When you think about your responsibility as a small town media producer do you have more pressure because you are the only provider?

Mr. Duke- Yes, but I am also much more accountable for what I produce. Every single day, I get e-mails from readers who challenge what he publishes and attach links. I hear from readers as soon as I print anything. Theres not a lot of media like that anymore. I think we have a higher responsibility but we are more accountable so it makes my job easier. Greater media publishes much more different views so we are able to get more voices even though bigger media is less accountable for what it produces.

In Health care debate people said that Obama's healthcare was called a National Healthcare plan even though its not. People thought that Internet should be fact checking and challenging bigger media though it did not because it is not as reliable.

audience question: Mr. Greenberg-How do you choose which stories to publish?

Mr. Greenberg- "I'm not interested in people's opinions." All the strictly observational pieces are shared. People can search the database and learn about the stories for themselves. People want to hear hear real, human, honest stories.
-the Producers have a responsibility to filter through information to show what is actually going on. However, the "truth is our story plus X"

Dr. Rich - "the vast majority of people only read the first and sometimes the second Google page"
- Good journalists go to perspectives that they don't agree with.
- "it comes down the consumer to become the critical thinker." Unfortunately the consumers are moving the oppostit direction.

Audience Questions

Asks Dr. Rich convincing presentations that violent video games make children more violent also heard that they are good to deal with issues in media medium as opposed to real world

Dr. Rich- Find out real evidence. Violence is best researched area in term of how it affects

1000 rigorous studies all except 18 (6 showed no affect at all 12 showed minor decrease in aggressive thoughts and behavior increase anxiety ) 960 showed at least one of the following ideas. Firstly, that the world is a mean and dangerous place. This thought that is ingrained in young people today is linked to anxiety and sleep disturbance. Also, that violent media desensitizes and allows consumers to accept it. Dr. Rich explains that in the film industry he watched many very gory films and it never affected him. After working in ER as a doctor, he was "re-sensitized" to the seriousness of injuries. Now he can't watch violent movies because he understands the violence in a realistic sense as opposed to just something on the screen

Worried about shifting of center, about what we accept in this world. 3 components bullying bully, victim, and bystanders Media desensitizing causes more bystanders.

Mr. Greenberg- Standard media distorting effects are very strong. He interviewed author Isabel Allende and asked her about optimism vs. pessimism because her book ended on a positive note. She live through a terrible time in her country where there was a lot of killing and violence. That was all she saw in the news, as it should be. She also felt that in her experience there were more good people than bad people, but one wouldn't know that, looking at the media of that time. We are only showed negative aspects of reality so it distorts our view.

What are some things which you think media consumers can do to ensure that they are consuming media responsibility?

Mr. Rich- There is no such thing as unbiased truth. If we are not constantly trying to eliminate our biases and pretend that they're no there then we are doing ourselves a disservice.

Responsibility of Consumer is to think critically and question everything that they see. New Media has a multiplicity of voices and we can put together our own opinion on reality based on all these different opinions.

Mr. Greenberg- The Consumer needs to remember the role of power. Leading media issued many articles in the wake of the Iraq war that asked "how did we get it so wrong?". They said that they failed to listen to the lonely voices. The case had not been made that Iraq has WMD and yet nobody questioned those in power.

The Media is supposed to be the 4th estate check on the other parties in power. Party in opposition did not have guts or knowledge to present other point of view. In a situation that is being reported where power really matters then you should really question the media. Power affects media presentation and ability to present other view.

Mr. Duke- Agrees with much of what Mr. Greeberg and Dr. Rich said. Reiterates that, every time you read something challenge the writers assumptions and your own assumptions.

do you believe that the responciblity of Media producers have changed because of new meda

Mr. Duke - it has not affected my ethics or stories. An example of the change: if the New York Times had new media, they would have published the Pentagon Papers.
-new media has not affected his readership because he has "tribal publications." His news paper is the only one to produce the information in his community

Mr. Greenberg -Media producers now have an obligation to open up and listen to citizens
-new responsibility for consumers: with self publication people must be honest

Dr. Rich -"truth is illusive and it is not a single thing"
-new media has shifted the way everybody thinks about the news. today people have to question all the information they get whether online or published.
-entertainment media cannot separate learning from different places. brains mature untill middle ages. media producers must take responcibility for a broad range of thier affects like car manufacturers do.

Mr. Duke- media consumers now have a much greater responsibility. The old culture in the media: "anything you know might be wrong." New culture of media: "I'm right. I know."
-there used to be 20 opinionated newspapers in NY so people had to buy 3 or 4 newspapers. Today people have to do the same thing

Remarks from Dr. Mike Rich

Media in its broadest sense is a means of transmission. Dr. Rich went from film making to Medical School. Explains that Doctors own medicines, define disease and write prescriptions and run tests. Patients come in only when they are the ones who take or don't take the doctors advice. Rich says we need to bring patient in sooner.

Media affecting kids. In history kids mostly died from infectious diseases and cancer. Medical community didn't have antibiotics and couldn't help.

This Century leading causes of death in youth: unintended injury, homicide and suicide. As well as irresponsible sexual behavior and eating behavior. All these generally stem fromm media info about nutrition and sexual relations.

Those who consume more screen media are more likely to be discontent, obese, and unhappy.

We need to understand that educational media/ TV is redundant because all media is educational. You are always learning. Center on Media and Child Health take media away from right and wrong issues (first amendment vs. censorship). Media is such an important part of life citizens spend an absurd amount of time consuming media. We need to pay more attention to it. Understand how it affects us.

Research Media and get it out in a format that young people and others can understand. Empower young people to understand that the media is changing them.

brief remark from Mr. Duke

Mr. Duke believes one must rephrase the forum question. instead we should ask: "how much responsibility are consumers willing to accept and will it be enough to save democracy?"

The responsibility of producers and consumers is to "challenge your assumptions" because
"truth is a process not a destination"

Mr. Dukes feels that his personal responsibilities as a producer of the media are:
-to report what has happened -to organize the news -to publish all the major events -to make a market place of ideas -to demand access of information -to evaluate how society is doing -to explain how people can get involved -to challenge every assumption -and to make sure that his staff accepts these responsibilities

In conclusion Mr. Duke thanked the class, because the forum question made him "synthesize" his thoughts on what he does every day