Thursday, September 20, 2012

I would miss the newspaper because...

In the "What 'Missing the Newspaper' Means" article, Berelson demonstrates the different reasons for people missing the newspaper in their lives. Berelson's survey demonstrates that there are many intellectual reasons and entertainment reasons for missing the newspaper. He concludes that the newspaper an essential media text, is a source of security for people, and has become a habitual activity in their daily lives.
Personally, if I were to be part of this survey experiment, I would be in a mix of "for social prestige" and "for social contact"category. Currently, I read the New York Times online and receive CNN news blasts on my smartphone. I agree that the newspaper has "conversational value." When I was interviewing for the UC Berkeley Model United Nations club, I had to discuss a contemporary  international affairs topic and I decided to read up on the civil war in Syria and the extradition of Julian Assange. I learned so much from reading the New York Times articles and the online summary and chronology about the two issues. At the interview, I was able to comment on my thoughts on Julian Assange's asylum position in the Ecuadorian Embassy in the U.K and how it is shaking the relations between the U.K, U.S and Ecuador. However, at the interview, I was questioned about the issues between Japan and Korea and my interviewer asked how I would defend Japan's position about the island 'Dok Do' if i were the Japanese ambassador. Because I had not read Japan's arguments in the newspaper, I was unable to answer that question in an articulate and intelligent way. This was the moment when I realized the influence of the newspaper in my life. It could make me look incredibly ignorant or intelligent.
As for the social contract category, I enjoy reading local human interests stories, especially in the Daily Cal, the UC Berkeley newspaper. It is an opportunity for me to learn what my peers are doing and I find it very motivational to read about my peers working towards their aspirations or advocating for their beliefs.
As a result, I find that the newspaper can be an extremely useful tool in our daily lives. Although I do not completely believe that Berelson's conclusions apply to me as well, I agree that the newspaper is an important part of my life.

1 comment:

  1. Jaimie, thanks for sharing some contemporary experiences with the newspaper, and I appreciate that you've considered papers at several scales (national and hyperlocal). If you've ever tried to play along with one of the NPR news quiz shows, like Wait Wait Don't Tell Me!, you know how important it is to read all the latest headlines.

    ReplyDelete