Media News Versus You Tube Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Media News Versus You Tube - Essay Example The images posted on this site by the soldiers have made most Americans believe that the war on Iraq was not worth the loss of US lives. They need a full picture of Iraq to see what the gain is for that loss of life but the restrictions on media coverage do not allow this. The news media has been around for a very long time whereas, YouTube, the popular free video hosting website founded in February 2005, began its humble beginnings in a garage and offered the public a preview of the site in May 2005. And just six months later, YouTube made its official debut. Although this is an extremely large and popular site, it has met with much criticism. Videos filmed by amateur first gained popularity during the terrorist attacks on London subways and buses last summer, when traditional news organizations as well as informal websites utilized the photos and images supplied by witnesses. Now it is estimated that 100 million clips are viewed on YouTube daily and 65,000 videos uploaded every 24 hours. According to Nielsen/Netratings, the site has almost 20 million visitors each month, out of which around 44% are female, 56% male, while the most dominant age group is 12-17. Websites like YouTube, true to its motto, "broadcast yourself" allows people referring to them as "citizen journalists" to upload their own videos on an infinite array of subjects and has enabled anyone with a video camera or cell phone, live action films or written reports on news events. In relation to the Iraq war, the streamline media gives optimism to the viewers and shows the brighter side of the war, while the stories told by American soldiers in their homemade videos uploaded on this website, present a different picture. Beyond the philosophical dimensions of the global television communications, it is a close-up medium which readily involves emotions and is most effective in revealing the plights of the people. But troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are hearing the message that they should carefully consider before they upload any videos on the website. As opposed to controlled media, YouTube has given access to the citizen journalists to provide first hand accounts of major events even though they are less journalism than the raw material generated by amateurs, which a skilled and trained journalist should know how to weigh, analyze, describe and explain. Therefore, one cannot deny the fact that to treat an amateur as equally credible as a professional, would be to erode the line between raw material and finished product. Many people believe that editorial gate keeping is a form of censorship if not mind control, and the explosion of the internet; giving the notion that 'information wants to be free' has made traditional journalism a ready target. To its proponents, citizen journalism represents a democratization of media and a shattering power of the unelected elite as it not only challenges the notion of journalism in journalism, but completely circumvents it. But there are people who are of the view that however wrapped in idealism, citizen journalism forms part of a larger attempt to degrade, even to disenfranchise journalism as practiced by trained professionals. However, there is no question that the soldier behind the

Company Case Notes Payless Shoe Source Assignment

Company Case Notes Payless Shoe Source - Assignment Example The essay "Company Case Notes Payless Shoe Source" talks about the Payless Shoes on the fashion market. It was in 1995 that Payless Shoes made drastic changes in its marketing mix and pricing strategy. With fierce competition from Wal-Mart, Payless focused on collaborating with well known marketing developers and designers to target the young women. As the company launched branded shoes, it shifted from its previous EDLP (everyday low pricing) strategy to offer shoes at prices as high as $60, thus selling at higher prices than Wal-Mart and other low price stores. Psychological pricing is the strategy of taking advantage of customers’ emotional responses to products with different prices. It is a strategy adopted by most retailers who fix their product prices at odd amounts like $1.99. It gives the customers illusion that the price is closer to $1 whereas in reality it is as good as equal to $2. Since Payless has to sustain their market share within growing competition from gia nt retailers like Wal-Mart therefore it has increased their price by collaborating with branded shoes Aerosport, Airwalk, American Eagle, Dexter Comfort, and so on (â€Å"Payless: All Brands†). In order to refrain from shocking the customers with sudden increase of prices, the common tactics could have been the above mentioned psychological pricing strategy. However, Payless did not pay attention to this and did not implement any such strategies. Payless shoes targets the young women to sell stylish and fashionable shoes at affordable prices.