I already posted this week, and this post is technically connected to last week’s reading material, but the editorial coverage about reality television online at the New York Times today is worth mentioning and this is the best way to share with the group. If you haven’t seen the New York Times’ Room for Debate format, it’s worth taking a peek every so often – they feature a new debate (with half a dozen or more relevant debaters) almost every day.
Today’s debate is: Are Reality Shows Worse than Other TV?
Some interesting tidbits:
“[Our] rejection implies that the people we see on reality shows are so embarrassing and uneducated and talentless that their stories are unfit to be broadcast on television. Why? Because their lives are unessential? That’s a pretty intolerant view of the rest of humanity.” Tracie Egan Morrissey, Jezebel
“The ongoing discomfort with reality TV reveals our culture’s tendency to freak out about things that scare us, including how other people interact, think and live.” Andy Dehnart, realityblurred.com
“A lot of reality television is salacious, exploitative and celebratory of violent, abusive and predatory behavior…” Nsenga K. Burton, The Burton Wire
Strategically Communicating 
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