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    Collin Shirley 1

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    The document discusses how media coverage of violence, corruption, and injustice may affect public morality. It questions whether extensive media attention to such topics could desensitize people or cultivate a culture with poor ethics. Specifically, it examines how the content in news, films, and music has become increasingly darker, focused on topics like materialism, drug abuse, and violence. The author poses the question of whether this type of widespread media content could be "breeding a generation with poor morals and a distorted sense of ethics." Several sources are cited that agree there has been a decline in American morality that may be linked to factors like the media, lack of religion in schools, and changes in parenting.

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    Collin Shirley 1

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    73 views4 pages
    The document discusses how media coverage of violence, corruption, and injustice may affect public morality. It questions whether extensive media attention to such topics could desensitize people or cultivate a culture with poor ethics. Specifically, it examines how the content in news, films, and music has become increasingly darker, focused on topics like materialism, drug abuse, and violence. The author poses the question of whether this type of widespread media content could be "breeding a generation with poor morals and a distorted sense of ethics." Several sources are cited that agree there has been a decline in American morality that may be linked to factors like the media, lack of religion in schools, and changes in parenting.

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    The document discusses how media coverage of violence, corruption, and injustice may affect public morality. It questions whether extensive media attention to such topics could desensitize people or cultivate a culture with poor ethics. Specifically, it examines how the content in news, films, and music has become increasingly darker, focused on topics like materialism, drug abuse, and violence. The author poses the question of whether this type of widespread media content could be "breeding a generation with poor morals and a distorted sense of ethics." Several sources are cited that agree there has been a decline in American morality that may be linked to factors like the media, lack of religion in schools, and changes in parenting.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    73 views4 pages

    Collin Shirley 1

    Uploaded by

    api-315583213
    The document discusses how media coverage of violence, corruption, and injustice may affect public morality. It questions whether extensive media attention to such topics could desensitize people or cultivate a culture with poor ethics. Specifically, it examines how the content in news, films, and music has become increasingly darker, focused on topics like materialism, drug abuse, and violence. The author poses the question of whether this type of widespread media content could be "breeding a generation with poor morals and a distorted sense of ethics." Several sources are cited that agree there has been a decline in American morality that may be linked to factors like the media, lack of religion in schools, and changes in parenting.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 4

    Paul Schierling

    February 6, 2016
    Prof. Padgett
    ENGL 102: Rhetoric and Composition
    How does the information published by various fields of media affect peoples morality?
    Today there is a growing attention on violence, corruption, and injustice. With such so much
    media attention on these topics, are people being exposed to proper morals and ethics. From
    news coverage to blockbuster movies, to the hottest music out; the media has a heavy hand on
    the public's perception of reality. Are people becoming desensitized by hearing about murder
    and scandal on the nightly news and morning post, and is this desensitization create an
    environment where crime and immorality prevail? Over the past decade, movies have become
    darker in tone, while presenting less ethical subject matter. Are these commercial films, seen by

    Comment [cs1]: This is an interesting research question, it


    has a lot of possible topics to collect data from and good
    amount of relevance in society.

    millions of Americans, cultivating a culture to share a similar ideology? The big record labels
    have found a formula that sells music and fills concert halls. Music artist these days rarely leave
    the topic of materialism, sodomy, drug abuse, dipsomania, and violence. Does the debauched
    lyrics of musicians these days inspire the listener to emulate that lifestyle? The news, film, and
    music have the power to not only percent information but to enact social change. With this
    power, and a continual presentation of villainous content, could one say that the media is
    breeding a generation with poor morals and a distorted sense of ethics. Many acts such robbery,
    rape, and fighting are becoming a bigger problem on college campuses. Is this because every
    new class of students could have a deteriorated morality; possibly due to increased exposure to
    the more dismal and sinful matter?
    Sources:

    Comment [cs2]: I feel like this opening paragraph seems to


    only show the side of the argument fighting against the
    media. Showing how media has or could help people may
    add some variety to your paper.

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/2004/05/27/decline-morality-in-america.html
    A report of both republicans and democrats says that roughly 80% of both parties
    believes that the morality of the American population is only fair to down right poor, where 40
    years ago only 33% believed that. With the elimination of religious studies in public school,
    students are no longer learning concrete moral values. With more single parents, children are
    now left alone to television and the internet to learn moral values through questionable sources.
    Porn and violent video games are now both multi-billion dollar industries that stretch across most
    Americans. This article provides the issue, American immorality, and identifies five major
    factors that contribute to it: public schools, parenting, peer pressure, commercial industries, and
    religion. The article provides a sense of unity by showing a bipartisan agreement on the issue, as
    well as statistics that back up his claim. My research question focused primarily on the outside
    influences of media while the Fox News article focuses on that in addition to more religious and
    social aspects. But, both of our articles agree in the sense that there is a decline in American
    morality through the media. This article can back of the problem in my essay while using more
    in-depth article to help define the source of the problem.
    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/violence-in-movies-a-concern-whether-its-pg-13-r-film-study/
    Violent movie characters who engage in sex and drinking are no longer contained in Rrated movies and are now quite apparent in PG-13 rated movies. This is showing that the
    modern film rating system is not longer significant, given that R-rated movies and PG-13 rated
    movies are sharing similar messages. Factors in the rating of movies range from violence, sex,
    language, and drug use. The purpose to rate films is to guide parents in taking their children to
    films. With the rating system decreasing in value and importance, children will be taken to
    movies, that may not be best for their emotional development, but, more importantly, important

    Comment [cs3]: I feel this source works well as a bias


    commentary, supporting the main argument of decreasing
    morality with a good amount of news coverage. But seeing
    as this is a news source your main argument would work
    against any claims Fox makes.

    for their moral development. The article provides important information on movie rating and
    how the come up with the ratings. Addition article will further support the claims made in this
    article. Film, a major portion of the media market, provides one of the largest sources of easily
    accessible violent activity. This article supports the first part of my thesis that the information
    present has taken on a more violent and immoral twist, while the second half of the implications,
    can be found in a second article.
    http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/aug/01/media-coverage-terrorism-further-violence
    The time and attention that major media puts on past acts of violence are now showing
    that it sparks future acts of violence. Today, when an initial story surfaces about a terrorist
    attack or any violent attack, people believe that it will be followed by future related acts.

    In the

    past 15 years, the amount of causalities resulting from violent attacks has increased by 400%.
    One attack reported in the New York Times of a foreign country was followed by a week of
    increased crime of 11%-15%. The major values of this article are centered around the amount of
    media attention that violent acts receive. Also, this article, more importantly, talks about how
    these article of acts of terror, almost inspire future terrorist. This article strongly supports my
    thesis, it agrees in what the problem is, as well as what the source of the problem is. This
    articles author believes that there are many violent acts, acts due to the media's infatuation with
    crime related articles.
    Additional Source:
    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/recent-pg-13-movies-feature-more-gun-violence-than-r-ratedfilms-study/
    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5390075

    This question allows for me to look a problem that I believe is damaging this countrys
    ability to grow. This question is researchable because it has drawn attention from many renown
    authors and many incidents relate to it, and by connecting related events, this research question
    can be either proven or rejected. All the sources that I read agree that there is either growing
    violence or immorality. The articles dont disagree on the source of this turmoil but address it
    from different angles. All the article, by suggesting that there is a problem, say that there needs
    to be a solution, and by addressing my research question, I hope to find a possible solution. My
    research question now is broad and very deep, some part cannot be calculated with a number or
    proven with tangible proof so a slimmer question might be beneficial.

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