Stanley Motss, the producer, devises the scheme of planting an Albanian bomb in Canada, he is definitely doing harm to Americans, Canadians, and Albanians. He instilled fear in all of those people involved, proving the unethical behavior of the media.

Sources:

http://listverse.com/2012/12/18/10-bullshit-stories-the-media-stupidly-fell-for/

SPJ Code of Ethics

Thursday’s Lecture

http://prezi.com/hetynk06jofd/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

“Ron Galella, King of the Paparazzi”, as TIME Magazine nicknamed him. Mr. Galella is a legend in the world of photojournalism. His famous photographs of Jackie O, Marlon Brando, and Katherine Hepburn, just to name a few, speak volumes to his dedication and commitment to photography.

Balancing the First Amendment and the right of the paparazzi is a tough task. Yes, celebrities have the right to privacy, but the paparazzi also has the right to take the pictures, especially if they’re taking it on public property.

LiveScience.com presents an interesting point concerning the First Amendment. It states, “U.S. Justice Louis Brandeis called it [the right to privacy] ‘the right to be left alone.'” But, celebrities sign up to be in the public eye once they’re movie or tv show is shown nationwide, or decide to run for public office.

The line is drawn, I believe, when children are brought into the public eye. Celebrities chose to make themselves public figures, but their children, however, do not ask for this attention. The WSJ reported under California’s new state law, “a photographer can be sent to prison for trying to take a photo of a celebrity’s son or daughter without permission.” When paparazzi bring children into the public eye, it is against their will and therefore unfair. Realistically, I don’t think there is a line that paparazzi abide by in terms of “going too far” to get a photograph. It would be nice to think that they respect others’ personal space which we are all entitled to, but this is not the case for celebrities. Being a public figure comes with the good and the bad, the privacy and the publicity.

By paparazzi standards, I think Ron’s five rules are extremely accurate. There is no doubt he knows what he is talking about. But, from an ethical viewpoint, is this OK? Is it ethical to forge credentials? To the normal bystander, no, probably not. But in the business of photojournalism, it’s what he has to do to in order to do his job well.

Katherine Hepburn planted those bushes to keep paparazzi out. For Galella to pull the bushes away and take pictures is an invasion of her privacy. She’s an actress who lives in the public eye, whether it be on stage or public appearances. When Ms. Hepburn is home, however, she has a right to be a normal person and be comfortable in a private setting such as her home. The SPJ Code of Ethics states “Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance or undue intrusiveness.” One could argue Galella was acting with “undue intrusiveness” while obtaining many of his pictures (like moving the plants) and “arrogance” such as dating Jackie O’s assistant.

In regards to Mr. Novak’s question about feeding an appetite that shouldn’t be fed, someone has to be the paparazzi. In some regard, the paparazzi keeps celebrities or those in the public eye on their toes. Galella seems to have an addiction to his career, so maybe he is feeding an appetite. But, celebrities need people who will keep them in line.

Ron Galella didn’t leave the most positive impact on photojournalism or the paparazzi, but there’s no denying he wasn’t committed to his job. He work extremely hard and climbed his way up the ladder to be able to photograph some of the most famous people in the world. He made a name for himself and is known by many. Though some may not respect what he did, the dedication he showed to get where he is today is respectable.