D Block Crime, Media and Society 12 - Today we'll add to our look at Russell Williams.
Remember Schadenfreude? Russell Williams was a heavy weight in the Canadian military. He was a powerful person who "fell from grace" which is part of what made his murders of Marie France Comeau and Jessica Lloyd a "newsworthy" crime story. But what about another person with power...one who was completely opposite of the character to Williams. What of Rob Ford?
What is the difference between Russell Williams and Rob Ford? They both got an enormous amount of media coverage, but look at how Ford was lampooned in the media as opposed to Russell Williams. Rob Ford was treated more as comic relief as opposed to news. CTV posted an article that claimed:
The Rob Ford saga has received more intensive media coverage in the United States than any other Canadian news story since the turn of the century, newly released media-monitoring figures suggest. "No story in the 21st century has given Canada this much exposure," said Jean-Francois Dumas, president of the Montreal-based media monitoring firm."It's not just the tabloids. It's not just People. It's the New York Times, the New York Post. All sorts of media covered this. It became a social phenomenon.... It's truly exceptional in terms of coverage."
Ford, of course, became internationally notorious last month when he admitted having smoked crack cocaine, "probably in one of my drunken stupors," while apologizing and insisting he's not an addict.
According to the Influence calculations, Rob Ford was mentioned in 14,385 stories on U.S. TV, radio, websites and in newspapers between Nov. 4 -- the day before his fateful admission -- and Dec. 1. Dumas said the story appeared in 75 countries and was the third most-covered story in the world on Nov. 6, while nearly 80 per cent of the foreign coverage occurred in the U.S.
I have three questions for you to answer:
- Do you think the news coverage of Col. Russell Williams' sentencing was too sensational? Do you think the court was right to release so much information and that the Canadian press were right to publish it all, or do you think that there is such a thing as too much information, and that there are some details we really don’t need to know? (Read the CBC article here or the CBC Radio program Cross Country Checkup here to help).
- How did the Canadian and American coverage of the Russell Williams case differ? Use the 48 Hours episode "Name, Rank & Serial Killer?" as well as the Fifth Estate episode "Above Suspicion" as your sources of information.
- Why did the Rob Ford story garner so much attention in Canada and the United States? Was too much information revealed about Rob Ford's problems? Given the different socio-economic backgrounds of Williams and Ford and the different crimes they committed was the Ford case more media worthy than Williams? Why?
C Block Geography 12 - Today you have a unit final on weather and if you came prepared, I am certain that you will have done well...No problems! I am certain that you will do well on this test as you've shown me that you can read and interpret a weather map with greater ability than most news "weather forecasters". The test will not take the whole block, so when you're completed for the time remaining after the test you may work on your Biomes chart and questions we started yesterday in class.
B Block Social Studies 11 - Today is your Cold War unit final test and if you came prepared, I am certain that you will have done well. The test will not take the whole block, so when you're completed for the time remaining after the test you may work on your China One Child questions you were assigned on Tuesday in class. Tomorrow we are back in the library to finish the 2014 World Population activity.
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