Rosebud

Citizen Kane was a brutal portrait of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. When Hearst learned through Hopper of Welles' film, he set out to protect his reputation by shutting the film down. Hollywood executives, led by Louis B. Mayer, rallied around Hearst, attempting to buy Citizen Kane in order to burn the negative. At the same time, Hearst's defenders moved to intimidate exhibitors into refusing to show the movie. Threats of blackmail, smears in the newspapers, and FBI investigations were used in the effort.

 

Was it the greatest movie ever made?

What was all the controversy about?

How did Hearst run his newspaper business?

What do you think 'Rosebud' means?

Answer these questions and then write your own movie review.

Did your movie make this list?

 

Goldilocks Number

Once upon a time---  November 2005--- someone said a very SCARY number...

What was it? Read Chapter 5 in the book (pgs. 49- 55) to find out.

Then answer these questions.

What is fear mongering and how/ why does the media lie?

Birds On a Wire

How is the media like birds on a wire?

Brooke Gladstone compares the press to blackbirds perched on a wire, saying, “one bird will fly to another wire, and when it doesn’t get electrocuted, all the birds will fly to that other wire.” 

Senator Eugene McCarthy came up with that;  but what does it mean?

If 'courage and caution' are the 'yin and yang' of journalism,  when can a little bit of caution a good thing?

How are tracking polls often a ‘snare and delusion?

Take the TRUTHINESS Poll

Make your own poll

Success

Congratulations to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs: back-to-back Superbowl Champions! Today's lesson focuses on success and what it takes to get to the top; whether it's in football, entertainment, or high school.

  

People measure success in many different ways and on many different levels. When setting goals in life, we must identify what success means to us personally, so that when we succeed we will know it. For example, most people measure success in business according to their income; however, this may not be an accurate assessment. 

1) What makes someone successful?

2) How do we measure success?

2) Who is more successful Travis Kelce or Taylor Swift?  Why?

4) Performing at the Superbowl Halftime Show is a pinnacle of success; but how did Usher get there? Was it just talent. Or looks? Or was it hard work and practice?

5) What can you learn from these stories about your own paths to success?

Superbowl Commercials

At more than $7 million for a 30 second spot, Superbowl commercials are 7x more expensive than what it cost to broadcast the original game in 1967. Why are companies willing to spend so much?

What techniques do advertisers use to get what they want?

What commercial did you think was the best?

How is Inflation affecting more than just commercials?

Truthiness

Take the TV News 'Truthiness' Poll

Does one TV News Network have more 'Truthiness'  than the others?  

Are feelings more important than facts?

How do our poll results compare to the national poll?

 Which network does the rest of America trust the most for their news? Why? 

Where do most young people your age get the news?

What should be the ultimate goal of any news network?

Why is it the more news outlets there are, the less we seem to trust them?

Canis Journalisticus

If journalists really are like dogs, 'barking at anything that moves', then Helen Thomas agrees.

Reporters are celebrated not because of the truth of their story, but according to whether their story fits the public's mood.

Without a free press doing its job as a journalistic watchdog, citizens are left to guess if their elected officials are doing their jobs, or if the people they have entrusted have earned that trust.