I agree with Alain de Botton point about audience inability to actually take in news but aslo that their is a certain hierarchy deciding what is important for news. Audience are made to view news pandered towards them and what institutions think audiences would wants to read, rather than news which would wholly be better in terms of awareness and information on the world. This is because through gate keeping the elitist are able to keep information and decide what news should be published and revealed to people, reinforcing a hegemonic idea of the elite controlling what audiences see. Also, the populous is unable to differentiate what is soft news, which blurs the line of news and entertainment, and hard news, which is fast paced appears on front page news, as news are now using things such as 'clickbait' or news which is 'dumbed down'(soft news) for audiences which either don't have all facts but are useless in terms of world news.
2) How can you link Marxism and Hegemony to de Botton's criticisms of the News?
Both Marxism and hegemonic can both be linked to de Bottons criticisms of the news as he criticises the news for lack of distinction from soft and hard news, which would be breaking down the news hierarchy. The use of soft news, as stated, is the so called elite suing it to dumb us down a hegemonic theory of ruling class imposing this sought of news on audience for this sole purpose of being less aware and less powerful (dumb down). The marxist idea of the news being used by elitist to gain more revenue ,from continued stories being re-used and seem "fresh", and impose the status quo showing how politics is easily able to place and manipulate the news.
3) How could you use Pluralism and new technology to challenge de Botton's views on the News?
New technology and pluralism can be used to challenge de Botton's view of news because of UGC to citizen journalism. Pluralists believe audiences are able to manipulate the media enabling them access to 'plural views of society' thus 'conform, accommodate or reject'. As the belief is audience can challenge news, and UGC and citizen journalism can go against de Button point about how audiences react tot he news reinforcing the idea that audiences are not passive as they were before but now take an active role and control over what they are fed from news and media.
An example would be the news of the Libyan slave auctions happening in the east of Africa where people through social media have been able to bring awareness onto the situation and try to create pressure upon the libiyan government to stop the auctions. This would also show how much power audiences , a pluralist idea, have as petitions and knowledge has spread world wide and notable new have taken the story on.
4) Choose two news stories from the last six months - one that supports de Botton's views and one that challenges his belief that the News is used for social control.
An example would be the news of the Libyan slave auctions happening in the east of Africa where people through social media have been able to bring awareness onto the situation and try to create pressure upon the libiyan government to stop the auctions. This would also show how much power audiences , a pluralist idea, have as petitions and knowledge has spread world wide and notable new have taken the story on.
4) Choose two news stories from the last six months - one that supports de Botton's views and one that challenges his belief that the News is used for social control.
News story that supports de Button's views- Libyan government says investigating migrant 'slave market' reports
News story that challenges his belief that the news is used for social control - Donald Trump is pathetically insecure
This news story can be argued to challenge Bottons belief that the news is used for social control in particular by politics as this article is clearly criticizing a politician, which would be highly unlikely if the news was solely used for social control.
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