In the modern media landscape, what issues do we face as a global society with regards to journalism, bias and freedom of expression, and what does future news reporting look like?

I believe that with regards to journalism in the modern media landscape, our generation is facing the constant issue of being influenced by others thoughts and opinions. Journalism today is being created by the influence of what the vast majority of society enjoys to read and see. Journalists are interested in writing about things that are of our interest, thus they keep writing and writing about the same things over and over again until it becomes a constant cycle. Journalists thus become the slaves of our society.  However this constant cycle eventually gives journalists the power over us as by doing so they are only limiting the amount of things and topics that we talk about. I believe that this definitely puts a limit on the wide array of information that is available to us as we are only so focused on that little fraction that is considered to be popular or trending.

The idea of bias and freedom of speech does also greatly link to that of influence as well. Many today are afraid to speak out and use their voices for causes that they believe in with the fear of judgement or controversy on what they are fighting for. This is especially done on social media with topics that are very biased. I believe that most do have that freedom of expression, yet we care too much about what people think of us. This is the reason for why many only use their voices to talk about these sensitive topics when they see that others are talking about them beforehand. Our generation likes to follow what is trending. This is also an issue as we find an increasing number of teenagers who are solely using their voices with the aim of fitting in, although they have no passion whatsoever for that specific cause they are voicing out about.

I believe that future news reporting will continue to follow that cycle of journalists producing whatever they believe is liked by society. This generation’s interests are starting to lean towards the side of that related to celebrities, drama…etc., thus I believe that we will be finding more and more resources on these topics, and that the more attention we give them, the more dominant they will become.

What connections can you make between Thetis, Salome and Little Red Cap? What connects this poem to some of the adverts we have looked at so far?

We can clearly make connections between  Duffy’s poems “Thetis”, “Salome” and “Little Red Cap”, as we find the reoccurring themes of both gender and power. All these poems demonstrate some sort of gender issue. In the three poems, Duffy illustrates how she sees women and represents them in such a way that women have power over men and are are also better off without them in their lives. This can be shown in both “Little Red Cap” and “Salome”, in which the male characters are completely controlled by the female protagonists as a result of their sexual appeal.  In “Thetis”, however, it is represented quite differently as the protagonist Thetis’ power is illustrated by her ability to adapt in multiple environments and survive. Duffy shows us her strength.

This poem can also be connected to some of the adverts that we have studied so far, as the issue of gender roles occurs. By the end of “Thetis”, the female protagonist is eventually caught by the male and forced to give birth. This story clearly shows the juxtaposition between men and women and how women are being manipulated. It suggests how at the end of the day, men will always be superior and emphasises on a patriarchal society. This can be connected to many of the adverts that we have studied so far, as we see how women are only created to please men and how on the other hand, men are here to destroy their nature.