The Media's Influence

In the modern world, the media presents images to an audience and attempts to establish these images as reality. The images presented by the media are meant to persuade the audience or capture the audience's attention. The various media influence our emotions and views of the world. In many instances the media we encounter today such as reality shows and music is what influences and characterizes us.

In his essay "Of Losers And Moles: You Think Reality TV Just Writes Itself?", reality TV writer Derrick Speight asserts that the goal of TV writers is to "make viewers want to tune in week after week". He explains that highlighting the character and plot is the main goal for a reality TV writer. These writers create this drama with interesting story lines and hours of footage. When Speight worked for a production company called Actual Reality, the whole walls of index cards were used to rearrange ideas until the best narrative was constructed. Story structure tends to be scrutinized more intensely as reality TV writers are promoted in their position in a company. Sometimes the making of these reality shows takes place on set. As filming occurs, writers take notes on the issues that may arise and anticipate which parts will coherently create a strong narrative. While on set, each writer carries a good pen, notepad, an audio monitoring device, a digital watch, and walkie-talkies. These writers stand as close as they can get to what's being filmed without actually being in the film. They note just about everything that they notice during the film, from suggestive expressions to gestures. At the end of the day, the writers get together to discuss and compare each other's notes to determine which stories have developed or are developing. Once the writers are able to determine which stories seem to be most important, they make sure the right interview questions are asked in order to shape what may be the influential stories. Preparation for obtaining the substance for a storyline takes great amounts of effort and planning. But the true building of stories happens after the filming is done. During the scripting phase, the story producers hand pick scenes, moments, and interviews from many films and then use all these parts to create a coherent story. The executive producer then approves of the script and it is given to an editor. Story producers are also responsible for changing the direction of the show or reshaping it if they feel it is necessary. In addition, the Writer's Guild of America is a union of writers, editors, and producers which is charging reality production companies and networks with unfair labor practices, including pay and benefits less than those earned by traditional drama and sitcom writers. Its lawsuit is one attempt to reach out to reality TV crew members and Speight certainly feels that this is a sign of the rise of reality TV. Evidently, the dedication and diligence put forth towards