Analysis of Debating Democracys The Media: Vast Wasteland or New Frontier? :: Democracy Debates Media Essays

Analysis of Debating Democracy's "The Media: Vast Wasteland or New Frontier?"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Debating Democracy's "The Media: Vast Wasteland or New Frontier?" Jarol Manheim and Douglas Rushkoff present opposing views of the media. Both authors raise the questions of what the media represents and what messages the media tries to send to the public. Is the media's coverage of events just for entertainment value or do the reports have political content and value? Are the viewers capable of distinguishing between the media's glitz and the real facts? Do different sources of the media system actually portray different views and stories? A key question is how typical objective reporting is. If the knowledge can easily be obtained elsewhere, it is possible to conclude with pluralists that citizens have the tools to govern themselves more or less democratically. If, on the other hand, there are serious shortcomings, one might agree with the power elite camp that the people, because they have insufficient meaningful information, wield less power than they could and should.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Manheim claims that the media is not as diverse as it claims to be. He states, Though for competitive purposes they might have us believe otherwise, most American news organizations have a great deal in common with one another . . . they define news itself in essentially the same terms. (Manheim, 1991) He argues that the media entertains the viewers rather than giving them information that is relevant and socially important. Manheim's view about what the mass media system actually does to the news is similar to what W. Lance Bennett lists as the four main media biases: fragmentation, normalization, personalization and dramatization (Bennett, 1996). These biases are described by Manheim as the media system "[rendering] the content of the news less burdensome by packaging it more attractively" (Manheim, 1991).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Contrary to Manheim's views, Rushkoff looks at how the viewers are able to use and understand the media's messages. Rather than viewing the media as a mass system composed of the elite who view the public as a commodity, Rushkoff believes that the people strive to shape and understand the world through the messages the media portrays. Furthermore, he claims that the media is merely a reflection of the society that the viewers themselves have created. The viewers have the ability to choose which medium of media they will use (Internet, network, newspaper, etc.). Rushkoff says that the news has now become "interactive" and the people (particularly those under forty) have come to understand the media's symbols better (Rushkoff, 1994).

Forensic Scientists in Law Enforcement Essay

With the advancement in information technology, the complexity of criminal cases has also increased. This has led to rising incidences of highly sophisticated crimes that require a well grounded evidence that can help prosecutors to proof an individual guilty before a court of law. This can be done successfully by use of forensic science. Due to this it can be fully agreed that more forensic scientists should be employed in endeavor to deal with the rising cases of crime whose justification in court following due process is a challenge (Fridell, 2006, p.  27). If more forensic scientists are deployed, they will assist in the investigation of numerous cases on downfall of key financial and non-financial organizations that has been due to mismanagement of funds by misappropriation ,embezzlement and corruption. Here, the forensic accountants will play a critical role in gathering, analyzing interpretation and examination to search for accounting evidence that can be used for the successful prosecution of the offenders (Barnie, 2007, p. 11). The surveillance of crime by the security institutions currently utilizes digital technology for tracking crimes using CCTV cameras. This means more digital forensics are required to retrieve the digital images, reconstruct and interpret them so as obtain evidence that prosecute a person in accordance with the law of land. Therefore, the employment of more forensic scientists will make digital forensics more available. Currently, crimes related to documentations such as forgery of signature and certificates are common. If more forensic specialists are employed at an increasing rate, they will help in forensic examinations of these documents by analyzing and interpreting the results using handwriting and printmaking techniques for gathering evidence that is sufficient for enforcement of the law. Another area where forensic specialists can assist is in the field of economics for obtaining evidence required for assessing economic damages which include replacement of labor, loss of benefits and allowances, future medical expenses and costs and business proceeds (Moore, 2001, p. 14). More forensic scientists will make it easier to study engineering failures of buildings and machines. By utilizing engineering forensic science, the police and legal practitioners will be able to discover the source of the failures and who are responsible for them. This kind of evidence will form a firm ground for enforcement of the law through prosecution of the identified victims. More forensic specialist if employed will help in resolving cases that are related to mental problems. The forensic psychologists and psychiatrists will study, assess and identify illnesses associated with mental disorders and human way of living in order to acquire sufficient evidence for the court’ s benefit which may be predisposing factors towards criminal activities (Fridell, 2006, p. 35. Another area which will benefit from employment of more forensic scientist is the field of criminology. This would be through the use of combination in evidence from impressions like foot wears and finger print, control materials and remains evidence which are used for the examination of the validity held in the criminal evidence. Forensic biology also stand to benefit through employment of more forensic scientists who be used in conducting serological and DNA analysis of samples of obtained from body fluids and parts. The information obtained from this sample can be used for identification of suspect individuals who are at the scene of crime for trial in the courts of law. Sometimes, people die and get buried secretly thus making it difficulty to identify them due to lack of specialists who have knowledge and skills for relating human remains. Employment of forensic entomologists will assist in shading more light in such ambiguous situations where the courts require evidence of details like time and location of the death. More such experts will assist in using pathology knowledge in providing evidence for inquiry commissions investigating unknown possible causes of death (Ben, 2001, p. 21). The modern world is characterized with perpetual cases of chemical pollutions which are toxic to all living organisms. These pollutants cause numerous cases of deaths that go unidentified due to lack of specialists with technical skills and knowledge for studying , analyzing and relating the toxic effects of the pollutants to the organisms hence the producers of this pollutants go scout free. If more forensic toxicologist are employed, there will be sufficient evidence for prosecuting the polluter in a court of law where they can compensate those affected by the circumstance (Ben, 2001, p. 19). Employment of more forensic experts will focus weather conditions in specific areas been examined. This will be helpful in searching for evidence for causes of many aeronautical accidents that remain unresolved due to lack of tangible proof of their root causes. Such situations have led to failure of compensation by insurance companies to the airline companies. The same has been the benchmark towards various aviation related crimes which can then be adequately addressed through forensic science (Fridell, 2006, p. 43). It is also important to employ more forensic specialists since they will provide specialized and highly demanded interpretation skills of different languages that are necessary for legal evidence. This will assist a lot in areas that are multi-linguistic diverse. In conclusion therefore, employment of more forensic scientists accrues more benefits and will boost the judicial system in its principal objective of providing justice equitably to all. Reference Barnie Adrian (2007) Fundamentals of Forensic Science. Security Management, Vol. 51, pp. 11 Ben Rothke (2001) Digital Evidence and Computer Crime: Forensic Science, Computers and Internet. Security Management, Vol. 45, pp. 21, 29 Fridell Ron (2006) Forensic Science. London, Routledge, pp. 27, 35, 43 Moore Grace (2001) Detective Fiction and the Rise of Forensic Science. Critical Survey, Vol. 13, pp. 14

1984 Summary

There are few novels as influential as George Orwell’s 1984, which permeated pop culture with concepts like Big Brother and doublethink, while exploring the bleak future Orwell saw in totalitarianism. Part One 1984 begins with Winston Smith coming home to his small, run-down flat. At 39, Winston is old beyond his years and takes his time walking up the stairs, greeted at each landing by a poster stating BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. In his small flat he can dim the wall-sized telescreen and lower the volume but cannot turn it off. He keeps his back to it because it is a two-way screen. Winston lives in what is known as Airstrip One, formerly Britain, a province of a large nation-state known as Oceania. He looks out his window at the Ministry of Truth where he works revising historical records to conform with the new versions of history the government is always producing. Winston works hard to appear a dutiful and fervent member of the Party, but privately despises it and the world he lives in. He knows this makes him what is known as a thoughtcriminal and assumes he will inevitably be exposed and punished. Winston has purchased a diary from a shop in a proletariat (the lower class of people referred to as proles) neighborhood, and has discovered that the placement of the telescreen in his apartment allows for a small area where he cannot be observed. He skips lunch at the canteen in order to come home and write his forbidden thoughts in this diary out of the telescreen’s range. It is a small act of rebellion. Winston admits to a sexual attraction to a woman at the Ministry of Truth, Julia. He has not acted on his attraction because he thinks she might be spying on him, and suspects she would inform on him. He is also paranoid about his superior, a man named O’Brien whom he suspects is part of the Brotherhood, a resistance movement led by the famous terrorist Emmanuel Goldstein. Part Two When Winston goes to work the next day, he sees Julia with her arm in a sling. When she stumbles, he helps her, and she passes him a note that reads I Love You. He and Julia begin a sexual affair, which is forbidden by the Party; Julia is even a member of the Anti-Sex League. Their first encounter is in a rural area. Later they begin renting a room above the shop where Winston purchased his diary. It becomes clear to Winston that Julia despises the Party as much as he does. The affair sparks memories in Winston of the civil war and his ex-wife, Katharine. At work, Winston meets a colleague named Syme who tells him about the dictionary he is working on for the new official language, Newspeak. Syme tells Winston that Newspeak is designed to make it more difficult for people to think in complex ways. Winston expects that this sentiment will cause Syme to disappear, and a few days later Syme is gone. Winston and Julia create a private sanctuary in the rented room, and tell each other that they are already dead. They believe that the Party will discover their crimes and execute them, but that it cannot take away their feelings for each other. O’Brien contacts Winston, confirms his involvement with the Brotherhood, and invites him to be a part of the resistance. Winston and Julia go to O’Brien’s large, well-appointed home and take an oath to join the Brotherhood. O’Brien gives Winston a copy of Emmanuel Goldstein’s book. Winston and Julia spend their time together reading it, learning the truth behind how the Party maintains its hold on society. They also learn about the use of a technique called doublethink, which allows Party members to believe contradictory concepts with ease, and how history has been changed to support perpetual warfare, which is used to keep a permanent state of emergency in place for crowd control purposes. Goldstein also argues that a revolution would be possible if the proles rose up en masse to oppose the government. While in their rented room, Winston and Julia are denounced by the shop owner, a member of the Thought Police, and arrested. Part Three Winston and Julia are taken to the Ministry of Love for punishment, and learn that O’Brien is actually a loyal party member who poses as a supporter of The Brotherhood in order to expose the disloyal. O’Brien begins torturing Winston. O’Brien is very open about the Party’s desire for power, and tells Winston openly that once he is broken and forced to change his thoughts in support of the Party, he will be placed back into the world for a time as an example, and then killed when his usefulness in that capacity is exhausted. Winston endures horrific pain and psychological stress as he is forced to adopt obviously untrue positions, such as stating that 2 2 5. The goal of the torture is to force Winston to abandon logic in favor of absorbing and repeating whatever the Party tells him. Winston confesses to a lengthy list of imaginary crimes. Winston breaks, but O’Brien is not satisfied, as Winston defiantly tells him that he still loves Julia and O’Brien cannot take that away from him. O’Brien tells him he will betray Julia in Room 101. Winston is taken there, and O’Brien reveals that they know everything there is to know about Winston—including his greatest irrational fear, rats. A wire cage is fitted over his face, and rats are placed in the cage. O’Brien tells Winston that the rats will gouge out his eyes and Winston loses the last bits of his sanity in terror, and just as the rats are coming for him he tells O’Brien to substitute Julia. Having betrayed Julia completely, Winston is truly broken. He is re-educated and released. He spends his days drinking heavily at a cafe. A few days later he meets Julia in a park, and they discuss their torture. Julia admits that she broke as well, and betrayed him. They both realize that their love for one another has been destroyed. They no longer care for each other as they once did. Winston goes to a cafe and sits there alone as the telescreens report an important victory for Oceania in the war against Eurasia. Winston is happy and has no more thoughts of rebellion, thinking that he loves Big Brother, and cannot wait to finally be executed.