For Immediate Release:
Contact:
Rebecca Kearney
Southern New Hampshire University
603-637-9015
Controversy
over Joe Paterno’s Death
Manchester, NH, 05-12-2014 False news reports bombarded the
media on January 21st, 2012, highlighting the death of former Penn
State Coach Joe Paterno. These
reports spread like wildfire throughout the media; however, Paterno did not die
until the following day, January 22nd, at 9:25am.
The premature reporting is not the first incidence that has happened concerning
media figures; news reporters seem to be too eager to expose the truth before
validating the veracity of the situation.
Paterno had been let go from his football coaching position
after the 2011 season with Penn State.
His health was failing due to his diagnosed lung cancer, however, it was
reported that this form of cancer was treatable. When news correspondents featured a headline reporting
that Paterno had died on Saturday, the rest of the media world jumped on
board. This was considered by some
to be “death by media.” The question then stands, did the media hype cause the
death of the highly revered former head coach?
This is an important situation that cannot be ignored
because the news distributors in our age have great power to not only report
but cause events to happen. If one
man’s false death caused an upheaval such as this, there is room for so much
more devastation to occur due to false reporting. It’s crucial that news
reporters evaluate accuracy when distributing news and that media audiences
determine the veracity of the source they are influenced by.
Southern New Hampshire University is a regionally
accredited, non-profit University,
which offers every individual an affordable and high-quality education for
their future career goals. For
over 80 years, SNHU has given individuals the chance to better their lives in a
credible and professional way.
With an education through SNHU, individuals will be able to both
distribute and evaluate valid information to the public through a variety of
media outlets. For more
information, contact Rebecca Kearney at 888-378-0861 Ext. 8074.
-END-
Facebook Post:
Media distributors falsely portrayed Penn State’s former head football coach, Joe Paterno, to have died Saturday night. Many question now whether the death of the renowned coach, which occurred the following day, was caused by the media hype. Paterno is not the only celebrity to experience this speculated “death by media.” Media distribution’s methods have to change.
This is a good example of a press release and Facebook post. In mine I did not go into the details about how Joe Paterno’s death had been falsely reported, but that was a good angle to take to be able to make the information informative for a wide audience. You mentioned a few times how the media reporting information needs to change, but I am wondering how so? How would you change the reporting methods so that false information does not get published and spread? It is a difficult task because, as you mentioned, it happens frequently, so it would have to be a drastic change to be able to stop the false reporting. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteLike Krista I agree that you did an excellent job of distinguishing between the format and content for a press release and a Facebook. Facebook and many social media platforms demand that an effective message needs to be concise and targeted with specific facts and opinions. While it is widely believed that Paterno died from the heartbreak and shame of the sex abuse scandal, I think it is difficult to capture that as fact in reporting. His cause of death and the hoax that spawned the false media reports by several major media outlets were somewhat difficult to include in the press release of his actual death.
ReplyDelete