9 thoughts on “Week 13 Discussion”

1. jmfulk November 26, 2014 at 1:32 pm

   This is a very timely discussion post topic for us. There is huge media coverage of acts of violence in Ferguson, Missouri in response to the grand jury’s decision not to indict Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown. The media coverage of such events always gravitates towards the despicable behavior in our society because they are the most interesting things to watch. Self-defense is an extremely important skill that everyone should acquire as they become adults, in my opinion. We live in a world where real evil exists every single day and we need to be as vigilant as possible to protect ourselves and our loved ones. I think that, although, physically attending self-defense classes are the most effective methods for gaining the skills necessary to defend yourself and others, it’s not a bad idea to televise a self-defense class over the television to reach more people. The reach would be far greater than any self-defense class could ever have. It may reach people that had never previously thought about self-defense or it might inspire a person to finally do it. What harm could possibly come from doing this? That’s the question that must be answered to really help us make a decision on this. The answer is no harm at all will be done, only good can come from this. Let’s go ahead and hire the best self-defense instructors in the country and have them help us put together a nationally televised 30 minute self-defense class. Why not?
2. njcady13 November 29, 2014 at 5:03 pm

   I see no reason why putting out a series on self-defense would be a bad idea. Violence is everywhere and it would be a good idea to know when and how to defend one’s self. I do not believe, however, that our series would really make that big of an impact. It’s almost like watching a cooking show on T.V. – unless you are cooking right alongside the host, you’re going to forget everything. How many people are actually going to follow along, I can’t say, but it would at least bring to attention the rising crime rate and make people think about self-defense.

   With that said, if we do end up doing a series, which kind of self-defense would be show? There are multiple ways including martial arts, personal firearm safety, and ways to become less susceptible to attack. Perhaps we could show a little bit of all and not restrict ourselves to just one technique. All in all though, it would be a good thing to put on our program and I’m sure the audience would appreciate it.
3. daatkins November 30, 2014 at 10:34 am

   I see no problem with having a self-defense series. With the way society has evolved, it is important to know how to protect yourself. It would be more effective if it was hands on learning though. Allowing those learning to actually practice what they are being taught. Just sitting on the couch won’t do much good. You might remember some interesting facts to retell later but that might be it. You could inform the masses on different protection techniques and methods. anywhere from hand to hand defense or disarming an attacker to firearm safety.
   • tdwinston November 30, 2014 at 6:01 pm

     We could set up a viewer segment, where we set up an instructor and invite our viewers to come and participate if they need hands on training. We could also provide a list of self-defense courses, information on buying weapons or carrying concealed on our website.
     • angelacarley99712 December 1, 2014 at 11:21 am

       That’s a good idea. Have the information available as an option, just not part of the regular news.
4. smallen5 November 30, 2014 at 1:52 pm

   Personally I think they should but not to spend a lot of time on it. Reason being is becuase you always see a lot of commercials and advertisements on how to,protect yourself and your family as well. Like you can see a gun commercial and it will say something like don’t be defenseless on the streets or a victim in your own home, protect yourself with this semi automatic rifle. Then you will see a commercial that has to deal with alarm systems and they will say, are you worried about soemone breaking into your home when your asleep or watching a movie, well have no fear the best in security is here for you and your family. Heck, even commercials with with swords and knifes will sometimes throw that message at you. So yes it would be good to hear how to protect yourself in your news station at times but not to spend the whole time on it cause we see enough of those it should be mixed well within the world news and state news as well, but that’s just my opinion.
5. tmorgan12 November 30, 2014 at 4:11 pm

   I feel a TV series providing such information would be splendid. Defense techniques, how to get out the trunk of a car(my mother had shown me how to do that when I started dating.), how to release your wrist from a zip-tie, etc.
6. tdwinston November 30, 2014 at 5:49 pm

   I think we should include a self-defense series and use it as a follow up segment. The stories on the recent acts of violence would cause fear and apprehension in our viewers, but if we immediately run the self-defense series afterward, we can give a certain amount of control and power back to them. They would appreciate the active approach we would be taking to ensure they know how to keep themselves safe. The better we connect with our audience as a caring news team, the better we would be seen as an instrumental part of the community, and not a team that would sensationalize violence and crime for ratings.
   How would we be able to keep our viewers informed if we only commented on the negative stories and news going on around the nation? Our audience might become apprehensive and depressed with our reporting, we would run the possibility of losing them to another news station. If we not only report the negative but also include a way to educate and enlighten our viewers in the midst of the adversity they could face, they would be more likely to turn to us for more information, creating an important link through intelligent and knowledgeable communication.
7. angelacarley99712 December 1, 2014 at 11:18 am

   If I lived in a town where these acts of senseless violence were taking place, I might appreciate some quick tips on how to protect myself. But this is national news and we should report on it as such and not scare our viewers into feeling that this is happening here.
   In most cases, a level mind and quick thinking will get you out of any harms way. It’s good to know some tricks, but chances are, unless you are well practiced at performing these moves, they will never occur to you in the heat of the moment. Having a short segment on self-defense might encourage a few people to go out and take classes, but for the majority, it only serves to remind them that they are potential victims, vulnerable in public places. And this only encourages more crime.