The Right To Know

In the media, there are many different situations that have a very fine line defining what is ethically correct and what is done. Sometimes that line is not as thin. When I was looking for an article for this post, I came across a story about a woman who had shot and killed an FBI Agent. Judging by the title, it seemed to me that this woman shot an Agent but upon further reading the story is much different. The title makes this woman seem like she is guilty and that there weren't any circumstances, like there were, that could mean she was not guilty of murder. As the article continues, it explains that this woman is claiming that the FBI Agent entered her house without announcing himself and she thought she was being robbed so she shot him in self defense. She claimed that she feared for her and her children's lives. She was on the phone with a 911 operator as she was being arrested.
It seems to me that to include someone's name in a case such as this from the start is crossing the line from deserving to know the source or accused in a case. From what the story says this is an innocent woman who was protecting her children from "an intruder" but in reality it was an FBI Agent. If she truly did not know it was the FBI and she was really just shooting in self defense, this article will make her seem a terrible person in the public eye. It seems to me that because she is not a threat to anyone anymore and it is not clear the exact circumstances, destroying this woman's life and name is not what Fox News needed to do.

Photorealism and Fallout 3

Klosterman dedicates chapter four to “The Illusions,” meaning the look of modern technology such as computer interfaces and video game art. Video game art is what I will be targeting in my blog this week. In The Language of New Media, Klosterman talks about the history of “photorealism” in the computer world. As early as the 1970s, people were developing such techniques as Phong shading, bump mapping, and other methods that are still used today in games like Fallout 3.
In an article I found on MSNBC.com, the author is explaining that Fallout 3 is the front-runner for game of the year. He states that a main reason for this is the design and look of the levels. As he writes in the article, “One of the greatest accomplishments in Fallout 3 is the gloriously detailed, unbelievably vast world of the Capital Wasteland.” He goes on to say that the game is full of knockout cinematic moments. Without these elements that were created a long time ago (as far as computer graphic technology is concerned) Fallout 3 would just be another Pong.
In the past couple years, most if not all games with 3D graphics have involved depth of field effects (even South Park uses this often for a great effect), linear perspective and different kinds of tonal and color range. Fallout 3 is one game that uses this tonal and color range that Klosterman mentions very well. The whole game has a dirty, rugged feel that is gained through the use of a dark green/brown filter over the whole world that gives the player a feel of something other than cleanliness.
Although there have been great leaps in the realism established in computer graphics, it is almost impossible for there to ever be a completely realistic image in a computer generated image. There will always be some level of illusion in it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27478884/

Gentleman's Agreement

In journalism these days, it seems that nothing is out of bounds to cover. In the mid to late 20th century, journalists were much more likely to respect a person's personal space, even in the political world. One example is that of FDR. He was not shown below the chest whenever he was photographed or put on television because he was confined to a wheelchair and showing that would make him seem more vulnerable. Today, it is much less likely to see this kind of thing. In class, we had a discussion about the "Gentleman's Agreement" in journalism. The Gentleman's Agreement is what was being followed in the case of FDR, but today it is much more rare to see this agreement in action.
With the huge number of news outlets today, there is so much more competition to be on top of every story that the Gentleman's Agreement is not always followed. For this week's post, I found an article about Barack Obama's Aunt. His aunt, Zeituni Onyango, who is Obama's deceased father's half sister, was found to be living in the United States four years after her request for asylum had been denied.
When McCain's campaign was asked for a comment on the issue, they declined except to say that it was a "family matter." This comment makes me wonder whether they are truly trying to follow the Gentleman's Agreement or if they are using it as a tool to seem much more honest and respectful than they are. With the timing of this story's release (the day before the voting) it makes me question where the story came from and how long its release was delayed.