HERE are the lecture slides available for download. Filename is Reps of the Other 08.
Some questions for discussion:
1) Where do you see Othering today?
2) How do you think should suffering others be represented in the news? Should journalists maintain the objectivity norm, or is it acceptable for them to display emotion, just as Anderson Cooper's ecstatic news reporting of Hurricane Katrina?
3) Do you believe in the compassion fatigue thesis? Or is it really media fatigue?
4) According to Silverstone, what is proper distance? And why should we represent the Other as "both close and far"?
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Journalists have always presented things in an objective point of view and the reason has always been to be able to let people judge for themselves what to make out of the event. However, just as what we've learned in class, nothing is ever truly objective. Our very choice of words when we write something, already make that certain issue or topic subjective, and to our point of view too.
Hence, I think we should begin to pay attention to how our subjective outputs will be read by the people. What message do we want them to receive?
For disasters, it has always been a challenge for media men and women whether or not they should be presented with emotion or in complete objectivities. Personally, I think that there should be some form of emotion attached when it comes to reporting disasters. Being to objective would make people numb to the reality that is being reported on. To insert emotion is not be biased - as was the fear of journalists - but actually, to present the truth in a language more capable of reaching out to the viewers. It is a language that would allow the people being reported about to reach out to the viewers and let them see reality.
I think that journalists should really take time to consider involving emotion in their reports. It would bring reality much closer to the viewers. And make them feel as part of the Other.
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