How did DIsney Change Copyright Laws? Do you Agree?

Michael Eisner, head of Disney at the time of the copyright law changes, was a brilliant business man, who saw the need to protect Disney's vast fortune in copyrighting all of it's movies, soundtracks and productions.  

Eisner persuaded Rep Sonny Bono to pass a bill in congress that would protect the Disney name, and its properties with a copyright law that would last life+20 years in an attempt to keep the Disney name and it's properties untouchable by other companies and to make sure that the Disney name, and Mickey Mouse would never become part of the public domain.  Anyone wanting to use anything Disney without approval would be breaking copyright infringement laws, and thus have to pay steep fines for retribution.

Amazingly, very strong copyright laws were passed as Congress may have been focusing on the extracurricular activities of our then President, Bill Clinton.

These copyright laws are still in effect and have been wreaking havoc on the business world at large.  With the increase in technology over the last twenty years, many companies have acquired patents and copyrighted their inventions/merchandise to keep other companies from manufacturing or being able to use their software.

I agree that their should be a way to protect yourself and your intellectual property.  I think Eisner was a genius in how he protected the Disney Brand and the Disney properties, so that no one can ever touch them.

What is the role of the creative artist in Mass Media?

The role of the Creative Artist in Mass Media is to create, via writing the written word or creating the artistic elements of the message, to suit the audience that the message is intended for.


The "Artists" must take the information they are given and transform it into the next great commercial, radio spot, sit-com, or movie.  They must also use their god-given talents to shape and form our society and our norms.  As discussed in the chapter, these artists provide unlimited knowledge into the information world, via their creativity and modes of expression.  Whether they be writing, painting, filming, or producing, each artist has a special way to create an incredible work to be shared by the masses.  Mass Media in all it's forms could not exist without the Artist, otherwise known as the "Creator".

"The internet's no written in pencil, Mark. It's written in ink, states Erica, seething at the comments he blogged about her. Why is the typed word so powerful> Why is it tempting to misuse this power online? What positive things can social networking sites achieve when used to their full potential?

The typed word is so powerful, because anything that is typed via the Internet or on our computers is, as they say, written in stone.  You cannot remove it from being available out there for someone to see.  Each word that we write on our computers is saved for future reference.


It is tempting to misuse this power via the Internet, because you can say anything you want about someone, send it into cyberspace for millions of individuals to see, and the person sending it wields the power because regardless if the information is true or not, proving it to the contrary may become a daunting task as you try to reach each person who received the false information, and that may be impossible.


From a positive perspective, social-networking opens up a way to communicate with people that otherwise you may have never met, or help you to find someone you haven't had the opportunity to see in a long time.  As easily as you can't put false information out there for the masses, you can also spread positive messages that can effect millions of people in a positive way as well.  I believe that using this medium in a very positive light, is how it will reach its full potential by educating and providing a social medium not seen before.

How did the computer make the transition to everyday technology

The computer actually evolved itself over decades, as we as a socialistic society became technologically advanced in our work, which made things work smoother and more quickly, and provided us loads of information.  As our corporations started using more and more technology, it was a natural evolution for our society to want to be able to have technology available to use in our own homes as well.


As technologists began to create computers the size of rooms, and began to use punch cards to store information, this technology became so intriguing that more technologists had to step forward to make computers smaller, better and less costly than in the 1980's.  As this evolution progressed, the next step would be to be able to devise a computer that each and everyone of us could use and afford.  This is how the computer made the transition form workplace to  us being able to access most of our knowledge from our own computers, in our own homes.

Compare the evolution of mass media in various regions of the world.

As one would assume, mass media and its impact vary around the world.  American mass media is described as being Libertarian, but has been criticized for its view and excess, which has authoritarian and debates of social responsibility with the freedom that our media sources have.


Canada and Europe have closely related forms of mass media.  Western Europe and Canada are now under guaranteed expressionism, which is similar to the First Amendment in our own constitution, providing us with freedom of speech.


Eastern Europe has been evolving over the last century as it tries to define its own balance between having free expression and continued government control.


Middle Eastern and Africa's Mass Medias are strictly controlled by the government.  More mass media is produced in these countries in the highly populated areas.  The Middle East is strictly controlled by its government entity.  And in Africa, with it being so sparsely populated throughout, they rely on radio as their primary mass media source.


Asia, India and Australia find themselves in a mass media explosion, and their countries are ruled by mix of private and government run companies providing their media sources.


Latin American and the Caribbean mass media sources comprise part of the power structure of the country.  The government, corporations and family dynasties throughout the country owning and deciding what mass media is shared with the public.

Why do we need to take intercultural communication into consideration as communicators?

It is vitally important to take intercultural communication into consideration as communicators, as widely explained in the text, to avoid the downfalls of portraying the wrong message if you do not understand your target audience.


Many countries are different than the United States and other countries view our     ways of communicating offensive and not acceptable.  Further understanding the significance of what a culture thinks - how they act - and what is acceptable for their culture is key in producing an informative and educational campaign in a foreign country.  


It is as important to understand the message that you are to convey, as it is to understand your clients and what message you want then to take away from the information you are providing.  Understanding the research that you have done regarding the culture of your target market, will assure that you are an educated communicator that can produce positive results for any client or company.

WHY DO YOU BELIEVE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN INVESTIGATION AND GIVING ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S ELECTIONS FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO THE REPORTERS IS SO IMPORTANT? IS IT WORTH DOING SO?n

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN brings to light the importance of investigative journalism and doing what is right, regardless of the consequences.  I do believe that it is our civic duty to participate in any investigation regarding any any elected official.


The Citizen participation was key in the investigation, and consciously most individuals will come forward to disclose the truth, so that it does now way on their conscience. The importance of this type of disclosure is pertinent to our way of living in this country.  Politicians for centuries have felt untouchable, and knowing that you can and will be found out, may stop some individuals from acting inappropriately.  Luckily Woodward and Bernstein contacted enough sources to corroborate their stories, thus showing that the information they were providing was accurate and undeniable.  


Also, it is important to set the stage for our elected officials to be above reproach and to disclose their election financial resources, regardless of their elected position.  All financial information should be available for the public and media to view since the inclusion of the freedom of information act.  Elected officials are paid from taxes, which means that the tax payers should have knowledge as to how their taxes are being spent.


It would be wonderful to have investigative reporting of this caliber in today's society.